Irish Mountain
Running Association

Nav Challenge 2 - Glenmacnass Waterfall

Forum Messages

AuthorDateMessage
Gavan DuffyAug 23 2016, 5:53pmAny suggestions on what type of Compass to bring. Should you bring a small running rucksack?
Thanks
Gavan
Joe LalorAug 23 2016, 7:58pmHi Gavan,
Most runners will bring a small rucksack, but it really depends on how competitive you are. A waterproof jacket is mandatory which could be carried around your waist. For sustenance a gel in your pocket would be sufficient. Average finish times on the long course are about 3 hours, so most runners would not need a camel pack. There is be plenty of running water on the course if you are not fussy. The map with routes printed on it is supplied. A compass is handy for orienting the map but I would not be laying out big money on an expensive Silva compass if I had no other plans for it. Use a simple thumb compass or borrow one
Gavan DohertyAug 24 2016, 8:50amHi Gavan,

As Joe says Nav Challenge gear preferences vary, typically with experience/speed. There is a mandatory kit requirement as posted by Aisling, but I'd suggest similar kit to what you'd bring on a long open mountain IMRA race (eg Carrauntoohil, Galtees, Circuit of Glenmalure etc). Those at the front will likely stick to just the mandatory kit, but most may be out for 2+ hours so you should have an idea if you'll need extra food or water. Joe is correct that many Nav Challenges will cross streams, but it's not always guaranteed!

Depending on how new you are to navigating you may also find you're moving more slowly relative to a mountain run, so maybe add in an extra layer. Weather forecast might also influence the extra layer vs extra water (or even sunscreen if lucky!).

Compasses: the most basic/cheapest is probably your best bet. They all point North, not much advantage to be gained by more expensive ones.
In my opinion, compasses should only be used i) to point your map north so you can get a rough idea of your planned trajectory (aka a rough bearing) or ii) for a 'safety bearing' eg you know you're roughly in a certain area but mist has come down and you need to follow a general direction to reach say a road.

I think Andrew's idea of aiming to pair up is a good one, hopefully people will take him up on the suggestion even if just on the day.

Here's hoping for suncreen requirements on Sunday!
Andrew HanneyAug 24 2016, 9:30amIndeed, am running it on Sunday with a club mate (the short course) if anyone wants to go along with us, no problem.
Gavan DuffyAug 27 2016, 9:38pmThank you for the info. See you there tomorrow morning. Gavan
James H CahillAug 28 2016, 4:07pmWell done Aisling, Niamh, Des, James and Tim. Great day out in the hills today. Excellent course. Lots of route choices and delicious sweets and grub afterwards. James and Des - you looked a a little exposed up on Stoneytop....above and beyond the call of duty to wait up there!
Jeff SwordsAug 28 2016, 4:24pmYou thought that was good James? Should have seen the stuff we ate all up before the long course guys got back.


I'll reiterate what James said, thanks to all who had a hand in today's race, another fun day out. Thanks Niamh and Aisling for the baked goods and organisation, Des and James for the marking, and can't forget Paul for the bananas.
Andrew HanneyAug 28 2016, 7:15pmThanks to all the volunteers, it was a great morning in the hills and to come back to banana bread, Rice Krispie cakes and all the other goodies was a superb! Thanks for arranging a river beside the finish line for a cool down afterwards!
Niamh O'CeallaighAug 28 2016, 8:53pmThanks so much Aisling and Co. A great course with lots of options.
Clare KeeleyAug 28 2016, 11:48pmWhat there was banana bread and rice krispie buns at the finish??!! I seriously need to get faster at the nav. (first one-can only improve!) Thank you Aisling and co for a great day in the hills.
Peter BellAug 29 2016, 8:12amWell done aisling and to all the helpers, great course.
John B RiordanAug 29 2016, 9:08amSuper way to spend a Sunday morning even if the tendons only allowed me to do the short. Still, had plenty of time to consider the route choices embedded in the long, of which many hopefully emerged. A lot of thought and behind the scenes work went into this by Aisling and the team. nicely echoed by all above but repeated here happily. Thank you for making my son Eoin so welcome as well, he really enjoyed it (once he abandoned me after 15 minutes of slow walking!). Well done again. John R.
A.T. KellyAug 29 2016, 11:19amThank you all for a wonderful race. Des and James were the real heroes of the day being up top for hours on end, setting the controls and demarking. Thanks also to Niamh back at base who was fantastic (and went to the trouble of making banana bread, really kind of you Niamh!).

The results will be be available in another few days.
Brian FennessyAug 29 2016, 9:00pmAisling well done on Nav Challenge 2 it was super and had a bit of everything in it. A1 RD in the making. Big thanks to James and Des, I heard James laughing on Stoney Top before I saw him through the mist so that made for a great handrail. Both himself and Des were in jovial mode and I even got a taste of Niamhs wonderful baking which kept me going through Barnicullin before I got the last slice back at the finish so thanks Niamh for that. Last but not least thank you Paul Mahon for the bananas which my 4 kids and I enjoyed today for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Finally best of Luck to James Cahill, JB, Peter and Kevin Bell heading off to tackle The Ben next weekend and anyone else for that matter too. Thanks again Aisling for a wonderful day out.