Fraughen Rock Glen
Forum Messages
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Place | Apr 4 2016, 5:19pm | Hi all, total beginner question here, are maps given out for weekend races? Or do you bring your own? If so, are there map references for particular races. Will start off on the Wednesday nights which I know are marked but just wondering say for the event above. Leinster events mainly. Thanks Gordon |
| Gareth Little | Apr 4 2016, 5:34pm | Hi Gordon, welcome to IMRA. Maps are not given out except for the end of season navigation challenge races, of which there are three. I would recommend you purchase the East/West maps as they cover all of Dublin/Wicklow and are very detailed and a compass too! Needless to say, these will be of little use if you do not know how to use them. Hope this answers your question? Thanks, Gareth |
| Brian O Murchu | Apr 4 2016, 5:34pm | Hi Gordon, The only maps given out are for the Nav Challenge races. Most (if not all) races will have maps on the event details page. The Killiney Relay is an excellent race to start off with, hope to see you there |
| Rachel Cinnsealach | Apr 4 2016, 5:40pm | Hi Gordon, the maps of all the routes are on the website under the event. You can use these maps to see what the route it. I generally recce long routes before the race, so that I have an idea where I'm going on race day. |
| Gordon Place | Apr 4 2016, 8:34pm | Hi, Thanks for the replies. Yes, saw the maps on the event pages, just wasn't sure if you'd need to get a load of maps or if a particular one or two cover most of the Leinster series areas. I'll check out the East/West ones, pick up a compass and figure out how to use them! Thanks again. I'll try and get to Killiney but might start with Bray head. Just did the Bray cliff run and the Debra Wicklow Mountain half a few weeks ago and lost interest in the road! |
| Graham Champ | Apr 10 2016, 7:30pm | What is the thoughts on using a GPS in races? I have one I used for some hiking which is pretty good. Are these allowed in a race, frowned upon or thought to he a good tool to have in the hills? I have found it particularly useful when the clouds rolled in & viability was reduced. |
| Stuart Scott | Apr 11 2016, 9:40am | Hi Graham, As far as I know, there's no rule against using GPS though it does go against the spirit of some of the weekend races and the Nav Challenges in particular. Having said that, as you probably know from hiking they're dangerous things to rely on as the battery will go (or you'll fall in a boghole) when you most need it. Whereas half an hour learning how to get a simple bearing from a map will stand to you forever. The nav in most IMRA races is fairly straightforward and a simple bearing back to the carpark will generally be enough to get you out of trouble. If you ask me or anyone else at the weekend races I'd be happy to give you a few pointers. Alternatively, if you wanted more formal training I'd highly recommend doing a Mountain Skills course. While you're probably a very experienced walker already, you'd be amazed how many other tips and general safety advice you'll pick up. Declan Cunningham and Wayne Jenkins are both excellent and highly experienced instructors if you're interested. Stuart. |
| Gavan Doherty | Apr 12 2016, 8:53am | Hi Gordon, Welcome aboard. I've been involved with the Nav Challenge events mentioned so will chip in... - in general Wednesday nights are marked (no nav), weekend races aren't - oddly enough I've always encouraged GPS at Nav Challenge races (eg see comments about 'GPS units, groups and following' on https://www.imra.ie/events/details/id/1058/). Future Race Directors may not agree, so don't take it as gospel. - I came into hill running from orienteering and I've never seen a map & compass navigator beaten by GPS, so I'd encourage ability to read maps/broadly understand what route you're about to take - I agree with Stuart on relying on GPS (battery, coverage, blind reliance). - if you turn up to an open mountain race with a GPS but no convincing way of describing the route you're planning or how you'll navigate in poor visibility, the RD on the day would question your ability to run and may not let you do so. There's plenty you can do though! - buy maps (personal preference <a href="http://www.eastwestmapping.ie/" target="_blank">EastWest</a> for Wicklow, but there are others) - study them before and after the Wednesday night races; compare to the described route and see if it corresponds fully to the marked route. - try the open mountain races - try the Nav Challenge series - look into parallel events (eg the Mountain Skills or orienteering.ie) See you on the hills. |
