Beara Way Ultra

18 June, 2024 - Joe O'Leary

Heading up over Garinish Point ,on the arse end of the glorious Beara peninsula,i had a great idea for a Beara Way Ultra race report.

Encompassing some of the most remote and fabulously scenic areas of South West Ireland,IMRA’s Beara Way Ultra is one for every trail runner's bucket list. 161km of runnable trail, mountain and quiet country road with a jealous view of splendid Kerry for much of it, indeed, meandering through Kerry for more then a few luxuriant hours.
I had just been passed by a guy on a mountain bike and my mind went back to those past times pedalling my MTB o’er mountain and lane and thinking how life had changed. Soon before, upon passing Allihies, the road fresh with safety markings and tyre rubber from the Rally of the Lakes,i had a similar thought of how i’d never had guessed 10 years ago on that same road doing 160kph in a rally car that i’d be doing 160kpd(km per day) on foot there a decade later!
With Paul Simon’s Boy in the Bubble merrily on repeat in my head and the gentle kiss of May sun on my brow, i came up with what was going to be the best race report in the world!

This is not the greatest race report in the world.
No,this is just a tribute.
I couldn’t remember the greatest race report in the world no, no this is a tribute!

The 90 minute drive down to Castletownbere was preceded by somewhat of a deluge, evident by the floods encountered just as i passed the frontier to County Cork. I guess i was fortunate to be here at all as 4 days before i was suffering from a particularly nasty head cold. It wasn’t until i was faced with the possibility of not being able to do the race that i realised that i really wanted to do the race. If that makes any sense. So head full of snot, i made off race sign at the famous McCarthy's Bar where the easy going race director Micháel McSweeney made us check our own kit and sign ourselves on.

Tall,handsome,tanned with a broad mop of thick dark curly hair is not how one would describe Micháel. Sharp witted, helpful and committed to all things IMRA would be a better description for this mild mannered gaeilgeoir.

Time for food next and being a Thursday evening in Wessht Cork, not alot was open but the local chipper van parked up at the finish line is world famous for fresh fish and chips. Was that Eoin Keith i saw licking salt off his chips before gobbling them up!? Pre-race hallucinations.
I hadn’t given much thought to drop bags so i proceeded to pack too much into them back at the nearby Airbnb, 3 bags to be ferried by the plentiful volunteers between the 5 main aid stations. But which one to put the spare shoes in? Which shoes to wear first,Hoka or Saucony? Ultimately i chose the wrong ones, the Hoka’s grip level being woefully inadequate for Wessht Cork Bán and bog. Lianne (Van Dijk) would be on hand in any case if needed as she was crewing for Dee (O’Gorman) in her first 100 miler.

I actually slept a few hours before rising soon after 6am for porridge and banana. Off then for the 10 minute stroll to race start in the town square where chatting to fellow competitors always settles race nerves. Last year's winner Stephen Mangan was there as was the favourite Gavin Byrne and along with myself, 2 other Spine race series winners, Brian Hutchinson and the lesser known Eoin Keith;). Later on, i did think the conditions underfoot in places were a touch Spine-like!

The race briefing was just that. Brief. Follow the yellow man(person) signs. Oh mind the electric fence ye’ll come across in the dark in the middle of nowhere, off ye go! More or less.
I hope Follow the Yellow Brick Road is not repeating in my head for the duration!
Anyway, off up through the town with us, cheered on by the few early risers. Immediately, 5 or 6 went out front and set what seemed to me at the time, a lightning pace. I was happy enough to chat with Tom,Brian,Martin and the gang at our own pace. We stayed together till after first time through Allihies having good craic and enjoying the scenery. Down around Allihies Point we started to fragment a bit with myself and Richard ahead maybe 50 metres, not in any real attempt to gain ground, more a result of different comfort zones perhaps. I would have enjoyed the company for another few hours at least. Soon enough, i was on my own with occasional glimpses of a runner far in front. The scenery along this stretch was stunning to say the least as we made our way towards Dursey Island cable car for a couple Jaffa Cakes from the legend that is Brian Mullins.

It was soon after this that i thought up the greatest race report in the world.

Laughing to myself while racing the mountain biker up a mountain, i concocted a story somehow involving Indians,...of the American type, Brian Mullins (or perhaps some other bearded deity) and Paul Simon and or his songs.
It was a slow day, and the sun was beating, but there were no soldiers on the side of the road like in the song. There was a bright light but no shattering windows or bomb in the baby carriage wired to the radio so i’m at a complete loss as to what the theme of the report was, not to mind the content! I distinctly remember thinking what woke folks would think of me calling American Indians, Indians, and also recollect that not one solitary fuck would be given by me or most other sane folk.
Still, the Native Americans clue offers no help now and only succeeds in confusing me more, for d’you see, running a hundred miles plays havoc with short term memory. If we could remember all the discomfort,pain and torment, well we just wouldn’t do another one now would we?!
I could also blame the fall i had on the bán soon after the mountain biker passed me. Perhaps my roar of pain was over dramatic but i thought my back was broken for a couple long seconds!

