Hill and Dale Race 9: Hen and Cock
You have got to hand it to Newcastle A.C. Week after week the club has mounted its Hill and Dale series races in the Mournes in almost perfect weather conditions. Low cloud, wind and rain have not featured so far. And so it was on Thursday evening for race 9 in the series, Hen and Cock. Hen and Cock are not the most well known mountains in the Mournes, but they presented, nevertheless, a formidable challenge.
In fact as I drew into the carpark and looked up my legs began to shake a little. They would shake a lot more before the evening was done! Hen Mountain, in particular, with its impressive tors glinting in the early evening sunshine was an ominous sight. The Hound of the Baskervilles came to mind!
Basically the challenge was to run up Hen Mountain (including the tors), run down Hen Mountain into a bog, run up Cock Mountain, run down Cock Mountain into the previously mentioned bog once again, run up Hen Mountain for the second time and then back down again to the finish. Only three and a half miles, but three and a half very memorable miles nevertheless.
So off we set and it didn’t take long for the heavy breathing to begin. This week’s Orangegrove contenders were Thomas Leitch, Robin Montgomery, Brian Todd, Michael O’Donoghue, Tim Robinson, Ian Grant, Sharon Dickenson, Lisa Fleming and Sarah Steer. Sarah set off at a very brisk pace and was in line for a good placing but hit trouble near the top of Hen Mountain when she went over on her ankle. She wisely decided not to continue and returned to the start, still smiling as always. I am glad to report that her misfortune did not dampen her appetite for food in the camper following the race.
As usual Thomas and Robin were in a league of their own and both were well up in the results. The two newcomers this time, Tim Robinson and Ian Grant, were moving well and both gentlemen enjoyed their first mountain race of the year. They will be back for more.
The following times were recorded by the Orangegrove runners: Thomas Leitch (34.20 23/197), Robin Montgomery (37.13 43/197), Timothy Robinson 43.40, Ian Grant 45.51, Brian Todd 45.53, Michael O’Donoghue 50.35, Lisa Fleming 52.24, Sharon Dickenson 54.42.
As I draw my line below my 2015 Hill and Dale campaign I would like to thank those at Newcastle A.C. who put so much time and effort into what must be an enormous logistical operation, and to all those from Orangegrove who combined to make Thursday evenings in the Mournes such a pleasurable experience. Thank God I survived!
