Topic: Man dies during Mournes race (Read 12089 times)

admin · « **on:** May 17, 2013 »

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The man, believed to be from Belfast, took ill about halfway through the Hill and Dale Series at Slieve Moughanmore at 8pm on Thursday.

The race covers nearly three and a half miles and a climb of around 1,500ft.

It is believed that fellow runners including a doctor alerted the emergency services and a helicopter from Dublin was tasked to the scene.

Martin McMullan from Mourne Mountain Rescue said the man was "very well known in the local mountain running community"

He added the death would come as a big shock to the close-knit community.

"Unfortunately one of the participants collapsed close to the second peak of the race, there are three peaks in total," he explained.

"Other competitors attended to him immediately and we were very lucky that were several doctors on the scene.

"There were also race officials and our own team members close by but despite the best efforts of everyone involved the competitor passed away at the scene."

The rescue co-ordinator said the race covers challenging terrain but is a moderate race in the series. He added that those that participate are well prepared and participate at their own level.

http://www.u.tv/News/Man-dies-during-Mournes-race/5ae1c34b-b476-4675-b7c2-b6be19378c17

We're sorry to hear this terrible news of the death of a man doing something he loved, our thoughts are with his family.

Mourneman · « **Reply #1 on:** May 17, 2013 »

Very sad indeed,sympathy with the family.

Glenn B · « **Reply #2 on:** May 17, 2013 »

Not nice. Very sad. Thoughts with friends and family.

Wolf_Larson · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2013 »

Regards from NIWILD, RIP

KyleL · « **Reply #4 on:** May 18, 2013 »

Rest in peace.

Much Love.

LandyLiam · « **Reply #5 on:** May 21, 2013 »

A wonderful tribute to Denis on the Newcastle AC website http://www.newcastleac.org/ never got the chance to meet him myself

I wasn't running that night due to an injury but did end up being at the finish line, very sad and a great loss to the mountain running community.

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A Tribute to Denis Rankin 1945-2013
Posted on 20/05/2013

The sad news of the untimely death of Denis Rankin came as a great shock to the fell running community on Thursday 16th May 2013. In the days that have passed since his death, I have learned much about a man who lived life to the full.

Denis Rankin
Everyone who was fortunate enough to spend time with or even meet Denis would agree that he was a mountain man through and through. His love of the mountains was evidenced by his prowess as a climber, an athlete, a fell runner and a skier. In short he was a legend, who was well known, highly respected and greatly admired by competitors in all of the above disciplines.

Career Highlights

In a career spanning more than four decades there were many notable successes and this space will never do full justice to the contribution Denis made to mountain events in a long and illustrious competitive career. Denis completed the prestigious and remarkably challenging Karimor Mountain Marathon on at least 7 occasions, finishing in the top ten of the Elite category twice. In 1979 he completed the Bob Graham Round, an arduous event taking in 42 Lake District peaks and covering an amazing 72 miles in less than 24 hours. Most athletes take several attempts before succeeding, but Denis, along with life-long friend and running soul mate Jim Patterson completed it at the first attempt. To add to an already impressive CV he completed the Scottish Munros in 2001 – climbing 284 peaks each over 3000 feet in height. To prove that he was more than a mountain man, Denis also completed a number of road marathons, recording a personal best of 2 hours and 47 minutes – impressive by anyone’s standards. However, all would agree that he was always more at home on off road terrain.

Endurance Athlete

In the 1970s the self-test of an athlete’s ability was the Annual Mourne Wall Walk (20 miles and 9000 feet of climbing). Hundreds completed it, but only a select few ran it, Denis being one of this exclusive club! A newspaper heading from 1976 highlighted his achievement with the headline “Hat-trick in the scorched Mournes” referring to Denis finishing first in the Mourne Wall Walk for the third year in a row.

