Newcastle AC star in championships

Newcastle AC star in championships

26 October 2022

THIS year’s British Athletics Fell and Hill Running Championships was hosted by Carnethy Hill Racing Club. 

The event took place at Broughton Heights in the Scottish Borders. Newcastle AC have a long history of participating in the relays and are the only club from Northern Ireland in recent years to make the journey over. 

The courses for each leg provided an excellent variety of terrain, fast running, grassy descents, and sharp, lung-busting climbs with many of the legs running over ridges which provided excellent views for the runners.

Newcastle AC entered three teams in the male open, female open and V50 male categories with a total of 18 runners representing the club and five supporters travelling. 

Whilst the club entered a V50 team for the first time, they also had strong female and junior representation which is great to see and promising is the future of the Newcastle AC. 

The club is holding a 40th anniversary dinner to celebrate next month, and this event shows the club is going from strength to strength.

Two weeks before the event the club were down three men in the V50 team. In the final hour Stevie Rice, Mickey Cunningham and Gerry Kingston saved the day and completed the V50 team.

On the morning of the race everyone had breakfast and made their way to the bus for the hour-drive to the race venue at Broughton Heights, in the Scottish Borders. 

The Broughton Hills were a pleasure to run over, with fast grassy ridge running, combined with tussocks, bog and heather.

On arrival the sun was shining, and visibility was excellent which bode well for navigation. 

The relays comprise of four legs: One and four are solo legs and two and three are ran in pairs with leg three requiring navigation. 

The first leg was a mass start, and up first, representing Newcastle AC were Ethan McMullan, Ciara Savage and Mickey Cunningham. 

The route included a figure eight which meant spectators could watch the runners start, run along the ridge from Hammer Head to Trahenna Hill before a notorious ‘slippy bridge’ and a steep climb known as ‘Geordie’s Wall’, named after local farmer Geordie. 

The route followed the ridge before returning to the event field and the relay changeover where leg two runners were ready and waiting. 

Ethan was first home in 74th position overall and 42nd in the male open category. Next in was Ciara in 149th position overall and 25th in the female open category. 

Closely followed by Mickey Cunningham, in his first run representing Newcastle AC and only two weeks back to running after a knee injury in 165th position overall and ninth in the V50 category.

Ethan and Ciara done exceptionally well running as juniors against a senior field of runners, including top names in the fell and hill running scene. The course was eight kilometres long with 550m of climbing.

Next up was the first pairs leg of the day. The course started on a steep climb towards Grey Yade, following the ridge to the summit of Hammerhead, before descending into a rougher valley and a steep climb up Flint Hill. 

It then went towards Brown Dodd, another descent towards a stream junction followed by another steep climb up to the summit of Pyked Stane Hill, over the summit of Green Law, skiting the west side of Broomy Side, and over to the top of Clover Law summit. 

The final descent into the valley and towards the event field for the leg three changeover. The route included 890m of climbing over 11.2km. 

First in for Newcastle AC was Pearse Brogan and Mickey Flynn (112th overall and 50th in their category), followed by Pete Grant and Deon McNeilly (98th overall and eighth in their category) and Donna Daly and Sinead Flynn (159th overall and 29th in their category).

The third leg is a navigation leg 

where the course is unknown to competitors until they are handed a map at the start. 

The runners sussed out the terrain and the routes the other legs were going and correctly predicted there would be a lot of contouring involved. 

The first few checkpoints were long legs which involved a sharp climb to start towards Cat Cleuch Head, contouring round Trahenna Hill over to the top of Louden Knowe. 

The third checkpoint involved crossing some rougher terrain through a valley and up Hog Knowe followed by a long leg behind Hammer Head to a bog at Broomy Side. 

From there, a descent to a sheep fold at the top of Stirkfield Hope Burn and then a contour round Clover Law and a steep descent to checkpoint six and another steep climb that cut across the leg four route to the valley before two final checkpoints close by the event field. 

David Hicks and Alan Ritchie were first in for Newcastle AC (43rd overall and 30th in their category), followed by Gerry Kingston and Stevie Rice (121st overall and eighth in their category) and Sam McNeilly and Steffi Warnock (132nd overall and 22nd in their category). 

This was Steffi’s first time running in Newcastle colours since joining the club. The third leg included 900m of climbing over 10.2km.

The fourth and final leg of the day covered 7.8km with 520m of climbing.

Owen Brady was first in for Newcastle AC (114th overall and 50th in their category), followed by Catherine McIntosh (131st overall and 23rd in their category) and Seamus White (168th overall and ninth in their category). 

Knowing he would be on the final leg, Seamus had opted for a hat with an integrated head torch, just in case his club-mates were out that little bit longer than anticipated.

The overall combined results for the relay were: Newcastle male open team: 75th overall and 46th in their category; Newcastle V50 team: 140th overall and ninth in their category; Newcastle female open team: 142nd overall and 26th in their category. 

The Holiday Inn in Dumfries provided excellent hospitality and set up a private function room for the club’s evening dinner. 

Newcastle AC would like to thank Carnethy HRC for organising a fantastic event and to all the volunteers who gave members such a warm welcome, at registration, at the catering tent, and on the course from all the marshals. 

A special thanks to James Rogan for his excellent driving, getting members safely there and back again, and of course a massive thank you to the Prophet, Tracy Savage, Marty McMullan and Linda Rogan for all the support - and Linda for her wonderful baking. 

Thanks and well done to everyone who ran and did a stellar job representing the club and Northern Ireland.