Race Report 2024
This year we returned to the Western Mournes, an area which sees considerably less footfall than the popular central region but one which our course Planner Terry McQueen likes as there are all sorts of interesting features he can use hidden away in awkward places. Our base this year was Atticall Gaelic Athletic Club to the south which we last used in 2018. However, just to add some variety from the outset, Terry put everyone buses on Saturday morning and sent them over to the Banns Road track to launch them eastwards into the central Mournes. So it was only later in the day that they made it to the Western Hills.
Registration
The weather had been settled in the preceding days allowing us to get the markers out in relative comfort and it was still settled on the Saturday morning though low cloud shrouded large sections of the courses. Registration ran smoothly thanks to all the helpers who give their time so freely and our sponsors, Mac in a Sac and Lila’s Outdoors store dealt with any problems which cropped up with missing kit or indeed replacing dodgy kit. We even had a coffee wagon on hand for those who required a final caffeine hit before the hard work got underway.
Elite Course
The Elite runners were quickly thrown into some serious route choices after a few easy starters, the classic Mournes problem of how to get most efficiently from a hill on one side of the Silent Valley to a hill on the other side – specifically a marker beside Binnian Lough? If that wasn’t bad enough the next leg had Slieve Lamagan as the obstacle to be overcome. There was a small cluster problem in the Bernagh area then over Doan before crossing the road at the Deer’s Meadows to battle through some bogs around Spelga before dropping to the campsite below Hen Mountain via two boulder cluster markers.
Pruzina and Vokes set the pace
Looking at the stats there was initially very little between the top three Elite teams with last year’s B class winners, Keith Johnston & Tom Crudgington getting the fastest time for the Silent Valley crossing but as the day progressed the three-time Elite winners Paul Pruzina & Philip Vokes gradually opened up a gap on the others. By the campsite they had a fourteen minute lead over last year’s winners Shane Lynch & Adam Cunningham with Johnston & Crudgington in third place. In seventh place overall were the first mixed team of Dom & Pippa Dakin and in eight place the female team of Heather Corden & Helen Ockenden. The leading vets were Ian Jones & Duncan Harris.
Winners from 2022 lead the B Class
Unlike previous years where the B course is often a shortened version of the Elite, this year they did not have to cross the Silent Valley and instead made their way north via a small cluster on Doan then on to markers on either side of Slieve Bernagh. After the road crossing at the Deer’s Meadow they battled through Spelga’s bogs via a different route from the Elite to conclude with the same small boulder cluster on the slopes of Hen Mountain. The team which was quickest over the initial part of the course was the mixed team of George Savell & Sarah Knight but they seem to have had difficulties around Slieve Bernagh and Slieve Meelbeg. B Class winners from two years ago, Craig McCauley & William Shields were going well and they picked up the lead from that point onwards and extended it over the course of the day to arrive at the campsite twenty five minutes ahead of their nearest challengers, the team of Paul Daniels & Richard Hetherington. George and Sarah managed to claim fourth place overall and were the leading mixed team but they were by no means safe as just ten minutes further back were the next mixed team of Finbar & Karen McGurren. The female race leaders were the veteran pairing of Denise Mathers & Hazel McLaughlin and the leading veterans were the Scottish team of Alasdair McCallum & Tommy Begley in third place overall.
Truswell and Sowood lead the C Class
The C course was similar to the B course as far as Doan but unlike the B class they didn’t have a mini Cluster to deal with and were able to go direct to the road crossing. They visited a few markers on Pigeon Rock Mountain which meant they avoided the Deer’s Meadow bogs. Then it was across to Slievenamiskan before finishing on the same small cluster as the other two courses. Rob Truswell &Barney Sowood, a veteran team, took their time settling in but once they got up to top gear they stormed around the course and no other team could match them. The closest was the team of Tommy Lanigan & Aiden Lanigan nearly fifteen minutes adrift. Over half an hour behind was the third placed team of John Wilson & Paul Elliot. Leading the mixed category were William Winter & Claire Wilshaw and the top female team was Jennifer Allan & Kathryn Powell. Outside of the leading team the next best veterans were Alan Elwood & Keith Patrick.
Adult/Junior teams vie for D Class
D course competitors also made their way to the summit of Doan, then the Mourne Wall for a bit before descending to the road crossing at Spelga. Like the C class they avoided the rough lands around Spelga Reservoir by going to markers on Pigeon Rock Mountain but there was a sting in the tail with a slog over Cock Mountain before the run into the campsite. Patrick & Philip Denis were the leaders at the campsite with the mixed team of Kevin O’Reilly & Louise Fitzsimons just eighteen minutes adrift. Including Patrick & Philip, there were five Adult/Junior teams in the D class this year.
