Louth sheelin challenge on monday next

The second annual Celtic Media Group-sponsored Lough Sheelin Challenge will take place on Monday next 3rd August from Crover House Hotel, Mountnugent with the start set for 10am.

The St Brigid’s AC-promoted 16-mile race will take the competitors through Meath, Cavan and Westmeath and the 2015 event was launched at the Crover House Hotel recently by Fr Ray Kelly.

Also there on the night was last year’s winners Tom McGrath from Mullingar Harriers and Rachel Burgess from St Brigids AC.

McGrath is a former Irish International athlete and has run two hours and 17 minutes for the marathon while Burgess had just returned from England where she finished third in the Hardmoors Rosedale trail marathon, a 27-mile race through the Yorkshire Moors.

This year’s race will start and finish at Crover House Hotel and will follow a route in an anti-clockwise direction through Carrigh at five miles, Finea at the seven-mile marker, Ross at 11 miles, Mountnugent at 14 miles and back to Crover for the 16-mile circuit.

Competitors may run or walk, but are guaranteed spectacular views of Lough Sheelin, Ross bog, Mullaghmeen Forest and many more of the local sights.

The event is an ideal route for all enthusiasts from the elite runner to the casual walker.

This year a new option of a relay for walkers allows people not ready for the 16-mile challenge an option to walk the seven miles from Crover to Finea or the remaining nine miles from Finea to Crover.

There will be water stops every four miles a food stop in Finea at the seven-mile marker with hot food served at the finish.

The entry fee is €25 (online at precisiontiming.net).

Entry fee for the relay is also €25 for two people but does not include race T shirt.

Website for the event is www.sheelinchallenge.com