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28 November, 2009

A pleasant enough Wednesday evening, not quite high summer but then it didn't rain either. Can it really be Sugarloaf barbeque time again? Can the Leinster league really be over already? Is that really the queue for the burgers?

The Sugarloaf race is a tricky proposition. It's the end of the season, time to take it easy, yet there's always a hope of good placing with so many people on holidays. The descent is tricky, even treacherous, but gravity will insist. And the path to the shoulder is so narrow that traffic jams are inevitable, especially since the numbers have grown. It was no different this year, with a long tailback on the way up and a few injuries incurred on the exhilarating descent. Paul Gillick picked up a few scratches in the bushes while poor Cillian Stewart suffered a suspected broken wrist in a fall. Papa Ercus and the rest of the family were on hand to offer succour but Cillian had to go to hospital to have it checked out.

A staggering 219 runners took part, or should that read 219 staggering runners? Compare that to 89 runners just three years ago,and you have some idea how fast the club has grown. Club "lockhard of the year" Barry Tennyson marshalled the traffic into adjoining carparks in his usual efficient manner while Denise and her crew prepared the food. Old friends such as Douglas Barry an Hugh McAlindon, a former winner of this race, turned up to offer help. For those who had completed seven races in the league, it was time to get "fleeced" by Paul Mahon, and many were those disporting the cuddly black numbers by the end of the night. Mind you, some would say the real fleecing starts next season, when the race fees are increased.

Graham and Jane, now with fairy lights on their wagon, slightly altered the traditional course this year, so time comparisons with previous years are invidious. With the normal route up to the shoulder heavily overgrown, Graham and Jane imposed a ban on fern frottage and moved the start slightly downhill. But even this path narrowed quickly and soon there was a long line of IMRA-ites snaking up the mountain in single file.

Kevin Keane, second here this time last year, showed strongly from the start, together with Martin McDonald, who was making a rare appearance in the Leinster League. Martin, from North Laois, was fresh from a victory on Slievenamon earlier in the month and had his wife and five (did I count right?) children along to cheer him on.

The rest of us had a more leisurely time of it, with frequent holdups on the steep bits we probably wouldn't have been able to run anyway. Thanks to Jean O'Neill for the whistle-playing on the shoulder; I didn't quite catch the tune, though. It was a ding-dong battle to the top but Kevin proved the more sure- footed on the way down, eventually taking victory in the league in 28:37, over a minute ahead of Martin. This was his third victory in the league since Paul Nolan went on tour in Europe; afterwards, Kevin offered to pay for the continuation Paul holiday (only joking, Paul!)

Rowing international Gearoid Towey took third ahead of Brendan O'Brien, running only his second league race of the season. With his
wife Fiona due again in three weeks' time, this might be as much running as Brendan gets for some time - good luck!

The women's race was a close affair, with another rower, Becky Quinn, besting Laura McGinley, by just two seconds. Actually, since Laura is an F40, Hazel Thompson claimed second prize in the F category, followed by Vanessa Lawrenson. Fidelma Ayres took second place in F40 behind Laura.

Gerry Lalor, who was eighth overall, took the honours in M40, followed by Mike Long and John Farrelly. Kevin Grogan won the M50, ahead of the above-mentioned Ercus and Vivian O'Gorman. Richard Flynn took M60 honours ahead of the perennial Mick Kellett while at the
other end of the age spectrum Rory McDonnell was the winning junior and James Alexander best M14.

Ger Power was best F50, Caitlin Bent won M60 and Laura Buckley was the leading F14 runner.

And then there was the barbeque.....

Paul Cullen