Slí Gaeltacht Mhúscraí Ultra
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Slí Gaeltacht Mhúscraí Ultra Race Report
24 March, 2018 - Joe O'Leary
I’d been looking forward to doing the Sli since last October when i was planning out my year ahead. Even gave up a Spanish Mtb trip for it! I was gutted at the end of January when i decided i couldn’t do it due to a knee injury that keep recurring on runs over 20k. I consoled myself that now i get to go to Spain, but no such luck as it was booked out. Plan C, the half!In the meantime i kept running and managed 35k with Tina and Mark with no pain so things were looking up. I was regretting my decision but had to think long term to Chamonix in June and KWU in September. On comes the Beast from the East and cancelled everyone's plans, the Sli,bread deliveries and Spain! Rob rang a couple weeks before rescheduled ultra and mentioned i was still entered in the ultra,which one was i doing? After thinking about it over a few pints and a nights sleep i said to feck with it and reentered the Sli! Having totted up the previous weeks running distance, it came to an inspiring 72km,so no excuse. What mileage i had in my legs would just have to suffice.
Race day flew around and after rising at 4.30am, i headed for Millstreet after the porridge. Rob and Matthew and crew were well set up and sign-on was quick and efficient. I wish i was as efficient as twas only when about to depart on the bus that Brian told me that i forgot the Tailwind he brought for me. Again “ah feck it twill be grand” was uttered and off we went for the worryingly long ride to Kealkill. We must be nuts!
A short, very self conscious workout with my elastic bands preceded the start , “glute activation”. Seems all my injuries come from my arse!
Anyway off we went, the opposite direction that i had thought, and tried to settle in. The first few km were torture, even going handy, and i was regretting it already. Dave commented on feeling the same so soon enough we settled in and started enjoying the race. By this time, Michael, Mike and John were up the road like greyhounds and i was happy to let them off. Soon Donnacha headed after them but on the first big boggy climb we joined him again. Brian set a blistering pace down into Gougane Barra , not even stopping to hug Valerie! At the first CP there was no sign of the front 3 and we stopped to chat with Pat Rodgers, Eddie and Rob. Great to see friendly faces.
Off we went into the longest road i’ve ever run it seemed, with Dave and Brian for company. We thought we’d run with Michael for a bit after catching him maybe 7k in, but he was happy to leave us off and wished us good luck. The most surreal moment was to follow in Ballingeary, as they parted the barriers to leave us run in the St.Patrick's Day parade! A few waves and high-5s later and we were onto CP2 and the welcome sight of Dave Bosonnet. Remembering our Swiss time wasting at CP’s , i was eager to head away and off we went onto more road then into some fields by a river. This is where we caught sight of Thomas coming up quick from behind and soon after passed us like a train. That’s it now says i, we’ll just enjoy the rest of the race under no pressure of silly things like podiums! That was until we rounded a corner not far after and spotted John being passed by Thomas.Out came my competitive side. After a brief chat with John ,i set out after Tomas who i could still see ahead but to my dismay, saw my two Cork buddies falling behind as i looked back from a stile. I made the decision to keep going and shur if i needed to slow down for a dose of humble pie later, then so be it.We'd have a good laugh about it anyway. I couldn’t gain on Thomas however without pushing harder then i wanted, so i just followed maybe 50metres back. We met a sheep herd soon after and i asked if twas alright to run past. Fire away, says the farmer,then something about waiting at end of the road. We ran along after the sheep for maybe 700 metres and i started to worry about what he meant about waiting at the end of the road! Was i supposed to wait with the sheep or what? I wasn’t thinking clearly i reckon. I caught up to Thomas here and he reckoned it was as busy as New York City. Sheep wire across the road saw the nimble woolly jumpers head away their own way.Then, we came across Mike. As Thomas powered on at a fast pace, i said feck it, leave him off, as there was no way i was going running that fast. Mike turned out to be a welcome break from the trudging and i settled at his pace which was perfect for me. The long descent into Ballyvourney wasn’t so bad now and the final manned CP loomed. It was a welcome interlude to chat with the CP crew and Eddie excelled in helping fill bottles.
