Wicklow Glacier Lakes (solo)
Forum Messages
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Alice Clancy | Mar 20 2025, 7:32pm | Hi All, I’m planning some recces of the Glacier Lakes solo/relay routes over the next few weekends...All speeds and navigational levels welcome! If you’d like to join, text me on oh-8-six 3-four-3_9-I-5-six and I’ll add you to the WhatsApp group A Ps the forest at Drumgoff below Kelly’s Lough is closed for a rally on Sunday 23rd so no leg 3 recces that day! |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 7 2025, 12:59pm | And its open!!! Entries to the Wicklow Glacier Lakes that is, with teams and solo runners already queuing up . Where you get the chance to run to the bottom instead of the top. (Technically its a flooded depression in the land, created by a Glacier) Looking forward to a great day NOT getting lost in the mountains. |
| Brian Hourigan | Apr 15 2025, 11:41pm | Hi all, I hope everyone is enjoying the running season so far. I’m considering participating in this race and plan to solo recce the route this Friday. However, I have some questions about the staggered/chasing start times that I’d appreciate your perspective on. I understand I will be assigned a start time of 9:40am based on my age and gender but I think this is overlooking the effect this has on slower runners within the perceived faster brackets (M Senior/M40). Looking at my IMRA results, I typically finish in the 170-190% range of the winning time (e.g. 190% in the 2025 Maurice Mullins 50K). Based on past race results, I estimate my finish time for this event to be around 8.5–9.5 hours, meaning I’d likely be chasing cutoffs and finishing near or after 6 PM. I’ve been working hard to improve my open mountain running and see this race as a key milestone in my progress - if you look at my results from 2023 onwards I have been steadily improving each race. Could you share the reasoning behind the current start time structure and how it’s determined? Additionally, would it be possible to consider individual runner history (like past and recent results) when assigning start times? Thanks for your time—I really appreciate the work that goes into organising these events and just want to ensure I’m setting myself up for the best possible experience. Brian |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 16 2025, 4:14pm | HI Brian, Thanks for the post. The rationale behind the staggered times, dates back to the creation of the race, when it was set up as a relay race. Instead of mandating a team of mixed abilities (as in the Wicklow Way Relay) an alternate time handicap was implemented. This also promotes a tighter finish, with even the possibility of a sprint :). With the winner the first across the line even if they had taken longer to complete the course.. The handicap was then carried over to the solo version. With regards to cut off times, in the interest of safety and fairness to both competitors and volunteers I believe ~200% is a good compromise. For individual startimes and the possibility of an early start. This is at the discretion of the race director- however any early start time prior to the assigned start time would mean the runner wouldn’t be eligible for a placed finished. Regards Eoin. |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 16 2025, 4:19pm | HI All, Just a reminder that entries close for the WGL on (Good) Friday 18th @ 18:00. Eoin. |
| Rachel Harney | Apr 16 2025, 8:22pm | Hi Eoin, Brian won't mind me saying this I hope (we're a couple), but for the sake of a healthy debate :-) (Imra members like to challenge the norm!), Brian is a slightly slower runner than me. Last year it took me 1hr 56mins to do leg 1 of glacier lakes. I started at 9am, so was within the cutoff time of 11:30am to start leg 2. Brian's gender and age put him at a start time of 9:40, leaving him only 1hr 50mins to complete leg 1. Nice suggestion about race directors discretion to give an early start possibly. Worth a think about before entries close on Friday. Thanks. |
