McKee & Wilson secure 2016 Hill & Dale Titles

McKee & Wilson secure 2016 Hill & Dale Titles The weather can be so beautiful at this time of the year with the evenings continuing to lengthen it s a great time to be alive. The 2016 Series has been blessed with brilliant weather and race 9 was no exception coming at the end of a week of what we might describe as proper summer. The official timekeeper and starter phoned at 5:15pm in a bit of a panic one hand on the mobile and the other well I can t really describe in detail where it was but suffice to say that at 5:27pm a new calf was born and by 5:52 was running after its mother a field away up in the Dromara Hills if only humans were that capable. So panic over Frank made it easily to the start to set off the 166 runners. Joe McCann organises the Loughshannagh Race it had taken place three weeks earlier but he enjoys leading and bossing so much that he turned up at Hen Car Park to banter unsuspecting souls as they turned up to sign on and pay their entry fee. Never a dull moment but it had the benefit of clearing the registration area quickly as the runners escaped swiftly from the verbal abuse. The mass start with the stream of runners heading off up Hen Mountain is always a great sight to behold. In the early climb Mourne AC s William McKee led out Dromara s Zak Hanna and David Hicks (both Newcastle AC). Diane Watson (Dromore AC) was already clear and stamping her mark on the women s race. The Early Charge (courtesy of Paul Fegan) With all the interest in the local area for daily flocks of Game of Thrones fans it is no longer a surprise to hear of local film making. Thursday evening was no

exception with a group of people stumbling across the Hen & Cock Race (pictured below): Turns out the group were reccying Hen Mountain for the forthcoming filming of a movie short appropriately named The Climb and set to star Game of Thrones actor Ian Beattie and Joanne Crawford. You heard it hear first

Meanwhile, the runners sprinted off the back of Hen Mountain, across the bog and onto the climb of Cock Mountain up and down the famous grass gulley. There is much debate about the use of the scanners on the mountain summit with some not thinking it worthwhile and others (you know who you are Hen Kelly) simply refusing to be scanned at the summit. Anyway the record shows that 20-year-old Hanna reached the summit first just 18 minutes and 12 seconds into the race with McKee some 8 seconds behind. McKee is a stronger descender but still trailed at the top of Hen on the way back but overhauled Hanna to win in 28:15 with Hanna 14 seconds behind there s a great rivalry building up between the two boys. In 3 rd was Hicks coming back from the top of Cock via the summit of Hen on only 9:43 the only runner inside 10 minutes on the night. Newcastle AC s Colm Murtagh deep in concentration in 4 th place (courtesy of Paul Fegan) Wilson came home in 15 th overall and a comfortable winner in the women s section in 33:04 ahead of Shileen O Kane (35:54) and Mari Troeng (38:17).

Poetry in Motion Diane Wilson takes the 2016 Hill & Dale Title (courtesy of Paul Fegan) Club mates chase the old boy down the final descent (photo courtesy of Paul Fegan) Congratulations to William McKee who secured his first ever Hill & Dale title on Thursday evening with his victory giving him 5 wins and a second place makes him uncatchable.

Congratulations also to Diane Wilson who regained the Hill & Dale title that she won in 2014. What makes the Hill & Dale series to appealing to so many people? It s probably the sense of achievement every race is different and has a different set of challenges and there is clearly a buzz about the finish and at the prize giving that says I ve achieved. Johnny McKinley sporting his war wound at the finish Thanks are due to Mary who looked after registration and Paul Fegan and Noel Gallagher on parking. Thanks to Darragh McCrickard who very quickly processes the entries and results and posts them online. Thanks also to the summit marshals, Stevie Rice and Declan Magee on Hen and Mountain Rescue personnel including Mark Hanna, Mary and Ian McCracken plus Butcher Kelly and Audey McVeigh on Cock. Thanks also to the many other volunteer helpers too numerous to mention but help the race run smoothly. And finally thanks to the Doran family who once again made the runners to welcome at the Mourneview Bar near Hilltown after the race. Next week is the Meelmore/Meelbeg race organised by the McCrickard Clan with the direction being anti-clockwise as confirmed by the Oracle McBurney. Registration at the Happy Valley from 6.15pm BOGBOY the original and the best