This part i had recced and headed off with body feeling good and knowing the worst was behind me. I had to leave Mike soon after and headed away up the hill power walking. No sign of Thomas. At the 21k to go mark, at the famous field, i spotted him jumping over the stile up top. Closer than i thought but i still had to go the long way around the field so forgot about him again. There was nice running after and i settled back down having given up on Tomas and delighted to be in 2nd place! Who would have thought!! Now to keep it. The wind turbine roads were torture and seemed never ending. Christ i’ve never ran so much in my life! Had they been that long on the recce? Did i miss a turn? Feck it anyway if i did! I nibbled on jellybeans and Origin bar and continued on . It was definitely my lowest point even though i felt pretty well, but my mind was wandering to negative thoughts. Then i spotted Thomas. He still seemed impossibly far way but after a couple of km i thought he was closer. No panic i reckoned, we’ll start the race at bottom of Claragh. However as soon as the road ending i found myself on him almost immediately and after running with him for a bit over the boggy stuff, i decided to chance my arm and pulled away down the double track to the lorry trailer at a comfortable pace. I was in the lead! Ok, Tom Blackburn or Barry weren't there but i was still in the lead! Or at least i thought i was. I asked Mark at the junction who misheard me and said down the hill to the right or something.So i kept a comfortable pace ,ran flats and downhills to finally arrive at the horrible downhill bit where i always get caught on the Claragh race! Slow down i muttered but i had a rhythm at that stage. On up the most horrible hill in munster to the finish at the Sli sign where Rob informed me that i had indeed won! Delighted is not the word for it! Thanks to all that helped, it really means alot to see friendly faces. Thanks to Kerry,Mhuscrai and Beara trail runners, all the organisers and volunteers. It was a very well run event and i know the hard work ye put into it. Congratulations to Thomas and Mike and watch out for Brain and Dave next year! Eddie Birmingham has already committed to entering again he told me. He’s hooked on ultras.
I can honestly say that i enjoyed every minute of the run,some minutes more then others, but enjoyed them all. Glad to finish relatively injury free and hope to tackle Ballyhoura, where all this long distance lark started for me with my first half marathon 2 years ago. For anyone that’s interested, i went through 7 500ml bottles with a zero tab and Dioralyte sachet in each, 2 Origin bars,a bannanana,1 protein bar from Daves stash, 2 caramel wafer bars, half bag of jellybeans and a wee aldi snickers from a checkpoint. I think. Wore Kilians SGs throughout, AK series ultra vest. No sticks.What would i do different? Take Tailwind! Eat more fruit. Download the gpx for peace of mind. 4hrs 53 ascent time and 2hrs 54 descending.
Oh and special thanks to Michael Killkelly who bought me the Coke and Wispa bar at the finish! I never ate or drank anything sooo nice. Joe
Sarah Brady
22 March, 2018
Slí Gaeltacht Mhúscraí Ultra Race Report – Part 3 of the Diary of a Mediocre Ultra RunnerQuick update first on all that’s happened since my last race report:
I had a disastrous end to 2017. I got a chest infection while training for a fast marathon and it just would not go away. I was sick most of the time for about two months, and running myself into the ground trying to train through it. In the end I had no choice but to hit the reset button and take two months off.
I came back stronger from the rest at the beginning of January and quickly built up the miles. I have a couple of big goals for this year that involve kicking my endurance up a gear – and making the transition from ‘ultra chancer’ to ‘ultra runner’. I got in a few training races in January and February, but I was eager to go in all-guns-blazing in the Slí and had never felt more ready for a race. Don was already signed up to run it as part of his Ireland Way prep, so I was delighted when he said he would run with me.
Got off the bus in Kealkill on race morning, the usual bag of nerves. As regards the women’s race, I knew Jackie T was the one to watch. She is an awesome runner and faster than me on good ground – but this West Cork bog was anything but good ground, so I might still have a shot!
We started off at a conservative pace around the middle of the pack. Don had to hold me back a few times, as I was much too excited!
The first 16km to CP1 at Gougane Barra had a nice bit of climb, was a bit of a mud-fest, and a near white-out at the top. We caught up with Jason Dowling in the fog and the lads chatted away while I did my best not to creel myself over mucky sink-holes and slippy rocks – swearing like a trooper all the while.
Apart from the tricky terrain, there were some fab views on this section, and a lovely descent into Gougane Barra. At CP1 I was way ahead of my planned time/pace, but I didn’t feel like I was overcooking it – I was super comfortable and having a fantastic time!
