Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association
www.nimra.org.uk

 

World Masters, Germany

Mon 29 September 2003 - Simon Taylor

Over the past few years, the average age of the participants in many sports has grown, breaking the taboos of the past, when it was thought that by 30, if not younger, athletes were past their best. A new event on the world athletics scene has developed out of this over the past couple of years.

This year, the third World Masters Mountain Racing Championships took place in the Black Forest in southwest Germany. In all 740 took part in the races on the Saturday in age groups ranging from Over 40 to Over 70, including the oldest participants, both born in 1924. The organisation was typical of German efficiency and the welcome second to none in an area of the world where the mountains are about the same height as the Mournes, but due to the more southern latitudes are covered in forest.

In total 14 runners and a few supporters travelled from Northern Ireland including 9 representing local club Newcastle AC. Newcastle had already been crowned British Veteran Club Champions this year and this time the competition was being provided by athletes from around 25 different countries, France, Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand to name but a few. One of the Newcastle stalwarts, Dermot McGonigle, based in Glasgow joined a few of his Scottish friends and set off the weekend before and cycled door to door via the Rosyth to Zeebrugge boat, including 450 miles through Belgium, Luxembourg and France to the Black Forest - and still competed well.

The race was over the distance of 10.2km, finishing at the top of the highest point of the area, the Brandenkopf at 933m (just over 3,000 feet) above sea level, having climbed 2,200 feet. Not the steepest of climbing found in typical fell running in the Mournes, but thats code for fast, no very fast, running on ground with a relentless incline.

Defending M40 World Champion from Innsbruck last year was Newcastle ACs Robbie Bryson. Originally from Dublin, Robbie has been with Newcastle for approaching 20 years now and has, on his day, been one of the best climbers in the world and has won classics such as the International Matterhorn Mountain Race, as well as still holding the record for the fastest ascent of Snowdon. Joining Bryson in the running for a high finish was another local Deon McNeilly plus another seven club colleagues including Alwynne Shannon (W40) fresh, if that is the right word, from her successful trip to the World Mountain Racing Championships in Alaska, the previous weekend.

The day was fine, 22 degrees in the early autumn sunshine and the races got under way with the M70 at 1pm with each five-year age group starting every twenty minutes. Willowfields Desi McHenry, local Jim Patterson & CIs Ronnie Donaldson were the first off at 2pm in the M55. McHenry, a stalwart of the triathlon and wider athletics scene in Northern Ireland, led the way with a fine 19th place in 52 minutes 41 seconds. Patterson was next in 27th in 56 minutes 22 seconds with Donaldson 58th in 66 minutes 51 seconds. Now they could enjoy watching the pain of the other runners as they approached the finish.

In the M50, ACKCs Wes Kettyle came home 93rd in 62 minutes and 51 seconds, local Willie John Brown was next 107th in 68 minutes 46 seconds with Marty McVeigh 110th in 70 minutes 32 seconds. In the M45, Rostrevors Kookie OHagan led the locals home in 83rd place in 56 minutes 33 seconds. OHagan is another stalwart of Newcastle ACs championship winning team and despite a two month long chest infection, he still managed to compete and finish respectably well up. Southern Gard, Kevin Grogan from Rathfarnham finished 101st in 59 minutes and ACKCs Barbara Brown was 27th in the Ladies 45 section in 69 minutes and 20 seconds.

3pm and the long awaited defence of Brysons M40 title arrived with the temperatures at their days peak. Right from the start the pace was fierce and Bryson settled in just outside the top ten as the runners winded their way through the village of Untersharmersbach. On Brysons shoulder, McNeilly got off to his usual fast, but this time not reckless, start. The first 2.5km was fairly flat, before route turned suddenly upwards climbing steeply for about 2.5km. Bryson made his move as the ground turned harder and quickly moved into the leading group, which in turn was steadily dropping runners out the back as Bryson joined. McNeilly worked hard and behind, Shannon was again running well, inside the top 20 in the ladies section.

As the race flattened out half way up the climb, it was already down to a five horse race. Bryson, was alongside Austrias Olympic marathon runner and former twice world mountain racing champion Helmut Schmuck, Italys world mountain racing medal winner, Franco Torresani and, possibly even the surprise package of the day, McNeilly, who was alongside Kendals Craig Roberts. After some steadier climbing and faster sections, the race hit the 8km mark and the steep last 2km to the finish.

Schmuck had struck for home and pulled clear of Bryson, who doesn know how to give up, kept pushing and pushing to try and rein him back. McNeilly was clear in fourth and trying in vain to catch the Italian Torresani. As the runners hit the finish, Schmuck won in 42 minutes 42 seconds and a valiant t effort by Bryson to retain his title ended in second place only 18 seconds back. McNeilly, who would have settled for a top 20 place before the start, was disappointed to lose out on a medal by only 14 seconds in 4th place, coming home in 43 minutes and 24 seconds.

Behind good runs from other Newcastle athletes saw Dermot McGonigle in 37th place in 48 minutes 47 seconds and Richard Rodgers 53rd in 50 minutes 36 seconds. This gave Newcastle 1st place in the unofficial club team event beating all-comers from the 25 other countries and crowning a fantastic 2003 season for the local club. Newry man Eddie OHagan also finished strongly to come home in 102nd place in 58 minutes 57 seconds.

Shannon also crowned her first serious season in mountain racing with an excellent 14th place in the W40 section in 57 minutes 26 seconds. This run came only one week after finishing 2nd Northern Ireland runner home in the World Mountain Racing Championships in Alaska.

All in all a great racing weekend with the runners already looking forward with confidence to next years championships, which will take place in the Val di Susa, northwest of Torino in Italy. With Newcastle now in the Broadband Internet age full results and pictures can be found on www.brandenkopfberglauf.de and www.nimra.org.uk.

Full Resport + Results
Pictures

Selected Results

M40 - 131 Runners
1 Helmut Schmuck 42:42
2 Robbie Bryson 43:00
4 Deon McNeilly 43:24
38 Dermot McGonigle 48:46
53 Richard Rodgers 50:36
102 Eddie OHagan 58:57

W40 - 38 Runners
14 Alwynne Shannon 57:26

M45 - 137 Runners
83 Francis OHagan 56:32
101 Kevin Grogan 59:00

W45 - 30 Runners
27 Barbara Brown 69:20

M50 - 112 Runners
93 Wes Kettyle 1:02:51
107 Willie Jon Brown 1:08:45
110 Marti McVeigh 1:10:32

M55 - 71 Runners
19 Desie McHenry 52:45
27 Jim Patterson 56:42
58 Ronnie Donaldson 1:06:50