Slieve Donard
Forum Messages
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Pearse Brogan | Mar 13 2025, 3:40pm | Afternoon all, The 2025 Slieve Donard race is now open for entries, this is race 2 of the Irish Championship after Log na Coille. No change to route or start/finish however please note the date is now Saturday 31st May and the earlier starting time of 11:00am. Looking forward to seeing you come up the road to take on Ulsters highest peak in sunny Newcastle, refreshments in O’Hares afterwards (just a stones throw from the finish line) Enter here on the SI entries link: https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=15299 |
| Pearse Brogan | May 11 2025, 2:44pm | Hope everyone had an enjoyable race yesterday at Log Na Coille and plenty set out their stall for Irish championship places. You don’t have to wait long until round 2 as Slieve Donard is on Saturday 31st May. Hoping plenty head north to take on Ulsters highest peak On the event page it says entry not open until 27th May but these are open already. Enter through SI Entries page and not the usual method on the IMRA site, link is here https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=15299 Two things to note, this is the 80th anniversary of the race, and it will be returning to its traditional starting point on Newcastles Main Street, just in front of the leisure centre and before the serious climbing it is a short run down into Donard Park under the white arch. The last section from the quarry to the finish line is a bit untidier after the night of the big wind, so be wary if you think you know the best line and expect it to be straightforward again! |
| Peter O'Farrell | May 26 2025, 9:12am | Well! HUP! and all that goodness. Slieve Donard is back to it's main street start, it's round 2 of the Irish Championships and the local knowledge will be to the fore as storms have blown trees over all of last year's short cuts from the quarry to the finish. Entries are NOT here on the imra website so head on over to https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=15299 There is an imra holding page for the event https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/2674 |
| Pearse Brogan | May 26 2025, 7:41pm | Entries coming in very steady now this week for Donard, they are open right up to this Friday 30th @ 10pm. If you happen to be staying up for the evening you have the option of doubling up the bank holiday weekend with the Cooley Half not too far away on the Sunday morning as well! Look forward to seeing you all Saturday |
| Laura Flynn | May 27 2025, 7:29pm | Would you have any recommendations for a motor home spot Pearse? |
| Laura Flynn | May 27 2025, 8:16pm | No need to reply Pearse, I’ve figured it out myself. Looking forward to heading up North. |
| Pearse Brogan | May 30 2025, 11:00am | Glad you got sorted Laura. Entries open until 10pm this evening, please park in Donard Car Park and car share as much as possible, marshals will be directing you. Then a short walk up the promenade to the leisure centre for registration & kit check, whistle goes 11am sharp. Finish will be back in Donard Park and prize giving in O’Hares Bar approx 1:30pm See you all tomorrow! |
| Peter O'Farrell | May 31 2025, 4:53pm | Thanks to Pearse and all at Newcastle AC on the flawless running of their 80th edition of the truly spectacular Slieve Donard fell race. Caroline Harney Ayton and Tom Crudgington were the winners on the day. Most of us were blessed with perfect weather for the race and the return to the main street for the start allowed us to clearly see the delights of the course that awaited us. You just don't get those sustained steep descents in Wicklow so it's a great treat to be racing on them. Mark it in your diary for 2026! |
| Michael McSweeney | May 31 2025, 7:34pm | Thanks to Pearse & co for a great day in the Mournes. Some race. Still smiling. :-) |
| Alice Clancy | May 31 2025, 8:39pm | Thank you Pearse and all the volunteers! That was an epic race! The uphill and downhill were relentless and exhilarating in equal measure…views from the top superb …great fun on the route, friendly marshalls and lovely hospitality after! Congratulations on 80 years of this race, hopefully we’ll all be back for many more! |
| Pearse Brogan | May 31 2025, 9:07pm | Well done everybody and glad to hear ye all enjoyed the day. We had 161 runners and all returned with no major incident & weather stayed reasonable for us, with it mostly clear bar the odd sciff of a shower Thanks for the kind words, however today wouldn’t have been possible without the input of today’s volunteers of which we had at least 20, the guys at registration and traffic, the marshals out on the mountain and everyone in the background The full results are on our site here https://www.webscorer.com/racedetails?raceid=392337&did=521191 Looking forward to next year already! |
| David Power | May 31 2025, 9:49pm | Thanks Newcastle AC and Pearse's team. A first timer racing this historic race. Really delighted to experience the up and down simplicity of it all. What a sight to behold from the promenade, this afternoon I couldn't stop staring at the mountain, tracing a route in my mind's eye up the glen, over the saddle, along the wall, no time to stop and say hi to anyone at the top and back down some ski slope like stuff into the quarry. The prize giving in the pub after was lovely - so nice to see the history on those plaques. Now I'm thinking how I get a Rathfarnham team of 3 to make the trip up next year to give Newcastle a run for their money. We might have to camp out for a week to get all the route recces sorted. |
| Brian Mullins | May 31 2025, 11:39pm | As always the Mournes deliver in spades. That climb is feckin relentless no matter how many times you do it. Big thanks to Pearse, especially for the pre race briefing as it was one to remember (was that OpenAI you were reading off the IPhone or actual local knowledge!) With tongue in cheek jest flying in all directions I think the highlight was “Crutchley it’s left to Donard at the Col” that sealed it! Why would anyone drive a 9hr trip for a 1hr race you might say. The only answer is because it’s the 80th running of a legendary race in a mountain range I’ve been returning to for years, as there are no easy miles. Ever! My legs are destroyed from back to back weekends running around Slieve this and Meel that but by god it’s great fun in the company of like minded souls. Final shout out to Alice for setting myself and Micheál straight on the secret fastest descent route through the forest when we were flailing around oblivious to the simple indications right in front of our eyes! There may be a report coming for the last two weeks of suffering in the Mournes but for now I am preparing the legs for a training session (I.e. zimmerframe walk around the Reeks tomorrow). |
| Pearse Brogan | Jun 1 2025, 4:56pm | Thank you David & Brian! David being the Rathfarnham team surely! Brian fair play to you after Granite Peaks last week and travelling the length of the country to race. I can assure you there was no AI, a bit lacking in intelligence but certainly with local knowledge, I’ve been caught hook line and sinker by other RDs in the past, time I was getting retribution sometimes! Report should be up this evening, and photos and videos to be on the website in coming days |
| Pearse Brogan | Jun 2 2025, 9:28pm | Race report on our website here https://www.newcastleac.org/?p=18053 There is plenty of photos on the Newcastle AC FB page and we also have a video of the race below from our own Franky, enjoy guys https://youtu.be/4GBKTPgEzCw?si=nHnnflSBbkO1Z2rL |
