Curragh Woods

30 May, 2022 - Martin Cooney

Curragh Woods by Martin Cooney (29/05/2022)
Passed One O’Connell, Two O’Connell, Three O’Connell, Four! (there’s only two of them)

A lovely morning greeted me for an early start to Curragh Woods near Midleton. I picked up Roisin Howley in Bunratty and made our way along mostly empty roads to Curragh Woods. As we came to the toll in Limerick, we could see the Galty Mountain so clearly and they looked so close. It would be an hour before we would pass by the side of them. We got to Curragh Woods at around 9.30am- we were one of the first people there. The sun was shining and a little breeze blowing.

We signed in and had a chat with the RD, Michael Hallahan. He gave us a brief idea of the course route. It was different to last year’s route. I got into the running gear and went to do a bit of a warm up and see what part of the course was like. A steady rise up the fire-road for about 400m and then left into the woods. Roisin and I went out about 1.5 kilometres as a recce of the course and then made our way back to the start. Michael had put a lovely, technical route in place from the bit we had seen. When we got back to the car, there was a decent crowd gathering. I spotted Tom Blackburn, Nick Hogan, Ted Feehan and the two O’Connell brothers, Danny and Eoin. The time sped by and before I knew it we were lining up for the race. Michael gave an overview of the route and told us that there was plenty of signs marking the route as well as people at junctions, etc.

3, 2, 1, Go and we were off. Nick Hogan led out the charge followed by at least a dozen runners including a few newcomers, the O’Connell brother, Roisin Howley and Kealey Tideswell. I was slightly in front of Tom Blackburn at this point (about 300m in) so really I should have stopped there and claimed a prize as I am never ahead of Tom (he passed me about 100m later)… Anyway, up the fire-road and the field of runners stretched out quickly. A quick turn left, up a little bank and into the woods. We were now like lemmings through the single track gradually gaining height all the time. I reckoned I was in about 15th position when we hit the 1km mark. The trail started to even off and I found that there was no one really behind me and six to eight runners in my sights. Next along was a quick turn left followed by a short tight downhill. I pinged past one runner who made a gap for me to get through. Out on the fire-road and immediately back in again thanks to all the signage. This was a twisting, turning single track to enjoy but you had to try avoiding the tree-roots, stones, runners, branches, leaves, deer, bears and foliage. It was like a human powered rollercoaster while all the time slightly gaining height. I was struggling to breathe but I was hanging on to a couple of runners.

Finally, we started to go into a downhill and very briefly are on a fire-road. We got re-directed left down into a track by the marshals, which had recent works done on it. I started to open up my strides and was catching up with one runner who had cool tattoos and one of the O’Connell brothers. There had been a forest clearing recently and as I whipped up over the brow of the hump, I could see there was a gradual turn to the right. There was a straight line through the recently felled area on the right. I thought “feck it”, grew a pair of liathroidi and went straight knowing that I was either going to make up some distance or I was going to be chewing fallen branches in about 10 seconds. It worked- I went straight through the fallen carnage and managed to land beside the tattooed man who was laughing at me for what I was willing to try. “Go on you mad-man” or something like that he roared. We were now back in the shadows of covered canopy and belting downhill towards the river. I went past Eoin O’Connell just before the terrain got even steeper and in a flash, we were down at the river and over the bridge. Across the road and back into an incline, Kealey was just ahead of me but my legs were slowing. Eoin passed me again, followed by “tattoo-man” and then another runner was hot on my heels. It leveled out again I was keeping up with “tats”.

A gradual downhill started and I was off again, past “tats” and Eoin was back in my sights. Sharp right and steep down, cross the road, through the river (oh my feet loved that cool water) and right turn along the riverbank. I was so close to Eoin that I could have got a piggyback off him. We powered on along the riverbank that is a little greasy and care was required not to end up having a bath. “Whoosh”- Eoin went left past some foliage, I went right. I popped out on the trail in front of him and I am away. I see a marshal who says turn left. There is no left turn!! There is wall of debris from the trees but no left turn. I look up and see Danny O’Connell dangling off some mountaineering ropes trying to making upward progress (my imagination is now running wild). I clamber up this wall of leaves, twigs, branches and moss. It feels like one-step forward, two back. The other runners are catching me and I am making no progress on Danny. I see Kealey who is now running higher up to my left. “Keep going” I tell myself and gradually make my way up. Danny is now away running too. I pop out on the lateral trail and am away myself. I can’t hear anyone behind me but am afraid to look. Round a slow bend and back into some an upward slope of foliage, under the trunk of a tree, I can see Danny but no chance of catching him. In between two mounds of fallen trees, which were so freshly cut that you can smell the sap.

Back onto a fire-road, jogging slowly now up to a junction. John Flynn directs me left and then right. “I know where I am now” I tell myself knowing that now there is about 1.5km to go. “Just get into the single track and up that bit of hill” I tell myself. I up the pace as best I can and pop out at another junction. I am directed by marshals to take a left and then right. I get back into the twisty, winding, single track. Left, right, left, right, big left, branch, stump- the next 700m or so is like that just in various orders of those words. Finally, I see an opening and meet the second last marshal. Sharp left and descending now; I am now hugging the wall to my right. I am keeping as straight a line as I can, weaving as little as possible. There may be even traces of my DNA on most of the trees now.

I pass the last marshal who tells me to keep going which I duly oblige. “Did I just see a bit of white/grey top?” I ask myself. Next thing a straight path appears and I can now see Danny O’Connell. Maybe just maybe I can catch him. I open out my stride as big as I can while trying to scan the ground while also keeping an eye on Danny. I am catching him fast. “I’m coming past on your right- Nope!” The path narrows again and he has the line so I slow slightly. “Keep going” I tell him. I know I only have one or two more places I can pass him otherwise I am resigned to my current position. The path splits left and right. “Go right Danny” I say in my head. No- he goes left. I follow and both manage to stay on the track despite a large branch protruding from the foliage around knee high. I maneuver round the branch and pop out to the right of Danny but still slightly behind him. All or nothing now- I go for it and push one last time. I go level with Danny who is to my left initially and then is behind me. “Just don’t fall now”, I am now enjoying every stride as I know I am pulling away from him. I can see the opening and the finish line. I push hard and make a jump from the single track on the fire-road and canter in the last 20m. 7th position i think so have to be happy with that.

An absolute cracker of a route- one of the best in a league format I have ran in. Massive Congrats to Nick and Roisin on their respective wins. A big shout out to all the volunteers who marshalled the course, check in, etc. and finally thanks to Michael (RD) who had more signage on the course than runners in the race!
P.S.- if anyone got lost; one word- How?