Back into Allihies again for quick top up of water and food and was delighted to meet Stephen just leaving. I’d have some company for the next bit if i could catch him.
The next section to Eyeries i’ve always wanted to do. The route goes up around the old copper mines that make the place famous from Cork to Butte Montana, where many of the workers immigrated to after the mines closed. It’s now a bridle way and hosts commanding views towards Cods Head and the wide Atlantic ocean. A runner ahead. But it wasn’t the faster Mangan brother but Ciarán Croke. He said he hadn’t seen Stephen. This bit was along a treacherous off camber bog and was frustratingly slow on the Speedgoats. We chatted for a bit about races and such before he insisted i go ahead. I must have been boring the poor man.
Eyeries had a beautiful trail right down by the beach which settled mind and body but had a short little out and back to the aid station, again competently manned,and womaned, by Munster IMRA volunteers and the tasty baking of Damien. Ross Donovan was just about to leave the village so i could have been no more than ten minutes behind him at this stage. Returning back to the beach trail, i came across Stephen who had been geographically embarrassed.
This put Gav first,Ross second, myself third and Ciarán forth.

Ardgroom stage was next. This is what i call it anyway because we actually run on a rally stage again past the pier and over the famous jumps before slotting right back off the stage along a back road to Ardgroom village. Again this was a touch surreal! I was running well with no real issues but glad of any sea breeze available to dry the sweat and managed to plod away nicely. At the village, i stopped to chat with our intrepid RD and Lianne was on hand to tell me to get a move on! A quick pit stop in the pub full of road cyclists only for no one to take me up on my offer of 20 quid for the loan of a bike! Luckily Ciarán passed just at that moment which kept me from stealing one. We mosied on together for a while until he got sick of me again and i was out front alone. I hadn’t reccied this section either so it was all abit of a surprise. Some road crossings were familiar as i’d passed them on the way to CTB but generally it took longer than i’d expected.There were a good few slippy sections and one of them caused me to land on my arse again, this time badly hurting something in my left hand. Balls! My hand i mean not my…anyway..

The distance was starting to get to me. It was the longest i’d run in four months after all! I was starting to feel fatigued. Paul Simon had quietened hours ago and my mind was free of most thoughts but for the most profound. For the first time, i started to wonder why was i doing this. I still don’t know. All i know for sure is that i’d still be doing the same training more or less even if i didn’t race. I often find the 70-80km point to be the most challenging. Just keep on keeping on.
Lauragh aid station was once again manned by people i know and i put them all to work changing shoes and socks, finding things from my disorganised drop bags, spraying midge repellent and even had Johnny tape my fingers together to help ease the pain in my hand. I thought getting one of them to spoon feed me was a bit inappropriate at this early stage in the race. I usually wait till early morning for that. Anyway, Lianne would never let it down and she was on hand to ensure all else was done. Ciarán had appeared again and with far less procrastination, he set off before me.

The reset had done wonders for me however and 30 seconds later i sprinted up the hill to catch him. I have a wee Jack Russell at home that follows me around all the time called Steven, and this might have been mentioned at some point! Ciarán regaled me with stories of race hallucinations and seemed to put up with me for longer this time before politely telling me to go ahead. We’re back in the Kingdom now and traversing the mountains around Gleninchaquin. Very wet and slippy off road with a long section of road in the middle is the best way to describe this bit. Would have been nice in the dry but unfortunately the rain came in and made it somewhat less so. The evening was still rather humid so having to wear a jacket was annoying but necessary i think. Halfway, someone who looked alot like Kás was dropped from the sky by a swarm of midges, a rather impressive feat of animal training really, i swiped some Coke from him and Maura before the midges drank it and headed off into the mist.