In keeping with his penchant for extreme races Denis was a regular name on the entry list for Isle of Jura Fell Race (16 miles and 7500 feet of tough climbing). This is recognised as a very tough race (it is even hard to get to!) and Denis did it 10 times, most recently in 2008 and before that in 2005 when it was a 60th birthday trip. During one of these races Denis was in danger of being timed out but proffered a quick witted explanation to the race marshal: “Before Queen Victoria came to the throne, I was an elite fell runner with a respectable time to my name”. The ‘blarney’ worked but did not prevent Denis finishing last, a very unusual experience for him in the course of a decorated career. Another favourite continental race was the Sierre–Zinal event in Switzerland (31km of hard uphill running). Denis also completed this race on several occasions.

Always a supporter of others, on his way home after a hard cycling trip in the Alps in 1981, Denis responded to a request for help from Scottish fell running legend Colin Donnelly who was attempting to complete the Southern Upland Hills in Scotland. Denis assisted Colin over for 60+ miles of very tough going but his account suggests that it was Colin helping Denis at the end rather than the other way round.

A passion for skiing

Denis was also a keen and extremely proficient skier and made the most of the conditions in the spring of this year. While others were tucked up by the fire, afraid to venture outside, Denis was in the mountains revelling in the unexpected opportunity of skiing close to home. His own words best sum up his experience “I concur that the snow conditions in the Mournes are absolutely fantastic, undoubtedly the best since the big snow of 1963 (sorry folks I am too young to remember 1947). So far I have completed two north/south traverses of the Mournes on skis, one over the Meelmore/Bearnagh col and on past Lough Shannagh and one in the Western Mournes. Skiing over Castle Bog is heaven on earth. Conditions are also excellent on the Antrim plateau. On all occasions the skis have gone on outside the car and never come off. Am I fantasising or have I really experienced the last two weeks?”

Denis trained for his Nordic skiing exploits by roller skiing on the towpath near Shaw’s bridge – one had to be careful when Denis approached as he took up most of the path!

More than just a fine athlete

Dennis Rankin was more than just a great sportsman and competitor: he also believed in giving something back and providing opportunities for others to compete. In 1979, as a founder member and first secretary, he was one of a small group who began mountain running events in Northern Ireland. This group developed under Denis’ influence into what is the Northern Ireland Mountain Running Association (NIMRA). Until then the only mountain race was over Slieve Donard but the group, with Denis as secretary, promoted a series of races over the Mourne Wall, Scrabo Tower, Cavehill and Annalong Horseshoe, with Denis the organiser of the latter event for many years.

Having competed successfully in the Karimor, Denis participated in the first three Mourne Mountain Marathons, winning in 1979, 1980 and 1981 in the company of Jim Patterson. He subsequently took on the task of chief organiser. Supported by a loyal team, he made the event a must do annual event for lovers of the mountains. In the 1980s, when tourists were reluctant to come to Northern Ireland Denis had 500+ competitors, most non-local, coming to compete – another fantastic personal triumph. The event has continued to grow and is a permanent fixture in the UK Mountain Running calendar, enjoyed by many from far and wide. I recall one occasion at Meelmore Lodge when Denis fell asleep in the middle of eating a fry! He had been up all night preparing with customary diligence for the departure of the first athletes at shortly after 8am. By the time he made it to the breakfast table tiredness had got the better of him and despite the excellent home cooking he nodded off! An elbow in the ribs from Frank Morgan ended the 40 winks and Denis duly returned to his bacon and eggs as if nothing had happened!

It would be remiss not to give Denis the final word, so I conclude with an extract from Irish Saturday Night in 1980 “If a stockily built lecturer answering to the name of Denis Rankin ever invites you to join him for a run ‘just to keep fit’, either check with a cardiologist or call a policeman”. To quote Denis in the article “It’s the wide open spaces, the rugged terrain and frankly the challenge of the whole idea that holds appeal”.

phil_b · « **Reply #6 on:** May 21, 2013 »

That is a great tribute to the man and im sure if he had had a choice, on top of a mountain would have been the way he would have wanted to go. Rest in peace.

whoRya · « **Reply #7 on:** May 21, 2013 »

Flip, he was my tax lecturer a few years ago. His last class before he retired. He seemed to have loads of interests and was looking forward to a happy fun-filled retirement. The type of retirement that you'd love to set yourself up with. Very sad

Cotswold Outdoor · « **Reply #8 on:** May 22, 2013 »

Regards from us all here at Cotswolds. Very sad news! RIP

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