1 William McKee 00:28:15 00:18:10 00:10:19 MOpen Mourne Runners* 2 Zak Hanna 00:28:29 00:18:02 00:10:27 MOpen Newcastle AC* 3 David Hicks 00:28:59 00:19:06 00:09:53 MV35 Newcastle AC* 4 Colm Murtagh 00:30:03 00:19:41 00:10:22 MOpen Newcastle AC* 5 Timothy Johnston 00:30:14 00:19:44 00:10:30 MOpen Mourne Runners* 6 Gary Bailey 00:31:49 00:20:52 00:10:57 MV35 Mourne Runners* 7 Sam Herron 00:31:54 00:20:35 00:11:19 MOpen Mourne Runners* 8 Oisin Brennan 00:32:08 00:20:53 00:11:15 MJunior Springwell* 9 Patrick Higgins 00:32:34 00:21:20 00:11:14 MOpen Newcastle AC* 10 John Kelly 00:32:36 MV45 Newcastle AC* 11 Colum Campbell 00:32:39 00:21:03 00:11:36 MV40 Newcastle AC* 12 Deon McNeilly 00:32:53 00:20:26 00:12:27 MV50 Newcastle AC* 13 Thomas Leitch 00:32:58 MV45 Orangegrove AC* 14 Richard Bell 00:33:01 00:21:11 00:11:50 MV40 Mourne Runners* 15 Diane Wilson 00:33:04 00:21:28 00:11:36 FV45 Dromore AC* 16 David Mckee 00:33:08 00:22:11 00:10:57 MOpen Mourne Runners* 17 J.P Gartland 00:33:14 00:22:22 00:10:52 MV35 Unattached 18 William Marks 00:33:17 00:21:50 00:11:27 MV40 Mourne Runners* 19 Maurice Harte 00:33:19 MV40 Team Purple 20 Patrick Bradley 00:33:43 00:21:48 00:11:55 MV45 Newcastle AC* 21 Pete Grant 00:33:45 00:22:15 00:11:30 MV45 Newcastle AC* 22 Richard Hanna 00:33:49 00:21:43 00:12:06 MOpen Mourne Runners* 23 Paul Hollywood 00:34:02 MV45 Armagh AC * 24 Owen Brady 00:34:07 00:22:39 00:11:28 MV35 Not the Sunday Run 25 Connor Reid 00:34:19 00:22:13 00:12:06 MOpen Ballymena Runners* 26 Roger Pannell 00:34:21 00:22:06 00:12:15 MV40 Ballydrain Harriers* 27 Jonathan Graham 00:34:28 00:21:13 00:13:15 MOpen Mourne Runners* 28 Jonathan Scott 00:34:39 MOpen Newcastle AC* 29 Francis Nugent 00:35:03 00:22:58 00:12:05 MV45 Blaney Rockets 30 Mark Alexander 00:35:20 00:22:34 00:12:46 MV45 Ballymena Runners* 31 Jonny Mornin 00:35:22 00:23:08 00:12:14 MV35 Dromore AC* 32 Marty McKibbin 00:35:25 MOpen Dundrum clg 33 Warren Cartmill 00:35:27 00:22:45 00:12:42 MV45 Team Purple 34 Gavin Hynds 00:35:40 00:22:44 00:12:56 MV35 East Down AC* 35 Colm McAlinden 00:35:51 00:23:02 00:12:49 MOpen Mourne Runners* 36 Shileen O'Kane 00:35:54 00:23:07 00:12:47 FV45 Lagan Valley AC* 37 Aidan Brown 00:35:58 00:22:48 00:13:10 MV35 Newcastle AC* 38 Brian Wilson 00:36:06 00:22:50 00:13:16 MV45 Newcastle AC* 39 Martin McKibben 00:36:40 00:23:31 00:13:09 MV40 Newcastle AC* 40 Andy McMurray 00:36:49 00:23:43 00:13:06 MOpen Newcastle AC* 41 Kieran Young 00:36:57 00:23:22 00:13:35 MV35 Murlough AC* 42 Ian Shek 00:36:59 00:23:24 00:13:35 MOpen Belfast Running Club* 43 Will Owens 00:37:02 00:23:53 00:13:09 MV40 Newcastle AC* 44 Steven Campbell 00:37:20 00:24:01 00:13:19 MV35 ACKC 45 Michael Flynn 00:37:24 00:23:34 00:13:50 MOpen Newcastle AC* 46 Declan Morgan 00:37:28 00:23:38 00:13:50 MV35 City of Lisburn* 47 Michael McKenna 00:37:36 00:24:04 00:13:32 MV35 Murlough AC* 48 Bryan Magee 00:37:42 00:23:49 00:13:53 MV40 Larne AC* 49 Darren Martin 00:37:48 00:24:03 00:13:45 MV40 Ballydrain Harriers* 50 Ryan Carson 00:37:56 00:24:15 00:13:41 MOpen Unattached 51 Jerome McCrickard 00:38:00 00:24:25 00:13:35 MV45 Newcastle AC*

