Preliminary results

17 June, 2017 - Dermot Murphy

Position Number First name Surname Cat Club Time
1 814 Bernard Fortune M40 Sliabh Bhuidhe Rovers 65.36
2 992 Gerard Maloney M50 St Pauls 66.02
3 530 Dermot Murphy M40 Clonliffe Harriers 72.37
4 366 Alan Ayling M40 GEN 75.33
5 135 Mick Hanney M40 Boards AC 75.58
6 28 Gordon Place M40 76.47
7 999 Declan Roberts MJ 78.39
8 365 Daniel Whittaker M40 79.14
9 1689 Thomas Dunne M Ballyroan/Abbeyleix and District 79.43
10 207 Angus Tyner M40 Glendalough 79.54
11 1095 Greg Byrne M Rathfarnham WSAF 80.04
12 1692 Martin McDonald M60 Ballyroan Abbeyleix & District 80.06
13 539 Donal Linehan M50 Gap Trail Runners 80.16
14 798 Derek Cullen M Glendalough Ac 80.49
15 799 Yvonne Brennan F Glendalough AC 82.28
16 27 Padraig Doyle M 85.11
17 832 Jarlath Hynes M40 Liffey Trailrunners 87.31
18 4 Stuart Scott M DUO 90.03
19 418 cathy wyse F40 90.36
20 937 Syl Ivers. M50 91.48
21 945 James H Cahill M50 92.47
22 163 Liam Cannon M 101.26
23 131 alan hall M 103.16
24 268 Kevin O Leary M 103.32
25 244 Vivian O'Gorman M60 105.47
26 482 Louis Mullee M The Diamonds 108.53
27 972 Michael Carroll M 109.17
28 621 Henny Brandsma M60 129.23
DNF 1693 Michael McMahon M Raheny Shamrock 999


Short Course:
1017 Lonergan Brian M40 none 87.13

Should've gone to Specsavers!

17 June, 2017 - Alan Ayling

A scorcher of a day saw the Leinster Champs action return to the slopes of Mount Leinster for the first time in 5 years. The most pristine parking field in IMRA history greeted us, along with the welcoming faces of Jane and Graham. Fabulous to see these two long-standing IMRA legends back at the race organisation again!

A small field of some 30 runners, including a couple of IMRA debutants, lined up for the race briefing. 30 mightn't seem many compared to the helter-skelter of a Wednesday night league race, but it actually meant a very convivial, friendly atmosphere. At Jane's countdown we were off, into the cauldron of the first lane leading to the forest fire road section.

Newcomer Michael McMahon set the pace from the outset and climbed strongly all the way to the summit. The rest of us tucked in somewhere behind, notable names including course record holder Martin McDonald and the ever-patient Bernard Fortune. Would the exertions of Wednesday's Djouce race count against some? Time would tell. That and the heat, which was ferocious.

Forest road yielded to open mountain double track and still little sign of a cooling breeze. Michael pushed on up front, Martin and Gerard Maloney followed, Bernard tucked in there, Greg Byrne, Dermot Murphy, myself after I'd eventually dragged myself ahead of Mick Hanney, newcomer Declan Roberts and Thomas Dunne. I couldn't say what was going on after that – suffering mainly I'm guessing.

Not much seemed to change up to the summit – Michael was hunted down close to the top by powerful climbing from Gerard and Bernard, then apparently missed the marking tape leaving the bog and headed around the left side of the mast enclosure instead of the right. The following pack took the shorter course to the right, four runners all making the circuit of the summit cairn in quick succession. Bernard led, Ger and Martin followed him, but somehow around the crossing of the service road Michael got swung to the left and sadly his race ended up down at the Nine Stones instead of where we'd started.

The descent is one of those gorgeous prolonged bits of open mountain that you really have to run the Championship races to experience. It can be pretty awful slop on a bad day, but today was the polar opposite of a bad day and it felt like we were literally flying down that slope. A little kicker uphill punctuates the descent, just to keep things interesting. Bernard led on, Ger close behind (I'm becoming more sure he was saving himself for this and took it handy at Djouce on Wednesday!). Greg got by Martin into third, I passed Dermot into fifth, too far back to trouble the leaders. So it was down into the forest and the simple matter of following the fire road back to the end and a welcome rest.

All you have to do is take the route you took coming out. Red and yellow marking tape at the right turn make that task even more foolproof. Except that the oxygen-deprived brain of the knackered hillrunner doesn't always work that way... Bernard and Ger were grand, coming in to convincing wins and second places respectively. Greg and Martin didn't fare so well. Nor did I. Straight on looks perfectly good, until a rather ornate metal gate blocks your path. Interesting, that wasn't there earlier... looks about 40 years old though so was hardly put there in the last hour... ah bollix (as they say on de Northside).

Greg and Martin explored a dead end, I explored a lane leading the wrong way, then their dead end while they made their way back up to the missed turn. The dead end being a bit crap and the fire road back uphill utterly unappealing, there remained the option of scaling a fence into a field – a feat for once accomplished without some grievous barbed wire mishap. The sheep were far from impressed at my detour through their bit of the world (sorry lads, I was having a baaaaa'd time too), fortunately the field led right to the lane we were supposed to be descending. 400 m brought me to the finish and the sight of Dermot looking rather comfortable in a deckchair with the laptop for finish times, the place I'd nicked from him easily reclaimed upon my nav booboo. A third place worth a medal and well deserved for a strong climb and a more vigilant descent than some of us managed. I got fourth after it all, Mick Hanney came in 5th, Greg & Martin just outside the top 10, their climb back to the scene of the crime being time consuming and less than highly motivated.

Yvonne Brennan took the first place in the female race with Cathy Wise second.

Bernard and first aider Kevin took off in the LandCruiser for the Nine Stones to recover Michael and later joined the assembled company in the Holy Grail pub in Ballindaggan, where Jane and Graham had laid on a massive quantity of sausages, nuggets and chips for us. The food was eaten, the war stories exchanged, the pints sunk – and the craic was good.

Thanks Jane, Graham and team for a superb day on the hill. Hopefully Mt Leinster will not have to wait 5 years to be back on the IMRA calendar, it really is a little gem.