Total Immersion on the Emerald Isle.
It was a wet and wild weekend in County Donegal, where skyrunners tested their grit and determination over a saturated edition of the Seven Sisters Skyline 55km race.
Persistent rain in the lead-up to the event turned the rugged Derryveagh mountains into a challenging playground of slick rock, sodden bogs, and heavily muddied trails – but the weather forecast on race day was an improving one. After some light rain in the morning, things brightened up for the 267 skyrunners out on the course.
The 55km ‘classic’ route features seven rocky summits, including Mackoght (555m), Aghla More (584m), Ardloughnabrackbaddy (603m), Aghla Beg (564m), Crocknalaragagh (471m), the out-and-back over Muckish (666m), and a final punishing ascent of Errigal (751m), the tallest peak of the day.
Competitors in the 55km shared parts of the course with the 30k runners, with both races contributing to the overall Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series standings. But there was even more to play for this weekend, as the 55km race was a counter in the SkyUltra® Series and the 30k was part of both the U23 Series and the Irish Skyrunning Championships!
Race-Day Scoop
Unfazed by the early wind and rain, Irish athletes Jonathan O’Hagan and Kenneth Bates led from the start, setting a fast pace towards the road, with favourite on paper Spencer Shaw close behind. It wasn’t long however before Polish runner Maciej Dzieledziak took the lead and a group of five that managed to break away from the rest of the field. By Aghla Beg, this group had thinned to three, with Dzieledziak, Shaw and Denis McGlynn in the mix. Bates had now dropped off the leading group but was pushing to regain the pack. Approaching the turn on the course, Shaw moved into the lead for the first time and gradually began to break away.
“I think I paced it pretty well from the start this year,” said Shaw after the race. “I took my time to get used to the course and I fuelled well. After I took the lead, I really put my foot on the gas”.
An event known for its camaraderie amongst its competitors!
By Aghla Beg South, Shaw was a full checkpoint ahead of Dzieledziak in second position, with McGlynn behind but staying ahead of the chasing O’Hagan. Coming into Aghla More, O’Hagan began putting pressure on McGlynn and closing the gap between them. The pair began battling it out over Mackoght but by the summit of Errigal, McGlynn had come out on top and was chased home by O’Hagan. With Shaw and Dzieledziak taking first and second consecutively, McGlynn completed the podium a full 4 minutes ahead of O’Hagan by the end.
Other strong performances came from first U23 Connor Holmes in 12:25, first male V40-44 was Jonathan Cunningham in 10:24, Brian Lydon was first V45-49 in 10:53, Sebastian Wisniewski was first V50-54 in 09:55 and first V55+ was Seán Nickell in 12:21.
The leading ladies in the 55km looked strong from the off this year, with Jessica Partlett leading the field from the start but with second place Rachel Burgess and third woman Bronagh O’Gara close behind. This front three held their positions throughout the course but Sharon Carney in 4th place looked threatening at times, pushing hard to close the gap on O’Gara.
Incredible views greeted the runners later int he day, once the clouds dispersed.
By Muckish Grotto, Partlett had opened up a gap of around 20 minutes on Burgess. Consistent pacing throughout the course meant that Partlett, Burgess and O’Gara remained evenly but widely spaced within the men’s field — until Mackoght, where Partlett may not have been aware that Burgess was gaining slightly. On the climb up Errigal, Burgess may have had eyes on Partlett ahead of her but her rival must have felt the pull of the finish-line and made light work of the descent. A pacey finish over 9km of flat and downhill terrain brought Partlett home a full 28 minutes ahead of second place. Burgess not only came second lady but also won the V55+ category, crossing the line 10 minutes faster than she did the previous year when she finished in 4th, narrowly missing the podium — all this despite challenging underfoot conditions this time around. O’Gara was third woman home and first V45-49, crossing the line in 11:23. First female in the V50-54 category was Eimear Mc Dermott in 13:11.
Winner Partlett, who was interviewed at the finish line, delighted in the course despite the relentless boggy trails. Coming from North Devon she especially enjoyed her glimpses of the mountain views along the route but was unaware of where the other women were in her race. “I just got my head down and got on with it” she says. “I raced more in the mountains last year and really enjoyed it, which is why I entered this race” she explained. “I prefer the ultra distances for the adventure and the views”.
Full provisional results can now be found HERE.
Podium finishers at this year’s Seven Sisters Skyline from L to R: Rachel Burgess, Jessica Partlett, Bronagh O’Gara, Denis McGlynn, Spencer Shaw & Maciej Dzieledziak.
Sky Challenge
This year the 30K ‘Sky Challenge’ race saw a huge field with 189 runners toeing the start line. Competitors were bused to the start of the course, which takes in the same seven summits as the 55km, but begins with the climb up Muckish and finishes with a fast and furious descent off Errigal. Overall, the route clocks-up a chunky 2,100m+ of vert over some highly varied terrain.
This year the men’s race felt aptly named this year as two Irish athletes, U23 newcomer Eoghan Whelan and favourite on paper Shaun Stewart (UTMB Index 678), challenged each other throughout the soggy course for the top spot.
Hands up if you’re having (type 2?) fun!
