Congratulations to our rock climbing and mountain runner Rónán Davison-Kernan who successfully completed The Denis Rankin Round , 90km and over 6000 metres elevation through tough terrain in the Mourne Mountains, at the weekend .
Taking on the 39 tops his dedication to learning the round and his helping others previously gave him the experience needed to get round in an impressive 19 hours 56 mins on a tricky day weather wise and underfoot . Well done Arf Arf !
With the seven sisters 25k being cancelled on Saturday Alan Ritchie turned his attention to Drumgoff Mountain race in Wicklow .
Alan (left) at Drumgoff Mountain race
Alan went out with the front runners and had a strong race coming home in 1 hour 35 mins for a super 5 th place . Well done and great to see the purple vest on tour! Arf ! Arf !
Last Saturday morning bright and early saw some of our eager mountain goats get to finally race again . The setting was the stunning Derryveagh Mountains in Donegal . The race was the Seven Sisters Skyline 50 k , a gruelling race with over 4000 metres elevation in these tough mountains .
Jackie Toal looking strong on the climbs . Pic by Rory O’Donnell
In the ladies race the ever consistent Jackie Toal finished in a great 8th place in 11.09 . The men’s race saw Colin Pascoe home in a super 20 th place in 9.09 followed shortly after by Glen Blake , Philip Ward and Richard Wilson in what was a tough day out in the heat .
Well done to all representatives of the club and great to see you finally racing again ! Arf ! Arf !
In the early hours of Sunday morning BARF athlete Glen Blake set off on his challenge , The Denis Rankin Round , which would see him take on 90 km in distance and around 6500 metres in elevation covering all peaks in the Mourne Mountains over 400 metres .
Glen under the arch at the finish .
A gruelling challenge lay ahead but Glen stormed round in 19 hours 26 mins finishing way ahead of the 24 hour cut off for completing this round, running the entire route on his own he only received food and water at the road crossings .
A very well done from all at BARF as we add another member to the list of completions ! Arf Arf !
More information on the round can be found here http://www.denisrankinround.com
This morning bright and early two of our members Susan Lambe and Geoff Smyth joined a group of 17 fellow mountain enthusiasts organised by Joanne McCauley for a litter pick on various areas of the Mournes heading out from base at Meelmore Lodge. Teams went in all directions and covered a lot of ground on the hills and surrounding roads and car parks , The team managed to fill an entire industrial euro bin with rubbish . Well done to all involved . Our new environmental officer Pauline O’Hara is also working hard in the background and liaising with various bodies involved in protecting our precious hills so you can expect to see more BARF representation working on the hills in years to come to make it a great place to come and visit . Arf ! Arf !
Susan Lambe (left) Geoff Smyth (right) pictured after the clean up with organiser Joanne McCauley with her daughter Meadow and Alan Woodcroft from Mourne Heritage Trust .
Next up is Pauline O’Hara for our runner/climber profiles .
I’m originally from Coleraine, did a PE degree at Jordanstown and have lived and worked in the Newcastle area as an outdoor instructor for over 30 years. I took early retirement a couple of years ago and started a small tour guide business introducing people to the history and beauty of the Mourne area. I first joined BARF in 1993.
1. How did you get into this sport? I got into fell running as an extension of my hillwalking, climbing and orienteering exploits and as I was working with the original inventors of the Hill and Dale series it was easy to get started. 2. Favourite local race ? Favourite local race is Lurig. The climb and descent is so different from most races, lots of fun and the support of the locals is fantastic. 3. Favourite mountain ? Mera. 4. Favourite moment in running? Finishing 1st lady and 13th overall at Loughshannagh Horseshoe in 2007. Favourite moment in climbing ? Soloing White Walls for the first time. 5. What’s your diet like ? Diet is great. Love savoury. Don’t have a sweet tooth. 6. Funniest moment in running? Finishing 1st lady and 13th overall at Loughshannagh Horseshoe in 2007. Funniest moment in climbing? Getting stuck on a crag on Hen Mountain with Vince. 7. Other activities ? Hillwalking, camping,mountain biking. 8. What race or mountain would you like to complete in the future ? Would love to do the Everest Marathon and climb Aonach Eagach 9. How did you end up at BARF ? I Joined BARF after my very first Hill and Dale race when I was accosted by Mark Pruzina in the pub…..they weren’t so fussy then! 10. Favourite music or album ? Kathy Mattea. Ready for the Storm.
With the suspension of all activities we will take this time to get to know our runners and climbers . First up is Mark Hopkins a 46 yr old Information Security Consultant or in his words ‘professional geek’ . He started running in 1999 with Ballydrain Harriers then North Down before joining the prestigious B.A.R.F .
How did you get into mountain running/climbing? Through my dad , he was orienteering and doing mountain marathons also the Hill and Dale races in the 90’s. I was running a bit for training with Ju Jitsu and was talked into my first race at Castlewellan Hill and Dale in 1999.
What’s your favourite local race? Probably Slieve Bearnagh as it’s 3 summits in 4 miles and brutal and sustained eyeballs out the whole way .
Favourite mountain? Slieve Commedagh
What’s been your favourite moment in running? Finishing Ben Nevis race or Pilgrims challenge, a two day ultra in England .
What’s your diet like? Could be better…..I have a very sweet tooth.
Funniest moment in running or climbing? Funny for my climbing friends but not for me , swinging from the end of a rope at Muckcross Head .
What other activities do you enjoy? Skateboarding, snowboarding, cycling, swimming, video games and going to live music gigs .
What’s the one race you want to do in future or mountain to climb ? I would like to complete the Rankin round and also tick off more Munroes.
How did you end up with the motley crue that is Barf ? I was nagged into joining by Mark Pruzina.
Favourite music album and why ? Impossible to narrow it down but Prong ‘ Umleashed in the West Live in Berlin’ gets rolled out quiet a lot .
Barf athlete Peter Thompson and his family are currently embarking on a tour of Europe and beyond in their van and in typical Barf fashion Peter is finding races as he goes .
Last weekend he took part in the Katerini half marathon in Greece coming home in a very strong 1.25 . Well done Arf ! Arf !
Three of our runners took part in the inaugural running of We Run Wild NI’s Glenarm Castle to Carrickfergus Castle , a tough 50 k route taking in the Glens of Antrim , forests , lanes and country roads . The race is self sufficient and a roadbook is used to navigate your way from start to finish .
Paul having a well earned run of Coke afterwards
Paul Nixon , one of many new members to the club this year was home in 5.54 for 13 th place overall followed by Geoff Smyth in 5.59 who decided to do an extra couple of k on a wrong turn and Philip Ward in 6.57 as he continues to add to his impressive tally of marathons and ultras . Well done to all in what was a very tough boggy 20 k in the mountains . Arf Arf !
