POPULAR northern Ireland running website NIRunning (www.nirunning.co.uk) officially launched their all new Mourne Skyline Mountain-Trail Race this week, and within 48 hours of the announcement, USA international and current Skyrunner World Series Champion Stevie Kremer confirmed that she would be travelling to northern Ireland for the event.
The Mourne Skyline MTR, which will be part of the Skyrunning UK Series, will take place in the Mourne Mountains on Saturday, october 18.
The scenic route will cover 35 kilometres, with 3,370m of ascent. It has been no easy challenge putting together a race in this iconic part of northern Ireland.
"It's been a long process in relation to getting the event off the ground, because of the stunning nature of the course, and the fact that some of it is on protected land," said race director Ryan Maxwell.
"We have been in discussions with various agencies. It has been worth it though as we've got the course we've worked tirelessly to get." on the addition of Stevie Kremer to the line-up, Ryan added: "When we announced the race, we had an incredible response with entries flooding in.
"To now find out that Stevie Kremer will join us for the inaugural event really is the icing on the cake. Racing is about every runner; from first to last. However, elite runners provide inspiration for all of us and Stevie leads by example; she is a role model for Skyrunning and we will be honoured by her presence at our race."
The Mourne Skyline MTR isn't the only event on offer on what will be an atmospheric Skyrunning Weekender for northern Ireland. The Granite Trail Race (GTR), a two-mile uphill only race, will take place on Friday, october 17.
Full details for both events can be found on the official website www. mourneskylinemtr.com