BACKGROUND TO IRISH MOUNTAIN RUNNING
MOUNTAIN RUNNING (also known as Hill Running or Fell Running)
has been recorded in Ireland since pre-christian times. According
to Irish folklore, when legendary Irish hero Fionn
MacCumhaill (Finn McCool) was getting old, the chief of the
Fianna (heroes to a man and guardians of the High King of Ireland)
decided to settle down and get married. With no dating agencies
around, Fionn picked his future wife with a race up and down Slievenamon
- a mountain in Co. Tipperary.
Deirdre, the very beautiful daughter of the local chief,
won. Fionn was very pleased with the result... But, unfortunately,
the story didn't have a Hollywood ending. When she saw the rather
wrinkly Fionn, she didn't fancy him at all, at all. She ran away
with Diarmuid - his younger lieutenant in the Fianna. This prompted
a monumental chase which is recorded in the annals of ancient Ireland. The repercussions
appear to have set back the sport in Ireland a bit, as we don't hear about
it again until the 14th century. However, Slievenamon took its name
from the race. In Gaelic, it means the Mountain of the Women.
Many other mountain races were recorded throughout Irish history: the
appropriately named Tom Hill won a gold watch for his winning effort in a 1870s race
on the Sugarloaf in Co. Wicklow. The race was organised by the noted
Irish climber and traveller, Sir Charles Barrington who donated the valuable
prize. Barrington was a wealthy local landowner who, in addition
to owning the horse "Sir Robert Peel" a winner of the Irish Grand National
horse race, was the first man to climb the Eiger, a famous peak in the Swiss Alps in 1858.
Finally in 1980 the Irish Mountain Running Association (IMRA) was
formed. It rapidly organised a series of races throughout Ireland
- mainly in the Dublin/Wicklow area. Later, an Irish Championship
was inaugurated, together with provincial ones. With increasing
interest in international races, the IMRA affiliated to the International
Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) through Bord Luthchleas na
hEireann (BLE), and sent Irish teams to compete in the annual
ICMR Mountain Running World Cup from 1986.
Our international standards improved over the years, resulting in
Kerry runner John Lenihan
(see Irish Runner magazine article) winning the individual gold
medal in the 1991 World Cup race in Zermatt, Switzerland .
Lenihan (see picture)also led a Irish team consisting of
Robin Bryson 4th, Tommy Payne 25th, and
Eamon McMahon (see picture) 35th to the Team
Bronze Medals that year. The ever consistant Bryson
(see picture) also finished 4th in 1993 after leading for most of the race.
Robin also holds the length of service award. He has been an international
runner from 1982 to 1999. List of Irish Internationals
However, the sport is not just for elite athletes, but is open
to everybody. Most participants are joggers or fun runners who
like a drink and a chat in the pub afterwards. The races are set
in superb scenery, and leave you breathless in more ways than
one! At the front end of the race, the top athletes can run all of
the climb, but behind them, the most of the competitors have to walk.
To compensate for your efforts, the views at the top are fantastic.
The vistas from the summits of seaside mountains like Croagh Patrick
and Brandon stretch over miles of island, ocean, and mountain.
Still, you must come down again, and the descent provides real
excitement. Hurtling down grassy slopes, while trying to pass
slower runners produces a tremendous adrenalin rush!
HOW TO ENTER A RACE...? The calendar consists of races up and
down mountains in most parts of Ireland. Famous mountains like
Carrauntoohil, Croagh Patrick, and, of course, Slievenamon
all have their own races. However, for variety, as we only can put on about 50 races a year and we have a lot more mountains, we vary the races.
Entry is simple and is taken on the day unless notified on our calendar or our website.
Just roll up 20 minutes before the start on a pair of
strongish legs and, with a good heart and an entry fee of €5-00 (USD6-00) in your pocket, you'll soon be under way. You will only be allowed to start once you have completed the Membership Form - copy available for printing here from the website.
There are different age categories for everybody and include junior and veteran age groups.
The distances are in kilometres
and the heights gained are shown in metres.
Once you get to the top, you have to come down the same amount
of metres. So, your skill in the descent can help you pass other runners,
as well as giving you an exhilarating buzz!
All this exercise helps to give you a magnificent pair of legs, and,
of course, a matching thirst... Needless to say, the Irish pubs are
wonderful too!