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28 November, 2009

Carrauntoohil race - Report by Douglas Barry
They say they never come back... "Aarrr, tha's true. no, they never come back". Tell that to legends like Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali, sportsmen who had donned the imperial purple, then let it go, or saw it drift to others. In adversity, they looked into their souls, found that inner strength, and fought back to wear the purple once again. High in the Kerry hills lives another legend. John Lenihan has been his name for 42 years. He is the man who has won one of the toughest mountain races in the world 14 times in a row. From 1988 to 2001, the results of the race up and down Ireland's highest mountain Carrauntoohil were always topped by the name of John Lenihan, the seemingly steel-legged farmer from Glounageenty in the Kingdom's green heartland.
However, in late 2001, the run of success nearly ended in tears. Indeed, so chronic was the injury over the winter, spring, and early summer of '02, the cognoscenti all thought they'd seen the end of a running career that included medals, on cross country, on road, on track, and, of course, on the mountains. Mountains are the hardest. Every mountain is different. Every mountain has its own challenges: its way with it. In his career, John had taken them all on and defeated them. National fame came to the modest hill farmer when he beat off the challenge of all comers and a tough Swiss mountain to win the Worlds in 1991. This was a fame enhanced by his annual winning joust with his special mountain - Carrauntoohil - and its racers every June.
But, in 2002, when the Carrauntoohil race weekend rolled around, Lenihan was still wracked with injury and couldn't start. Robin Bryson took the Carrauntoohil champion's mantle for the first time, putting only a third name on the trophy in its 16th year. Robin too went on to great things last year. Following his Carrauntoohil win, he took the Irish Championship and capped it all by winning the 2002 World Masters Championship in Innsbruck. While the Kerryman was delighted with the Enniskillen man's success, the loss of a chance to win Carrauntoohil for the 15th time really hurt. He wanted to get back running competitively as soon as possible, and he wanted the Carrauntoohil winner's mantle back most of all.
When the Carrauntoohil field lined up in 2003, Robin Bryson couldn't make it back to defend his title, but a fit looking John Lenihan was there, alongside former internationals Paul Nolan and Francis Cosgrave both of whom are anxious to be back in the frame for the Irish team for the Worlds in Alaska. However, none of them were in the lead when the gun went. From the off, Riocht's Tim O'Connor, home from London for the race, leapt to the front up the ferocious hydro road hill from the start. The rest followed more cautiously as the Riocht man pulled out a phenomenal lead of 50 metres on his chasers up the 1 in 3 slope.
However, when the initial hill eased to a slog, O'Connor's legs buckled and the chasing trio of Cosgrave, Lenihan, and Nolan swallowed the gap and pulled away. This trio stayed together 'til they swung into the vast Coomloughra amphitheatre at the hydro dam. Here, Paul Nolan made his break for glory. Over a soaking boggy valley bottom, he pulled out 15 metres on John Lenihan and a fading Francis Cosgrave. Francis realised that the front pair were too strong and settled for third place at this stage.
Paul reached the top of An Shron ridge, but found his effort had been mistimed. He struggled and had to watch, as a resurgent Lenihan passed him along the ridge below Caher. Nolan fought back, but couldn't match the 14 times winner strength for strength on the massive climb skywards. Lenihan had eased into a comfortable margin by the first summit and took on the tricky sickle shaped ridge over Caher's other two summits at a measured pace until the final sharpish climb to Carruntoohil's summit cross. At the turn, reached in 49 minutes, John had a margin of two minutes over Paul who in turn was never going to be threatened by Francis.
John Lenihan maintained his rhythm on the return over the Caher summits and indeed extended his margin with a fine swooping descent down over the loose scree leading back steeply down to An Shron. A comfortable descent down the hydro road swept him in to finish first in an impressive time of 77 minutes 50 seconds considering the soft going. An exhausted Paul Nolan took second three and a half minutes later in 81.18 with Francis in third at 83.59 and current international Bernard Fortune well distanced in 4th place. Tom Blackburn in 5th got his revenge on Martin Bradshaw in 6th for his defeat at his hands on Crohaun.
Beth McCluskey won the women's race extremely comfortably in 100.04 from Nicky Cinnamond who just held off Roisin McDonnell (F40 winner) by less than 90 seconds. Irish international Blaithin Hannon took 4th ahead of winning Supervet Jane Watt with Gillian Foley in 6th. In the men's M40 class John O'Reilly took third behind the aging rapidities Lenihan and Cosgrave, while that mere slip of a lad Ercus Stewart took the Supervet category from a resurgent Joe Lalor and Bernard Collins. Joe Laffan won the M60 category with an excellent 146.58 from Mick Kellet and Charlie O'Connell. However, in truth, there is only one story. What a comeback, Lenihan takes his 15th out of 15!!! What a racer, what a man.