McKibben Clinches 2004 Hill & Dale Title

Newcastle AC’s Alan McKibben emulated his twin brother Dave’s Hill & Dale Series titles with another resounding victory at Thursday’s 7th Hill & Dale race over the Monument Course in Tollymore Forest Park. With 6 victories from the first seven of eleven races, he now cannot be caught. On top of this, he smashed defending champion North Belfast’s Neil Carty’s course record by one minute. Carty, meanwhile, came home second again and now can only finish second overall at best. Ironically, 2002 champion, Newcastle’s Deon McNeilly, was third best on the night.

An amazing 143 runners turned out on Thursday night past for the race, making it a second consecutive record turnout – 11 more than the record set last week. Each race of the series has a unique character and for this one, it is the fast four or five minute start from the Monument to the Shimna River, near the Ivy Bridge, and the desperate finish, on tired legs up the grassy bank back towards the car park. With the finish funnel lined with spectators, there to witness the pain and offer some sort of encouragement, the 90 seconds climb is one that all the runners look forward to as they make the fast seven or eight minute (for the leaders) return from the summit of the White Plains – not. 

In the ladies category, Newcastle AC’s Kerry Harty took one step closer to the title with a fifth win from seven races, with club-mate Anne Sandford coming home second. With both ladies missing race 8 due to the All-Ireland Championship race in the Wicklow Mountains being two days later, Sandford will now have to win the last three races of the Series to have a chance of clinching the title.

As for Harty, she had spent four hours in casualty on Tuesday night, two nights before the race, after an accident on a late evening training run with the Mighty Mitty – did he trip her? Half a dozen stitches in the knee and a pretty cross-stitch in her forehead was not enough to stop her competing on Thursday night. Sandford seems to have the edge on the steeper and more mountainous terrain, but Harty enjoys races like the Monument. So much so, in fact, she won by more than a minute coming home in a sprint finish just losing out to ACKC’s Willie Marks. Remember back two weeks to the Moughanmore race and Harty missed out on the ladies record by a mere second? More bad luck this week as, despite the pressure exerted by Marks, she missed out on Ballymena’s Sharon McBurney’s record by two seconds.

In the junior section, Mid-Ulster’s Jonathan McCloy is demonstrating, as each week passes, a gutsy determination and desire to win the title. This week, Newcastle’s Adam (the Mighty Mitty) Mitten set out fast and climbed well to lead at the top of Curraghard, some 13 minutes into the race. McCloy descends well, while Mitty is also fast, but sometimes plagued with ‘the stitch’. By the final summit of the White Plains, Mitty still led and with less than 10 minutes to go in the run back, much of it downhill, was favoured to win. McCloy, however, had other ideas and slowly pulled back towards Mitty, finally passing him and taking 40 seconds out of him with a strong climb up the final grass bank to the finish. With four wins now, McCloy is close to the title.

As expected, the crowds gathered at the most spectacular finish of any of the Hill & Dale series. The view is fantastic as they wait for the runners to appear and when they do start to arrive the suffering is great to watch. In the 143 runners this week were many relations. The husband and wife category is bolstered by the Linton’s (orienteers by trade and running in orienteering shoes that sound like hobnail boots to the uninitiated; ‘don’t mess with us’), the O’Kane’s (their first baby only 6 weeks old), the McCann’s (Tish couldn’t run the length of herself this time last year and is now doing two hour training runs in the mountains and finishing regularly in the top four in this series), the McCausland’s (typical of so many of the participants in these races who travel some distance to be there; Omagh in this case), the Harty’s (oops, sorry, mistake, Micky has talked a good race for some weeks now and, having just turned 30, might think he has a ready made excuse never to race, although having moved in beside the McNeilly’s, one never knows), the Hawkin’s (Eddie, where are you?), the McConville’s (one prolific racer and one prolific walker) and finally the McQueen’s (well done Alison, as for you Terry, allegedly the expressions of your disappointment at having to retire injured early in the race was noted by many of the runners). More comment on relationships later in the Series.

Ian Taylor is Membership Secretary of the Northern Ireland Mountain Racing Association and, to be fair, his workload is wider than that.  He has been running for many years now and typically finishes, well let’s just say, not too near the front. His son, Simon, on the other hand is faster and often finishes in the top six. Simon has been concentrating on track racing, however, decided to take part in the Monument race this week. Let’s just say that his dad saw the chance and took it and only for an eagle-eyed official the history books would have seen Ian Taylor finish in third place; Ian registered himself and Simon and quietly switched the numbers; nice try; close, but not close enough.

