This report briefly summarises Ireland’s performances in the World Trophy and European mountain running championships during the period 1985-2006. Ireland first competed in the 2nd World Mountain Running Trophy in 1986 in Italy. John Lenihan (5th) and Robin Bryson (12th) led that team to 5th place, and they were subsequently to become our leading exponents of this branch of athletics. Ireland next competed in 1988 in Keswick in England with a full complement of four teams. The women’s team finished 6th led by Ann Reidy in 15th (the best ever female individual placing). Robin Bryson was our highest placed finisher in 11th in the uphill race. In 1989 in France, both senior men’s teams finished 4th , with John Lenihan leading the way home in 6th place in the up and down race. In 1990 the best placed team was 7th out of 21 teams in the men’s uphill race, this time without John and Robin. Colm de Burca was the top placed finisher with a 10th in the junior race followed by Eamonn McMahon (13th in the up and down race). Zermatt in 1991 is the only occasion that Ireland has won medals with John winning the up and down race, and combining with Robin (4th), Tommy Payne (26th), and Eamonn (36th) for the team bronze medals. In Austria in 1992 the top placed team was again in the men’s up and down race (4th) with John leading the way in 6th followed by Eamonn in 12th. Robin also finished 6th that year but this time in the uphill race. Robin had two further top ten performances in the up and down race in 1993 (4th) and 9th in the uphill in 1994 – from 1993 both senior men’s races were combined into one race. The best performance since 1994 was in the junior men’s race in 1996 with Kieran Lynch and Pearse Hickey finishing 10th and 11th and leading the junior men to 6th, our best ever junior team performance. Beth McCluskey finished 35th in Italy in 2001 and this has been the best senior performance since 1994. Among the juniors the best recent placings have been Peter Dalton (21st in 2001), Colm Turner (23rd in 2004), and Ellen Diskin (18th in 2005). The European have not so far proved a successful race with 6th in the men’s race in Wales in 1996 (Robin was 11th), and 23rd by Beth in 2004 being our best performances. Ireland's International Mountain Running Performances