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 !
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
Phone Number – 07845 659503 Give your Name and Entry Number in all messages In an emergency dial 999 ask for Police then Mountain Rescue
BARF welcomes you to the Mourne Seven Sevens Race. This event is run under FRA and NIMRA rules for fell races and is a NIMRA Championship event categorised as A-Long – Minimum age 18 years old. To compete in the race you must be an experienced fell runner and be fit enough for the distance, climb and terrain involved. The exact route is not fixed and is not way-marked at any stage. Navigational skills will be required, especially if weather conditions are poor so participants must have the ability and experience to use both map and compass. (Navigation using only a smartphone app is not allowed).
Registration opens on
Saturday morning at 08:45 and closes at 09:40
at the north end of the playing field beside Donard car park in Newcastle. The
car park is free but parking may be limited due to other events. Please car
share if possible and allow time to find parking nearby.
You will need to fill out a FRA Race Registration form with details of your car registration and emergency contact info etc.
You will be given a set of green plastic tabs and one small
white tab with your entry number on each of them. For convenience they will be
held together on a string. You will also receive an electronic timing chip (aka
dibber) which will be fastened to your wrist. Please look after
this as you will be charged £30 if you lose it.
Timing Chip (dibber)
The Start – of the race is in the
playing field at 10:00am sharp.
There will be a funnel into the Start Pen and ALL RUNNERS WILL BE GEAR CHECKED. We will also activate your Dibber at this point.
At each summit you will find an electronic SI Control Box on a post with an orange and white flag. Insert your dibber into the hole in the SI box and wait till you hear a beep. The dibber will now have recorded the time you arrived at the top. (Click here for more info on the timing system). There are five marshalled positions along the route in the cols between summits and at Ben Crom dam. Remove one green plastic tab from the string and hand it to the marshal at each of these positions.
At
the Finish, hand in your dibber and the last (white) plastic tab.
You will receive a print out of your progress around the route with split times
for each summit. The white plastic tab is our way of checking that you are off
the hills, so even if you fail to complete the walk please make sure that you
come to see us at the finish and hand in any remaining tabs and the dibber.
Light refreshments and showers will be available from 12:00.
Please bring a cup so we can reduce
waste.
Finishers’
times will be streamed live to http://lvo.org.uk/liveresults throughout the day.
We will also have live data from several checkpoints around the course which we
will publish snapshots of onto Facebook page through the day so your friends
and family can monitor your progress. Route: The route is
anti-clockwise around each of the seven summits which must be visited in the
order stipulated below plus the marshalled
checkpoints (denoted MCP below). N.B. The Controls on Commedagh and Meelmore are now at the Summit
Cairns and not at the Shelter Towers on the wall.
Cut-off time: There are
cut-off times of 12.00 at Donard-Commedagh Col and of 2:30pm at Ben Crom Dam.
This is to ensure runners complete the route before dark. Runners missing
either cut-off will be retired from the race and should return directly to
Donard Park. N.B. Retirements are marked RTD on the results with no times.
In the event of extreme weather conditions
the route may be altered on the day. Marshalled Check Points may have to be
moved for their safety but Control Boxes will remain in place.
Retirees
at any stage of the event must report as soon as possible to a marshal or via
text to base and return directly to Donard Park to register that they are
safely off the mountains and to return their dibber and tags.
Equipment,
food and water: The event is not supported along the route. Participants
must carry minimum MANDATORY kit listed below:
Trail
shoes or fell shoes (no trainers)
Waterproof coat with hood & waterproof trousers
Hat & gloves
Foil space blanket (a foil bag better)
Map of the course, compass & whistle
Emergency rations
Please
be aware that for long sections of the course there is no water so plan
accordingly
These
items are required regardless of the weather forecast as mountain conditions can
change dramatically with very little warning.
Leave No Trace
– This event subscribes to the LNT ethos
and the NI
Countryside Code: – Use stiles to cross fences and walls, leave gates as you
find them and please bring ALL your
rubbish home.
This year’s Mourne Sevens Seven’s Race on the 10th August
will start from its traditional start at the Pavilion in Donard Park as Shimna College
is unavailable. The race will be held in conjunction with the annual challenge
walk and will be in an anticlockwise direction, which is Slieve Donard and
Commedagh first followed by Bernagh, the Meels, Bencrom Dam, Binnian, Lamagan
then back to the finish line in Donard Park. Marshals will be at the cols
between Donard / Commedagh, Hares gap, Meelmore/ MeelBeg, The Dam and Binnian/Lamagan
which you check into after completing Binnian.
