Saturday 31st July seen the racing action heading to Rostrevor for the Fallows race, measuring 9 mile, it’s a fast course on well marked fire roads, steep tracks and a couple of tussocky summits.
Starting at the forest office in Kilbroney Park, runners were straight into a steep climb along the lower Burma. History lesson: named after the American soldiers based at nearby Ballyedmond who trained here during WW11 and were rumoured to have all been sent to Burma. After levelling out the course becomes flat and fast as everyone fights for position before turning left onto the Badger’s Claw. A very narrow, steep, unofficial mountain bike track that is difficult to pass anyone on. Crossing the upper Burma, the track continues on higher and steeper through a pine forest, eventually breaking onto the open mountain below the summit of Ballynagelty (known locally as The End of the World, come down it on your bike and you’ll understand!). Onto familiar territory now for anyone who has done the Slieve Martin Hill and Dale race, the route follows the fence all the way to C.P 1 on the summit of Slieve Martin before a gentle descent on heather to C.P 2 near the summit of Crenville. The ground gets a bit rougher here before coming onto a fire road. This is where pace is important as the next 3 miles is about trying to hold your position and still keep enough in the tank for the final climb up the switch backs on the slopes of Slieve Martin. Back on the open mountain the course retraces itself following the fence to the last C.P on the summit of Slievemeen, veering right at Ballynagelty and down some very steep tracks and thankfully almost over now. So many paths to choose from but which one? Many of them lead nowhere and have dense bramble, but if you are lucky enough to get to the edge of the forest and onto the Clasha it’s down hill all the way at speed!
Starting off in waves as per Covid regulations a lead group quickly formed consisting of Mourne Runners’ trio Timmy Johnston, Johnny Scott and Adam Cunningham, along with Ballydrains’ Jared Martin, they made short work of the first hill and pushing hard through the early stages they gained a considerable lead. In the end it was Johnston who crossed the line first in a comfortable 1:14:55 followed by team mate Scott in 1:18:57. Completing the podium and taking the MU23 category was Martin in 1:19:54
There was a good turnout of red and yellow, perhaps last minute training for the upcoming H+D at Loughshannagh. No split timing results available at time of writing so hard to tell how everyone ran but results are 5th David Hicks 1:25:09 and MV40, 7th Sean Russell 1:27:26, 17th Gary McEvoy 1:30:38, 29th Pete Grant 1:37:42, 42nd Gerry Kingston 1:44:17, 50th Declan McElroy 1:46:57, 51st Eugene McCann 1:47:03, 55th Owen Brady 1:48:31, and 56th Stevie Rice 1:49:13.
The ladies race was also a very tight match with North Belfast Harriers’ Martsje Hell having a real battle at the front with the boys hanging onto the lead group going onto the Badger’s Claw. Knowing how good a descender Esther Dickson is she knew she had to catapult herself as far ahead on the climb if she was to maintain her lead. In the end it was Newry A/C’ Dickson who took the win dropping off Slievemeen like a stone and passing Hell in the last 500 metres to finish in 1:29:26 and 13th overall. 2nd place was Hell in 1:29:58 and 15th overall, and 3rd was Jog Lisburn’s Debbie McConnell, 27th overall in 1:36:20.
A big thank you to Kookie O’Hagan and Newry A/C for organising and to Murdock Building Supplies for sponsoring the race.
Race Report by Hill Runner