Frustrating is all i can say about the boggy bits but at least i had good grip this time so no falling.
Running along a farm track, i came across a bunch of sheep by a cattle grid. Coming closer i saw a lamp stuck in the bars! Neither the sheep nor the lamb seemed bothered by this, just stood there looking at the poor thing. A few weeks old i reckon. Anyway, i pulled on my superman cape and rescued the little blighter, receiving a thanking Baaa from it’s “grate”full mother(get it?). In that moment i could understand sheep talk perfectly and looked around to see did Steven,i mean Ciarán, witness the interaction. No. No he didn’t. No sign of him.Ah well!
At Dawros aid station, Ellen and Siobhán were managing to keep the hungry midges away with the aid of a couple friends of mine who waved their hoodies through the air like propellers to try keep the little feckers at bay. Both former British rally champions and finishing first and second in the recent Rally of the Lakes, they wanted to see the lunatics running over the stages they’d rallied just 2 weeks before. You’d never know, in ten years time……;)
More Coke and a cup of tea in the hand as i started on this long road section which had a good shot of climbing and on for Bonane.

Going into the night time is where all the physiological games start. Who will try hiding their light from their head torch, indeed who won't turn it on at all!
I didn’t turn it on at all. Not till the Bonane road anyway and just before I saw a flash far in the distance on top of the next climb. Ross! He’d seen me too no doubt.
The promised live electric fence didn’t materialise. I was hoping to get a boost from it but such is life. I was going well again and enjoying the night time. Uncomfortably comfortable. Looking forward to Glengarriff though. I’d done a recce on all this till the finish so the familiarisation seems to shorten the distance. Ya right! The woods were lovely and peaceful but it had started to rain again just as i entered Glengariff. Lianne had set up a wee external aid station with Noel and Mikey giving a hand. More rice pudding…Ambrosia seems to have changed to consistency:(..more of damien baked goods, lashings of Coke and off out into the wet night again. This time, in front of Ciarán who had just arrived. I hurried on for a while to put some distance between us.

Lianne had mentioned that this was a nice section and i agreed twas,having both done it while dry under foot and over head. Oh sweet Jesus! Torture! And what a lovely section by the bright of day! Still, on with it. A good bit of road early on before heading up hill into the mountains. The odd sneaky look behind for Ciaráns light. I spotted it enough to not relax and just keep ploughing on. I was just getting sick of the bog when another monstrous climb appeared! I remember this bit. I can even recognise in the dark shadows of inky black night some of the surrounding valleys. On the plus side, i was a better climber than Ciarán so i could make time here if i tried. In the rain and pain, i hadn’t been eating much but reckoned i’d eat at the next Aid Station at Adrigole. Approaching there, i’d a feeling i’d left it too late and a couple minutes after wolfing down rice and fruit cocktail, it all came up again. That was a bit annoying but not as annoying a Ciarán passing again! Hopefully i’d have the energy to keep him at bay. I had a trick up my sleeve…Ginger Nuts!
No! Up my sleeve i said! Biscuits! They help settle tummies.

I passed him at the official Aid Station and once again tried to make the most of the road at the start. It’s just 20km i think to the finish so should be alright. I liked the next climb and even seeing Stevens light behind didn’t discourage me too much. First light was coming and with light always comes fresh hope. After the climb was a slippy but nice descent followed by a meandering double track.
It was around here that my new found ovine communication skills were put to the test. A particularly irate yearling sheep started bleating threateningly while running towards me. I didn’t understand much to be honest, something about “stay away from my mother you feckin Jackeen you!” I don’t know what Gav had done when he passed an hour earlier but my new found sheep whispering skills had deserted me and had to make do with keeping the woolly vigilante away with my cheat stick!

One can see the finish from here but don’t be fooled! It’s still a long way as the path seems to beat any hope out of weary runners. Just as you think the finish is within certain reach, off climbing in the opposite direction you go! Follow the Yellow Brick road me arse!
Looking behind, no sign of Ciarán could be spotted so that helped. It was still a nice section with stunning views over the bay. It’s a shame everyone wanted it to end sooner.
I came across Robbie Williams with 10k to go and took a glorious Club Orange off him. No not the singer sham but our more famous Munster IMRA chairman. He’d been at most checkpoints and was getting a wee snooze before his marshalling duties were over as he was running the Beara Challenge race later on in the morning. 30km loop of mountainous terrain that was a support race to the Ultra. I should have drank more ‘cause it went down very well indeed!
Still no sign of Ciarán and once again i was running well,i think. The legs were weary for sure and the feet aching but nothing too bad apart from my hand. The tape had come off in the rain and the constant running motion was beginning to cause pain but the swelling kept movement to a minimum i reckon. The whole night had passed without music, podcasts or audio books. I did summon up some suitably uplifting tune running into Castletownbere. Running Back by Thin Lizzy.
What a glorious sight to see the 7 or 8 people cheering me on as i finished just before 7.30am!
3 more than were at the TDS finish in 2019! 23 hours 23 minutes and 3rd overall. Even got a bottle of whiskey for my trouble!. Ciarán 8 minutes later. Throughout, the whole race seemed like a run alone, but with friends- if that makes any sense. All checkpoints were crewed by friends and running mates which gave it a personal, friendly touch that one only sees in IMRA events and especially in Munster races. After a couple hours of restless rest, i joined the build up to the 30k Beara Challenge in the town square, bathed in the May scaraveen free sunshine and cheer on the Ultra finishers. Surrounded by pubs, one felt obliged to visit most for recovery purposes, although i did find it difficult to find a pub that sold salty chips along with more potent carb rich brews. Great to chat with Eoin Keith again but dismayed to hear that he wasn’t staying for copious mugs of tae, choosing instead to return to that Black-Pool of Dublin with Richard.. Two Cork men returning to exile.
Thanks to Micháel and all the volunteers for a fantastic race and to Lianne for unofficially crewing me. I didn’t beat her time on last years event but in my defence, it was a wet year and i was much faster on the coastal paths;)

