The Snowdon International is traditionally one of the top mountain races in these islands each year and is a Classic, much like the Slieve Donard Race which has been raced every year since 1945, which starts in the village of Llanberis and goes to the summit of Snowdon, the highest point in Wales and returns to the Town Park in Llanberis – 3,000 feet of climbing and 10 miles in distance. This year was the 43rd Snowdon race (1st one dates back to 1976) and as it has done for many decades it includes an international team competition where Wales, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Italy battle it out. The link with Italy comes from the close relationship that has built up over the years between Llanberis and Morbegno in the Dolomites in Northern Italy which holds an annual mountain relay festival in October.
Up to this year 3 members of Newcastle & District AC had broken 70 minutes for the race. The best of the bunch, Robbie Bryson, running for Ireland, still holds the record to the summit from all the way back in 1985 when he ran an incredible 38 minutes and 10 seconds, only to be passed on the brutal descent by one the greatest fell runners of all time, Kenny Stuart who won in 62 minutes and 29 seconds which is also still the record today. Next best is Dermy McGonigle, now more than 30 years domiciled in Scotland, twice Scottish Hill Running Champion, broke 70 minutes competing for Scotland back in the 90s. Richard Rodgers, Hanna’s coach (for some reason) is the third of the bunch and ran 69 minutes and 38 seconds in 1991 running for Northern Ireland. Since the pioneering of Ballydrain’s Jim Hayes in the late 70s to the race, many have gone and tried but no others have broken the 70-minute barrier but would Newcastle & District AC’s Dromara man Zak Hanna break the mould this year?
Hanna has been in a rich vein of form over the past month, reaching a lifetime peak when finishing 19th at the European Mountain Racing Championship in Macedonia on 1st July (an improvement form 54th last year) and then winning the Irish Mountain Running Trial for the World Championships in Andorra in September, last weekend by more than 90 seconds.
Hanna in the lead bunch as the runners leave Llanberis to head onto the mountain.
Hanna made his intentions clear from the start settling into the lead bunch but then sensibly letting England’s Chris Smith go at what would be too hot a pace just now for the 22-year-old County Down man. As the runners passed the ‘half-way’ training station on the mountain, Hanna was in 4th place in 20:57, 51 seconds begin Smith in the lead with England’s Chris Holdsworth in 2nd in 20:28 and Wales Rob Samuel in 3rd in 20:34. Just on Hanna’s tail was Vender from Italy (21:03) and England’s Tom Addison in 6th in 21:11.
Hanna charges on a third of the way down the descent – photo courtesy of Richard Hanna – no relation.
Smith still led at the summit in 42:48 (4 minutes and 38 seconds slower than Bryson’s 1985 record) with Samuel now in 2nd in 43:26 and Italy’s Vender in 3rd in 43:27. Hanna had climbed very strongly, it is his strength, to reach the summit in a brilliant 4th place in 43:50, but only 6 seconds clear of Holdsworth whom he had caught on the latter steep stages of the climb. To say the descent is brutal is an understatement and lots can change. By the half-way train station the Italian Vender had taken the lead (53:56) and was now 12 seconds clear of Smith. Hanna had slipped to 5th (55:31) behind Holdsworth. It feels like it’s never-ending and as the legs hit the tarmac at the bottom and steep decline turns to the flat the run home, the legs tend to buckle – it is like no other feeling.
Italy’s Vender won in 66:41 nearly a minute clear (67:30) of fast-descending Holdsworth (who had been just behind Hanna at the summit) with Welshman Samuel third in 67:53 and Smith paying for his ambitious early pace 4th in 68:15. Simonetti of Italy also loves the descent and came through for 5th place in 68:19 and England’s Tom Owens in 6th in 68:53 just pipping Hanna (68:56).
Hanna’s time took 42 seconds off Coach Rodgers’ Northern Ireland fastest from 1991 and he was delighted – 14th and 2 minutes slower last time he did the race in 2016, this was a massive improvement. At 22 years of age, with years of improvement to come, surely he must be a winner some day at Snowdon?
Report by BOGBOY
(L to R) Llanberis, Snowdonia: Sam Herron, Zak Hanna, Timmy Johnston, Gavin Mulholland, Sarah Graham, Willie McKee, Esther Dickson, Shileen O’Kane.