| Graham Champ | Apr 12 2016, 1:15pm | Thanks Stuart & Gavin. You are right & blindly following a way-point on a GPS you could find yourself at the top of a cliff with a long walk to get around it. I do find it good for point & go situations though. I am not very experienced in the hills & have room for a lot of improvement. I did some orienteering back when I was in school & have done some sea navigation so have some basics. Have only started mountain running this year & love it so looking to start pushing myself more while staying safe. Are there any IMRA Nav courses or just the Nav races? So far all the races I have done have been so well marked out it would be hard to go wrong. I am looking to do the Tonelagee race as it does not look too difficult for navigation & need to start somewhere. |
| Gavan Doherty | Apr 12 2016, 1:59pm | Hi Graham (and possibly OP Gordon too), There aren't any formal Navigation courses run by IMRA, but the alternatives already outlined would be a good start. Keep your eye on the forum though, some of the experienced heads sometimes put on Nav courses. For Tonelagee it'd be good to get yourself out there for a reconnaissance ('recce') a week or so before the race with your GPS, a good map and a compass. Hopefully this will give you confidence over the route. Cheers, |
| Gareth Little | Apr 12 2016, 2:58pm | Hi Graham, check out this link. The MS course's are lots of fun and you will come away with a lot of new skills. Thanks http://mountaintraining.ie/mountain-skills/ |
| Graham Champ | Apr 12 2016, 5:07pm | Thanks a lot guys. Not much free time for a recce but would be a good idea alright. I will have a look at those courses too. |
| Gordon Place | Apr 12 2016, 5:22pm | Hi All, I actually did get out to Tonelagee for a recce last week. Following the map was easy enough but I guess that is probably an ideal one to start on? I did not however find the route that easy! Was surprised at how difficult it was on the 'open mountain' if that is right description. Extremely wet on St. Kevin's and all across to the lake, even at higher level. And getting up Tonelagee was tough enough. My excuse is I was out running the night before but..... |
| Brian O Murchu | May 23 2016, 11:20am | From Dermot Murphy: I have put my name down as the Shadow race director for this - happy to help out any new Race Director with a relatively easy race to direct! We will need a RD, First Aider, Summit marshal, plus a few more general helpers. |
| Inigo Alana | May 23 2016, 11:25am | Will this be marked or is it free route to Lug? I did a recce of this yesterday and saw a few options, including a group of people going up through an opening in the cliff on the right hand side as you go up. Needless to say it was VERY wet... |
| Brian O Murchu | May 23 2016, 12:53pm | As a rule Leinster Championship races are not marked and runners would be expected to be able to find their way from a published route |
| Inigo Alana | May 24 2016, 9:08am | Thank you, Brian. |
| Brian O Murchu | May 24 2016, 11:06am | Us Killiney relay teammates stick together Inigo:) |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 24 2016, 5:38pm | OK folks, if there is still need for a Race Director for this race I'm gonna put myself up for it unless anyone else wants to do it. I've just done the RD training so this will be my first race to RD so hopefully I'll be able to do it justice. I'll need some volunteers but I'll post all that separately as soon as I've been accepted for the role. |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 24 2016, 9:10pm | Good evening folks, I'm looking for volunteers for Sunday for this fantastic race. I definitely need a first aider, laptop operator, 3 running and 3 non-running volunteers as well as a summit marshal if possible. I will also need someone to do a little bit of marking up through the first section of the course through the gorse up to the fire road. It looks like the weather is going to be warm and hopefully sunny so it should be a nice afternoon out on the hills in one of the most beautiful area's of our country so all help is warmly welcomed and appreciated. If you're in a position to volunteer, please log in and register your interest on the event page in the volunteering section and I'll be in touch towards the end of the week. |
