Unknown

28 November, 2009

This race was run later in the year after foot and mouth restrictions were lifted

2001 Leinster Championship
Lugnaquilla - Preliminary report by Douglas Barry
Robin Bryson battled hard over a tough Lugnaquilla climb to hold off Irish Champion John Lenihan until they both reached the summit plateau. In his second mountain race of the year, the Belfast based runner even started to pull away from the Kerryman on the level plateau crowned with the enormous cairn that marks the summit of Leinster's highest mountain. However, once they reached the steep scree that leads back to the finish, Robin's lack of race readiness took its toll. Try as he might, Robin couldn't hold off John whose several wins this this year gave him more arrows in his quiver on the descent than the Newcastle runner. Robin, contented with his King of the Mountains win to the summit, settled for second place.
Behind the front two, another tremendous battle developed between Martin McDonald and Mike Burton. A considerable way clear at the top, Laoisman McDonald was steadily reeled in by the faster descending Australian. As they approached the finish down off Camara hill, the sight of the Laois runner's vest fired up the rapidly closing Burton. He put on a sustained sprint to ease past the exhausted Martin with 150 metres to go. Joan Flanagan had a brilliant descent to win the women's race, but, in the wet conditions, was 6 minutes off Majella Diskin's record. John Lenihan was over 2 minutes off his own outright record, but had the satisfaction of setting a new veteran's one.