2004 Snowdon International Race

Saturday 24th July 2004

15 runners from Northern Ireland made the trip to the Annual International Snowdon Race in Wales, over 10 miles and 3,300 feet of climbing, on the weekend of the 24th July, plus English-based Steve Neil running for Yorkshire club Pudsey & Bramley making it 16 in all. Conditions for the race were good, overcast and not too hot, making the blisters less damaging than usual. With most staying at the Quality Victoria Hotel, traditionally race headquarters, the atmosphere was good for a weekend of serious sport and socialising.

The Northern Ireland Men's team could be described as developmental with none of the representatives having done the race before. It consisted of Larne AC's 'El Presidente' Andy Gregg ("is the Larne Chairman, Billy Magee, over? I've just seen the Club President", asked a local Eyri runner) and Mark McManus, earning his first Northern Ireland senior vest having previously competed as a junior in the 1992 World Trophy in Zermatt in Switzerland. Completing the team were ACKC's Gary Bailey and Newcastle AC's Adam 'the Mighty' Mitten.

The ladies team saw the welcome return of BARF's Shileen O'Kane, only four months after giving birth to her first baby, with pre-pregnancy days ruined by injury, she is rapidly going from strength to strength and also of Newcastle AC's Alwynne Shannon, out with injury for eight months or so, she is easing her way back to full fitness. The ladies team was completed by ACKC's Clare Galbraith, another getting into better shape after baby number two last year and Omagh AC's Hazel McCausland, plagued in recent times by ankle pain.

Gregg led the team out with his usual fast start and reached the summit in 50 minutes and 42 seconds. Bailey worked hard, but suffered from his usual fast start and was 2nd team man to the summit in 52 minutes 26 seconds. After a fast start McManus was caught by Mitty with the latter reaching the top first in 54 minutes 23 seconds, just half a minute ahead of McManus.

Behind Ballymena's Mark Alexander and Newcastle's Mark Kendall has a strong ascent tussle and were within 3 seconds of each other in 55 minutes 38 and 41 seconds respectively. ACKC's Willie Marks topped out in 58 minutes and 28 seconds, Omagh's Bill McCausland was just outside the hour and Ian Taylor in just over an hour and a quarter.

O'Kane led out the ladies with a 59m15 climb nearly a minute clear of Shannon and maintained that gap to the finish to come in 12th lady, with Shannon 14th. Galbraith reached the summit in 65minutes 47 seconds some two minutes clear of McCausland with Brown a further four minutes back. Galbraith came home 22nd lady and three minutes clear of McCausland who was in 25th. Brown broke the 70 minutes barrier and was in 20th place.

As for the men, Gregg struggled on the descent (it was a game of two halves) and blisters finally got the better of him as he slipped outside the half hour for the five miles descent, finishing in 67th overall. Bailey had the fastest team descent in 26 minutes 9 seconds to come home first in the team in 54th place overall. Steve Neill, whose parents live in Newcastle these days, eclipsed the team to finish in 29th overall in 73 minutes and 4 seconds with a very fast 23 minutes and 46 seconds descent.

Mitty had a great descent in 27 minutes and 16 seconds to come home in 77th
Nearly two minutes clear of McManus in 92nd, who had a tight tussle with Alexander and Kendall who finished in 94th and 101st respectively. Marks broke the half hour in 137th and Bill McCausland broke the hour and a half to record a personal best. Taylor broke the two-hour barrier but was just outside his best.

All in all a successful sortie to Snowdonia with Northern Ireland taking its place alongside Wales, Scotland, England, the Isle of Man, France, Italy and Slovenia. This was a development experience for both teams, well worth doing, with all representatives wanting to return to do better next year. The evening recuperation was marked by a 41st birthday celebration, a renewed acquaintance with the sport of beer-throwing, a novel introduction to the sport of cake smearing, a crossing of the Rubicon ('see you in h…'), the helpful site of mates helping one mate across the dance floor and up to his room, the Mighty Mitty destroying a cocky local at press-ups and another hello on the Sunday (and Monday and Tuesday) morning to the inevitable sore legs that 5 downhill miles produce. It was a pleasure to be in good company.

BOGBOY
Team Manager

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