The committee has decided to remove the Denis Rankin Round from ITRA. All future completions will not be submitted to award runner points. (Sometimes known as UTMB points).

Our objective in joining ITRA back in 2016 was to incentivise Irish runners as there were few ITRA points races in Ireland. This has certainly helped with the success of the round. We feel it has served its purpose and the round is now popular enough to sustain itself with runners simply looking to attempt the round in its true spirit; the spirit of a long-distance fell running challenge.

We know that many runners are planning attempts in the months ahead. We look forward to hearing your plans and wish you well in your training.

The committee has also met to discuss when rounds will be allowed post COVID-19 lockdown. Please expect a statement next Monday (8th June).

By: Niall Gibney

20hr 21min

“Why on earth do you want to do it in Winter?”asked my wife, Helen when I broached the idea. “Because no-one else has completed it in Winter,” was my reply, and that more or less set the tone for doing the round. But this time, I’m going anticlockwise!” I added, trying to convey some sort of sensible reasoning/rationale to Helen about my latest mountain running quest.

We expect round attempts will be allowed in the coming months as the lockdown measures relax. Once this is the case, we will post an update to this news feed.

In the meantime, stay safe when you’re in the hills.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the DRR committee recommends postponing round attempts until the current national restrictions on movement have been lifted. Successful rounds will not be ratified during this time.

We would also ask you to review this statement by the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team.

The mountains will still be there when this difficult time has passed. Stay safe.

I get great enjoyment in the planning of challenges like the Rankin round. With living within an hour of the Mourne’s getting out for recce’s was not going to be a problem and as an orienteer spending time looking over the Harvey’s map is a pleasant pastime. My first recce’s were way back in July 2018 when I split the round in two ~40km loops at Loughshannagh. Completing the South West half one day and the North Eastern half three days later (with the exception of Meelbeg and Meelmore). I summed up then that both these sections were very different in nature, the SW less hilly but rougher, but with some fast trail running. While the NE was hillier but well trod with some more technical steep descents.