The 60th Annual Slieve Donard Classic

Friday 26th June 2004

Scottish Raiders & a Blast from the Past Dominate

After 11 weeks of preparation through the Hill & Dale Series since the second Thursday in April, the real crunch test arrived last Friday night with the 60th Annual Slieve Donard Race Classic. Last year's race took place on a Friday night for the first time and this year this experiment was successfully repeated just one week after the Hill & Dale drew to a close.

Donard is a much tougher mountain, a much tougher race and so, does not suit all participants in the Hill & Dale. However, 77 souls, a modern day record for the classic race, toed the line at 7.30pm. Over the years the race has seen many routes. In 1945, in the first running of the race and for many years thereafter, the event was known as 'go as you please', where runners started at the Council Office and the only checkpoint was the mountain summit. In intervening years the classic descent to the Bloody Bridge and the harrowing 2.7miles along the coast road was introduced. There were also races that started and finished in Donard Park. Last year, however, the race reverted to its 1945 format and this was repeated again this year.

Over the years there have been prolific winners of the race including 6 times winner James McKinney and 7 times winner and defending champion Deon McNeilly and other recent local winners such as Jim Patterson, Dermot McGonigle and Robbie Bryson - all local runners want their name on that historic trophy - 27 different winners in 59 races. It is a race that has had many visitors with the attraction being the obvious - the highest mountain in Northern Ireland at 2,796 feet, steep and rough terrain and a direct climb of only two and a half back-breaking miles. Past non-local winners have been the likes of Mike Short, born behind where the Reebok Stadium stands in Horwich near Bolton, now in his late 50s and living and still racing in the Alps in Switzerland; Colin Donnelly who as a prodigious 18-year-old out of Cambuslang in Glasgow won the race for his first of three times in 1979, Donnelly went on to medal performances in World Championships and a World Masters title; Ian Holmes, three times British Champion from Bingley in Yorkshire won in 2000 with the incredulous descent time from the summit to Donard Park of 14 minutes and 16 seconds.

As ever straight from the starting whistle Newcastle AC's Alan McKibben stormed off down the Main Street clearly intent on adding his name to the Donard Winners Trophy as an addition to his 2004 Hill & Dale title. In close order as they enter Donard Forest, McKibben was followed by Deon McNeilly, Ballydrain's Brian Ervine, North Belfast's Neil Carty, ACKC's Ed Hanna and Lochaber's John Brooks.

Lochaber Athletic Club is based in the Scottish town of Fort William, a town with similarities to Newcastle, by the sea and at the foot of the country's highest mountain - in this case Ben Nevis. Brooks is an awesome talent, a many times Scottish international, he won the Ben Nevis race in 1998. At 29 now, he is working in Dublin and after a few years in the running doldrums is making a superb comeback. Earlier in the month he won the annual Carantoohill race in Kerry, beating the famous John Lenihan in his own backyard, a feat not achieved by anyone for nearly 20 years. So on Friday he was aiming to add Slieve Donard to his victory list.

The first big decision for the runners is whether to take the gentler climb (it's still steep) up the Glen to the Saddle and up the Mourne Wall to the summit or to take the steeper and more direct route via the Black Stairs for the summit. The weather was clear with Friday being the one fine window in a dismal week of weather and Brooks loves the steeper going and took no time in deciding to aim for the Black Stairs - leading the field, a brave move for a man who had never been on the mountain before. McKibben stayed in the Glen with Ervine and McNeilly. Carty and Hanna meanwhile followed Brooks to the Black Stairs. The Glen turned out to be the bad choice this year with a fresh headwind whistling down its slopes, with the runners on the Black Stairs route being more sheltered.

36 minutes and 41 seconds after leaving the Newcastle Centre, Brooks reached the summit tower - an awesome climb. He was a full two minutes clear of McKibben who climbed out of the Glen in second place. Ervine from the Glen was next in 3rd, with Hanna 4th and McNeilly 5th the last man up inside 40 minutes. The Hill & Dale has seen a strong improvement in strength in depth this year and this was reflected again in the Donard race performances.

In the ladies race, pre-race favourite LVO's Violet Linton was having a bad day. Not feeling the best before the start she was behind at the summit by 4 minutes and then damaged the sole of her foot badly on the descent. In her place came BARF's Shileen O'Kane, former Northern Ireland champion and only three months since she gave birth to her first child, O'Kane is fast returning to form. She reached the summit in 50 minutes and 15 seconds in 39th place overall. Another returning to better shape is ACKC's Clare Galbraith, shattered earlier in the year she was second lady to the top in 52 minutes and 52 seconds.

