Despite the bitter cold, times generally were faster than last year at the 9th Wicklow Trail 50k and 25k, held from Glencullen to Lough Tay and back on Saturday April 9 and organsied by Crusaders for the first time on behalf of the Irish Ultra Runners Union.
A dozen set off early on the 50k course, out and back from Glencullen, with Eoin Keith the pre-race favourite despite his exertions in the Anglo Celtic Plate a week earlier in the Phoenix Park.
Running for the first time was ultra man Tony Mangan of MSB, who had also run in the park, while maintaining her record of having run all Wicklow Trails to date was Jane Porter of host club Crusaders, who freely admitted that she had done no training. The plans was to run
with husband Graham all the way, walking the uphills and running when they could. “We’re hoping for a time of around six and a half hours,” they told us.
A road closure on the way to the start didn’t deter the entry of over 40 for the 25k race from Lough Tay back to Glencullen. The big question was what to wear, but many found that they overdressed and got too warm on the first climb around White Hill, which appropriately had a
sprinkling of snow.
Early leader was mountain runner Kevin Keane of Crusaders, with his club mate Barry Minnock and Sean O h Eigeartaigh of Rathfarnham WSAF, just behind him. When Minnock’s shoes disintegrated and Keane turned on a suspect ankle it looked as if O h Eigeartaigh, out just for a
gentle week trot, had the race to himself. But over 25k of mountain terrain, anything can happen and making steady progress was another Rathfarnham man, John Farrelly, who has been
winning master’s prizes in the hills over the past year. By now the 50k runners had reached the half way point and well out in front was Eoin Keith. In second place, Paul Mahon of Crusaders was ahead of Tony Mangan who had made a navigational error.
Back at the finish, John Farrelly stormed through to win the 25k in 1 hr 40 mins 45 secs. Just 23 seconds adrift was O h Eigeartaigh, with Crusaders track man Alan O’Keeffe a surprise third. First official master was last year’s winner Martin Francis of Bray, in sixth place.
Emma Sokell of Crusaders retained her women’s title in 1:56.10, with Laura McGinely of Rathfarnham second and DSD’s Jane Cahill third. Race organiser Mike Long was 2nd O40 in tenth place, while former Crusader Gerard Cagney, back living in ireland after a long sojourn in the USA, was 12th. Other Crusaders in action were Diarmuid O Colmain, Gavan Doherty and Eva Fairmaner in the 25k and Bruce Shenker in the 50k, which he completed in a respectable time of 5 hrs 17 mins, making him first over 50.
No surprises in the 50k, won easily by Eoin Keith in 4 hrs 9 mins, with Paul Mahon second in 4:14 and Mangan third and first master in 4:51. Forst woman was Aisling Coppinger of Clonliffe in 6 hrs 5 mins. As for the Porters, they collapsed exhausted over the line after seven hours
and promised they’d train properly next year!
Crusaders would like to extend a special thanks to Brendan Doherty who sponsored the insurance and to McMahon Galvin Insurance Brokers who underwrote the cost of the special pottery mugs given to all finishers, to the helpers on the course, race founder Maurice Mullins, along with Martina O'Keanrey Kelly at Crone and Sean Hassett at Cronybyrne, and to Diarmuid for the lift in search of the missing car key!
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