BALLYMENA and Antrim club runner Anna McGookin produced an individual silver medal performance as her NI U20 women’s team took bronze at the 25th British and Irish Mountain Running Championships in Wales.
Anna’s achievement is her latest in a remarkable debut season with the NI Mountain Running Association, her silver adding to the bronze she earned at the International Mountain Running Cup in Slovakia in June.
Finishing positions were:
Under-20 Women:
Anna McGookin 2nd
Katie Graham 12th
Niamh Campbell 16th
Aoife Magee 19th.
Under-17 Girls:
Abby Smith 7th
Joanna McGrory 14th
Megan Barnett 18th
Aoibhe Delaney 19th.
The U17s finished fourth in the team standings.
The championships were held in pretty much perfect conditions as competitors faced a course with a variety of challenges and terrains, in an extremely picturesque setting.
A gradual uphill start, for around 500m before turning onto a narrow bridleway beside a disused quarry, was followed by a steep climb onto a shale path to a prominent peak and then a fast, grassy descent.
A flatter section led into a second climb to the summit, then another sweeping downhill and a series of sharp rises and dips through ruins of old stone buildings.
A short, steep climb brought athletes to a 100m gradual rise, then a thrilling 1.5 km downhill charge to the finish. The U17 race was 6.23km with a 257m elevation gain, whilst the U20 race was 6.84km with a 300m elevation gain.
Northern Ireland has been chosen to host the 2026 event.
Anna McGookin (right) with her silver medal
