Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association
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Newcastle Triumph at Moel Eilio

Mon 19 May 2003 - Simon Taylor

The third British Championship Fell Race took place at the weekend in Snowdonia in North Wales with local club Newcastle AC sending its strongest squad of the season to compete in both the Open and Veteran team categories.

After two races, Bernagh in the Mournes and Stuc a Chroin in Scotland, Newcastle led the Veteran Team Championships with Robbie Bryson in 2nd place in the individual and Deon McNeilly in 4th place. In the Open Team Championships, Newcastle were lying joint second, well above original expectations, ahead of the traditionally strong fell running clubs such as Borrowdale, Kendal and Keswick from the Lakes, Bingley and Pudsey from Yorkshire and Clayton-le-Moors and Horwich from Lancashire.

Moel Eilio?s statistics are 8 miles and 3,000 feet of climbing with the race starting at the Youth Hostel in Llanberis and first climbing around 1,800 feet to the summit of Moel Eilio itself. The race then progresses around the undulating ridge over two more tops before the steady climb to the summit of Moel Cynghorion, in the shadow of Snowdon itself. After that it?s a sharp descent of some 1,700 feet to the valley floor and a close to two miles run along fast track run to the finish.

Current World Masters Mountain Racing Champion, Bryson was soon at the head of the leading group containing current and former champions such as Bingley?s Ian Holmes and Borrowdale?s Simon Booth. It was Bryson though who held a twenty metre lead at the summit of Moel Eilio. Bryon is the first to admit that he is not the fastest descender in the world and it is the descent specialists who seem to leave all concerns behind (or their brains at the start line) and free fall down the mountainsides from the summits. Bryson was having his best race of the season and also too was club-mate McNeilly who was inside the top twenty and ahead of current veterans leader Ambleside?s Mark Rigby.

Behind the rest of the Newcastle squad was also finding the race to their liking with former Scottish Champion Dermot McGonigle inside the top 35 and packing well behind Damien Brannigan, Richard Rodgers, Francie O?Hagan, Mark Kendall and Jim Patterson. In the field of 230, it?s normally not that easy to get lost, but the horseshoe ridge was full of tricky interlocking spurs and visibility was down to five yards in the storm clouds and torrential rain, which quickly turned to hail at this height. 60mph winds whipped up the hail and it was quickly becoming a battle for survival.

Debutante in the Newcastle colours was O?Hagan, who at 46 has a strong background in mountain biking, but has competed really well in the past two years in Hill & Dale races particularly. O?Hagan is extremely competitive and his desire to win is etched in concentration on his face. Conditions were fierce as the race progressed and although the winning time was expected to be just over the hour, it was key to keep focused in the slippery conditions and watch the person in front, not get lost, to reach the summit of Moel Cyngherion, which would signal the steep plunge into the valley.

Bryson was 5th at the final summit and leapt off into the void, knowing Holmes was on his tail. Ahead Mercia?s Tim Davies led from Ambleside?s Nick Sharp and Llanberis? own Alan Vaughan of Eyri Harriers. It was Bingley?s Rob Jebb who descended fastest, as normal, but not fast enough to catch Davies who came home in 62 minutes and 41 seconds. Jebb was second with Holmes catching Bryson with 400 metres to go to the finish 5th and Bryson 6th in 64 minutes and 32 seconds. McNeilly came home 18th in 68 minutes and 48 seconds and an excellent 3rd place in the veterans category. Importantly veteran series leader Rigby could only finish 5th veteran, which means that Bryson is now equal 1st in the overall championship.

Behind came McGonigle in 34th place in 71 minutes and 49 seconds with Brannigan 48th in 74 minutes and 1 second. Importantly the veteran?s 4th and final team counter was O?Hagan in 67th overall in 77 minutes and 13 seconds. This leaves Newcastle well clear in the title chase with three wins out of three races and needing only to win at Pen Y Ghent in the Yorkshire Dales in three weeks time to become 2003 champions with still two races to go.

Behind O?Hagan was Rodgers in 74th in 78 minutes and 2 seconds, Kendall in 81st in 79 minutes and 28 seconds, Patterson (3rd veteran 50) in 100th in 81 minutes 45 seconds and Marty McVeigh, Head Coach, walking the talk for a change in 125 minutes and 34 seconds. One other Northern Ireland representative competed, Jim Brown of BARF, who finished 59th overall in 76 minutes and 18 seconds.

All in all a successful sortie to Wales to match the trip a fortnight ago to Scotland and with much to play for in Yorkshire in three weeks time, Newcastle hopes to have an even stronger squad making the journey.

BOGBOY

Results

1st	Tim Davies	Mercia	62m41
2nd	Rob Jebb	Bingley
3rd	Nick Sharpe	Ambleside
4th	Alan Vaughan	Eryi
5th	Ian Holmes	Bingley
6th	Robin Bryson	Newcastle	64m32
18th	Deon McNeilly	Newcastle	68m48
34th	Dermot McGonigle	Newcastle	71m49
48th	Damien Brannigan	Newcastle	74m01
59th	Jim Brown	BARF	76m18
67th	Cookie O?Hagan	Newcastle	77m13
74th	Richard Rodgers	Newcastle	78m02
81st	Mark Kendall	Newcastle	79m28
100th	Jim Patterson	Newcastle	81m45
192nd	Martin McVeigh	Newcastle	125m34

230 finishers

Veteran Team
1st	Newcastle
2nd	Horwich
3rd	Cumberland
4th	Clayton-le-Moors