Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association
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McNeilly makes it 7 & a 5th Northern Ireland title

Tue 22 July 2003 - Simon Taylor

There are classic races and there are classic races ? Slieve Donard is the local classic race. The highest mountain in Northern Ireland, 2,796 feet above sea level, reached in less than two and a half miles. The terrain is inhospitable almost everywhere as the granite hulk reaches out for the summit in a real hurry.

Last Friday night 63 souls braved the challenge and took on the mountain. This is the 59th running of the race, which has gone on uninterrupted since its inception in 1945. This year the weather has been warm and reasonably dry, leaving the mountain relatively dry but also with much new growth meaning the descent with deep grass, heather and hidden holes, was as treacherous as ever.

Newcastle?s Deon McNeilly was bidding to become the first man to win 7 races ever in the history of the race and he also had the added incentive of one more victory to win the 2003 and his 5th Northern Ireland title. However, recent Hill & Dale winner, North Belfast?s Neil Carty has other ideas and a win for him would tip the balance of the 2003 Championship title in his favour. Other local favourite, Ally McKibben was the dark horse, who has come into great form in recent weeks.

The race, over the years, has had many routes, but this year it returned to the very original format of ?go as you please? to the summit from the Newcastle Centre and then back down to the Centre. Over the past decade or so, McNeilly has been pioneering the ascent route along the Glen River to the Saddle and up the Mourne Wall to the summit before returning by the Black Stairs. This climb is longer by maybe half a mile but also much more runnable than the very steep climb of the Black Stairs. This year, five of the first six to the summit went by the Glen with Damien Brannigan the exception, leading the vast majority of the remainder of the field by the steeper climb.

McNeilly soon established his authority on the race opening a lead of more than a minute and a half from Carty and McKibben. McKibben, however, is an awesome competitor and he worked hard on the second half of the climb to close to within 48 seconds at the summit. McNeilly?s time of 38 minutes and 10 seconds is fast and puts into perspective the shape that the competitors, as a whole, are in to be able to tackle the race.

Brannigan has the reputation of being the fastest descender in the country and despite the competition getting stronger, he didn?t disappoint again this year. Reaching the summit in a second under 42 minutes, he pushed for home from the Tower, past the summit cairn, leapt down the initial scree and literally sprinted through the long grass and heather for the river valley and the Black Stairs waterfall. The sight of the lead runners descending the Black Stairs is one worth being there to see some day with what from the bottom looks like death defying leaps over the rocky crags.

The forest can be tricky too and then as the runners reached Donard Demesne, they faced this year the flat finish along the Promenade, with the legs screaming from the searing descent. Brannigan reached the finish line in only 18 minutes and 19 seconds from the Summit Tower exactly one minute faster than Annalong?s Gary Bailey, who has the makings of a future winner.

Meanwhile, McNeilly has worked hard and come home in a new record time of 58 minutes and 5 seconds, over one minute clear of McKibben in 2nd and Carty in third. Another former winner, Jim Patterson, continues to be an inspiration to many and tonight came home 10th to take the veteran 55 title with a 46 minute climb and 21 minute descent. Another notable performance on the night came from local junior, Adam Mitten. Mitten was behind junior rival Jonathan McCloy at the summit by 37 seconds, but demonstrated his improved descending skills to come home in 11th place overall from 17th at the summit.

In the ladies section, orienteer Violet Linton continued her great from to win in 81 minutes and 17 seconds in 32nd place overall. Linton?s summit time was just under 53 minutes some 45 seconds clear of BARF?s Shileen O?Kane making her ongoing return from injury. First lady veteran was Martina Elliott in 52nd followed by Barbara Brown in 56th.

Another successful Donard race, with the Friday night experiment a success. Newcastle AC looks forward to seeing more people taking up the challenge of the mountain in the 60th running of the race in 2004.

BOGBOY


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