It will be an entry on the day race costing £10.00 for
registered runners (£11.00 unregistered) and entry’s will be taken from 8.00am
until 9.40am. The race will start at 10.00 promptly. Please do not enter the
race if you are a walker who has failed to get an entry for the walk, as there
are cut off times which you will fail to make unless you are running. The main
cut off time is 14.30 at the Ben Crom Dam which is half way round the route. I
have decided to have a second cut off time of 12.00 at the col between Slieve
Donard and Slieve Commedagh, as anybody going at that pace is unlikely to make
the Dam cut off time.
When you enter the race you will be issued with a set of
green plastic tabs and an electronic Si dibber. Insert the dipper into the
control boxes on the Summits and at the Dam to record your times. Hand a green
tab to each group of marshals you pass and this way we know exactly where you
have been. At the finish hand in the dipper and your last remaining plastic tab
which will be a small white one.
This is the longest toughest race on the NIMRA calendar so
come prepared for any eventuality. Full waterproof kit, gloves and hat must be
carried together with map, compass, whistle and food. We would recommend that a
space blanket or better still the bag version is carried as it could save your
life if you go down injured in bad weather conditions – yes we have previously
dealt with hypothermia cases during this event in beautiful summery August…..
So as I said before, be ready for any eventuality. If the weather forecast is for hot conditions,
remember that water is in short supply for long sections of the route so plan
accordingly. If you are carrying a phone the emergency event number is 07802
691540.
All the best with your preparations and if you are not
running but are available to help out please get in touch as it is always a
challenge getting enough helpers to ensure the success of the event.
This year’s Annalong Horseshoe Fell Race will forsake its base for the last 37 years at Dunnywater and will now start and finish at Silent Valley Reservoir, within the NI Water complex.
The number of entrants last year put severe pressure on the existing facilities at Dunnywater and it’s felt that rather than limit the number of entrants, a move to a new location would solve the current issues with the Dunnywater venue. Last year we had a record entry of 100 runners, which meant that we struggled to accommodate parking for the number of competitors vehicles along the Dunnywater avenue, causing complaints from the residents on the avenue regarding access. With an increase in competitors, the lack of toilet facilities and the health and safety risks associated with the road section also raising concerns, therefore it’s a logical move to Silent Valley, which will address all of these issues for this year and years to come. Continue reading →
I had thought that the weather was going to be good for the runners this year with light winds forecast, no rain and mild temperatures, but in the event it was the humidity which sapped the competitors strength. Many a challenge floundered on the slopes of the Meels, as cramp set into legs fatigued by the long slog up from the dam over rough ground, without hardly a breath of wind to disturb the stifling air. It was a long day for many but for me it was actually a short day, as there was no associated walking event to provide late finishing weary walkers, stumbling through the Donard woods as darkness descended. Continue reading →
Once again Christmas is nearly upon us and the annual Boxing day migration of mountain runners to the Trassey Track car park for the Turkey Trot race will be occurring. It would be a big help if as many competitors as possible could share lifts as car parking space is restricted. The race start time is 12.00am.
The Turkey Trot may be regarded as a bit of a fun event, and indeed we want to keep it as light
hearted as possible, but please remember that the mountains in winter can be a dangerous place so please heed the rules and come prepared. You should choose your running clothing to suit the expected conditions and footwear which will give you grip in the potentially icy conditions which often occurs on the high sections of the course. Full waterproof body cover must be carried along with a hat and gloves. The other mandatory items of kit are a map, whistle, and compass and although not mandatory, I would recommend runners carry a foil space blanket or bag which can be a lifesaver if you become immobilised in the wilds. There will be a kit check before the race. Unfortunately, you cannot enter this race if you are under the age of 18 years. Also, dogs are not allowed. If the weather forecast turns bad please check this site in the days preceding the event for more information.
Following the race, there will be mince pies, mulled wine and other goodies at the Northern Ireland Mountain Centre and a selection of prizes of dubious nature supplied by members of BARF.
Normally Christmas trees are cut and extracted from the forest well before the big day but this year one of our first tasks was to remove one which had fallen across the Trassey track, near the start line. The icy gales of the preceding night had brought it down and though the sky was cobalt blue, those Baltic winds were still blowing hard as the runners set off. They would also have to deal with ice and slippery conditions on the high sections of the course.
As part of the ongoing BARF Social calendar, the June event would see 12 Barfers make a 20 mile run from Dundrum Castle to The Castles on the Southside of Commedagh in the Mournes and return, taking in the stunning scenery of Murlough, hence ‘The Castle to Castles Challenge’.
