NAC Notes – edited by Bogusboy

The Garmin sponsored Mourne Skyline MTR, now in its fourth year is a race heavy on prestige, as well as undeniable difficulty. As the final round of the Skyrunning UK series and having featured many international athletes as well as a World Champion in previous editions, it’s a rare opportunity for our top athletes to take on the best on home turf. This year, Newcastle AC made sure that the locals scooped all the accolades.

The course itself is notorious in its brutality. Starting and finishing in Newcastle, it heads for the mountains via the arduous and leg-sapping Granite Trail, looping the Brandy Pad before Climbing the notoriously treacherous Bernagh and Meelmore en-route to Fofanny Dam. From here, the race really gets going, following the entire length of the ridge that makes up that iconic Mournes skyline (hence the name) to the Slieve Donard summit before plummeting to the finish. In all, it covers 22 miles with a total ascent and descent of 3370m or put another way, it’s near a full marathon distance that includes four times to the top of Slieve Donard and back. To make matters much tougher, the terrain is made up of unforgiving granite steps, bog and leg-sapping deep mud that makes just staying upright extremely tough. For most people it would be at least a two day walk, the fact that the winning time was less than four hours shows just how much ability these mountain runners possess.

It was Newcastle ACs Ian Bailey, a man in fine form on the really long tough stuff as evidenced by multiple international selections for Ireland, who returned to reclaim the title that he won in 2015, breaking the tape in 3:57:18; an amazing effort in very tough conditions. In fact for much of the day very little of the skyline was visible at all!!! Fellow Irish international and Newcastle AC team mate Seamus Lynch joined Bailey for the first half of the race, pushing the pace on before fading on the way home to finish ten minutes back for second place in a still impressive 4:07:51. The podium was rounded out by Ryan Stewart from Glasgow’s Shettleston Harriers (4:12:19) before superb results for another Newcastle AC pair, David Hicks fourth in 4:18:43 and Colm Murtagh in 4:25:37 as the local club claimed for of the top 5 spots. Not too far back, Paul Carlin finished in 11th (4:55:43), Jonny Crutchley got his new vest well and truly initiated in 41st (5:47:00) and Mark King was 68th (6:13:25) as all the NAC entrants made their way home safely.

The ladies’ race was won in style by Lagan Valley AC’s Shileen O’Kane in 4:56:43, prevailing after a great battle with Sheffield based club Dark Peak’s Megan Wilson, a former East Down AC athlete (5:00:09). The podium was rounded off by Catherine Forsythe in 5:40:56.

Whilst the Newcastle lads enjoyed a hot shower and hard-earned liquid libation the real action was still taking shape out on the hills as the predicted degeneration of the weather saw torrential rain and gale force winds adding extra danger to the saturated ground conditions. Thirty-five runners retired or failed to make the half-way point cut-off time and the final finisher suffered it out for just under eight and a half hours, still a very respectable effort on that course with those conditions.

It’s a testament to the perfect organisation and the hardy and brilliant marshals who stood on the mountain for ten hours that the event went without a hitch and no serious injuries or incidents. It takes a special kind of person to put yourself through that experience, without which amazing races like this couldn’t take place. Exhausted athletes enjoyed the usual excellent post-race feed before retiring to the local inns to celebrate what for most is the end of the mountain running season. For Newcastle AC it was a great way to end the year and re-stake the claim as Northern Ireland’s premier mountain running club.

Abingdon Marathon

Dipping under the 3 hour marker for the marathon is one of those feats to separate the accomplished runner from the decidedly average athlete according to Newcastle’s answer to Frank Horwell, Paul Rodgers. Brendan Donnelly has been trying to wrest that monkey from his back for quite a while now, but I am delighted to report, that he finally shook it off at the Abingdon Marathon on Sunday 22 October and in doing so, joins that group within the club that have recorded a time that begins with the number 2! Delighted to have heard the news, Wonderwall is believed to have texted Niall King to find out if his 2 hours 60 minutes and 27 seconds counts; alas not WW, but you will get another bite at the proverbial cherry next weekend in Dublin’s fair city. Donnelly completed his 26.2 miles in Abingdon just outside Oxford in 2:59:24, a great achievement on a flat and open course on a blustery day. This is a tremendous achievement for an athlete who has promised much over this distance, but by his own admission had underachieved to date. Having been in contention and on pace in several previous attempts, he never seemed to have the strength or confidence in his ability to see to it through. Today was very different and he stayed the course in fine style to finally achieve that which has eluded his for so long. This is a timely boost for the dozen or so NAC runners who will take the line next Sunday, along with 20,000 others for the Airtricity Dublin City Marathon.

Masters XC trials

Queen’s University playing fields on the Malone Road was the setting for the NI Masters’ Cross Country trial to select a team for the forthcoming British Masters’ Championship to be held on 18 November at Gransha. NAC had three competitors in action. Nicky McKeag (7^th LV40) was the only female from the club competing in the ladies 6k race, while Francis Tumelty (12^th V45) and evergreen Jim Patterson (1^st V70) took part in the 8k men’s race. W wish them all well in their quest for an international call up! Watch this space for updates.

Red High 10k and 5k relay

Brendan Teer was the clear winner of the second annual Red High 10k on Saturday 21 October. Leading from start to finish and never challenges, he romped home in 34:28, impressive on a course that was classified as ‘lumpy’.

Newcastle went for a blend of youth and experience in the relay, selecting Red High pupil and teacher combination Ronan McVeigh and Joe McCann. It was a case of the student showing the master the way as McVeigh reached the change-over point in 18:50. However, he was being pushed all the way by Lagan Valley’s Callum McCabe. McCabe handed over to another Red High student, Conor McGrath. McGrath quickly got past McCann and within a mile had opened up a winning lead, running around 5:40 for his first mile. McGrath brought his team home for a well-deserved win. McCann recorded 19:02 and was reasonably pleased not to have let the side down too much, despite youth and exuberance overcoming old age and treachery for once. Frank Cunningham was ‘a late change in the Kerry team’ as the athlete listed in the programme, Brendan Ward failed a late fitness test, despite spending most of the evening before taking many potions, tonics and remedies to ease his pains. Ever willing to help a mate, the Tank teamed up with Mark Keane ad the pair came home 9^th. Paul Watson continued his return to form and fitness with an impressive 40:40 on a roller-coaster of a course and Niall Carson was less than a minute back in 16^th. With Storm Brian declared to be less severe, Carson risked leaving home, confident that the greenhouse would not be uprooted for a third time this year. I am glad to report he returned to find said greenhouse in its rightful place. Paul Rodgers was one of many returning to the scene of his learning and relived some of the old glories with time good enough for 27^th place. Some of his former class mates regaled stories of how they despaired when Rodgers was at football training as he was the benchmark which the late, great Pat O’Hare compared them to. Jinksy Farrell traded trails for road for once and ran a most steady race to finish 37^th. In  bit of inter club co-operation NACs Lorna Cunningham teamed up with MACs Michelle McCann and the girls did very well, finishing second ladies’ team to Murlough’s Lorna Chambers and Leah Calvert. A special word of praise to the Red High A2 Sports Science class who organised the event.

Racing ahead

Next weekend the main focus will be on the Dublin Marathon on Sunday.  Before that the Bobby Rea Memorial takes place in Kilbroney Forest Park Rostrevor.