A few km later I had to ask Don to slow down – it was his turn to be too excited! We were just 20km in and I wasn’t dying yet, but wanted to keep it that way. We eased back the pace but were still covering the course far quicker than I had anticipated, and picking off other runners along the way, when we got into the Ballingeary checkpoint at 29km. Crowds were lining the street ready for the Paddy’s Day parade that was about to start and they cheered as we ran through, which made me chuckle.
The next milestone to aim for was Ballyvourney at 49km, where my drop bag full of goodies was. A lot of the trail leading up to that reminded me of the least fun section of the Wicklow Way – Ironbridge to Dying Cow – long hilly road sections and endless wet fields. There were no major climbs on this section, but it was relentless. The wet ground was sucking all the energy out of my legs, but it wasn’t like trudging up a hill, where at least you are rewarded with a fast run down the other side.
I was getting frustrated with myself for having to take walk-breaks – what farmer’s daughter worth her salts can’t run across a field of sheep? I was also starting to get horrible twitchy cramps in my calves and that fuzzy brain feeling you get when you’re dehydrated or running a bit low on sodium. I was struggling through this slump when we magically stumbled upon one of the ‘unmanned aid-stations’ – basically a stack of goodies placed on the side of the road by the lovely volunteers. It was like finding treasure. I shoved a bag of salt and vinegar crisps in my face and a couple of little bars of chocolate, and five minutes later I was a new woman!
Jason had caught up and passed us during my little slump, but we were reunited at the checkpoint in Ballyvourney – little over a half marathon to go.
I met last year’s winner, Linda O’Connor, here and grilled her on what to expect, as from what I’d heard the biggest climbs were on this last bit. But after hours of trudging across fields, I was ready to embrace some mountains.
The section delivered on promise! I had no idea where we were positioned in the race really, other than we were ahead of the other women. Around the wind turbines we weren’t super sure if we’d missed a turn, so this was why I looked at the tracker link for the first time, and saw in the process that we were joint 10th overall – deadly! The clock was also looking really good for beating the female course record of nine hours 53 minutes.
We got to some fire-roady type stuff with 8k to go and I dropped the hammer and flew it, at probably something like half marathon pace for a couple of ks. It felt amazing. I was getting a little teary with joy at this stage. It wasn’t because I was doing well in this race, but because my body was allowing me to do this after 64km and that is fairly frickin awesome. Autumn/winter last year was so hard as I really thought I’d lost my mojo, so it was so good to be back on form, mojo stronger than ever.
With around 5k to go and the end in sight, I rounded a corner to be greeted by a bad surprise and a good surprise.
Bad surprise: The trail was leading us off the road and back up a bloody mountain. We had wrongly assumed it was downhill road to the finish.
Good surprise: There were two more dudes just up ahead, who we were closing on.
I passed the first one on the climb – he was a bit shook – but the other disappeared from view until we started to close on him again about 1.5km from the finish. He was just 100m in front for a long time and Don gave me the nudge to try pass him. I gave it a bash, but just didn’t have it in me, and the effort of trying drained my last drop of energy. So, it was a very shook but happy Sarah who touched the sign in Millstreet, nine hours and one minute after leaving Kealkill. First lady, ninth position overall out of 44 runners and a female course record.
Dee Boland and Liam Vines were there to greet us at the finish, having run the half marathon, and there followed a lovely evening in Millstreet drinking pints and eating chips.
Anyhoodles, I’ve concluded that it takes a couple of years to make an ultra runner. For me it’s all just starting to click into place, and I’m very excited about what’s to come.
