Bikedock Belles

How does Marty McVeigh find a new route around Castlewellan every year?  Always a different 10 mile route involving forest paths, muddy trails, a bit of grass, a bit of road, expect the unexpected.. but always hilly & always fun. You run in pairs. It's great craic. Definitely a good race to rudely remind you that all those mince pies & Christmas drinks over the festive season might not have been such a great idea.

5 years ago Joe-Anne Calvert introduced me to this race (the same culprit introduced me to a road bike, it's all Joe-Anne's fault) I had a stonking hangover & she literally had to push me up the hills. The following year I pushed her up the hills... the best thing about this event is you have a laugh with your partner.  Joeanne taught me how to run downhill, "just relax, stretch out your legs, lean forward... put your arms out like a plane & shout weeeeeeeeeee."   This year I hear she got Caroline Stout onto her downhill technique, once Caroline stopped laughing.

In 2009 Paul McArthur patiently waited for me at the top of the hills so I knew this year, having over indulged on the the social scene a bit too much lately, I'd be in no shape to keep up with someone like Paul. Part of the fun of the Cracker is running with someone new, so deciding to leave it to fate and just turn up to see who needed a pair... & then refusing Gary Swenarton for being too fast (next year I'll be fit enough, definitely) I found a culprit. Poor Hazel was ill, had a chest infection & being advised by Donal O'Kane not to run at all... so she was a perfect match for someone who'd turned into an over weight alcoholic over Christmas.

Hazel McLaughlin was an ideal partner. She's very strong on the uphill & would climb on ahead & then I'd catch her on the down hills. Along the flat we'd run together have a quick chat & then another hill would appear. Co-ordinated perfectly we ran in to the finish together, with a bit of a dig deep effort on the grass to keep ahead of Ricky Cowan... no one passes these girls 20 times during the run & gets away with it!

I've never seen so many females at the Christmas Cracker, so it was great to see such a high turn out. This race isn't just for fell runners, there are triathletes, road runners, adventure racers & people just wanting a run.  It's a tough race though, 10 hilly miles at the end of Dec isn't the easiest.  Well done to Mary Laverty, more usually seen topping the triathlon races, came in ahead of both Shileen and Diane, 2 of our best fell runners. Hopefully Mary will do some of the Hill & Dales this year and show us what she can do on the mountains. Another fast female is Mary Mackin who also has Hill & Dales in her sights this year... Ohhhhhh it'll be a fun Spring.

The best fancy dress prize went to Aisling & Anne. At the start of the race Hazel & I had been chatting, not aware we were facing the wrong direction standing at the back (always prepared), as Aisling shouted, "hey you're a bit slow if you're being passed by a tree" ...maybe that prize should have gone to the cheekiest pair!

For results & more photos see the Newcastle AC website http://www.newcastleac.org

Taryn