Stewart set a hard pace up Muckish, with Whelan chasing hard – a pattern which would repeat throughout this linear mountain race. On the ascent of Aghla Beg, Whelan had closed the gap on Stewart but did not manage to take the lead. Again at Mackoght, it looked likely that Whelan would come through, but Stewart dropped his challenger time after time and maintained his lead towards Errigal – the final summit and checkpoint of the race. But on this concluding climb, Whelan slowly started to gain again, this time powering past Stewart and arriving at the checkpoint just in front. But with a fast and runnable descent ahead, it was unclear who would prevail in this nail-biting spectacle. Dot-watchers were glued to their screens as Whelan executed a strong descent and maintained his new-found lead, driving into the finish in 03:46, with 3:30 mins to spare before Stewart also crossed the line.
Behind the front two finishers, another battle was underway as Polish athlete Robert Jankowski was pitted against Irish runner Niall Trearty. Neck-and-neck these two exchanged positions in the tough climbs up both Mackoght and Errigal. Upon reaching the final checkpoint in third position, Trearty must have had high hopes of a podium finish but these were dashed by Jankowski who came through in the descent of Errigal and managed to maintain a lead of around 8 minutes all the way into the finish. Jankowski crossed the line in 04:15 and was also first V45-49.
Winner Whealan, a Masters Student at University College Dublin, not only took the overall 30k win but also the U23 win, gaining points towards the U23 Series ranking. “I come from an orienteering background, as a junior and I also do cross-country racing” he explains, having only done a couple of skyraces before. When asked about how his race played-out he said; “it took me a while to get into it but I had a good battle with Stewart. He kept dropping me but I finally got him on Errigal and was able to push the downhill into the finish”.
Second U23 was Fionnan Holloway in 06:48 and third was Alfie Good in 07:25. First male V40-44 was Noel O Donnell in 9th overall (04:37), first V50-54 was Colin Dean (5th overall in 04:33) and first V55+ was Kieran O'Donnell in 05:33.
The women’s 30k Sky Challenge race saw an impressive performance from V50-54 athlete Karen Wilton from the Isle of Man. Breaking away from her competitors from the start line, Wilton built up a solid lead early on and by the time the second lady was at the Aghla Beg South checkpoint, Wilton was already at the summit of Aghla More. In second position at this time, Bernadette Quinn was looking strong, with Helen Reid not far behind. Phoebe Dibben-Dean and Olivia Harte were also part of the leading pack, as they approached the halfway mark of the race.
One of the more technical, rocky trails that greeted runners in the Sky Challenge.
Behind Quinn, Reid and Harte battled for third position in the climb up Mackoght. The racing was close but on the final climb, Reid had more in the legs and pulled ahead.
By this time both Wilton and Quinn were secure in their leads, taking first and second women in 04:46 and 05:19 respectively. But the last podium spot was still to play for – right until the very end! Reid pioneered a strong start to her descent off Errigal but Harte began catching her up as they approached Dunlewey Lough. The outcome remained uncertain as the pair powered home but in the end, Reid clung on and finished 20 seconds ahead of her rival in 05:36.
“I loved the bog – I’m very happy. Really, really pleased because it was tough!” said Wilton, who was buzzing on the finish line. Wilton has a wide range of races in her calendar for this year, from the Summer Spine Sprint in June to upcoming Canicross racing and even the Chicago Marathon! “The camaraderie out there was just brilliant and everyone who finishes here today is a winner” says Wilton.
First female U23 over the line was Irish runner Amber Lennon in 09:30. First female V45-49 was Joan Ryan in 06:31 (9th F) and first V55+ was Isbéal Nic Aoidh in 08:21.
Full provisional results can now be found HERE.
Podium finishers at this year’s Seven Sisters Sky Challenge from L to R: Shaun Stewart, Eoghan Whelan, Robert Jankowski, Helen Reid, Karen Wilton & Bernadette Quinn.
What’s Next?
Find out your current ranking in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series later this week.
Looking ahead, the Series concludes in just a few weeks on October 11th at SkyRun the Mournes® (info HERE) where three SkyRaces set to attract strong international competition will take place:
The brutal Mourne SkyUltra® – returning for it’s second edition, this 50km & 3,500m+ beast of a route is a bucket list race for the hardiest of mountain ultrarunners! Also the final SkyUltra® Series race this season. Route info HERE.
The iconic 35km Mourne Skyline® – Est. 2014 and this year proudly part of the Skyrunner® World Series, attracting a huge €6,000 prize purse! This race is also the UK & Ireland Series finals race, which will decide the final Overall Series standings. Route info HERE.
The inaugural Mourne SkyTrail – 20km & 1,300m+ this is the final U23 Series race this year and is also part of the Skyrunner® World Series’ Trofeo Esteban Olivero U23 (INFO). Route info HERE.
There’s still time to enter HERE, but be quick: entries close at midnight on Friday 3rd October!
See you next month in the beautiful Mourne Mountains for the Series finals? © Evan Davies
With only one event and three SkyRaces left to go in the 2025 calendar, things are really hotting up for the rankings, with some positions already decided after yesterday. All finishers this weekend will receive Overall Series points and ranking charts will be updated on the Skyrunning UK website in the next few days.
In the meantime, be sure to follow Skyrunning UK on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, or why not join the Facebook Group HERE or the Strava Club HERE.