| John Bell | Apr 16 2025, 9:52pm | The cut off times are primarily set so that volunteers don't need to hang around too long. They are set something along the lines of 160% of the typical fastest times per leg, but that csn vary a lot each year. A runner who is usually slower than 160% and who doesn't get time bonuses would then struggle to get through the check points on time. For someone who is typical +160% taking an early start, and therefore not in the running for podium places, seems fair and gives them a better chance of getting round. I think that this should be at the RDs discretion to decide. As usual with these open mountain races it is the individuals responsibility to know their limits in terms of navigation and distances. No problem to you Brian after the Maurice Mullins and a couple of Nav events. |
| Brian Hourigan | Apr 17 2025, 12:57pm | Hi all. Thanks for confirming. If I could avail of a slightly earlier start time on the day that would be a preference of mine. Regarding me placing there is more chance of finding a pot of gold in art's lough or getting milk from a bull than that ever happening so I am fine with the constraint that I cannot place :) . I had looked at last years results and some of the guys who were M/M40 that ran at 160% were very close to cut off times (which is what I'd like to avoid) given my own usual finish % hence my request. If it works out that I cannot be given the early start time I'll just try to follow John Bell until I get lost and get a taxi home from Blessington. Thanks Brian |
| Oisin Cawley | Apr 17 2025, 1:14pm | Hi all. I'm in for the solo again this year so please have the same weather ready, thanks. Could someone also please confirm the rules around drop bags? I got scolded last year for packing the kitchen sink in :) Thanks a mill. |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 17 2025, 1:18pm | HI All, First cut off time has been changed to 12:00. The later cut off times will not be changed, Brian, if you want to email me directly you can at esyron at gmail dot com Eoin |
| Brian Hourigan | Apr 17 2025, 1:19pm | by the way, if anyone is interested I will be doing a recce tomorrow(Friday 18th) from Glenmalure Hostel (CP2) to the end starting at 8:30am by the hostel and hoping to finish by 3:30pm in Glendalough. The only drawbacks are it's going to be bucketing rain and you will have to listen to me yap for a few hours. |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 17 2025, 3:06pm | Hi All, Regarding bag drops. Competitors can leave a small bag with the RD (me) at the beginning of the race to be brought to the CPs. We cannot guarantee that the bags will make it back to the finish so don't put any thing of value in there. Please also label at which CP you want the bag left. Eoin |
| Sean Forsyth | Apr 18 2025, 10:36am | Hi Eoin, just checking to see if there will be water at the checkpoints? Thanks Sean |
| Brian Hourigan | Apr 18 2025, 8:12pm | Today I recce’d this. You may ask yourself “Is he stupid?”. The answer is yes! As you’d expect from looking at the weather outside, it was a deeply uninspiring 6 hour misadventure into the wetlands of Wicklow. It was not until I got back to civilization - shattered, saturated, with a water-dead phone in hand, holding a map moonlighting as a mush of green paper-mache, missing a compass and quietly suffering from onset PTSD - did I realize that Orange is apparently the new Yellow. In fact, as the misadventure wore on that orange rain turned to blood-orange rain. The day got off to an inauspicious start to say the least, I was not able to cross that bloody stream (today a full on fast flowing river) for the approach to Art's Lough -an hour of scouting up and down the 'river' and going chest deep in it proved futile. I tried to cross at least half a dozen times but either got pushed over into the water by the speed of it or lost footing while wading chest deep so had to turn back. Maybe it wasn't so bad and I'm just shite at river crossings. Who knows? Though the lad I met near Glenmalure Hostel who had abandoned his hike to Lugnaquilla did show disbelief when told of my morning plans and subsequent tribulations. I honestly think there is a crossing somewhere close to the normal crossing that is probably fine and most people know it, I as a novice just couldn’t find it. I bailed on CP2 and off I went down the road like a newborn lamb to start CP3 but then I had the great idea to