Binevenagh Mountain Race 18th April 2026 - Race Report

NIMRA League & Irish Mountain Running Association Ulster Championship fixture

The day was finally upon us, after 6 months of planning and a week of watching a somewhat inconclusive weather report. Spring arrived (again) just on time.

The course was laid and marked, registration opened and a very strict kit check implemented. (sheughie & Princess take great pride in their work)

The half mile from Race HQ to the start line served as reasonable warm for what was ahead. After a quick march to the lowest point of the Waterfall Caves lane, and an even quicker race brief, the hooter was sounded and they were off.

As they disappeared into Ballycarton woods, it was Johnston, McCartan and Steede that led the pack. It felt like no time at all before seeing the dots starting to shift along the iconic Binevenagh Clifftops, with a "pre-arranged" flyby (yes, I'm taking credit) from a local glider.

As updates flooded in from our marshal team, there was a mixture of surprise and disappointment when this Race Director saw Timmy Johnston emerge from the woods after 46 minutes... Surprise because I didn't think it was possible to run that course in that time! And disappointment, because I knew my inbox would soon be full of Strava's dreaded lost crown emails! Niall & Jonny weren't far behind in a tight finish for the top 3 spots.. only 85 seconds between them.

The woman's race was just as competitive with Karen finishing only a minute ahead of Naomi, with Sam only a couple after that.

As more runners filtered through the finish, it became apparent that they were becoming increasingly filthy. Seems like it pays to get through the trig bog early.

Female

1st Karen Wilton (Jog Lisburn) - 59:26

2nd Naomi McCurry (Glens Runners) - 1:00:45

3rd Sam McNeilly (Newcastle AC) - 1:02:58

1st Auld Doll Hannah Shields (COD Spartans) - 1:07:46

Male

1st Timmy Johnston (Annadale) - 47:09

2nd Niall McCartan (BARF) - 47:39

3rd Jonny Steede (Glens Runners) - 48:34

1st Auld Fella Andrew Tees (BARF) - 51:39

Age category wins for:

V40 Carolyn Crawford & Peter McEvoy

V45 Gail Martin & John Marrs

V50 Adele Tomb & Paul McAnespie

V55 Shirley Farnan & Mark Alexander

V60 Anne Sandford & Ian Stringer

V65 June McMinn & Wilson McAlister

V70 Sam Jackson

V75 Ian Taylor

Thank you to all of you for coming to Magilligan to run our first version of this Binevenagh race. We hope you enjoyed the race & the spread of sarnies and traybakes on offer afterwards at St Aidan's. Thanks to St Aidan's, Waterfall Caves and to land owners for use of their facilities and land. Thank you to our race sponsors Basaltsix, Sunset Cottage & CIP Insurance Brokers for your support. Thank you to North West Mountain Rescue Team - NWMRT for attending the race to ensure all runners got off the mountain safely. And thank you to all the Springwell Running Club volunteers that helped organise and put everything together on the day.

A special shout out to James Hughes for crafting our team trophy, you're a talented guy... I don't care what the others say.

All being well, we will be back in 2027.