52 Eugene McCann 00:38:05 00:23:18 00:14:47 MV55 Newcastle AC* 53 Mari Troeng 00:38:17 00:24:35 00:13:42 FOpen Newcastle AC* 54 Shane Rice 00:38:23 00:25:05 00:13:18 MV35 Newcastle AC* 55 Davy Foster 00:38:29 00:23:51 00:14:38 MV35 East Down AC* 56 Clive Coffey 00:38:42 00:24:42 00:14:00 MV50 Physio & Co 57 Peter McGuckin 00:38:47 00:23:55 00:14:52 MV60 Mourne Runners* 58 Gillian Wasson 00:38:53 00:24:07 00:14:46 FV40 Ballymena Runners* 59 Laurence Dorman 00:38:56 00:23:57 00:14:59 MV40 Mourne Runners* 60 David Buchanan 00:38:58 00:24:44 00:14:14 MV35 BARF* 61 Leigh Stewart 00:39:01 MOpen Mourne Runners* 62 Jimmy McFadden 00:39:05 00:24:47 00:14:18 MV45 Team Runwell 63 Gary Cairns 00:39:09 00:25:46 00:13:23 MV45 Newcastle AC* 64 Stephen Begley 00:39:15 00:22:55 00:16:20 MV50 Albertville Harriers * 65 Sinead Murtagh 00:39:16 00:24:33 00:14:43 FOpen Newcastle AC* 66 Patricia McKibbin 00:39:18 00:25:53 00:13:25 FOpen Newcastle AC* 67 Stephen Cassidy 00:39:25 00:25:50 00:13:35 MV40 Physio & Co 68 Niamh Kellett 00:39:29 00:24:40 00:14:49 FOpen East Down AC* 69 David Lowry 00:39:45 00:24:59 00:14:46 MV40 Unattached 70 Ghislain Demeuldre 00:39:49 00:25:01 00:14:48 MV45 Willowfield Harriers* 71 David Graham 00:40:10 00:24:54 00:15:16 MV45 Armagh AC * 72 Stephen Graham 00:40:12 00:25:13 00:14:59 MOpen Newcastle AC* 73 Mark Malone 00:40:15 00:23:27 00:16:48 MOpen Team Purple 74 Ricky Farr 00:40:19 MV50 Unattached 75 Paulette Thomson 00:40:20 00:26:09 00:14:11 FV45 Newcastle AC* 76 Paul McCullagh 00:40:22 00:24:48 00:15:34 MV55 City of Lisburn* 77 Aaron Shimmons 00:40:23 00:26:13 00:14:10 MV35 BARF* 78 Mary Mackin 00:40:30 00:25:26 00:15:04 FV60 Dromore AC* 79 Sean Armstrong 00:40:42 00:25:28 00:15:14 MV45 Murlough AC* 80 Paula McAllister 00:41:09 00:26:44 00:14:25 FV35 Ballymena Runners* 81 Paul Edgar 00:41:14 00:27:41 00:13:33 MV35 Ballydrain Harriers* 82 Alex McKeag 00:41:16 00:25:36 00:15:40 MV45 Ballydrain Harriers* 83 Chris Ragg 00:41:20 00:26:41 00:14:39 MV35 Unattached 84 Robert Jones 00:41:37 00:25:58 00:15:39 MOpen Springfield Striders 85 Sam McNeilly 00:41:41 00:26:18 00:15:23 FOpen Newcastle AC* 86 Hazel McLaughlin 00:41:52 00:26:34 00:15:18 FV40 Lagan Valley AC* 87 Helen Cassidy 00:41:55 00:26:38 00:15:17 FV40 Physio & Co 88 Timothy Robinson 00:42:02 00:25:59 00:16:03 MV45 Orangegrove AC* 89 Nigel McKinney 00:42:08 00:26:52 00:15:16 MV45 Newcastle AC* 90 Shirley Farnan 00:42:10 00:27:11 00:14:59 FV45 Physio & Co 91 Aine McNeill 00:42:17 FV50 Dromore AC* 92 Stephen Cassidy 00:42:31 00:27:29 00:15:02 MV45 Murlough AC* 93 Ciaran McAleenan 00:42:41 00:27:15 00:15:26 MV55 Mourne Runners* 94 Hugh Suffern 00:42:43 00:28:10 00:14:33 MV55 Not the Sunday Run 95 Colin Jess 00:42:45 00:28:19 00:14:26 MV40 Murlough AC* 96 Andy Bridge 00:42:48 00:27:06 00:15:42 MV50 BARF* 97 Colm Devlin 00:43:07 00:27:25 00:15:42 MV45 Murlough AC* 98 Janice Reid 00:43:10 00:26:01 00:17:09 FV50 Dromore AC* 99 Anne Sandford 00:43:13 00:26:47 00:16:26 FV50 Lagan Valley AC* 100 Orla McElroy 00:43:22 00:27:21 00:16:01 FV50 Unattached 101 Stephen Bickerstaff 00:43:37 00:26:54 00:16:43 MV55 Unattached 102 Trevor Wilson 00:43:42 00:28:36 00:15:06 MV55 BARF* 103 Richard Patterson 00:44:04 00:27:17 00:16:47 MJunior Unattached 104 Frank Cunningham 00:44:11 00:27:27 00:16:44 MOpen Newcastle AC* 105 Mark Pruzina 00:44:13 00:28:47 00:15:26 MV50 BARF*

