Packing my bags for the Misty Mountains

19 June, 2023 - Rob Tobin

https://www.strava.com/activities/9281807400/overview

Over two previous Saturdays I'd spotted numerous signs pointing towards Kyle Farmhouse while out recceing and running Leg 7 of the Wicklow Way Relay. This Saturday I was finally free from the tyranny of the little yellow man and Rule 7 and could follow signs all the way to Kyle.

With the extended spell of fine weather breaking overnight, thirty-odd runners gathered at Kyle on Saturday morning to receive pre-race instructions from Race Director Seán Higgins. This was my first outing in the SEL but looking around I spotted many familiar faces from LL races: Alan Ayling, Bernard Fortune, Mick Hanney, Liam Vines, Alistair Hodgett, Derek Hay and others. RD Seán highlighted some distinctive features to look out for at certain points along the course: a couple of stiles, a fire road, a telecommunications mast. Looking up along the lane to a foggy hillside, I said to myself "we'll see what we can see when we get up there".

The clock went past eleven o'clock and then off we went, funnelling from the crossroads into the lane and it wasn't long before the first hill kicked in. A 13% gradient to get us started, climbing 180m over 1.4km from the gun. This being my third competitive race in eight days, I stayed towards the rear of the field to start, moving steadily up through places as the course continued to ascend.

I counted eight in front of me as we scaled the first stile before turning right onto a fast gravel track which brought us slightly downhill. As the path levelled out it also narrowed and I crafted a line between pools of water underfoot and low-hanging branches at eye level. When this trail opened out into an area that had been cleared to one side the branches were no longer a threat but the puddles seemed to become elongated and I blended strides with jumps in an effort to keep my feet dry early on. That was until I ended up striding through a section that was completely flooded.

We soon reached the promised fire road, scaling a wall of wet clay before striding up through the cut towards the mast. Passing the mast we took a right turn onto fire road. At this point visibility was reduced to 30 metres at most. Somewhere over the trees to my left I could hear something whirring. At first I thought it might be a drone but it turned out we were running within a few metres of wind turbines we couldn't see. Liam Kenny barely came into view, shrouded by mist and pointing us slightly left onto single track where we ran with trees to our left and a fence bounding grazed pasture to our right, before reaching a second stile with markers visible on both sides of the fence. A brief moment of confusion ensued, but thankfully an IMRA arrow sign placed just beyond the stile guided us down from the top of the course towards Mangans Wood.

On the descent I was passed by Alan as we gave chase to Michael Dowling who was already well ahead heading down through ferns. Visibility improved drastically as Mangans Wood and Tinahely came into view. Looking up to our left as we tackled a slight incline, we saw three runners who'd found a more economical way down, albeit on a very minor diversion from the main race route. We all joined the Wicklow Way and faced a steady uphill section which had been a very welcome downhill in a former life, somewhere around the 16km mark during last week's Leg 7. Although running in reverse, I felt I knew this next section from Mangans down to Ballycumber ford well enough to push on. I skipped through the gorse and ferns, rolling downhill and moving up a few places.

Seán had also warned of a steady ascent of 300m over 3kms from the ford back up to the top of the course. I tackled this in three stages starting off with an active recovery, then running again as the profile levelled out around halfway up and then more fast hiking up through the woods. As we reached the top of the woods I passed Alan, soon turning a corner only to count at least 14 more ahead of me. "How could this be?", I wondered to myself. As I'd been cutting it fine for registration I figured maybe there had been a low-key early start, but as I recognised more runners from the start line I reckoned a few might have missed the second stile and were doubling back. As we climbed along single track the familiar mist and long puddles were restored and I picked runners off one by one. I finally found my hill legs again and caught up with Turlough Conway and Derek. We each shouted over the fence towards three runners who we could see setting off at pace back downhill towards Mangans Wood. One shouted back across the gorse saying he'd missed a turn early on. That's a tough break given the reduced visibility.

Passing Liam Kenny at the marshall's position again, I was tired but felt I'd something left in the tank for what was set to be a fast downhill finish. With visibility down to 20 metres I could see no sign of other runners ahead of me but could hear someone running on my shoulder. No time to look back. I kept my eyes peeled for waymarkers as I tore along the fire road. More puddle skipping, more wet feet and the final navigational challenge being to figure out whether that stile I could barely make out in the distance was in fact the back side of the first stile. It turns out it was. I jumped the stile and gave it everything I had left on the grassy lane, all the way back down to Kyle. I was elated to find only two runners had crossed the line ahead of me, making this my first IMRA podium. I haven't the foggiest how I did it.

