Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association
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The 2003 Fell & Hill Running Relay Championships - Shropshire

Tue 21 October 2003 - Simon Taylor

Church Stretton in Shropshire is a hidden gem, known as ?Little Switzerland? in Victorian times, it was easy to see why that was so, when Newcastle AC made the trip for the annual FRA Mountain and Hill Running Relay Championships last weekend.

Two six man teams made the trip, in the vets (over 40) and open categories. In the former, Newcastle had been crowned season 2003 champions in August after the six-strong race series, but in this one-off six man relay event there were at least six teams gunning for revenge. For the open team, it was a chance to gain some experience as the club starts to build some fresh blood as the veterans are obviously not getting any younger.

The day itself was perfect for racing, a sunny and fresh day with ground underfoot very dry and fast, although the thick heather, gorse and bracken of legs two and three came as a surprise to all competitors. The race took place in and around the Long Myndd which is a small but really impressive area of steep interlocking hills just to the west of Church Stretton.

Robbie Bryson led off the vets team in a very fast first leg, statistics of 6 miles and 2,500 feet of climbing. After the usual very fast start as the 85 teams jockied for position, Bryson emerged in the top ten. Not far behind was upcoming new talent to the fells this year, Annalong?s Stevie Cunningham having another strong run. The first leg was very fast going with climbing steep at times but allowing the leaders to run all the way.

Tim Davies from the local Mercia club arrived home in just over 43 minutes with the recently turned veteran, Craig Roberts of Kendal AC arriving in 44 minutes 22 seconds with Bryson coming home in 45 minutes and 29 seconds, a brilliant sixth overall and leaving the vets in 2nd place. Cunningham, having another excellent run brought the open team home in 30th in 51 minutes 31 seconds.

Dermot McGonigle and Richard Rodgers set off on the long pairs second leg taking in 8.5 miles and 3,500 feet of climbing and descent. The first fifteen minutes of the leg was fast and before long Kendal had been caught and Newcastle vets led. Soon, however, they were joined by Pennine Fell Runners and after being nip and tuck for half an hour Pennine slowly pulled away. Behind, Kilkeel?s Gary Bailey one of ACKC?s young stars, representing Newcastle AC for first time had linked up with Mark Kendall. They were making steady progress consolidating the team?s place around 30th place.

The second leg was full of surprises, a one in two 300 feet descent through deep heather and gorse was one and also two steep climbs, the last one best approached at times on all fours, representing as tough a test of fell running as any race in the Mournes or even the Lake District. Newcastle hung in, suitably encouraged by McGonigle, to come home in 82 minutes 22 seconds in 2nd place and fifth fastest leg of the day. Ominously, Horwich, Newcastle?s close run rivals in the Championship series had closed by five and a half minutes and were now only just under a couple of minutes back. The open team came home in 94 minutes and 40 seconds slipping to 34th place overall, with Bailey a real talent to watch for the future.
Leg three was make or break, being the navigation one, with four controls to visit and a straight line distance of 6.5 miles and an expected 2,600 feet of climbing. The vets navigator was Kookie O?Hagan, still trying to recover from a heavy summer chest infection, who was accompanied by Jim Patterson, a legend needing no introduction. O?Hagan is an excellent navigator and needed all his experience, as other teams moved in ever expanding circles, O?Hagan kept his head and worked around the course without any real mishaps coming home in 69 minutes 38 seconds with

Patterson running very strongly along side him, to record the fourth fastest leg of the day. However, the race had closed in with Clayton-le-Moors now leading having taken seven minutes out of the Newcastle pairing, to lead in 3 hours 12 minutes and 54 seconds, only 2 seconds clear of Eryri Harriers, the Welsh Champions, who now looked favourites. Horwich were 50 seconds back in 3rd and chasing hard, Pennine Fell Runners were 4th in 3 hours 15 minutes and 1 second with Deon McNeilly taking off in 5th in 3 hours 17 minutes and 29 seconds some 4 minutes 35 seconds behind the lead. Newcastle looked beaten, but could they make the medals?

In the Open category, Damien Brannigan and Mael O?Hare had a steady leg, with one or two small navigation mistakes they came home in 74 minutes 38 seconds to move the team back up to 30th place in 3 hours 40 minutes and 49 seconds. O?Hare is another new blood on the team and has great potential and showed some of his resolve as he dug deep on the steep climbs as Brannigan set a grinding pace.

Ten minutes into the fourth and final leg, Eryri?s Colin Donnelly, twice winner of local Donard race and former Welsh, Scottish and British Fell Running Champion, had moved through into the lead and looked set for victory. McNeilly was chasing hard and on the steepest climb of the leg caught and passed Pennine?s Mark Williams to move into 4th place. Next up ahead was Ian Greenwood of Clayton-le-Moor and McNeilly soon powered his way past as though he was stopped as he ate up the ground. Unbeknown to McNeilly, there were more developments up ahead. Donnelly lost his concentration for a split second and on a course marked every 20 yards with flags, he lost the route and disappeared in the wrong direction.

As McNeilly sprinted hard for the finish he had consolidated second place with arch rivals Horwich 1 minutes 43 seconds clear in 1st but McNeilly 43 seconds ahead of Clayton, 2 minutes 21 ahead of Pennine and further again ahead of Eryri in 5th. A fantastic performance by McNeilly as he grabbed the fastest leg of the day in 46 minutes 30 seconds.

Adam ?the Mighty? Mitty led the Open team home on leg 4, mighty he was over the first ten minutes and over the last 50 metres, over this winter he?ll be working on the bit in between. Mitty came home in 61 minutes 02 seconds, with great potential for the future, and 31st place overall making it a great day out for the dozen runners who made the trip.

Five of them flew home and back to Newcastle for the evening, the other seven celebrated the Relay Championship silver medals, which have cemented Newcastle even further into the fabric of fell running in general, and participated in a bit of ?team bonding? of one variety or another. As the phrase of weekend said, ?say it again, Roxanne, Roxanne, Roxanne, or Rocky to my closest friends?.

BOGBOY