B&I Junior Mountain Running Championship 2024
This year’s British & Irish Junior Mountain Running Championships (also the Junior Home International) took place on Saturday 14 September in Laragh, County Wicklow. The course offered a challenging route for participants, with bit of everything including steep ascents and fast grassy downhills. This was the same course that we used to select our athletes at trials held in August.
Ninety five athletes from Scotland, Wales, England, Ireland and Northern Ireland participated in the event. The teams descended on Glendalough Youth Hostel on Friday 13 September, all hoping that it wouldn’t be unlucky for them. Friendships from previous events were rekindled, and our debutant athletes: Megan, Natalie, Emily, Evan, Caleb, Euan, and Mairi, were soon made to feel very welcome to the NIMRA team.
Saturday brought sunshine and very pleasant temperatures. The only challenging aspect of the weather was a stiff breeze at the top of the course, particularly when trying to fly a drone. Our athletes were supported by many friends and family who took advantage of the proximity of the event and made the trip south to cheer them on.
First off the mark were our U17 girls, with Megan Barnett placing 13th, Aoife Magee 18th, Natalie Cotton 20th, and Emily McMullan 21st. Next up was the U17 boys. Leading the way was Evan Tosh in 14th position, closely followed by Luke O’Doherty in 15th, Caleb Lewis in 17th, and Euan McIntosh in 20th.
Our seasoned team of U20 girls was led by Mairi Clements in 12th place, followed by Katie Graham in 13th, Niamh Campbell in 18th, and Alana Rose Farley in 20th. The final race of the event saw our U20 boys toe the line. Patrick McDaid finished in 14th place, then Eoin McConnell in 17th, Ethan McMullan in 18th, and Niall McAufield in 19th.
Team Managers Phil Hodge, Philip Magee and Nikki Graham were incredibly proud of all of our athletes – on and off the course. We are also very grateful to IMRA for organising and hosting a seamless event. Next year it’s over to Wales to host, followed by ourselves in NIMRA in 2026. We look forward to these events eagerly as the future of NIMRA is very bright with plenty of barrier busting athletes onboard (if you know, you know).