Good luck to RD Micháel who has decided to partake in the Late Start event in Early July. He has decided to run it all in one go himself. Tá súil agam nach mbeidh sé fliuch!
He may need a tune in his head.

These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all, oh yeah
The way we look to a distant constellation
That's dying in a corner of the sky
These are the days of miracle and wonder And don't cry baby, don't cry Don't cry, don't cry

A maiden hundred miler

24 May, 2024 - Deirdre O Gorman

100 miles? Why?! I’m assuming I’m not alone in being asked this question many, many times in the past few months. And I’m not sure I ever answered it fully, or truthfully. I’m not sure I even knew the answer myself. But as the dust settles on another epic weekend on the Beara peninsula, I think I’m starting to understand.

Friday morning dawned cloudy and breezy; perfect! Preparation had been less than ideal as a new IT band issue decided to make itself known two weeks previously, pulling my poor knee in all the directions it’s not supposed to go. Apparently time heals all… but I didn’t have time, all I could do was rest, heat, glute massage and hope for the best.
Michael sent us on our way at 8am and I quickly settled into the back of the pack, tentatively trying to gauge if/how long the knee was going to last. So far, so good. A few chats with others on the first climb and a mix of wood and country roads brought us down into Allihies, the first aid station. Super crew, Lianne, had everything on my check list ready to go and I was quickly re-stocked and sent on my way out along the peninsula towards Dursey Island.

What a stunning loop! The sea on one side, hills on the other, the views were breath-taking. Unfortunately, the only thing taking my breath was the growing pain in my left knee. Uphill was ok, running on the flat or travelling at all downhill was becoming an issue. I rounded a corner and was met by Rob Cunningham sitting on a wall. Rob had been sick all week and it was obviously still affecting him. ‘I feel a bit better now that I see you back here….’ Cheers Rob, that doesn’t make ME feel better... : ) After giving him a boost by my sheer slowness, he settles in beside me and we trek on until the next climb where I pull away.

I shuffle on towards the Dursey cable car station and the next water station. After a quick water refill from Brian and Roisin, I climb the style and start on my way. ‘Dee! Do you need me?’ It’s Aoife, friend and famous ‘needle lady’, who can be seen at many races working her pointy magic on ailing runners. I had spent some miles with her partner, Rowan, and he had obviously told her I was struggling. Yes, yes please Aoife! So, leaning up against the wall, watched by many bemused tourists, I get some much needed relief in the form of a massive shock down my leg to my toes. Well, it’s released something anyway; thanks Aoife!

I get some relief on the next climb but it’s short lived. The pain builds again and now the tears start to flow. Frustration, disappointment, the feeling I’m letting my crew and family down, it all comes out. As I feel myself spiral, I stop it; it’s a run. It isn’t life or death; it’s not a real life problem. I pull myself together as I enter Allihies. Until I see Lianne and Carol waiting for me, and promptly fall apart again.

Lianne stays calm, sits me down and starts giving me clear instructions. I take off my socks as she re-stocks my pack and gives me a crisp sandwich to eat. ‘It’s still early’ she says. That’s the one thing I latched onto and kept in my head for the next few hours. Aoife magically appears again and gets to work needling my glute before pulling out the massage gun- I gotta get me one of those! Carol pulls out the sun cream and starts spraying me. Looks like I’m not dropping so…

We agree I’ll head to Eyeries, it’s a short 12km leg, and re-assess there. Then, as I climb up passed the copper mines, out of Allihies, I take a wrong turn. In my brain, the arrow I see is pointing me left off the small road and onto a trail. Unfortunately for me, there’s a yellow man on this trail. My watch GPS is also happy because (unbeknownst to me) I’m heading back onto the Allihies loop. I’ve developed a little, funny canter run that I can do downhill using my poles, so I skip happily down towards the coast, until my phone rings. ‘I think you’re gone wrong….’ ‘No, I’m not, I’m following the yellow man… and my watch is happy too…’…..’Well Adolfo was behind you and now he’s well ahead of you…’. FFS. Back up the hill I go and get back on route at the top. What’s an extra 2k? Now I was worried about making cut off in Eyeries. I pushed as hard as I could and was the last runner into check point.

