A little less conversation, a little more ‘altitude’; charity event in Glens proves to be pinnacle of Sunday hill runs!
We struggled to inch upwards, the twists and turns of the narrow road almost nauseating in their ascent, and as I glanced to my right, the expression in Patricia MacRory’s eyes mirrored the feelings in my very soul.
They were, specifically, that this run was going to require everything we had – and considering this was only the bus journey to our starting point, we might be in deeper trouble that we thought.
Ten minutes later, our fears were forgotten, as we stood inhaling the salt-infused air of Ballycastle’s picturesque marina, and the first leg of our 15 mile run all the way back to Cushendall got underway.
More than 20 Ballymena Runners descended on St Mary’s Parish Centre on the first Sunday of spring to take part in the annual Glens Runners Annual Charity Run / Walk, with this year’s chosen (and very deserving) charity being The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
This is a magnificent event, and for a lot of us, it was our first time at tackling the remote and undulating roads that link the towns and villages of this notorious North Antrim landscape.
For those unfamiliar with the concept (like I was), it’s brilliantly simple; and as Jim Stewart pragmatically pointed out, wonderfully flexible.
Choose the distance you want to run in advance – but if you wake up on the day, and feel you’re not quite in peak Goggins mode, opt for a shorter set of miles.
Conversely, if you’re had your Wheatabix with a side of Stewart Rossborough positivity, you can feel at liberty to push yourself a little harder.
Facilitating this menu of runners’ choice was the previously mentioned bus, which transported us all to our chosen starting points; as well as Ballycastle, participants could opt for 13 miles from Hunters Bar, 11 miles from Watertop Farm, nine miles from the Vanishing Lake, seven miles from the ‘Top of Corkscrew’, five miles from Glendun Viaduct, three miles from Castlegreen, or finally, two miles from Glenann Road.
Me and my fellow 15-miler companions were fortunate enough to take in all these lovely landmarks on our journey, and in all honesty, for me, the first 12 flew past in a flurry of happy chatter, marvelling at the majesty of those mountain views, and (again, for me), trying to decide if a clandestine pee stop was really necessary.
One pause that was definitely mandatory was a ‘selfie stop’ against the beautiful backdrop of the Irish Sea, and another favourite moment of mine was looking down onto the rooftops and sweeping bay of Cushendun, before we finally started to descend.
The dry, crisp, weather conditions were perfect, and there were enough marshal points to make you feel reassured that you couldn’t get too adventurous, go rogue, and end up lost, lighting flares, and doing your best Bear Grylls impression on your lonesome at 10 ‘o clock at night in some rugged farmer’s field.
The majority of the runners agreed that once those first few hills were over, it was a very doable and enjoyable route.
For those like myself, who struggled intensely the final few miles, the reward at the end made it all worth it; as expected, the hospitality provided by the Glens Runners was second to none, and no-one was more delighted than Tricia to see enough egg and onion sandwiches (on white bread) to feed 10 running clubs.
Even Terry Foley had to concede that, in spite of not securing any custard with his jam sponge cake, such a first world problem quickly dissipated upon sight of the most sizeable spread he had ever had the joy of witnessing.
Over £5,000 was raised for the KBRP as a result of the event, and we would like to wish the Glens Runners every continued success with all their fundraising efforts.
Well done to all the BRAC members who put their legs to the test at a challenging run that is a ‘cert’ for diaries everywhere again in 2026.