Finally, there is, unfortunately, a need for a comment on some bad behaviour at the presentation in the Anchor Pub after the race. The Hill & Dale thrives on the non-elitism of the Mountain Racing sport; competitive it is, but elitist it is not. Fittingly, the majority of the race entry fees go towards an individual prize for all those who complete six races out of the eleven in the series. However, each week, as well as copious sandwiches (no Atkins Diet culture here) a few spot prizes (mugs) are handed out to deserving causes. When the order arrived this year, unfortunately, a few had managed to get smashed (like many who attend the race presentations) and these are currently being awarded to hard luck causes. Step in ACKC’s Finola McCourt, a quality runner for some years now, but absent so far this year. Anyhow, she was picked out across the Anchor Bar by the race organiser for a spot prize and graciously (well that might be stretching the definition), she accepted it. 

Shortly afterwards, the realisation set in that she hadn’t actually competed and was just there for the beer. Before she could blink an eye, a smashed mug stood proudly where the original had sat and she was speechless (and that is saying something). Gutted, she ordered another drink, she would have loved that mug, she has a souvenir from 2003 and she was that close to the precious one for 2004. For the bystander, though, she had still been given more than she deserved, a mug with no handles and she hadn’t even completed a race. As the masses left for home, the crowd thinned and eventually the bar was almost clear and there proudly sat the mug with no handles, orphaned so early in its life; hard luck for the hard luck prize; watch out Ms McCourt, there’s nothing more dangerous than a mug spurned… 

Race eight this Thursday is the longest and possibly the toughest challenge in the Series, over the Loughshannagh Horseshoe. Anyone with perpetual trophies in any of the categories, please return to any of the race organisers over the next week. Parking and registration will be at the Spelga Dam; about ten minutes jog from the start, to keep the main mountain road clear of parked cars.  

