Lynch secures first ever Hill & Dale crown

17 June 2015

NEWCASTLE AC’s Seamus Lynch was confirmed as 2015 Hill and Dale Series winner after claiming last Thursday night’s race over Hen and Cock.

Last year 160 runners took part. This year it was 197 with unfortunately two of them failing to complete the course. Up front a word for Paul Rogan who can be spotted in the 190s in the results.

On the way back he came across the ‘Boylans’ and one of them had twisted an ankle badly. Rogan stopped and over the next half hour or so literally helped carry the injured party off the hill.

That encapsulates some of the best spirit of the Hill and Dale as does the banter and ridicule he will get at work for recording a finishing place so near the back of the field.

At the sharp end of the race both the men and women served up a cracker.

From the start Ian Bailey ran the only way he knew how, hard and fast.

Tucked in behind him was the heir apparent to the title, Lynch.

They were nip and tuck all the way to the top of Cock and for the second time up Hen, on the way back, and as the reached the summit, Lynch put the boot down and gained an important few seconds on Bailey as the action started to heat up.

Bailey was a spent force and Lynch didn’t let up and came home 15 seconds ahead in 27:09 only 10 seconds slower than the excellent Robbie Bryson record. William McKee came home third as his fitness improves with every race in the series.

Shalene McMurray has already secured the women’s 2015 title with five victories this season from eight races and she set out fast again intent on securing another victory.

She retained the lead over Hen and all the way to Cock and coming back over Hen her lead over Diane Wilson was around 10 seconds.

Wilson, though, is as fearsome a descender as her other half was on the rugby field and she literally ped like a stone down Hen to catch and pass McMurray and come home seven seconds clear in 34:23.

Overall, the two women were in 24th and 25th place respectively. Shileen O’Kane came home in 3rd place in 35th overall.

First thank you goes to Ryan McDonald who ascended half way up Hen Mountain to take some quality photos.

Not before, however, he recorded the start of the race on his drone, yes drone, and the footage is well worth a look on YouTube.

Thanks are also due to Mary, David and Rita who looked after registration and Paul Fegan and Noel on parking.

Thanks to Darragh McCrickard who very quickly processes the entries and results with the full set posted online by 11pm.

Thanks also to the summit marshals, Stevie Rice and Martin Brogan on Cock and Paulette Thomson, Paddy McCartan and Noel Gallagher on Hen for the invaluable job that they did keeping the runners on the straight and narrow and giving a push off the rock step on the way out and a push up on the way back.

Official timekeeper Frank Morgan once again ably managed the finish-line team (with Mary Knight and Rita Devlin having swiftly transferred from the registration van with Philip lending his kestrel-like eyesight to pick up the numbers as the runners plunged off Hen Mountain).

Stevie Wallace proved to be the most efficient number gatherer ever seen at a Hill & Dale as he ghosted around the strewn bodies all over the mountain it was like a silent collection in church and before you knew it everyone had contributed.

Then he led the group reorganising the 197 numbers for reissue among the 643 series numbers next week, a brilliant job despite PJ’s consistent criticism proving many hands do make light work.

Also, a big thanks to Tony Steele whose trailer continues to prove invaluable to the slick running of the series and for his patience after the race.

Tomorrow night is the Meelmore/Meelbeg race organised by the Steele clan with the direction being clockwise as confirmed by the oracle McBurney last year.

Registration at the Happy Valley from 6.15pm.

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