Great mountain racing on Slieve Daeane

07 August, 2023 - Derek Hunter

On a wet and misty Sunday morning 52 runners lined up at the start line of the penultimate race in the North West Mountain Running Series. A little later the first runner crossed the finish line and it was the junior athlete Roxane Sands who had made very light work of the Short 5k course. We are likely to hear more about this young lady on the mountain running scene but that isn’t that surprising given that her dad was up at the business end of the Long Course event.

This course, designed by Rory Connor, had fire roads, rocky mountain trails, forest trails and then good untamed boggy terrain as you approached the summit of Slieve Daeane. This “multi-terrain” aspect was key to the exciting race that unfolded, with different sections suited each of the runner and race positions changing regularly.

It was a very difficult women’s race to predict in advance but it was an impressive performance by Maeve Maher- McWilliams, in her first run in this year’s series, that secured the win. The second and third place was a much tighter affair between Ruth Candon and Karen Crean with Ruth eventually finishing less than 24 seconds ahead on the challenging 9k mountain course.

Many had expected Aidan McMoreland to take victory in the men’s race and had looked to the runners that were on the podium in the previous races as the main challengers. That script was quickly torn up and we saw an enthralling battle unfold up front between Aidan and Alan Dunne. The changing terrain meant that the lead changed a number of times with Aidan eventually getting over the line just 18 seconds ahead at the end. Hot on the heels of these two runners was David Hickey who crossed the line just 75 seconds after Alan. Given how challenging the conditions and the course were this was an unexpectedly tight finish. This was Aidan's third win in the series and he is now uncatchable in the North West Mountain Running Race League. Alan impressively had two podium placings this weekend having run the King of the Hill the evening before but both will be taking note of David given that this was his very first IMRA race - quite the debut!

All 52 runners finished overcame the challenging conditions and over post race refreshments there relived the twists and turns of their mountain race.

Shane O'Reilly

06 August, 2023

The fourth race of the inaugural IMRA Northwest League was a success by any measure, even if our lucky streak of sunshine for each race came to an end.

I had two races in the bag, this being my last to complete the league. Looking at the standings, I had a very slim (negligible really) chance of finishing 3rd in the league overall. Instead of increasing training effort over the past few weeks, it seems my tactic to secure 3rd was to rely on some runners just not showing up instead…On the day, 50+ runners from road, trail and multisport/adventure racing backgrounds toed the line with many others getting into this whole business of trail running. While we waited excitedly/nervously for Derek to set us off on our way, I looked around and knew my hopes of jumping up the league standings had been dashed; the only task for the day then was to enjoy my time exploring the hills and enjoying being in the outdoors, most important as always.

The Slieve Daeane route this year was a variation on last year's route, with more trail over rough terrain and fun forestry added in. 1km of gravel forest road allowed us to settle in before hitting the mud and bare rocks of this most easterly part of the Ox mountains. Ascending and descending the rocky plateau gave a brief glimpse of who's ahead and behind, before we entered a maze of forest with sharp twists and turns. Just shy of 3km, we burst through the trees and mud onto the Sligo Way. I swapped places with Eamon, Rob and Declan along the way but ultimately had lost some ground on them before leaving the gravel to summit Slieve Daeane…my internal monologue reassuring me that I was saving some for the final flat section...sure loads left in the legs!

Last year Turlough described the route up to Slieve Daeane as "rough even by IMRA standards", certainly an accurate description: no visible trail with so little footfall on these hills compared to busier spots like Wicklow, every foot placement is a gamble between a hidden hole, exposed rock or knee-high mud. As all others did ahead and behind me, I just put the head down and slogged on through it.

The final few km were fun and fast-paced with a place or two gained and 9th overall. Well done to those that made the podium and to all finishers. The overall league standings are gaining clarity but are far from settled with the final race at Benbulben on the 12th being the decider for league rankings and bragging rights (Derek you can leapfrog me if you claim 6th next week :) ).

Mari, Joanne and Julie are top-3 females currently with at least four more runners that could upset that next week. For the males, Aidan has secured the league win having placed 1st in the past three races. Eamon and Michael have one foot on the podium also but there are one or two runners that could claim their places if they finish close to the top by the finish line at Lukes Bridge.

Hats off to Derek and all volunteers for a great race. Thanks also to whoever got a photo of my 3-year-old daughter breaking loose to help me cross the finish line.