Mill Hill Uphill Mile

Monday 27th August 2007

The challenging race up the hill from Annsborough Village to the Castlewellan Market House first took place in 1987, some 20 years ago. The distance is only 1 mile but the ascent is some 350 feet.

The men's race has been won by Mark Kirk (5m18) and Robbie Bryson (5m12) but the record holder is the strongest man of them all, Deon McNeilly who clocked the impressive time of 5 minutes dead (speak to McNeilly and he will insist that if there had been electronic timing then his record would have been sub-5 minutes - he also had a winning streak of 6 races in a row).

The ladies race has been won by Maria Skelton and a couple of times by current super-vet Geraldine Finnegan. The current record holder is now 9-times winner Kerry Harty who this year shaved a further 7 seconds off her own ladies best time from 2006, recording 6 minutes 24 seconds, coming home in 7th place overall.

Leading male this year was current Hill & Dale champion, Newcastle's Alan McKibbin who won in 5 minutes and 35 seconds to make it five wins in a row, just three seconds ahead of East Down's Brendan Teer. His coach Tom Breen is another past winner and one of only 5 athletes to have broken the 5 minutes 30 seconds barrier. In all only 36 athletes have broken 6 minutes in the history of the race with this year, Alan's twin Dave in third place being the only other athlete under the 6-minute barrier. Fast improving David O'Flaherty was a narrow 2 seconds outside 6 minutes in 4th place.

East Down's Joanne Mills in 6 minutes 44 and Lagan Valley's Philip Treacy in 7 minutes 36 were the first juniors home. Evergreen Ballydrain Harrier Dominic McGreevy was first veteran 50 in 6 minutes and 39 seconds with club mate Francie Boal first veteran 55 in 7 minutes and 59 seconds and East Down's Joe Quinn the first veteran 60 in 8 minutes and 17 seconds.