| Mick Hanney | May 24 2016, 9:20pm | Lorcan - I can do that marking near the start section for you. |
| Inigo Alana | May 25 2016, 10:22am | Lorcan, what time would you like the volunteers to be at the start? Just to see if I could make it on time before I offer my services... |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 25 2016, 10:35am | @Mick Hanney Cheers for that Mick,. It's pretty straight forward anyway and a lot running it will know the route from previous years so should be ok. @Inigo Alana I'll be looking for volunteers to arrive by 10:40am. |
| Dermot Murphy | May 25 2016, 2:39pm | Lorcan, if a Lap top operator does not come forward, I will take care of it on the day. Can you just make sure it is fully recharged beforehand? We now have a first aid person - we could do with a summit marshal and a few non runners volunteers to help out with the finish. |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 27 2016, 10:36pm | Hey Folks just putting out another call for volunteers for Fraughen Rock Glen. While I have enough running volunteers I would really like at least one more non-running volunteer to help with results recording, someone to do summit marshal (safety) and a laptop operator. So if you live in the area it's a handy race to volunteer for and get your volunteering numbers up or if you fancy a drive its a lovely part of the world on a sunny Sunday afternoon. So don't be shy and throw your name down! I will be looking for volunteers to arrive around 10:40 or so. There will be an early start at 11:30 strictly for those that predict their finishing times to be greater than 160% of the winning time. I will post the final particulars of the race tomorrow so if you're free to volunteer please sign up! :) |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 27 2016, 10:56pm | For those that are running on Sunday as I'm sure you are all aware IMRA are NO longer accepting MONEY at race meetings. Unless you intend using a race voucher to pay for the race, you will need to REGISTER ON-LINE for the event and for the year if this is your first race this year. If you have bought vouchers on line and are collecting them please bring confirmation of payment. Registration will close at 6PM Saturday evening to allow us print off the list of runners for the race on Sunday. If you want to run and have missed this you can use your or someone else voucher if they are willing. However you will need to be registered for the year( €10 paid on-line). We don't want to see anybody disappointed so make sure you get yourself registered before 6PM tomorrow! |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 27 2016, 10:56pm | For those that are running on Sunday as I'm sure you are all aware IMRA are NO longer accepting MONEY at race meetings. Unless you intend using a race voucher to pay for the race, you will need to REGISTER ON-LINE for the event and for the year if this is your first race this year. If you have bought vouchers on line and are collecting them please bring confirmation of payment. Registration will close at 6PM Saturday evening to allow us print off the list of runners for the race on Sunday. If you want to run and have missed this you can use your or someone else voucher if they are willing. However you will need to be registered for the year( €10 paid on-line). We don't want to see anybody disappointed so make sure you get yourself registered before 6PM tomorrow! |
| Graham K. Bushe | May 28 2016, 3:00pm | Hi, I won't be racing tomorrow, but just wondering if I could get a lift from anyone heading downe early. I'm in kilmac. O86 836 85 OO, thanks, graham |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 28 2016, 4:58pm | Hi Folks – Race Info for tomorrow’s Fraughen Rock Glen Race. The Route will be from Barravore car park to the top of Lugnacoille through the Fraughen Rock Glen and back the same way. Parking is at Barravore carpark and carpooling is highly recommended from Drumgoff or Laragh as Barravore carpark fills very quickly on Sunday mornings with walkers. Please see map in maps section of event page for carpark and race route. The race starts at 12 pm (there will be an early start at 11:30am) Early starts are strictly for those with projected finish times of over 160% of winning time and those doing early start need to sign the early start sheet. Race registration will open at 10:50am and will close at 11:45am sharp to allow us get the laptop ready for the start and running volunteers to get ready themselves to run. If you are