BOGBOY

Results for Monument						
Race 7 (of 11) in the Hill & Dale 2004 Series					
										
1	Alan McKibben	Newcastle AC	O	28:18						
2	Neil Carty	North Belfast	O	44						
3	Simon Taylor	BARF	O	29:19				
4	Deon McNeilly	Newcastle AC	V40	39						
5	David McNeilly	Ballydrain	O	30:28			1	Newcastle	13	
6	Gary Bailey	ACKC	O	40			2	ACKC	32	
7	Andy Gregg	Larne	O	45			3	BARF	57	
8	Stevie Cunningham	Newcastle AC	O	55			4	Larne	59	
9	Jim Brown	BARF	V40	31:03			5	Albertville	67	
10	Damien Brannigan	Newcastle AC	O	07			6	Team Purple	71	
11	Edward Hanna	ACKC	O	20			7	Willowfield	145	
12	Steve Begley	Albertville	V40	27			8	Ballydrain	177	
13	Jonathan McCloy	Mid Ulster	OJ	29			9	LVO	274	
14	Mark McManus	Larne	O	35			10	U4EA	332	
15	Andrew Niblock	ACKC	O	38						
16	Paul Rodgers	Newcastle AC	O	44						
17	Andy McKee	Team Purple	O	52						
18	Johnny Gregg	Team Purple	O	32:02						
19	Richard Cowan	Willowfield	O	04						
20	Adam Mitten	Newcastle AC	OJ	09						
21	Billy McKay	Albertville	V50	20						
22	Joe McCann	Newcastle AC	O	30						
23	Johnny McKee	U/A	O	34						
24	Richard Rodgers	Newcastle AC	O	47						
25	Jim Patterson	Newcastle AC	V55	33:02						
26	Paul Mawhirt	Newcastle AC	O	07						
27	Michael Kelly	U/A	O	15						
28	Eamon McCrickard	Newcastle AC	O	27						
29	Mark Kendall	Newcastle AC	O	30						
30	Barry Wells	Newcastle AC	V40	31						
31	Charlie McAlinden	Newcastle AC	V45	32						
32	Roy Donaldson	ACKC	O	45						
33	Brian Campbell	Newcastle AC	O	53						
34	Dave Allen	Albertville	V40	54						
35	Hugo Rodgers	Newcastle AC	O	34:13						
36	Cathal McGreevy	Team Purple	O	15						
37	Mark Hanna	ACKC	O	16						
38	Corey Urwin	Larne	O	22						
39	Des McHenry	Willowfield	V55	37						
40	Samuel Herron	ACKC	O	52						
41	Steven Rice	Newry	O	55						
42	David Bell	Newcastle AC	V40	57						
43	Jim Erskine	U/A	O	35:04						
44	James McKee	ACKC	O	11						
45	Nigel Hart	BARF	O	17						
46	Vaughan Purnell	ACKC	O	21						
47	Vince McAlinden	BARF	O	29						
48	Eddie O'Hagan	Team Purple	V40	41						
49	William Marks	ACKC	O	42						
50	Kerry Harty	Newcastle AC	L	43						
51	Mervyn McCollam	Larne	O	48						
52	Paddy Mallon	BARF	O	55						
53	Cecil McCullough	ACKC	V40	36:13						
54	Peter McGuckin	ACKC	V50	17						
55	Brendan O'Hagan	Team Purple	V45	24						
56	Billy Magee	Larne	V60	31						
57	Francis Nugent	Newcastle AC	O	43						
58	Marty McMullan	Newcastle AC	O	54						
59	Wes Kettyle	ACKC	V50	57						
60	Chris McCann	ACKC	V40	58						
61	Brian Wilson	U/A	O	59						
62	Anne Sandford	Newcastle AC	LV	37:01						
63	Violet Linton	LVO	L	03						
64	Andy Bridge	U/A	V40	11						
65	Patrick Bradley	U/A	O	13						
66	Norman Roberts	Larne	O	15						
67	Marty McVeigh	Newcastle AC	V50	18						
68	Tish McCann	Newcastle AC	LV	36						
69	Derek Parkins	CIYMS	V40	38						
70	Patrick Lemoine	BARF	O	41						
71	Robbie Boake	U/A	O	45						
72	Bill McCausland	Omagh	V45	58						
73	Joe Quinn	East Down	V55	38:10						
74	Darren Herron	ACKC	O	15						
75	Harry Teggarty	ACKC	V50	20						
76	Gary McLoughlin	Newcastle AC	O	23						
77	John McBride	BARF	V45	26						
78	Trevor Wilson	BARF	V40	29						
79	Peter McClenaghan	BARF	V40	30						
80	Mike Barton	ACKC	V50	40						
81	Donal O'Kane	BARF	V40	43						
82	Anthony McCloy	U/A	V40	46						
83	Fintan Quinn	U/A	V45	54						
84	Fred Strickland	Ballydrain	V55	58						
85	Hazel McCausland	Omagh	L	39:00						
86	Martina Elliot	Lunchtime Legends	LV	01						
87	Ricky Cowan	Willowfield	V55	12						
88	Francis Boal	Ballydrain	V55	35						
89	Andrew Campbell	ACKC	O	37						
90	Davy Gall	U/A	O	37						
91	WJ Brown	Newcastle AC	V50	44						
92	Martina Hawkins	Newcastle AC	L	55						
93	Mark Pruzina	BARF	V40	40:01						
94	Roma McConville	N Down	LV	03						
95	Ed Smith	Lunchtime Legends	V50	09						
96	Barbara Brown	ACKC	LV	12						
97	Ashley Fisher	U/A	V40	14						
98	Philip McGavock	BARF	O	25						
99	Gregg McCann	LVO	V40	31						
100	Banjo Bannon	Newry	O	34						
101	Cath Coey	BARF	L	38						
102	Paul McCormack	U4EA	O	46						
103	Shileen O'Kane	BARF	LV	41:10						
104	John Sloan	ACKC	V55	30						
105	Simon Aldred	ACKC	O	36						
106	Charlotte Smith	ACKC	L	46						
107	Connel Nugent	Newcastle AC	V40	48						
108	Martin Houlahan	U/A	O	59						
109	Helen Cassidy	U4EA	L	42:16						
110	John Findlay	U/A	O	31						
111	Francis Foyle	Team Purple	O	45						
112	Gordon Stevens	LVO	V45	53						
113	Ian Taylor	BARF	V55	56						
114	Clarke Campbell	BARF	O	43:08						
115	Mark Eccles	Ballydrain	V45	12						
116	Paul Watson	Newcastle AC	V40	17						
117	Michael Brantnall	U/A	O	34						
118	Noel Douglas	Newcastle AC	V45	38						
119	Ian Luney	BARF	O	44						
120	Barry Rankin	ACKC	V45	48						
121	Greg Lennon	U4EA	O	54						
122	Stevie Caldwell	BARF	O	57						
123	Bob Cooke	ACKC	V55	44:18						
124	Michael McCullough	ACKC	V45	42						
125	Denis Rankin	BARF	V55	55						
126	Dave Goddard	U/A	V50	45:12						
127	Hugh McCloy	Mid Ulster	V45	32						
128	Peter Ludlow	ACKC	O	41						
129	Seamus White	U/A	V45	45						
130	Peter Turkington	ACKC	V45	50						
131	Johnny Murnen	U/A	O	53						
132	Clive Bailey	U/A	O	58						
133	Ciaron McDonald	BARF	O	46:15						
134	Darren Thompson	U/A	O	34						
135	Bill Hopkins	LVO	V55	42						
136	Wendy Findlay	U/A	LV	47						
137	Judith Evans	U/A	L	47:47						
138	Pauline O'Hara	BARF	LV	48:50						
139	Sarah McCarren	U/A	LV	49:06						
140	Alison McQueen	BARF	LV	53:49						
141	Maureen Oliver	DUB	LV	49						
DNF	Terry McQueen	BARF	V40							
DNF	Francis McAlinden	Newcastle AC	V40