Score Changes
One of the problems with the Score Class in recent years has been the issue with teams having to hang around the campsite for hours waiting for the results to be sorted and prize giving. To try and solve this we decided to start all the teams over a short time span around 10.00am. This in theory meant that after six hours everybody should finish around the same time. This proved to be the case and after the prize giving we were able to get most teams back to their cars at Atticall reasonably quickly.
Davison-Kernan and Imrie win the Score
The winners of this year’s Score class missed out only nine markers, amassing a points score of 400pts and finishing with just nine seconds to spare otherwise penalties would have kicked in. The winners were Ronan Davison- Kernan & William Imrie and their route took them out to the high scoring remote markers east of the Silent Valley then markers around Bernagh and Doan before crossing the road at the Deer’s Meadow and virtually sprinting home via a few markers on Hen Mountain. It was lucky for them that they didn’t incur any penalties for second placed Niall Gabney & James Cuffey were just ten points behind and a further thirty points adrift were the mixed team of Graham Smyth & Chloe Brown. Top females were the many times Mourne Mountain Marathon marshals, Pauline O’Hara & Denise O’Hagan and their adjusted points score made them top veterans as well.
Hen Mountain Campsite
Our campsite this year at the base of Hen Mountain is one we have used before and it is a very good site; well drained, good water supply and easy to access for delivery of bins and toilets. It also happens to have lovely views and with the weather being kind this year competitors were able to mill around and admire them and catch up on the day’s news. They could also admire the latest additions to our campsite; smart new pop up tents branded with the Mourne2day logos provided by our sponsors Mac in a Sac. Their two main MIAS men, Gareth and Jason, were in teams battling around the courses but we also have to thank Claire and all the rest of the company who provided us with so much support. We also owe a debt of gratitude to John and Mary Savage for once again allowing us the use of their field.
Day Two Start
Day two dawned with some cloud on the hills and dampness on the ground courtesy of a shower during the night, but the forecast was for improvement as the day progressed. Paddy Mallon strolled around the campsite singing his traditional rendition of “Danny Boy” – his way of waking competitors up and I noted that he received a well deserved round of applause. From 8.00 onwards teams set out on their courses and by 8.45 the tent village was virtually gone, just the event tents and a few unhurried retiring teams remained. Yesterday’s second placed team of Shane Lynch & Adam Cunningham were underway right on the dot of 8.00am hoping to overcome the fourteen minute advantage of the leaders Paul Pruzina & Philip Vokes who curiously chose the opposite approach and were one of the last teams to set off.
Western Mournes and a re-entrant problem
The Elite course really did go into the Western Mournes, sweeping south in and out of the Rostrevor forests as far as the slopes of Slieve Martin via various awkward markers, then making its way to Atticall over some rough remote countryside on the lower slopes of Finlieve. Unusually for a Terry McQueen course it was a totally linear route with no cluster problems to solve. Looking at the stats I see that the two lead teams were virtually matching each other’s pace up until the re-entrant marker on the slopes of Slieve Meel. At this point Shane & Adam ran into a problem for they couldn’t find the marker and concluded that it had gone AWOL as they were sure they were in the right location. Behind them the all other teams, bar one, found the re-entrant though some lost quite a bit of time on it. Following the event we reviewed this marker and realised that due to a number of factors it had been placed in the wrong re-entrant. It was in a nearby smaller re-entrant and many of the teams would have come across it as they made their way to the correct location. We credited Shane & Adam with the control and fortunately the time differences between teams meant that there was no issue about declaring them second overall on the day.
Paul and Philip win Elite for the fourth time
Second overall because Paul Pruzina & Philip Vokes had few problems with any of the markers and over the latter part of the course extended their lead to claim their fourth Mourne Mountain Marathon title. The third fastest team on day two were Simon Hodge & Jonathan Gibson who were consistently posting the third and fourth fastest times per leg throughout the day. Not bad as in the early morning I had come across Simon limping across the campsite to see our doctor, downcast as his feet were giving him hell and he feared that he wouldn’t be able to walk let alone run. They were to end up fourth overall as a result of this performance but still well behind Keith Johnson & Tom Crudgington who seem to have a bit of a nightmare middle section of the course on day two but their fine day one efforts ensured third place overall. Ian Jones & Duncan Harris in fifth place overall were the top veteran team and only minutes behind them were Pippa & Dom Dakin the top mixed team. The top female team was last year’s winners, Heather Cordon & Helen Ockenden.