Sli Gaeltacht Mhuscrai Ultra Report 2018 Tina Reed
19 March, 2018 - Tina Reed
Delighted with 3rd woman (out of 4 of us! ) and 33 out of 46 overall, in a very tough 45 mile race today. Actually managed to go wrong in the wind farm section and add on 3 miles and probably 40 minutes (and maybe 7 places) , with a bit of faffing whilst figuring out where we were. I was running in a group of 3 at this point and we made the classic mistake of chatting and missing a turning in an area I've run 4 times before without going wrong... It was bitterly cold up there, and a spot that can only be described as bleak at the best of times. We got very cold very quickly and I put on all my extra layers and still felt freezing. Major low point, but we kept going, the only way to get warm! Very muddy generally after all the rain, and some places you could only plough through swamp, there was no getting round!I did the whole thing on 3 Origin Bars, (fantastic and made locally) and amused myself thinking they were elfin lembas bread and I was in lord of the rings... Eating is always tricky for me in races, but so important and I should have forced down a bit more really because I know my energy levels were getting low at the end. I had High Five in the bladder but made a big mistake damaging the nozzle pre-race (trying to get that black stuff off!). So it leaked sticky stuff all the way round, and was dripping down my jacket, up the sleeve and everywhere! I wore innovate mud claws over Gougane Barra, and they were great for extra grip, but I was very happy to change to the Sportiva trail shoes after Gougane which I love. I used poles in the hilliest sections at the start and finish, and I find they definitively help with balance in the mud and taking some of the effort on your arms.
So I'm running 12 years now, and definitely at my fittest and fastest. I finished today's race in the same time as last year, but with the extra mileage done it was effectively a 45 minute improvement.
My master plan this year is my nemesis, the Kerry Way Ultra, a brutal race of 123 miles in September. I've decided that fitness is the key, Wednesday night hill repeats and group runs that push you more than you'd like. That combined with a pilates session that I've just joined with the Celtic warrior women in Glen Flesk!
So a great day out, and huge thanks as ever to the race directors and volunteers who put in massive work in the planning and on the day. Thanks also to my brilliant hubby Pat Rodgers who managed CP1 and met me at various stages along the route with encouragement and support.
I'm absolutely delighted with my result, really enjoyed all the chats and camaraderie along the way, the tea and curry at the finish, and most of all at 51 I'm ecstatic to discover that age doesn't mean slowing down!!
SGMU 2018 - Too Much Time on a Bank Holiday Monday Race Report
19 March, 2018 - Mike Jordan
Originally scheduled for March 3rd, the snows and winds of Storm Emma and the Beast from the East meant the 2018 edition of the Slí Gaeltacht Mhuscraí Ultra was changed to St. Patrick's Day.I arrived in Millstreet not long after 6am. Runners and helpers were milling around the carpark and GAA hall. Drop bags dropped, full kit checked, GPS trackers assigned, and in no time we were on the bus to Kealkill. Seeing as we were up early anyway, myself and Jason used the bus journey to get in our entries to the Mourne Skyline race when the online entries opened at 7am. A small delay at the start meant there was time for some chats and I noted that it wasn't as cold as I was expecting at this stage but the forecast was for temperatures to drop as the day went on. A short briefing from RD Rob and we set off at 8:10am.
Start to CP1: Down the first road from Carriganass Castle and Duncan almost took the wrong turn at the first junction (there were yellow arrows pointing both ways). It seemed that no one was going to take the pace out too quick and so I found myself about in 8th or 9th going off the road and up the first hill. Back of a single file and the pace was easy, I switched off a bit mentally and stubbed my toe fairly hard off a rock. That woke me up and when the trail widened I overtook a few people as I wanted some space in front of me to pick my own line through the soft ground. Crossed a fence at a stile and after a couple hundreds turned back to see the line of runners on the other side of the fence. I'm not sure where they ended up crossing but it meant I was now closer to the 3 guys leading the race that the group behind. Down the wet slippy track off Knockbreteen I caught the leaders and fell in with Michael and John for the next bit of road. I expected to get caught fairly quickly here but the soft ground in the next section of forest and around Conigar suited us. We chatted as we ran along. The next hill was in the cloud as we approached. As we zigzag-ed up a good farm track initially there was 2 runners gaining quickly on us but once we got to the fenceline they disappeared in the mist. This looked like a long climb on the profile but it passed in no time at all. Near the top Mark H appeared out of the mist and offered some encouragement. After crossing the stile at the lakes Michael dropped back a little and so myself and John were out front picking our way along the boggy ridgeline. Keeping our eyes peeled for waymarkers we eventually started descending properly with Valerie O'Sullivan popping up on top of a rocky outcrop snapping photos as we began to drop out of the clag. I felt very relaxed at this point - I was surprised to be near the front but I knew I was doing my own pace and was sure that all the sloppy ground on the first section was just suiting my certain set of skills. I nipped ahead of John (who was descending very well) when he went to cross a stile and I spied an open gate beside it. The views of Gougane Barra were improving the whole time as we descended. Hitting the good farm track with a slight lead I thought 'sure why not lead the race into CP1!'. Arriving into the checkpoint I grabbed my drop bag and sat on the grass to change my shoes. I started in hiking socks and Roclites which I was glad of for the first wet boggy stage and put on dry socks and Peregrines which were great for the next 6k road section.
