Local runners in Hill and Dale

Local runners in Hill and Dale

20 April 2022

SOME things change, some things stay the same. Even though it is three years since the last full series and life for so many has changed, on Thursday the Hill and Dale family came together at the beautiful setting of Castlewellan Forest Park to rekindle their love and passion for running. 

It was almost as if nothing had happened as old and new faces came together to talk about how they have trained, what type of footwear would be best suited for the course, is body cover mandatory or not.

It was great to watch as numbers were distributed and scanned and competitors went off to stretch, stride and prepare in whatever way they desired.

Frank Morgan setting up the finish funnel, the Blaney Rockets still late to arrive, yes thing don’t change, or do they? First, is a certain couple of young athletes, Newcastle AC’s Tom Crudington (wee Tom), only 17 years old, and Alice Flint, of BARF, signed at registration. Could there be a new dawn? 

The McVeigh Classic is a very challenging course, basically all on forest trails measuring approximately 5.1 miles long with just under 1,200ft of climbing over three runnable climbs and fast descents so will suit the fast road runner rather than the mountain goat type.  

Knowing Rory McMullan was on the entry list, great care was taken to ensure every turn was clearly double marked, and after Zak (watch this space at Binnian) Hanna and Patrick McNiff, a certain Hill & Dale winner (if there were no hills involved) did a sterling job in clearing the race track with a swift recce run it was all systems go.

Competitors lined up at the lakeside below the castle, a quick race briefing, and a blow of the whistle and they were off.  

Although this is a hill race, there was no holding back at the start and a group consisting of Jonathan Scott, Tom Crudington, Aaron McGrady, Jared Martin took off at full tilt across the grass in front of the castle for a quick first kilometre before the fun starts with the first climb.

It wasn’t long after this before home favourite Crudington and Newry AC’s Gary Crummy emerged as the two main contenders.  As the race progressed, whilst Crummy was never far off Crudington’s heels, Tom took control on the main climbs and emerged as the first winner of the season.

He will have been delighted with his time of 32:02, a blistering average pace of 6:15 minutes per mile on a course that contains nearly 1,200 ft of climbing.

Crummy, who is better known for his fast road and track times, was not far behind in 32:11 and Aaron McGrady of East Down, no stranger to Castlewellan Forest Park, took third place in a time of 33:03.  

Most Hill and Dale debutants would be glad just to finish the race, even more so to come away with a much-coveted Hill and Dale mug, but for Alice Flint making her debut and coming away with a win will certainly be one to remember.

Alice finished in a time of 37:15, followed by Megan Wilson in 39:56 and Martsje Hell of North Belfast Harriers in a time of 40:32.

Many who have followed this series have commented on the quality of the field at Castlewellan across the different categories and with the more technical mountain courses still ahead and a number of seasoned runners yet to put the toe to the line but who will no doubt emerge over the next few weeks, it promises to be one of the more competitive series of recent times.

Next generation

Phil Hodge has selected three or four races to introduce a junior section for 14 to 15 year-olds, so it was great to see the next generation start their Hill and Dale careers

Thankfully Phil has a heart and decided to take one long climb out but it was still an incredible achievement for these young athletes.

First home in the males was Jacob Crawford in 36:51 followed by Mid Ulster AC’s Luke O’Doherty (38:38) and Newcastle AC’s own Euan McIntosh in 41:19. 

First home in the female race from a strong Mid Ulster AC team was Poppy Hastings in 38:58 and third overall. Next was fellow Mid Ulster athlete Niamh Campbell (40:21) and making sure Newry AC didn’t go unrepresented was Eve Welsh in a fast time of (41:43).

Congratulations to all who put their toe to the line and maybe it won’t be too long before Tom Crudington will be looking over his shoulder

Notable mentions

Of course, as well as the all-important race report on how the athletes competed, there is always a space to select a few notable characters who turn up to register.

Perhaps the joint race director should be first to be selected. James King caused chaos at registration for his lack of alphabetical knowledge when people queued at the wrong desk. He had put his signs on table 1 as A-N and other desk M-Z, I always thought M was before N. Luckily, Mrs Cunningham, enjoying her Easter break was quick to spot the error (a teacher is never fully off work).  

When Mother Nature catches up with you, you then reassess your goals. We may not be able to win the overall series, but we look for category wins. 

Birthday boy Connaire McVeigh held back on registering so he could eye up the opposition with the Vet 40 or Vet 45 category. When Andrew Tees from BARF registered as Vet 40, Connaire quickly jumped to Vet 45 — a great move as both men won their categories.  

Great to see our Scottish holiday maker and ultra-runner Bruce Hay put his toe to the line and finish with a big smile in 136th place. I’m not sure if anyone has told the spartan Colm Murtagh that the hairdressers have reopened after lockdown — maybe he hasn’t time to book in now he is a father.

Incredible to see Dominic McGreevey Snr at 66 years old finish in 76th place and very kind of him to let his son Dominic Jnr pass him — what a very considerate dad.

Back in the pub after light refreshments and a few well-earned pints, the much-coveted Hill and Dale mugs were distributed as spot prizes. Not only that but unused mugs from the last two years for those wanting to keep the continuity of their annual mugs.  

A big thank you to everyone who helped, from marking the course to the registration team, finish funnel and scanners, marshals dotted around the course, Maginn’s Bar and Restaurant for their hospitality.

A special mention to Martin McMullan from Life Adventures in Castlewellan Forest Park of use of their facilities and of course to Darragh McCrickard who does so much to ensure the smooth running of the series.

Next race is in Tollymore this Thursday. Registration and payment is online via the Newcastle AC website and remember to bring your race number back with you and body cover if it is a bad night.