I knew I wanted to do something meaningful to mark one year on from my husband's tragic passing, something that spoke of the horror of depression and the terrible consequences of suicide. I also wanted to do something that offered hope, that showed a way forward even in the midst of such suffering. Within mountain-running … Continue reading A Winter Denis Rankin Round to Remember
‘800 grams?’ I asked. ‘Are you sure it’s 800 grams?’ Paul messaged me back, confirming its weight. His proposed tent for our Mourne Mountain Marathon race indeed weighed less than a kilo. My laser competition tent that we used last year was 1.2 kg, and that was considered super-light. But no, Paul wanted to shave … Continue reading Blown away by the 2018 Mourne Mountain Marathon
I was ready to go. I had spent months preparing for the day. I had recced the entire ninety-kilometre route during the dismal winter we had, when snow and glacial winds battered the Mourne Mountains. Returning from each run, I meticulously marked up my map with compass bearings. I had developed lists of food, drink, … Continue reading Failing to Respect the Denis Rankin Round
The Mourne Mountain Marathon hurts. I can still vividly remember the pain from nine years ago, when I last did the two-day race. Entering my forties has, however, made me curious to see whether I could survive it again. So this year I penciled the event into the list of races I wanted to enter. … Continue reading Surviving the 2017 Mourne Mountain Marathon
The Mourne Seven Sevens is not for the faint-hearted. It is a challenge to climb the seven peaks in the Mourne Mountains that are 700 metres or more. With the route starting at sea level in the seaside town of Newcastle, it means covering 29 kilometres of ground and 2,495 metres of climb. The event … Continue reading Racing the Mourne Seven Sevens in 2017
The Mourne Mountains Seven Sevens race takes place every year on the first weekend in August. I have always wanted to run it. But alas, I was often busy or away on that fateful weekend. Last year, knowing I would miss out again, I ran the route for fun instead, taking pictures as I went. … Continue reading Racing the Mournes Seven Sevens
The Seven Seven’s is a 30 kilometre race over the seven peaks that are over seven hundred metres in the Mourne Mountains. Traditionally, the Seven Seven’s is a challenge walk run by the Spartan Red Sox Walking Club. However in recent times, the Northern Irish Mountain runners (NIMRA) have also opted to race this classic … Continue reading A Relaxed Run of the Mourne’s Seven Sevens
It’s not easy knowing what to bring on a two day mountain marathon. Before my first mountain marathon, I remember frantically making notes on the back of a beer-mat in a bar as a fellow mountain runner Hazel Thompson told me exactly what I needed to bring in my bag. Before my next excursion, I … Continue reading Mountain Marathon Tents, Bags and other stuff…
The medical condition called “Cluster Phobia”, though difficult to identify, is often found rife amongst mountain marathon runners. Cluster Phobia symptoms manifest themselves as follows: in navigational events, the map coordinates for checkpoints are normally given together with the order in which they must be visited. The challenge here is in determining your route choice … Continue reading The Serious Condition of Cluster Phobia
I had a good year in 2008. I won the IMRA Irish Championship, the Connaught Championship and the Queen of the Mountains. Later, I came first overall in the IMRA Navigational Challenge. With Andrew McCarthy, we retained our 24 hour Irish Rogaine Title in June. In September, together with John MacEnri, we won the Mourne … Continue reading Is it the winning that counts?