CP1 to CP2: As I changed shoes John asked if I was going. I told him I'd need 2 minutes and to head on without me. The toe I had stubbed had a nasty blister on the side of it and had started to sting but there was nothing to be done about it now. I thanked the marshalls and headed after John as Michael arrived into the aid station. The next road section wasn't too exciting. Nice rural countryside without a sight or sound of a vehicle. I'd catch glimpes of John ahead along here and time the gap between us. Less than 2 minutes but I never seemed to be closing. After a steep downhill on the road the Sli swung into some forest before the River Lee for some fireroad and then a singletrack climb and descent. Couldn't see anyone behind me but was closer to John as ran the road to Ballingeary. I turned the corner at Inchinossig Bridge to find John only a hundred metres ahead. The sound of a crowd increased as we ran into the village and suddenly I found myself running through a crowd of a couple hundred people clapping and cheering as the St. Patrick's Day parade MC announced over the tannoy that 'These guys are running all the way from Kealkill to Millstreet today!!'. Slightly embarrassed I was holding up the parade I made my way quickly to CP2, just around the corner from where the Gardai were holding up the parade convoy. A very surreal and memorable visit to Ballingeary! I got my water refilled at the checkpoint but caught the marshals off-guard with my request for food. I didn't send a drop bag here as I just wanted to grab something small but unfortunately the food hadn't arrived with the marshals. A mint crisp was produced by a small child which I gratefully accepted but as I munched it on the road out of town it suddenly occurred to me I might have just stolen a child's holiday treat...sorry! :(
CP2 to CP3: John had stopped to change shoes in Ballingeary so I headed on without him, leading again. I wondered how long it would take to get caught. Before CP3 surely? The next section of the Sli went through fields and along rivers. I felt very slow here as I was constantly hunting around for waymarkers. The route is well sign posted throughout but a recce would no doubt have given reassurance at times that I was on the right track. The route steepened to climb to a road and as I crossed the stile I looked back to see 3 runners in a field below, maybe 5 minutes behind me. I thought one in red was probably John and hoped that if he was still 2nd I had a good lead. In hindsight I think these runners were 4th, 5th and 6th at the time and that Thomas and Joe were closing quickly unseen. The road went slightly downhill which offered some respite before CP3. Rob had advised in the race briefing that the unmanned checkpoints would require the lead runner to open up the big bag full of goodies and so it came to pass. I re-filled my water bottle and grabbed a chocolate bar and took off again with no sign of anyone behind me.
CP3 to CP4: CP3 represented half-way in my mind and I took stock as I walked up the forest track from the checkpoint munching my bar. I felt good. The only thing that was bothering me was being in front but I knew my effort was ok. The track eased off quickly meaning it was time to run again. Out of the trees and a mast appeared ahead. Those tend to be on high ground so I knew a descent was coming soon. As I began to descend on a farm road that became more tarred further down, I rounded a bend to find two farmers and about fifty sheep on the road in front of me. I asked if they minded if I drove them on down the road and they waved me on. Chasing down a herd of sheep wasn't part of the race plan and I felt bad given its lambing season but there wasn't much I could do. By the time I got to where a fence had been put across the road to turn the sheep there were only five left in front of me. The route swung left on the road at the bottom of the hill, flattened and then started to drag uphill. About a kilometre from the turn I heard a noise behind and was surprised to see a runner only a few metres behind and another not far back. I said hello but Thomas was in racing mode and maintained his pace to breeze by me. I was impressed by how well he was running. Perhaps he put in an effort here to gain a psychological advantage but I was quite happy with how I was going at this stage of the race. I was surprised to have lead the race 40k in and it was probably better to get passed here than closer to the finish when the thought of winning might have crept in. Thinking about it now, despite being in front it never really registered with me during the run that I might have a chance of winning the race outright. I always assumed some quicker runners would come along. A minute later as I took the next right turn on the road, Joe pulled along side me and started chatting. He could easily have gone ahead after Thomas but said 'I think we'll let him go on' and settled to my pace as we dragged up the road before descending to Ballyvourney and CP4. I was glad of the company and the chat as I'd been running alone since CP1 and what could have felt like a long road section passed quickly. At CP4 Mark was making Facebook Live updates while I downed some lucozade and beef jerky. I wanted to get back to Millstreet before fulltime so didn't want to hang around long.