un-bail on my bailing. I had come to navigate Arts to Kellys specifically and I was already thoroughly waterloogged (the extra o for the noises I made when getting wet) so why not do a bit of problem solving and somehow get up there? I checked my map - aha! There it was, an alternate route further down along (close to Ballinafunshogue Waterfalls) which are some fire roads that zig zag and fold back to get up to Art's Lough. This itself in the conditions was a mental and physical drag even taking into account cutting shortcuts through felled trees. This gave way to the forest and open ground perpendicular to the normal climb to Art's Lough - as you'd probably expect by now it was effectively a swamp though it wasn’t actually as bad as I expected. However, in hindsight, I knew that I should have done better at the crossing and avoided these shenanigans. I stupidly thought that at least getting to Art's would be worth it for the picturesque splendor of the lough - in reality on this day, it looked like a damp fart of a pond shrouded in a blanket of thick mist and rain. Arts to Kelly's lough was 'relatively' fine for the lack of sight where I followed the route Peak Fitness took last year. It wasn't direct, but it did avoid a lot of climbing which, serendipitously, I couldn't afford to do anyway on slippery rocks in poor conditions. Kelly's Lough! I spied from a distance on my approach around the contours however it turned out that it was not a lake at the bottom of the valley but a big old wet rock 150 metres in front of me. "Ah sure look" I sarcastically thought; this place is mocking me. I took a direct line to the river below and navigated back to Kelly’s Lough (around 600 metres) as I lost the line I was taking while recovering from a bum slide down the contours. The eastern forest road leading away from Kelly's Lough towards Glenmalure was now a river with streams flooding down the forest - runnable? Sure why not? Really? Nah, Wadable most likely. Most of the rest of the terrain was either big sprouting heather/gorse/crap stuff or wetter than wet bog. I even spotted some ice at some points around the southwestern side of Clohernagh Mountain. Maybe my brain just put them there to add a bit of spice to the absurdity All in all - made it back in one piece with missing, mangled or maligned equipment. The key takeaways from today's ludicrosity: 1) Just because something says it's waterproof doesn't mean it's Wicklow waterproof. 2) It's actually good craic when you accidentally bum slide down contours on waterlogged terrain for 20 feet. 3) It might have been Good Friday when Jesus was crucified on a hill, but at least it wasn't raining 4) Apparently I am still doing this race. See you all next week I hope! |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 18 2025, 9:04pm | Hi Seán, Judging by Brian's post there will be plenty of water at CP and everywhere else as well. There will also be drinking water at CP. Don't forget your compulsory kit. Everyone will be checked. Eoin |
| Andy Keeling | Apr 19 2025, 6:26am | If it makes you feel any better Brian, I've had a similar experience with river crossings. After a lot of rain (like we had over the last few days) streams up in the hills that you could usually stepping stone across or leap in one go can become pretty intimidating and dangerous, especially if you're out there on your own. You probably did the right thing aborting the crossing. |
| Marie Léoutre | Apr 19 2025, 9:57pm | Hi, just wondering if it's ok to mark one's map? Thanks |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 19 2025, 11:07pm | HI For this race its ok to have marked maps. The points are not changing. Lots of reports of swollen rivers and wet bog. Weather during the week looks a little calmer than this weekend so lets hope the torrents subside. Start times as I have them so far. Let me know if you see any error esyron at gmail dot c o m 08:40:00 Andy owens 08:40:00 Billy Reed 08:40:00 Colm Newport 08:40:00 nicola cleary 09:00:00 Alice Clancy 09:00:00 Avril Challoner 09:00:00 Nicola Soraghan 09:00:00 Rachel Harney 09:20:00 Andre Van Barneveld 09:20:00 Brian hutchinson 09:20:00 Noel Donohoe 09:20:00 Oisin Cawley 09:20:00 Graham K. Bushe 09:20:00 Karl Richards 09:20:00 Stéphane Claude 09:40:00 Adrian Hennessy 09:40:00 Alex Lee 09:40:00 Brian Eastwood 09:40:00 Brian Hourigan 09:40:00 Charles Burgess 09:40:00 Declan McInerney 09:40:00 Derek Hay 09:40:00 Derek Lawlor 09:40:00 Eoin Phelan 09:40:00 Giraud Sebastien 09:40:00 Owen Fenton 09:40:00 Sean Forsyth 09:40:00 Seán Meehan 09:40:00 Stephen Murphy 09:40:00 Tom Lalor |
