Shimna girls climb every mountain

Last weekend, two Shimna students, Rachel Hodge and Emily McMullan, took part in the Mourne Mountain Marathon, a two-day endurance and navigation event held every September. Working in pairs, teams are required to carry all their own food, camping gear and equipment, navigating between checkpoints using only map and compass. It was a rigorous test of physical fitness, mountain craft and teamwork, with overnight wild camping in the hills.

The event has several classes, covering a range ofdifferent abilities and experience levels. The C Class,which Emily competed in with her father, covered 35km total, climbing to a height of 1,800 metres. Emily came 6th in her class and won 1st prize in adult and junior category. Rachel, also competing with her father, took part in the D class and came 2nd overall. This also involved a distance of 35 km, climbing to a height of 1,600 metres.

For the record, both girls reported for school on Monday.