Category Archives: Club Notes

Hanna & Crudgington excel at the European Off-Road (Mountain) Championships

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The lesser-known island of La Palma, in the Canaries, was the location for the ‘inaugural’ European Athletics Off-Road Championships with races over the first weekend in July. Most impressivley, the host town, El Paso, significantly affected only a year ago as part of the eruption of the local volano with houses gone forever under the lava.

Newcastle & District AC athletes Zak Hanna and Tom Crudgington were both selected to represent Ireland. Hanna in the uphill only race on the Friday evening and 17-year-old Crudgington in the U20 up and down race on the Sunday morning. Continue reading →

Newcastle AC Juniors End of Year Report

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Report By Siobhan Grant

As June came to a close and we look forward to what will hopefully be a wonderful summer of laughter and fun, the Newcastle AC Junior Squad reflected back on what has been a very eventful year, from our youngest to our oldest members.

Tentatively returning to training this year with a change of venue at the start of the year to facilitate the Covid-19 restrictions, the Junior Coaches set up camp every Monday Evening at the Flood Lit grounds of Donard Park instead of their staple venue of Shimna Integrated College.

It was lovely to have some form of normality return to life and although the coaching team was always very cautious, our junior members relished the opportunity to get together with their friends and club mates, embracing each and every session. The Year 8 and over Saturday endurance training in Tollymore Forest rolled out again also under the watchful eye of Ian Brannigan.

The Junior training is broken up into three groups each week. Ian Bailey leads the Year 8 and over mountain runners. This year they have utilised every track, trail and pathway in every sort of weather up, down and along Donard Wood from the Granite Trail to Drinnahilly and as far up Donard you can go in 40minutes! This has without a doubt led to notable performances in competitions at home and as far away as Italy with both the girls and boys impressing in all events. Continue reading →

Spelga Skyline 2022

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The post Hill & Dale tapering was to commence last Friday evening beginning in O’Hares and then with a very brief wait until the next long category Spelga Skyline race held on Saturday 2nd July, the NIMRA championship is starting to edge towards the latter stages. Hosted by the BARFers once again, the gang in purple know how to up the ante ever so slightly. Last year they even got Barra Best on their side for the day to raise the difficulty level. This was the day Ballywatticock hit the news for the highest the mercury level has been here in quite some time, and a reading at the dam not long before the race measured 29C in the shade. With not a breeze either even at the highest point of the race on Meelbeg at 702m, a truly extraordinary effort was required to complete the course. Luckily enough weather wise on Saturday the thermostat stayed in or around half the temperature from the year previous and the rain also took a back seat, leaving conditions favourable to the runners.

The race is what it says on the tin, to traverse pretty much each mountain that you can see in a 360 loop from the car park at the dam, covering 13 miles and 1550m of elevation gain. Firstly, heading up the good quad path to Slievenamuck, descending at Ott Car park to make your own line direct to the west side of the Meelbeg ridge. From the summit the next two are straightforward (almost) along the Mourne Wall to Loughshannagh and Slieve Muck, before crossing the road at the Deers Meadow to traverse Pigeon Rock towards Moughanmore. From here again there is a pathless and tricky section over to Pierces Castle, then familiar ground reimerges on the line of the Hill & Dale route over towards Rocky. Two final climbs lie in wait, a good long run over to Hen Mountain, with Cock Mountain the last obstacle before rushing down below the outflow of the dam at the River Bann and a few steps up to take on before the finish back at the car park. Continue reading →

Steffi Warnock Marathon Debut (X2)!

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On Sunday 29 May Newcastle AC’s Steffi Warnock completed the Edinburgh Marathon. This was Steffi’s first Marathon and she set a target of sub 4 hours. Steffi had put in months of training, increasing her weekly road running mileage, whilst continuing with CrossFit and mountain running. The versatile athlete initially adapted her training plan to move the traditional long run at the weekend to a Tuesday to make sure she didn’t miss out on the Sunday mountain run! All her hard work and consistent training paid off as she completed Edinburgh in a time of 3 hours 55 minutes and 33 seconds.

Steffi at Edinburgh Marathon

Most people would take a few weeks off after a marathon however Steffi decided to celebrate by running the Mourne Way Marathon just two weeks later. Steffi was at the start line on Saturday 11 June ready to go. Conditions were far from ideal on the difficult, mixed terrain course which starts in Donard Park and follows the Mourne Way through Tollymore, out onto the open mountain from Trassey to Leitrim Lodge before hitting the trails in Rostrevor to the finish. There was a headwind for much of the middle section of the course on the open mountain and heavy showers on and off throughout the day. Steffi had an impressive run finishing 4th female in a time of 4 hours 56 minutes.

Steffi after completing the Mourne Way Marathon

Flagstaff to Carlingford Race

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In 1978 Kate Bush was top of the charts with ‘Wuthering Heights’ and now again 44 years later her second no.1 with ‘Running Up That Hill.’ Stranger Things have happened…

Nevertheless two good numbers that a squad of hardy fell runners can relate to. Sunday 19th June was the next NIMRA championship race, and it was the medium Flagstaff to Carlingford route, a linear 11 mile jaunt through the Cooley mountains with a good 3000ft elevation to take on.

The first dibbing point was the steps up onto the bus which dropped the runners at a lonely path on the Armagh/Louth border, to head straight into the climb for Anglesey Mountain, before traversing boggy ground to Clermont on the Ravensdale side. The next 5 mile or so was all fairly runnable taking in the next 3 checkpoints, firstly the mast on Clermont Carn/Black Mountain, a nice path towards Carnavaddy, before dropping down to the Windy Gap at the Long Woman’s Grave. A quick sup of water here and then route choice becomes random and sporadic towards the last checkpoint on the high point of County Louth, Slieve Foye, steeply overlooking the finish down in Carlingford. Continue reading →

A race of two halves and knackered calves

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I think a bit of over confidence and inexperience came into play right from the start.  Immediately we all started racing from the off.  After I led for the 1st 10k the lead proceeded to change numerous times until around 30km then things calmed a bit more.

Due to the nature of the event it’s a marathon out and back.  This means crossing paths again and some more position changes but then it all really settled down and the field spread out.  Most of the return leg I was on my own and couldn’t even see another competitor.

I paid the price for the early fast pace and had to push myself mentally to keep running all the way back, with regular checks over my shoulder for any competition.  My legs were screaming that entire second half but thankfully no cramping.

Amazingly my body survived, and I came in under 10 hours, even managing 3rd place with 4th place over 20 mins behind me.  For only my second ever ultra I was absolutely over the moon!