B class champions at last…..Alasdair and Tommy
Once again, the B course followed a route completely different from the Elites. Their early markers led them almost to the summit of Eagle Mountain then they swooped down into the Castle Bog before re-emerging to clamber over the bulky shoulder of Finlieve. A few final markers on its Eastern slopes before the run down the Sandy Brae track to the finish. The overnight leaders Craig McCauley & William Shields seem to have had a major problem with one of the controls, a spur on the East slopes of Finlieve and lost quite a bit of time. The veterans and guys who have been trying to win the B Class for centuries, Alasdair McCallum & Tommy Begley took advantage of the situation posting the fastest day two time and it was just enough to gain first place overall. Paul Daniels and Richard Heatherington also had a fine day two run but their time fell just short of denying Craig & William the runner up spot. It was a similar story in the mixed category where a great day two run allowed Finbar & Karen McGurren to overhaul the overnight leaders George Savell & Sarah Knight. Denise Mathers & Hazel McLaughlin were the top veteran team outside of the top three positions and Stephanie Pruzina & Sarah Gamble were the winning female team.
No Change in the C class.
As with the previous two categories there were no cluster problems on the C Course just a linear route winding through the Western Mournes. They made their way up to the Castle Bog then briefly into the forests around the Yellow River. The latter part of their course was very similar to the B Course, trudging over the tussocks of Finlieve before a few final awkward markers and then on to the finish at Atticall. Unlike the B class though there was no change in the order of the leading teams with the top three from yesterday finishing in that order on day two as well. This meant that Rob Truswell & Barney Sowood were the winners with Tommy & Aiden Lanigan in second place and third place going to John Wilson & Paul Elliott. William Winter & Claire Wilshaw were the leading mixed team in fifth place overall and the top female team was Jennifer Allan & Kathryn Powell.
C Class super vets
The big stories in the C class concerned the leading vet teams. Chris Adgey and his dad, the remarkable John Adgey now over eighty years old were first and good enough for thirteenth place overall. John has been a great supporter of this event from away back in the 1980s as a main sponsor then and as a competitor in many of the years subsequently. The other big news was that Brian Layton & Kenny Weir were the second vet team outside of the top three results. This was Brian’s 31st consecutive MMM but this year it nearly didn’t happen as his original partner had to pull out due to injury just a week before the event. There was a load of frantic phone calls before we were able to match him up with Kenny and so ensured that his consecutive streak continued ….and they won a prize to boot.
Graeme and Cameron Reid take the D class
The D course made its way to Pierces castle then to the Yellow river before going over the summit of Shanlieve and down to the finish via the Sandy Brae. Graeme & Cameron Reid who had been in third place at the overnight campsite had a great run on day two and pushed the day one leaders Patrick & Philip Dennis into second place overall. Although this is the novice class it was very competitive this year and 19 teams completed the course. Both the leading teams were Adult /Junior teams.
Prize-giving and Mac in a Sac
At the finish teams were treated to sandwiches, tea/coffee and some of the largest tray bakes ever seen – all served in the clubhouse bar. The prize-giving was held in the main function room and Gareth of Mac in a Sac and Stephen of Lila’s Outdoors joined our treasurer Kerry in presenting the prizes in front of the massive backdrop board provided by Mac in a Sac. It looked like something from match of the day. Maybe next year we will get Mark Robson back to conduct interviews? We are very grateful to Mac in a Sac for all their help and support, both in prizes and equipment and to their partner Lila’s Outdoors who set up the shop and managed gear sales so well. Also many thanks to The Kane Group and Advance M&E for their continued support.
The Volunteers.
I mention this every year but it remains as true as ever. This event could not run without the support of many people, all volunteers, who give their time freely to carry out a multitude of tasks. During a typical year upwards of thirty people help out at the start for example, registering, kit checking, car parking, putting up signage, getting people on busses and finally setting the teams off on their day’s run. If you happen to be available to help in the future please get in touch. New faces are always welcome.
Atticall GAC
And finally, a big thank you to Atticall GAC for the use of their fantastic club house and the help afforded to us by many members of the club. It’s not often that tired organizers get to sit in a nice bar with a wind down pint after nearly everybody else has headed home, waiting for the last few stragglers to arrive. That was the case this year and I think I can safely say that we will be back at this venue in the not too distant future.
Jim Brown – Race Director