CP4 to CP5: I thanked the marshalls and tipped on ahead of Joe. He caught and passed me with ease before we went off the road again. He'd recce-ed the last section so knew what was ahead. Around here I had a lowpoint. My energy was a bit low and I was walking up the trail as Joe was running further away from me up ahead. A bit of a mini-bonk nearly 50k in wasn't too bad though all things considered. I had a handful of jellies and trudged on. There was some nice sections through farmland and by the time I crossed the infamous field I was feeling more normal again. Climbing slowly through the forestry to a fireroad, the next checkpoint arrived reasonably quickly. Skirting around some roadworks, CP5 was another unmanned stop. Water was topped up and I decided against the tempting crisps.
CP5 to Finish: From Ballyvourney to Millstreet was where the mental battle kicked in for me. There was a podium spot to hang onto and while I wasn't willing to push too hard I also didn't want to make myself too easy to catch. So when I walked some of the climbs I was always asking myself - 'Is the guy behind you going to run this bit?'. It proved a good motivator and stopped me from slowing too much. There was alot of fireroad over the next hour broken up with a short wet section through the trees and up along a stream where the footfall from the earlier half marathon was obvious. I was thumbing the map as the route made its way through the windfarm and it was reassuring to know in advance what turns I was looking out for. After a few k downhill the fireroad flattened out, swung right, and then swung left directly under a wind turbine. There was a fun section of bouncy wooden boardwalk here before following a boggy track uphill along a fence. I'd stayed upright all day but some of the hopping between the bogholes here endangered that record. After reaching a highpoint on Curracehill there was nice downhill towards the road. My pace was slowing alot on the ups but I was still feeling good on the downs. I saw Mark H waiting at the barrier as I approached. The following conversation took place in the 10 seconds it took for me to go from being 30 metres from Mark to being 5 metres past him.
'Whats the score in the match?'
'What?'
'The score?'
'About 12 minutes'
'No not what's left!'
'They're 12 minutes ahead of you'
'Oh, how close are they behind me?'
'I don't know...maybe 5 minutes'
'Shit...better go....thanks Mark!'
Having established that Mark wasn't a rugby fan and I was potentially being hunted down, I pushed on down the road. Crossing the stile onto the track that winds around Claragh Mtn I reckoned I had about 6k left. For some reason I thought I'd be contouring the hill but the trail turned out to be an undulating one. This meant the going was slow as I made my way around the hill. I kept looking back to see if I was being caught instead of focusing on what I actually had control of. There's a lesson in there that I didn't have to learn this time but could in the future. I was taken a bit by surprise by the big rocky outcrops on the north side of Claragh...a change of scenery from the boggier mountains of much of the day. There was one last sting in the tail as the route entered the forest and went sharply uphill. I tried to toggle between running and walking but it was more plod than anything at this point. Not too long after the track leveled and, after a left turn at the mapboard, started to go down hill through the last section of forestry. I pushed on as best as I could after hitting the road and it was only with a couple of hundred metres to go that I finally felt I wasn't going to be overtaken by the invisible man I'd been hunted by. My run ended by zipping across the main road in front of a car to give the Beara-Breifne mapboard a relieved double slap.
Very happy with my day out in Cork. I'd finished feeling good and managed to get a surprise podium spot. The hot showers and hot food, the tea and tee-shirts were very welcome afterwards. Congratulations to Joe O'Leary and Sarah Brady on their wins. Joe had been happy to let Thomas go earlier but he came back to him and he finished strongly to take the top spot. He managed to put 20 minutes on me over the last 24k from Ballyvourney. Well done to all the other finishers - I'm sure it was as memorable day for you as it was for me.
A huge effort went into organising these races and the re-scheduling added even more logistical issues. The event ran very smoothly from my point of view and that doesn't happen by accident. A massive thank you to Rob and all the other volunteers who contributed to making this race possible.