Retreating winter on Ticknock opens Irish season
Ticknock Winter
The Spiritual Home of Irish Mountain Biking it may have been called but Ticknock woods remains a deeply rooted fixture both during winter and summer in Ireland and with Howth Winter cancelled by recent snow…
…the forested slopes of Three-Rock and Fairy Castle would be the first two hills for the runners of 2010 to conquer.
The Winter League is viewed as an introductory league and this showed with many newcomers in the 142 strong mass of runners. They were treated to a good bit of snow higher up to break up the fire trails and rocky paths that make up most of the course. A few alterations were made by the race markers due to recent conditions and felling in the area.
On to the race: Relative newcomer to the hills Paul O’Connell, Sportsworld, recorded his first IMRA win with more than a minute to spare. Chasing was Eoin Brady who led UCD to the team win and experienced contender Ben Mooney of Sli Cualann.
Paul O'Connell
Catherine Devitt, another mountain rookie, took a fine win having finished 10th at the summer incarnation of this race she clawed out an 11 second gap on 2nd placed Karen Doyle, winner of 3 races in 2006 and making a welcome return after a number of years away from the hill running scene. Rosalind Hussey, representing Tyrone club Duhac, took third place in her first IMRA race.
Full results via the IMRA website.
Winter League Fixture Change
With Howth Winter first postponed then cancelled, the IMRA Committee were looking for a new 5th fixture for the Winter League.
Carrick Mountain, the hulking forested hill near Glenealy, Co. Wicklow, was the venue of choice and this year’s event sees the race expanded to 11km with 500m of climb, making the route the longest and hardest to ever feature as an IMRA Winter League event. However, the popular MTB trails that criss-cross the hill, should not unduly trouble newcomers.
As the Annacurra and Tibradden routes were likewise expanded to 11km (but with less climb than Carrick), this year’s Winter League is also the longest yet (10km average distance for the races) compared to 8.8km in 2009 and 9 in 2008. How this will affect the competitive dynamics of the race, if at all, should be interesting to watch.
