Race 7

The Monument Race

20th May 2004

Race 7(of 11)

McKibben Clinches 2004 Hill & Dale Title

Newcastle AC's Alan McKibben emulated his twin brother Dave's Hill & Dale Series titles with another resounding victory at Thursday's 7th Hill & Dale race over the Monument Course in Tollymore Forest Park. With 6 victories from the first seven of eleven races, he now cannot be caught. On top of this, he smashed defending champion North Belfast's Neil Carty's course record by one minute. Carty, meanwhile, came home second again and now can only finish second overall at best. Ironically, 2002 champion, Newcastle's Deon McNeilly, was third best on the night.

An amazing 143 runners turned out on Thursday night past for the race, making it a second consecutive record turnout - 11 more than the record set last week. Each race of the series has a unique character and for this one, it is the fast four or five minute start from the Monument to the Shimna River, near the Ivy Bridge, and the desperate finish, on tired legs up the grassy bank back towards the car park. With the finish funnel lined with spectators, there to witness the pain and offer some sort of encouragement, the 90 seconds climb is one that all the runners look forward to as they make the fast seven or eight minute (for the leaders) return from the summit of the White Plains - not.

In the ladies category, Newcastle AC's Kerry Harty took one step closer to the title with a fifth win from seven races, with club-mate Anne Sandford coming home second. With both ladies missing race 8 due to the All-Ireland Championship race in the Wicklow Mountains being two days later, Sandford will now have to win the last three races of the Series to have a chance of clinching the title.

As for Harty, she had spent four hours in casualty on Tuesday night, two nights before the race, after an accident on a late evening training run with the Mighty Mitty - did he trip her? Half a dozen stitches in the knee and a pretty cross-stitch in her forehead was not enough to stop her competing on Thursday night. Sandford seems to have the edge on the steeper and more mountainous terrain, but Harty enjoys races like the Monument. So much so, in fact, she won by more than a minute coming home in a sprint finish just losing out to ACKC's Willie Marks. Remember back two weeks to the Moughanmore race and Harty missed out on the ladies record by a mere second? More bad luck this week as, despite the pressure exerted by Marks, she missed out on Ballymena's Sharon McBurney's record by two seconds.

In the junior section, Mid-Ulster's Jonathan McCloy is demonstrating, as each week passes, a gutsy determination and desire to win the title. This week, Newcastle's Adam (the Mighty Mitty) Mitten set out fast and climbed well to lead at the top of Curraghard, some 13 minutes into the race. McCloy descends well, while Mitty is also fast, but sometimes plagued with 'the stitch'. By the final summit of the White Plains, Mitty still led and with less than 10 minutes to go in the run back, much of it downhill, was favoured to win. McCloy, however, had other ideas and slowly pulled back towards Mitty, finally passing him and taking 40 seconds out of him with a strong climb up the final grass bank to the finish. With four wins now, McCloy is close to the title.

As expected, the crowds gathered at the most spectacular finish of any of the Hill & Dale series. The view is fantastic as they wait for the runners to appear and when they do start to arrive the suffering is great to watch. In the 143 runners this week were many relations. The husband and wife category is bolstered by the Linton's (orienteers by trade and running in orienteering shoes that sound like hobnail boots to the uninitiated; 'don't mess with us'), the O'Kane's (their first baby only 6 weeks old), the McCann's (Tish couldn't run the length of herself this time last year and is now doing two hour training runs in the mountains and finishing regularly in the top four in this series), the McCausland's (typical of so many of the participants in these races who travel some distance to be there; Omagh in this case), the Harty's (oops, sorry, mistake, Micky has talked a good race for some weeks now and, having just turned 30, might think he has a ready made excuse never to race, although having moved in beside the McNeilly's, one never knows), the Hawkin's (Eddie, where are you?), the McConville's (one prolific racer and one prolific walker) and finally the McQueen's (well done Alison, as for you Terry, allegedly the expressions of your disappointment at having to retire injured early in the race was noted by many of the runners). More comment on relationships later in the Series.

Ian Taylor is Membership Secretary of the Northern Ireland Mountain Racing Association and, to be fair, his workload is wider than that. He has been running for many years now and typically finishes, well let's just say, not too near the front. His son, Simon, on the other hand is faster and often finishes in the top six. Simon has been concentrating on track racing, however, decided to take part in the Monument race this week. Let's just say that his dad saw the chance and took it and only for an eagle-eyed official the history books would have seen Ian Taylor finish in third place; Ian registered himself and Simon and quietly switched the numbers; nice try; close, but not close enough.

Finally, there is, unfortunately, a need for a comment on some bad behaviour at the presentation in the Anchor Pub after the race. The Hill & Dale thrives on the non-elitism of the Mountain Racing sport; competitive it is, but elitist it is not. Fittingly, the majority of the race entry fees go towards an individual prize for all those who complete six races out of the eleven in the series. However, each week, as well as copious sandwiches (no Atkins Diet culture here) a few spot prizes (mugs) are handed out to deserving causes. When the order arrived this year, unfortunately, a few had managed to get smashed (like many who attend the race presentations) and these are currently being awarded to hard luck causes. Step in ACKC's Finola McCourt, a quality runner for some years now, but absent so far this year. Anyhow, she was picked out across the Anchor Bar by the race organiser for a spot prize and graciously (well that might be stretching the definition), she accepted it.

Shortly afterwards, the realisation set in that she hadn't actually competed and was just there for the beer. Before she could blink an eye, a smashed mug stood proudly where the original had sat and she was speechless (and that is saying something). Gutted, she ordered another drink, she would have loved that mug, she has a souvenir from 2003 and she was that close to the precious one for 2004. For the bystander, though, she had still been given more than she deserved, a mug with no handles and she hadn't even completed a race. As the masses left for home, the crowd thinned and eventually the bar was almost clear and there proudly sat the mug with no handles, orphaned so early in its life; hard luck for the hard luck prize; watch out Ms McCourt, there's nothing more dangerous than a mug spurned…

Race eight this Thursday is the longest and possibly the toughest challenge in the Series, over the Loughshannagh Horseshoe. Anyone with perpetual trophies in any of the categories, please return to any of the race organisers over the next week. Parking and registration will be at the Spelga Dam; about ten minutes jog from the start, to keep the main mountain road clear of parked cars.

BOGBOY

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