Massive thanks to Seán and all the volunteers for putting on a great event.

Tinahely Variations

17 June, 2023 - Mick Hanney

https://www.strava.com/activities/9281850254/overview

Last year was the inaugural Tinahely race. We had a slightly different route this time around – a kilometre and 70m extra – so direct comparison of results with last year isn’t possible, and last years winners weren’t here so we’ll have new winners today.

After many weeks of sunny dry weather we had a day or so of rain and it rained heavily throughout the morning, forcing us to shelter in the registration ‘cowbarn’ until it subsided. As we approached 11 start-time the rain eased off and we were left with very nice running conditions.

There were 42 registered to run, encouraging numbers for a relatively new race.
I have the good fortune to live just up the road, so this was a local race for me and I knew the route well from training runs and from a recce only 6 days earlier. That was in hot, dusty conditions.

After some pre-race instructions from Sean (and I’m not sure how many were concentrating on the instructions – more of that later) we were off, moving up the steep Kyle climb. It’s a hard start to any race, but a lead group broke away led by Mark McAddam.

I started slow and steady and wasn’t too far behind Liam Vines at the first stile. That would remain the story for much of the race. Liam had the benefit of running this race last year and familiarity of the route was definitely a factor in the race.

After the stile, we had a nice route variation from last year, we dropped right onto a nice trail through the forestry. The trail was holding much water from the recent overnight rain.
At the end of the trail we had a short steep clamber up an embankment before emerging onto the normal route by a telecoms antenna. Running along the ridge visibility was limited with low cloud.

Onward onto the loop proper, Liam had moved ahead of Dermot Murphy before the 2nd stile. This spot appears to be the undoing of quite a few people’s races. Over the stile I went, then left managing to pass Dermot myself before we turned down towards the Wicklow way, a lovely section of running. Once over the 2nd stile we had emerged out of cloud cover into clear views.
It would appear, from strava analysis later, that some runners didn’t climb this stile, and went left before it, which would have them running the loop in the wrong direction. Some runners I saw (on strava) only realised at the bottom of this climb that they shouldn’t be here and had to make their way back up the climb to the 2nd stile.

Back to my race, I was chasing Liam along the Wicklow way south to north, only seeing him occasionally on the straight sections. Andy Keeling just ahead of him.

After a couple of k and a few gate jumps you get to the lowest point of the course at the Wicklow way ford on Ballycumber lane. Now the real work begins as there is about a 3k pull back uphill to complete the loop.

After a couple of hundred metres of tarmac road, we are marshalled left off the Wicklow way onto a fireroad which winds its way up towards Grouse lodge, part of the Ballybeg estate. The fireroad twists and turns with a steady pull. Nothing to be done but try to keep the legs turning.
Up ahead I couldn’t see Andy anymore and Liam was climbing well. Near Grouse Lodge we turn steeply up alongside the forestry for the last hard climb of the day. Progress was slow, but eventually it started to level out and become more runnable approaching Black Hill (Garryhoe). A number of deep pools to be splashed through on the way. Its amazing the difference a day of heavy rain has made on the trails.

As I ran on this section I could see runners approaching me, but on the other side of the fence. I didn’t know what to make of that, but learned later that it seemed the runners who went wrong (at stile 2) were then sent on the proper loop – which made for a tough day as some of them were then facing a 20k instead of a 14k run.

Turned at stile 2 (on the way back), where I believe some runners climbed on the way back (in error). Just over 3k to the finish from this point. The first section a nice single track along the forestry. Back into low cloud along here, so nobody to be seen ahead, apart from Liam Kenny marshalling at the end of this track. Straight on along the fireroad, and more splishy splashy through puddles before the last stile (the original stile 1). From here it’s a lovely 1.4k grassy downhill run to the finish line. One of the best downhill runs around, though it was slippy this time after rain. Finished over a minute behind Liam with Andy Keeling finishing after – Andy not being alone in taken a wrong turn before the end. Going wrong seemed to be a feature of the race today.

Lots of chat back in the pub in Knockananna of slight route variations taken by some, with possibly a smaller no. having run the exactly right route. Route knowledge was a key factor.
I’m not entirely sure who won what. But it was all good fun and I was pretty happy with a solid enough run.