pre-registering, PLEASE remember to do so BEFORE 6pm this evening (Saturday) - see notes on FRG event page. If you are new to IMRA races or unsure of the new 2016 registration procedures please review the new registration procedures on the IMRA website. We don’t want to see people turned away at registration. If you have already run this year you will or should have your number with you. Please remember to bring it as you cannot race without it and a replacement will cost you a voucher stamp. SAFETY This is NOT a beginners race. Do not make this race your first mountain race. Try an easier shorter race first. This race is also not suitable for Juniors. Mandatory Kit: A long sleeve wind/waterproof jacket is MANDATORY at all IMRA events and is to be carried at all times during the race. There are no exceptions to this. Those without a jacket will be disqualified. There is a chance of low visibility tomorrow due to low cloud forecast for the morning and the possibility of heavy showers in the afternoon so a map of the race area and compass are mandatory. Other recommended kit include: Hat/Gloves - Bumbag with chocolate/biscuits whichever suits you - Water - Whistle - Mobile Phone. The IMRA emergency race number is printed on the back of each runners race number. This is linked with my (Lorcan’s) phone. This number is for calling only, texts will not be forwarded. Reception is very poor in Glenmalure value so I will be checking for voicemails as regularly as I can. Prize giving will be at the race finish and NOT the Glenmalure Lodge as advertised so make sure to stick about. I hope this covers everything. Really looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow for what promises to be a great race! |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 28 2016, 7:36pm | Early starts are for those around 160% of the winning time as per IMRA rules |
| Karen Devenney | May 29 2016, 7:10pm | Results are up. Any issues, drop me a mail |
| Mick Hanney | May 29 2016, 7:57pm | Thanks Lorcan for RDing today. A great event and very smoothly handled. Sunshine and a cool river at the finish line. Whats not to love about that? Great running by Bernard & co. who also ran Donard yesterday as a warm-up. |
| Pádraig Doyle | May 29 2016, 8:09pm | Despite wanting to turn around and go home for the first hour and a quarter, this was a class race. Thanks Lorcan and crew for a great afternoon... well run. |
| Andrew Hanney | May 29 2016, 8:14pm | Thanks Lorcan and volunteers for a great race, and the fine weather you arranged to minimise the chance of getting lost. Thanks to Mick for marking initial course! |
| James H Cahill | May 29 2016, 8:18pm | Thank you Lorcan and volunteers, especially Brian and lindsey, the non running volunteers for a great day in the hills today. Beautiful weather, great route and very well organized. Thank you for a great day |
| James H Cahill | May 29 2016, 8:18pm | Thank you Lorcan and volunteers, especially Brian and lindsey, the non running volunteers for a great day in the hills today. Beautiful weather, great route and very well organized. Thank you for a great day |
| James H Cahill | May 29 2016, 8:18pm | Thank you Lorcan and volunteers, especially Brian and lindsey, the non running volunteers for a great day in the hills today. Beautiful weather, great route and very well organized. Thank you for a great day |
| Gareth Shaw | May 29 2016, 9:39pm | Thank you Lorcan all the volunteers. What a fabulous day, and a great race! |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 29 2016, 9:50pm | Hey Folks, glad to hear that people enjoyed the race and good weather today. I really enjoyed the experience and I just want to say a massive thanks to all volunteers, especially Lindsey and Brian who made the race possible coming from Dublin to put in a day of non-running volunteering. I have a confession for you both, I made a big boo boo, I meant to get both of you to pick a prize from the raffle and in my haste it slipped my mind so I owe both of you a spot prize and my apologies! A big congratulations to Bernard and Becky taking 1st place in male and female categories and to those who placed and took part in a great race in a stunningly beautiful part of our country! See you all next time :) |
| Lorcan Farrell | May 29 2016, 10:58pm | Also a big shout out to Padraig and Gordon who I volunteered/commandeered to de-mark the stretch of the start/finished that was marked. Thank you! |
| Dermot Murphy | Jun 3 2016, 7:47pm | Report now up. |