106 Cathal McNiff 00:44:14 00:27:49 00:16:25 MV55 Banbridge AC* 107 Barry McConville 00:44:22 00:19:04 00:25:18 MOpen Newcastle AC* 108 Desi O'Hagan 00:44:27 00:28:03 00:16:24 MV60 Physio & Co 109 Joe Kenneally 00:44:38 00:29:15 00:15:23 MV40 Newcastle AC* 110 Kathryn Aiken 00:44:42 00:28:40 00:16:02 FV35 Dromore AC* 111 Aidan Gilmore 00:45:08 00:27:45 00:17:23 MV40 Unattached 112 David McDonnell 00:45:34 00:29:03 00:16:31 MV55 Newcastle AC* 113 Fred Strickland 00:45:37 00:28:16 00:17:21 MV65 Ballydrain Harriers* 114 Stephen Stewart 00:45:38 00:29:12 00:16:26 MV50 Ballydrain Harriers* 115 Joanne Foster 00:45:40 00:27:39 00:18:01 FOpen East Down AC* 116 Roger Nicholson 00:45:52 00:28:38 00:17:14 MV50 BARF* 117 Clarke Campbell 00:46:06 00:28:57 00:17:09 MV50 BARF* 118 Eamonn Mallon 00:46:18 00:29:08 00:17:10 MV50 Unattached 119 Thomas Fegan 00:46:20 00:28:43 00:17:37 MOpen Unattached 120 Nathaniel Shelton 00:46:33 00:29:52 00:16:41 MV40 Unattached 121 Johnny McKinley 00:46:45 00:28:30 00:18:15 MV45 Unattached 122 Michael Gibson 00:47:02 00:27:36 00:19:26 MV40 Unattached 123 Tim Lowry 00:47:03 00:29:06 00:17:57 MV40 Ballymena Runners* 124 Bronagh McInerney 00:47:22 00:29:30 00:17:52 FV45 Murlough AC* 125 Paul McCormac 00:47:26 00:29:10 00:18:16 MV45 Physio & Co 126 Declan McCrory 00:47:33 MV50 Armagh AC * 127 Ed Smith 00:47:34 00:29:47 00:17:47 MV65 Lunchtime Legends 128 Beverley Herron 00:47:36 00:29:57 00:17:39 FOpen Mourne Runners* 129 Ricky Cowan 00:47:37 00:31:07 00:16:30 MV65 Mourne Runners* 130 Ruth Aiken 00:48:00 00:31:23 00:16:37 FV35 Dromore AC* 131 Derek Bunting 00:48:50 00:30:22 00:18:28 MV45 BARF* 132 Ian McCullough 00:49:09 00:31:14 00:17:55 MV70 BARF* 133 Liz Graham 00:49:18 00:29:40 00:19:38 FV50 Newry City Runners* 134 Jason Conlon 00:49:22 00:31:41 00:17:41 MOpen Unattached 135 Darren Herron 00:49:32 00:32:35 00:16:57 MV35 Mourne Runners* 136 Dermot Winters 00:49:57 00:32:10 00:17:47 