Irish Championship 2025
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Mick Hanney | May 5 2025, 11:51am | First race of the Irish Champs is this weekend. Entries on sale in shop now until Friday evening. Lug is first up, with a variation of the start/finish and route from the normal 'Fentons' route. See separate forum post of Lugnacoille / Ballineddan race.. 5 races in the IC series. Sat May 10 Log na Coille (via Ballineddan) Sat May 31 Slieve Donard Sat Jun 21 Mweelrea Sun Jul 6 Mangerton Sun Aug 17 Galtymore |
| Mick Hanney | May 5 2025, 8:57pm | Great to see the early week interest in the first IC race of the season. You can't beat open mountain running! It strikes me that as well as a change of route for Log na Coille, it is also unusual in being 1st race of the IC season, usually being 4th of 5. Who will come out on top? If you're not in, you can't win. |
| Peter O'Farrell | May 26 2025, 9:29am | Round 1 of the Irish Championship tour of the four provinces brought us up the highest point in Leinster on a new course and we continue North to the highest point in Ulster for round 2, starting this coming Saturday at 11am from the main street in Newcastle. Slieve Donard, despite being ran since 1945, still has the most advantage to be gained from local knowledge with the best trails from the quarry to the finish a secret closely guarded from the travelling contingent. The official advice is to get there early and recce recce recce! Caroline Harney Ayton and Matthew McConnell lead the overall and the M45 category looks to closely contested this season with 3 runners in the top 5 overall as we stand. Or sit. |
| Peter O'Farrell | Jun 13 2025, 12:32pm | After a hotly contested round 2 up on the super steep flanks of Slieve Donard we have an early shape to the Irish Championship. Caroline Harney Ayton made use of her rock climbing background to good effect to win her second race of the champs and move into a clear lead in the overall. In the men's side it seems you need to be over 45 to have a say in affairs as we currently have 4 M45's filling out the top 4 spots with Sean Quirke the clear leader at the moment. Some athletes who may still have a big say in the overall were away on international duty but that's the beauty of the 5 rounds, you can strategically pick your 3 races to count and traditionally it has always been thus. With a packed calendar you have to pick your battles. All eyes now turn to the fabled province of Connacht with Mweelrea the Irish Championship event on the Saturday and if you still have legs (and a functioning liver after the BBQ) there's day 2 of the Connacht Championship on a novel route up BenBulbin on the Sunday. NOTE : Should you have raced Slieve Donard without a 2025 IMRA number you are not currently included in the results page on this IMRA website for either Slieve Donard or the Irish Champs. Should you subsequently complete 2 more IC races I will add you into the results sheet for the IC overall. Thanks again to all at Newcastle for allowing the IC to piggy back on their long standing route and thanks in advance to Liam Vines for stepping up to RD Mweelrea (and Aidan McMorland for Rd Belbulbin) |
| Peter O'Farrell | Jun 26 2025, 4:39pm | 3 races done, 3 races remaining. After yet more heroic work behind the scenes by Robbie, Liam and others this year's Irish Championship will indeed visit the highest points in all 4 provinces and thus becomes a best 3 of 6 league. On the other hand, if Covid25 comes along tomorrow we will have work for the trophy makers as as both Séan Quirke and Sinead-marie Mcallister have completed the requisite 3 rounds and top the league. There are some strong names on 2 and 1 races and in an unusual year we also have a hypothethical person on 0 races out there who could yet win the league. Next up out first foray into Munster with Mangerton whetting the appetite before assaults on the big 2 - Galteemore and Carantoohill. |
| Peter O'Farrell | Jul 17 2025, 11:05am | 4 races done, 2 remaining. We have a new leader on the womens league standings and now feature a full podium - Niamh O'Boyle, Sinead-Marie McAllister and Clare Keeling. Little change on the men's side - you still need to be an M45 to feature at the pointy end with Séan Quirke leading from another 4 M45 athletes. Next up - Galteemore. The hypothethical person on zero races done after 3 rounds.......who could yet win the league......now has a name - Killian Mooney......he could do it after a fine win on Mangerton. |
| Peter O'Farrell | Aug 18 2025, 9:44pm | Congratulations to the Irish Champions for 2025. Caroline Harney Ayton and Matthew McConnell are your worthy champions for this year. With 5 of 6 ran we have the unassailable champions but the subpolts abound....The minor places are still all to play for and the masters winners could yet still be decided on the sole destroying descent of the feared concrete hydro dam road. A few times yesterday I heard the refrain "Galteemore is the hardest race in the Irish Champs" and I thought to myself, perhaps you haven't raced the traditional Carantoohill version....A savage climb from the gun, another savage climb, an airy hairy descest cum traverse of a stony ridge, a steady climb, a stony descent, a hairy airy traverse climb of a stony ridge, a steep descent and THEN, the sole destroying descent of the contrete Hydro road. All those minor places and category wins will be well won on the hard flank of the greatest mountain in Ireland where Ireland's former World Champion replulsed all comers for many's a year. So - even if you've completed the league, try to get a coveted Carantoohill entry........it's gonna be emotional. |
| Liam Vines | Today, 9:48am | Morning All There is an email gone out to everyone who has completed two or More Irish Championship races in 2025 please read the email and reply. If you have not received an email but have completed two or more races, please get in touch with me… races at imra .ie The email is an offer of a place for Carrauntoohil Irish Championship Race on the 7th of September. Due to access limitations there are only 50 places available. We feel the fairest way of giving out the places is to offer a place to anyone who has or who can finish the Irish Championships this year. So, anyone who has done two or more Irish Championship races this year has been offered a place. The race will go on sale early next week BUT only to those who qualify to enter. If you buy a place and haven’t done at least two Irish Championship races this year you will not get your place in the race NOR will you get a refund. If there are places left after we will let you know |
