Tipperary athletes on top of the world in Spanish mountains

Canfranc in Spain was the host town for the 23rd World Masters Mountain Running Championships, which brought 1,400 runners from 35 countries to the Pyrenees.

Among those competitors were 12 trail runners from Clonmel AC - Jim St John, John Corry, Eddie Meegan, Vasiliy Neumerzhitskiy, Chris Aylward, Carmel Fitzgibbon, Bríd Hearne, Marina Quinlan, Hazel Stapleton, Kealey Tideswell, Sareen Walsh and Sarah Whelan.

Three races were held at this year’s event.

6km Uphill only race – this was a single gruelling ascent upwards to Larraca, the best viewpoint in the Canfranc Valley where you can see a large part of the Pyrenees and France. It’s a climb of almost 1,000 metres.

17km Classic race – a 1,050 metres of positive ascent in a single climb. It’s a direct ascent to Buenavisto and from there a long, fast descent through the forest to the finish line.

34km Long distance race - 2,000 metres of accumulated positive altitude gain. Some of our brave runners took on this challenge. It was a race that ran along the two slopes of Los Aranones Mountain.

Ireland had an amazing championships, taking home 31 medals and placing an impressive fifth country on the medal table. Of the 31 medals, Clonmel AC brought home an incredible 14 medals (10 team medals and 4 individual). This is a huge haul from just one athletic club.

Kealey Tideswell placed second overall in the Classic 17k race behind Italy’s Camilla Magliano, a professional athlete.

Age is no barrier for these athletes around the hills of Clonmel and even in the peaks of the Pyrenees. These trail runners have been training for months up in the mountain ranges of the Comeraghs, Slievenamon, Galtees, Knockmealdowns; in areas such as Knockanaffrin, Lough Mohra, Holy Year Cross, Mahon Falls, Carey’s Castle, Kilcash Woods, Scaragh Woods, Derrinlaur Woods and the Vee, voluntarily organised by a member of Clonmel AC.

They also have been competing in many IMRA (Irish Mountain Running Association) events. IMRA (www.imra.ie) is the governing body of the sport of mountain running in Ireland and offers a huge calendar of events for all levels and age groups. This is where the group all built up their love of mountain running and friendships with other clubs.

Tom Blackburn (another medallist at the championship) from Mooreabbey Milers AC, and one of the stalwarts of the Irish mountain running community, held some hill specific sessions for the trail runners. These were invaluable, especially the downhill running section of the classic race. Many runners from other clubs come to Clonmel to join the Clonmel crowd for a bit of uphill running and banter.

Clonmel has become a hub for trail running with so many mountains, forests and trails on our doorstep. Trail running is snowballing at the moment in the country and we want as many Clonmel people to be part of this surge in the sport.

The Clonmel results from the World Masters Mountain Running Championships were as follows -
17k Classic race: F35 Marina Quinlan Bronze Team.

Above: Kealey Tideswell placed second overall in the Classic 17k race at Canfranc in Spain 

F40 Kealey Tideswell Gold Individual and Gold Team with Bríd Hearne. Kealey also finished an incredible second overall in the event.

W50 Sareen Walsh Bronze Team. M65 Jim St John Bronze Team.
6K Uphill F35 Marina Quinlan Silver Team.
M35 Chris Aylward Silver Team. F40 Kealey Tideswell Silver Individual and Gold Team with Carmel Fitzgibbon.

F75 Hazel Stapleton Bronze Individual. F50 Sareen Walsh Bronze Team.

Next year’s event will be hosted by Italy in the Meduno Valley from August 17-31. The mountain village is nestled in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy.

Clonmel AC will be looking to fill the teams in all age groups, both men and women. There is strength in numbers. If you are looking for a masters specific goal (age 35-79) and want to know more about this amazing event, contact Clonmel AC and they will put you in touch with the correct people.

If you love or have a keen interest in nature, hiking, the mountains, the outdoors, running, have a sense of adventure, enjoy a challenge, going on holidays in scenic places or meeting new people with the same interests as you, this is the event for you.

As a masters athlete you can compete for many years to come.

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