| Stephen Murphy | Apr 22 2025, 9:36am | Hi, Are poles allowed? Thanks |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 22 2025, 5:56pm | HI Stephen The IMRA policy is as follows For safety reasons given the varied nature of IMRA race routes, including early start and short course options, along with the numbers of participants, trekking poles are not allowed in races under 50 km. Exceptions to this rule will apply to distances more than 10k AND where the course elevation is above 500 m. Even in races where the use of poles are permitted, poles must be folded away in crowded situations such as the race start, or on narrow sections where other runners are trying to pass. The onus is on the user of the poles to use them safely and avoid injury to others. As this race is BOTH over 10KM and > 500M elevation it is an exception to the "No Poles under 50KM " rule. So yes you can use poles with due caution. |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 22 2025, 5:58pm | Any other helpers available for WGL on Saturday? If you are supporting a runner or team and can spare an hour or two it would be much appreciated. |
| Andre Van Barneveld | Apr 23 2025, 3:14pm | I'm injured so won't be running, have volunteered instead, cheers |
| Stéphane Claude | Apr 25 2025, 10:52am | Hi Eoin, is there a primal tracker for friends to dot watch and potentially retrieve us for this event? |
| Brian Hourigan | Apr 25 2025, 12:32pm | Hi Stéphane. This is what I found on the primal tracking site https://live.primaltracking.com/glacierlakes25/ Brian |
| Colm Newport | Apr 25 2025, 1:52pm | Hi Eoin. Due to unforseen circumstances I can't run tomorrow. Good luck to you and all involved. Colm newport. |
| Karl Richards | Apr 25 2025, 5:24pm | Hi Eoin sorry for asking but will there be any drinking water available at the control points. Thanks. Looking forward to tomorrow and the weather is looking ok too! |
| Alex Lee | Apr 25 2025, 8:38pm | Hi, I’m just wondering what time I need to be there to register, my start time is 9.40 Thank you in advance |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 25 2025, 9:01pm | Hi All, There will be some (limited) water available at all CPs along with some snacks. We will bring non recoverable drop bags from the start to each control point. Registration will open at 8am you should be there minimum of 15 mins before your start time for kit check and tracker collection See you all in the morning Eoin |
| Stéphane Claude | Apr 26 2025, 7:11pm | Hi Eoin, I stupidly left my phone in Rachel's car after getting the lift. Please call Marie at zero eight 5 85 three eight one zero 8. Thanks a bunch |
| Sean Forsyth | Apr 26 2025, 9:32pm | Thanks Eoin so much for a great day out. An unbelievable race, some of the toughest terrain I've been on. Great craic out on course and at the checkpoints. A huge thanks to the volunteers, always had a smile and really helpful. Great to meet other runners..when I did meet them:). A fantastic race and day out |
| nicola cleary | Apr 27 2025, 9:22am | Thank you Eoin, Lillian and team for an absolutely fantastic race! It had it's moments but a brilliant day all in all. |
| Alice Clancy | Apr 27 2025, 11:29am | Thank you to Eoin, Lillian and all of the lovely volunteer Glacier Lakes crew for such a lovely day yesterday!! We all appreciated you giving up your Saturday to let us have fun in the hills. That was an epic day of hot sun, deep sinky runner-sucking bog and beautiful beautiful scenery. Eoin, whatever God or how many Gods you prayed to for the weather paid dividends…That felt like the first real day of the summer yesterday. My legs are destroyed from being continually sucked into the bog and torn to shreds from the gorse and heather (route choice on the un-recce-d leg 4 was…..questionable), but the feeling of having managed to get around the course and enjoy it transcends it