The Donard race, like a football match, is an event of two halves. To win, the runner must be able to climb fast and descend like a mountain goat. The fastest descent route and one taken by all the runners this year, is straight over the front, through the scree on the upper slopes, down through the deep heather laced with holes waiting to catch the unsuspecting ankle, and down the Black Stairs gully taking care over the few rock steps, before plunging through the forest over the tree roots, there like outstretched legs and then re-finding the legs to run the flat road back to the Centre.

Brooks had a comfortable lead that meant that he could afford to take care and correct any minor mistakes on this clear evening. He did not disappoint, he came home in 56 minutes and 34 seconds, a new record time and a descent time of 20 minutes and 13 seconds from the top of Donard to the Newcastle Centre - the winner he was and added his name to the illustrious roll of honour on the Perpetual Trophy, but he was only 12th fastest descent.

Over recent years, Newcastle AC's Damien Brannigan has regularly had the fastest descent in the race, last year he was first in 18 minutes and 19 seconds, a full minute clear of ACKC's Gary Bailey. Bailey though has shown great improvement over the past twelve months and there is more to come. Nonetheless, he had a below par climb arriving at the Summit Tower in 19th overall in 44 minutes 30 seconds (still two and a half minutes faster than last year's climb), he has the clear potential to break 40 minutes, but when he turned he waited for no one and plunged down the treacherous descent in an amazing 17 minutes and 40 seconds, more than one and a half minutes faster than his descent last year, to post the fastest descent time.

The second fastest descent came from a regular visitor to these shores, Glasgow-based Shettleston Harrier Des Crowe. Crowe was 7th at the summit and came down in 18 minutes and 2 seconds to move up to 5th place, pipping McNeilly by one second and claiming the Veteran 40 victory from McNeilly.

Other notable descents came from the usual suspects, 3rd was Stevie Cunningham in 18 minutes and 23 seconds, 4th the former master Brannigan in 18 minutes and 40 seconds and 5th ACKC's Ed Hanna in 19 minutes and 21 seconds. Hanna has probably been the biggest surprise package of the season and is turning out to be a massive talent. McKibben consolidated his 2nd place at the summit, closing a bit on Brooks on the descent, despite a big tumble and a deep gash needing stitches in his hand (casualty in the Downe Hospital until well past midnight), to come home in 58 minutes 35 seconds. Hanna, 4th at the top, chased Ervine hard and after a ding-dong battle where the lead changed several times, Hanna finally passed Ervine on the flat run in from Donard Park to come home in third place.

All in all a record seven runners broke the one-hour barrier. In the junior category, Hill & Dale champion Mid-Ulster's Jonathan McCloy was back in battle with local Newcastle man, the Mighty Mitty. Having spent much of last weekend in Zimbabwe, Mitty appeared this Friday night with the legs full of bounce. McCloy chose the Glen, Mitty the Black Stairs and it was Mitty who topped out in 22nd place overall in 45 minutes and 15 seconds some 25 seconds clear of McCloy. Mitty has been learning to deal with the dreaded 'stitch' over recent weeks and tonight he produced a great descent, 8th fastest in 19 minutes 38 seconds, one of 11 runners to break the 20-minute descent barrier. So it was Mitty first this week and McCloy second, both many minutes inside their times of last year. Both these juniors will hopefully continue to get the best out of each other.

First veteran 45 was BARF's John McBride in 53rd overall in 80 minutes and 49 seconds; Albertville's Billy McKay was first veteran 50 again in 22nd overall in 68 minutes and 21 seconds; previous winner Jim Patterson was first veteran 55 in 19th overall in 65 minutes and 42 seconds and Larne's Billy Magee was first veteran 60 in 50th overall in 80 minutes and 7 seconds.

The ladies places stayed unchanged from the summit with O'Kane celebrating a first victory of the year in 46th overall in 78 minutes and 10 seconds and fastest descent in 27 minutes and 55 seconds. Galbraith was second and fast finishing local Martina Hawkins came through for 3rd in 65th overall in 88 minutes and 21 seconds.

The race is always full of personal stories. One tonight was from local Jim O'Rourke who in 1981 completed the race at the age of 37. Challenged by a mate that he would put himself in an early grave, he vowed to return and do the race again when he was 60. Congratulations to him as he rose to the challenge 23 years on and came home successfully in 101 minutes and 22 seconds.

The team race was competitive with Newcastle winning with 15 points from ACKC with 24 and Ballydrain with 59. Ballymena Runners were 4th, BARF 5th and Larne made up the scoring teams in 6th.

BOGBOY

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