The 2010 Mourne Way Marathon will take place on Saturday 12 June 2010.
In addition to the Marathon there will also be an “ultra marathon” which will be an out and back format along part of the route of the Mourne Way Marathon, a Half Marathon and a 10k run / walk incorporated into the route – these races, like the Marathon, will also finish in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor. There will also be a “Challenge Walk” on the day along the full 26 mile route of the Mourne Way.
The route of the Mourne Way Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and Challenge Walk DOES NOT cross the tops of any mountains. It traverses the foothills of the mountains as opposed to crossing them. You will be able to enjoy the views of the mountains without having to climb them.
The main event will see competitors race the 26 miles of the Mourne Way from Newcastle to Rostrevor, Co Down. This route is a linear route, almost entirely off road, traversing the foothills of the Mourne Mountains passing Tollymore Forest, Fofanny Dam, Spelga Dam, Leitrim Lodge and Yellow Water before arriving at the finish in Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor. For more details and maps of the route please see HERE
The Ultra Marathon will start in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor, Co Down and will be approximately 85km in distance with 2860 meters of climbing. It will follow the Mourne Way route all the way to Newcastle before turning at the marathon start point and returning to Rostrevor along the same path. There will be approximately 6km of this on road with the remainder off road on tracks and trails.
The Marathon and Challenge Walk will start in Donard Car Park, Newcastle, Co Down.
The Half Marathon will start at Ott Car Park on the Slievenaman Road, just above Fofanny Dam.
The 10k Run / Walk will start at Leitrim Lodge on the Sandbank Road.
The route will be fully waymarked.
The Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a unique; largely granite landscape shaped by ice and man, with stunning vistas of coast, sea and countryside and all competitors will get a chance to take in these sights along the route.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE
The route for the Marathon and Challenge Walk events will start in Donard Car Park in Newcastle and will contour through Donard Forest until it arrives at the edge of the forest closest to Tollymore. It will then link into Tollymore Forest and follow the path that ascends into Tollymore Forest Park, and provides excellent views before reaching the trees. The route is way marked through Tollymore Forest Park (you will pass the Drinns and cross the Stepping Stones in Tollymore Forest) and emerges through a small beech wood onto hillside, where the path meets the Trassey Road.
From here turn uphill along the Trassey Track, part of a once well used smuggler’s route known as the “Brandy Pad”. Once through the kissing gate, turn right and follow the trail which runs parallel with the wall (the old Ulster Way) as it contours around through heath and heather. After approximately 2km, the route crosses a mountain stream and continues up the pipe track to Fofanny Dam Reservoir. This site processes 52 million liters of water a day for the city of Belfast. Proceed between the reservoir and the overflow and through the corner of the wood. Then follow the field wall and cross over the stile onto the Slievenaman Road. Turn left and continue up the road passing the Ott Car Park (THE HALF MARATHON WILL START HERE). Continue on the road until you reach the fork in the road which will take you to the Car Park at Spelga Dam. Turn right at this point and descend the road past Spelga Dam and take the footbridge over the River Bann at Spelga Pass.
Once across the footbridge the route then contours around Slievenamiskan and Hen Mountain before reaching the Hen Track. About two miles along the path the route turns over a ford and follows the Rowan Tree River before crossing the bridge at Rocky Water. It then climbs upwards and through the saddle between Rocky Mountain and Tormarock to reach Castle Bog Road, just above Leitrim Lodge (THE 10K RUN / WALK WILL START HERE).
From here the route continues on a track past Altataggart Mountain and contours the foot of the Rostrevor Ridge. This leads past Yellow Water and through Rostrevor Forest and on to the finishing point in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor.
The route of the Ultra Marathon will start in Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor and will follow the Mourne Way to Donard Park in Newcastle, Co Down and then will return to Kilbroney Park in Rostrevor, therefore you will be covering the above route in reverse first before turing in Newcastle and then returning to Rostrevor.
GROUND CONDITIONS
For the first part of the route, through Donard and Tollymore Forests and onto the Trassey Track you will mainly be on gravel paths and tracks. These may be muddy in places if there has been rainfall prior to the event. Once at the Trassey track, and heading along the wall towards Fofanny Dam, the trail is mostly on open mountain paths (small sheep tracks) which will be dry and compact if the weather is good to us. Crossing the stream at the Happy Valley you are once again on an old track and will follow this (one small section of forest path) until you come to the Slievenaman Road. Once on the Slievenaman Road you will be on Tarmac for approximately 2 miles before crossing the footbridge and back into the open hillside again. From here you will contour the open hillside on uneven ground, following the markers. You will then be on an old mountain path which may have some water running along it and may be boggy in places. After this it is back onto sheep tracks until you come onto the Hen Track which is a hard packed track.
You will follow the Hen Track for almost two miles before crossing a ford and running down along the river on the opposite side on rough ground – care should be taken on this section. Once you cross the small footbridge you will once again be on open mountain trail almost as far as the saddle between Rocky Mountain and Tornamrock. From here you will descend to Castle bog Road and the start of the 10k. Almost all of the final 10k is on track / gravel path except for one small section before Batts Wall that is a bit muddy / rocky.