MV40 Slieve Gullion Runners 137 Ian Bates 00:50:00 00:30:57 00:19:03 MV55 Dromore AC* 138 Dave Fulcher 00:50:05 00:31:20 00:18:45 MV55 Murlough AC* 139 Alison Prentice 00:50:08 00:30:18 00:19:50 FV45 Unattached 140 Joy Morgan 00:50:37 00:30:15 00:20:22 FV50 Newry City Runners* 141 Liam Smyth 00:50:50 00:32:26 00:18:24 MV45 Murlough AC* 142 Sean Rice 00:51:03 00:32:08 00:18:55 MV45 Newcastle AC* 143 Paddy McConville 00:51:13 00:32:06 00:19:07 MV40 Rathfriland Runners 144 Eoghan Rainey 00:51:17 00:31:54 00:19:23 MV40 Orangegrove AC* 145 Peter Fleming 00:51:27 00:32:13 00:19:14 MV55 Springwell* 146 Andy Spence 00:51:43 00:32:32 00:19:11 MV40 Murlough AC* 147 Sean Milligan 00:51:45 00:32:59 00:18:46 MV40 Unattached 148 John Adgey 00:52:21 00:33:48 00:18:33 MV70 Mourne Runners* 149 Michael Power 00:52:38 00:33:03 00:19:35 MV50 Murlough AC* 150 Edmund O'Hagan 00:52:42 00:32:57 00:19:45 MV55 Team Purple 151 Joanne McCauley 00:52:44 00:33:35 00:19:09 FV40 St Peters* 152 Laura Lynch 00:53:35 00:34:04 00:19:31 FOpen Murlough AC* 153 Lucia Rooney 00:53:38 00:32:44 00:20:54 FV40 Murlough AC* 154 Ernest Hall 00:53:40 00:29:43 00:23:57 MV60 Dromore AC* 155 Lorna Murphy 00:53:41 00:32:18 00:21:23 FV45 Newry City Runners* 156 Ann Lacey 00:53:43 00:33:50 00:19:53 FV50 Unattached 157 Gerald Boylan 00:55:53 00:36:21 00:19:32 MV40 Unattached 158 Connell Nugent 00:56:02 00:36:13 00:19:49 MV55 Newcastle AC* 159 Susan Lambe 00:57:44 00:33:23 00:24:21 FV35 Lagan Valley AC*

160 Janine Murray 00:57:47 00:34:50 00:22:57 FOpen East Down AC* 161 Ian Taylor 00:58:04 00:35:07 00:22:57 MV65 BARF* 162 Matthew O'Hare 01:01:26 00:38:24 00:23:02 MV50 Unattached 163 Melaine Minshull 01:02:53 00:33:54 00:28:59 FV45 City of Lisburn* 164 Farzan Anjomani 01:06:49 00:41:09 00:25:40 FV45 NI Mountain Running Ass 165 Judith Dalzell 01:09:08 00:38:22 00:30:46 FV45 Orangegrove AC* 166 Madalina McCrea 01:10:15 00:40:31 00:29:44 FV40 Unattached