Gerry Brady

05 April, 2009

A glorious clear day greeted 57 runners for the first race of the 2009 Leinster championships. This was in stark contrast to the heavy mists of 2008 that forced the race to be shortened to a turn-around point at the cairn. Peter O’Farrell (Rathfarnham), running his second race of the weekend, set the pace from the start up the forest road drags with Keith Heary (Carlow) tucked in behind him. On the steep climb up to the mountain ridge, they had around 50 metres on Eoin Keith and Bernard Fortune (Sliabh Bhuide Rovers) who in turn had the same distance on Mel Hilliard (MSB) and Jason Reid. These were followed by David Carroll (MSB) and Rafael Murillo (Carlow) and then a small gap to Paul Mitchell (Sportsworld) and leading woman Mags Greenan (Clonliffe). Jason Kehoe came next just ahead of Kate O’Neill (MSB) who had led out the women’s race for the first two miles and Helen White (Sportsworld) who was having a fantastic run in her first ever mountain race. I imagine some of the runners were taking in the steep ascent at this stage, thinking it would become a steep and slippy descent on the run for home!

The mountain ridge is deceptive looking. Looking across it to the mast it looks relatively flat and dominated by the yellow stones of the puc fada and the large cairn. However not so as a series of folds are hidden that kept the runners in a regular alteration of short descents and climbs. These served to keep them from looking too longingly at the mast turn-around point in the far distance. By the time the chasing runners were within range of the mast, the leaders were on their homeward journey. Peter O’Farrell had broken away and had around 70 metres on Keith Heary who had a similar gap on Eoin Keith. Bernard Fortune was holding onto fourth with Jason Reid having got away from Mel Hilliard for the fifth spot. At this stage of the race, runners were moving in both directions with a walking group and a few mountain bikes in their midst. And it was those bikes that lured Heary from the race route as he re-entered the forest, a lapse in concentration that was to cost him not just a close runner-up spot but a top three placing. Mel Hilliard similarly missed a turn in the forest that cost him a few minutes but he held on for sixth.

Mags Greenan continued her return to form with a victory in the women's race but she was made to work by newcomer Helen White. On the open mountain Karen Duggan (Clonliffe) moved into third place woman only to see Kate O’Neill reclaim it with an impressive turn of speed in the forest. Cathleen Cheshire was first F40, Gerry Quinn (MSB) took the M50 prize and his club mate Eugene Brady took the M60 prize. The evergreen Charlie O’Connell (Sportsworld) won the M70.

In the club competition, Metro St. Brigid’s took their first victory of the season ahead of Sportsworld while Clonliffe took the women’s team. The team race in this year's Wicklow Way Relay in June could be fun with more athletics clubs hopefully entering. Dublin won both county teams with Carlow runners-up in the men's.

Next race in the Leinster championships series is Ballybraid on 16th May on a very runnable course http://www.imra.ie/events/view/tab/maps/id/616/

Special thanks to Sinead Roche for all of the laptop work at the race and at home afterwards to capture the new registration details and of course the results, and to Dermot Murphy for first aid, registration and results. Eamonn McMahon who has kept this race going from the early 1990s and was the race marker and summit marshall today and to Jim Gonnelly who co-marked and de-marked the route and gave support and directions at the cairn.

Men club
1. Metro St. Brigid’s 34 (6 Mel Hilliard, 11 David Carroll, 17 Gerry Quinn)
2. Sportsworld 40 (7 Paul Mitchell, 8 Jakub Splawski, 25 Eoin O’Brien)

Women club
1. Clonliffe 10 (1 Mags Greenan, 4 Karen Duggan, 5 Cliona Kenny)
2. Crusaders 27 (8 Niamh Ni Cholmain, 9 Eva Fairmaner, 10 Marlon Davies)

Men county
1. Dublin 14 (1 Peter O’Farrell, 5 Jason Reid, 8 Jakub Splawski)
2. Carlow 49 (4 Keith Heary, 12 Rafael Murillo, 33 John Causey)
3. Wicklow 63 (13 Cormac O’Ceallaigh, 21 John Roche, 29 Des Byrne)
4. Down 89 (23 Chris Carroll, 24 Stewart Magill, 42 Marty McVeigh)

Women county
1. Dublin 8 (1 Mags Greenan, 3 Kate O’Neill, 4 Karen Duggan)