all. The volunteers at each checkpoint were so supportive and smiley… made keeping going an option…thank you! Thanks also and a huge well done to Nicola C, Nicola S, Avril and Rachel…the camaraderie and competition in the women’s race was excellent!! Starting off together and having the chats was a lovely way to start the race….watching Nicola S saunter up to Art’s Lough as though there was no climb and getting ‘encouraged’ by Avril into a sprint finish has inspired me for next year…..and speaking of which - if any of the above whets your interest….how about going for it next year? I ran the relay for years and never thought I could manage the full distance…but it’s amazing what a few recces and a bit of encouragement can do! I’ll set up another recce group next year, and would love to encourage more people to try this one! PS In the excitement, I managed to lose my jacket which was strapped to the back of my backpack…Its an olive green colombia outdry which was rolled into a black mesh pocket that looks a bit like like a large pencil case….I’ve managed to narrow it down to having lost it on leg 3 or 4, as I had it on my back at CP2 (barravore hostel). If anyone remembers seeing it on my backpack after that or has any photos, let me know, it’ll help me narrow the search! |
| Noel Donohoe | Apr 27 2025, 11:31am | Thanks everyone. Lessons learned. Some good some not to be repeated. Found extra lakes but avoided jumping in with the heat. Some interesting and brave routes taken by all. |
| Owen Fenton | Apr 27 2025, 5:58pm | Wonderful day touching lakes and being around the best people. Thank you Eoin and crew and all volunteers who really made the day a fab one. |
| Declan McInerney | Apr 27 2025, 6:17pm | Thank you very much to Eoin, Lillian and all the volunteers for a fantatstic day out on the hills, hugely enjoyable and great crack all the way around!!! A long day for the volunteers, thanks again. |
| Adrian Hennessy | Apr 27 2025, 7:15pm | Thanks Eoin, Lillian and crew for putting in such a long day for a great race. |
| Eoin Syron | Apr 27 2025, 9:53pm | HI All, Thanks to all volunteers, Runners, supports, Weather Gods, and every one who knows me. ;) The results have been sent to the IMRA chiefs for verification but a sneak preview. A Point to note, race time is time from official start @ 9:40 until the runner crossed the line. Race time Number Name 04:42:30 571 Billy Reed 05:10 1205 Giraud Sebastien 05:25:38 1207 Adrian Hennessy 05:42:13 850 Graham K. Bushe 05:50:31 1203 nicola cleary 06:03:43 340 Nicola Soraghan 06:22:33 2870 Noel Donohoe 06:22:50 2634 Alice Clancy 06:22:53 1204 Avril Challoner 06:40:28 159 Andy owens 06:59:50 3192 Charles Burgess 07:20:13 618 Rachel Harney 07:30:35 560 Stéphane Claude 07:31:11 2628 Brian Eastwood 07:31:11 3232 Derek Hay 07:31:11 304 Sean Forsyth 07:49:20 3550 Karl Richards 07:49:20 1206 Owen Fenton 08:21:30 386 Declan McInerney DNF 3215 Alex Lee DNS 4533 Andre Van Barneveld DNF 893 Brian Hourigan DNS 674 Brian hutchinson DNS 1022 Colm Newport DNF 1202 Derek Lawlor DNF 3209 Eoin Phelan DNS 871 Oisin Cawley DNS 3246 Seán Meehan DNF 963 Stephen Murphy DNF 722 Tom Lalor Stay safe in the hills- Nanoo- nanoo |
| Karl Richards | Apr 27 2025, 11:02pm | Thanks Eoin and all the volunteers. It’s was a super adventure and the weather couldn’t have been better. Really enjoyed it! Thank you. |
| Nicola Soraghan | Apr 27 2025, 11:14pm | A huge thank you to Eoin, Lillian and the volunteers for such a well organised and enjoyable event. To the other ladies, it was a joy to get to run with you all and learn from you along the way. Thanks also to all those who ran in front of me and showed me the way when I likely would have gone wrong! A lot more navigation practice to do and I can’t wait to get back out there. Please get in touch if you fancy a day out in the hills over the coming months. Maybe I’ll even avoid swimming in Lough Firrib next time. |
| Giraud Sebastien | Apr 29 2025, 8:46am | Thanks Eoin, Lillian and the volunteers for looking after us. Always a pleasure to run the beautiful hills of Wicklow, even more when the weather is stunning! |
| Jeff Swords | Apr 29 2025, 11:09am | Solo results are up, email IMRAResults at gmail dot com if there's any issues. |