My mood had picked up a lot; I think Lianne was expecting a blubbering mess so she did look a little shocked when I said I was going to continue, and happily wolfed down another crisp sandwich. The knee pain meant I couldn’t run but I could do a pretty decent power hike without too much pain so I figured I’d keep going until I got timed out. Aoife, Joan and Aileen all helped Lianne in sending me off out of Eyeries.

Leaving Eyeries, I soon caught Adolfo and Simon. Simon was struggling with injury and told me he was pulling out in Ardgroom. Ardgroom wasn’t an official crew stop but Lianne knew I could probably do with a friendly face so she popped up to give me a cheer. That’s the mark of a good crew- knowing what you need before you know yourself.

I headed into the hills as darkness fell. I had run in the dark before but not absolutely on my own. It was a little unnerving looking around at the misty, intimidating mountains growing steadily darker. I left my head torch in my bag as long as I could to preserve battery so when I started tripping over rocks, I stopped to unpack it. It was turned on in my bag. And warm, so it had been on a while- great. Luckily I hadn’t let the frugal side of me win when debating over spending €50 on a spare battery- it would be needed later.

I arrived into Lauragh around midnight to meet Johnny, Brian, Gary and Matthew. Dave was looking after me at this crew stop while Lianne got some much needed rest. More crisp sandwiches, a cup of coffee, a few sups of soup and some chats and laughs were very welcome, especially as the rain had started to pelt down. Aoife did some more gun work on my glute and muttered to me that the leading (and only other lady) in the race had pulled out. Damn. Now I knew I had to finish; there wasn’t going to be no female finishers on my watch.

Lauragh to Glengarriff is a long section (about 33km) and I was worried about not seeing any friendly faces throughout the night. The lads reassured me that Maire and Kas were out there and I focused on getting to them. I tried to wait out the rain… it didn’t stop. I headed out into the night and quickly stopped to unpack my rain trousers, fell over while tugging them on, and continued on up the road. The rain lasted a good 4 hours I think, making already sloppy terrain even harder to trudge through. I could make up good time on the climbs but the descents were very slow going for me. I actually enjoyed the night section; wildlife came out and I spotted a frog and a few mice (obviously had to say hello to them all). The little pings from my phone told me that my dot watchers were still with me, and gave me comfort in the dark and rain. Maire and Kas appeared at Gleninchaquin to give hugs and encouragement. I had met up with Kevin by now so we shared the next few miles to Dromoghty, where Siobhan and Ben were waiting.

By now, the dawn chorus had well and truly started and it was fabulous. To be up in the hills while the world around you comes awake is a special experience. I shuffled down into the nature reserve in Glengarriff- the feet were really starting to hurt now and I had visions of bleeding, raw, foot-sized sores slowly developing in my shoes. My feet wouldn’t be great in normal circumstances so I was just waiting for them to fall apart. My watch had died by now so a combination of tired brain and some stolen markers sent me on my own unique way into Glengarriff.

Here I met Dave again, who would be ‘running’- hah! the last two legs with me. At this point, the knee and my energy were ok but my feet were on fire. I had been doing my own feet at aid stations but this time I asked poor Lianne to look at them first and tell me how bad they were….I could then prepare myself before I tackled them. ‘They’re actually good!’ Phew. I had trench foot- I think we all did after 24 hours of soaking feet- but the skin was intact. I set about once again coating them in ‘Trench’, which I had used throughout, and forcing them back into my shoes. A quick trip to an actual toilet (luxury) and off we set.

Glengarriff to Adrigole was, and still is, my favourite section; it’s just stunning. I picked up as Dave and I caught up on news and chatted about anything and everything. I had warned him multiple times about my snail-like pace and had told him he really didn’t have to join me but he seemed happy enough to crawl along at my shuffle. The climb up is tough but descending was torture. Dave got used to my sporadic yelps, screams and expletives any time a foot landed the wrong way or kicked a rock. Moving at such a glacial pace, I started to panic about not making cut off. Dave kept reassuring me that we had plenty of time but I was anything but logical at that point; I wouldn’t even let him stop to admire the river in Adrigole!

I landed into Adrigole in a panic; I wanted a quick pit-stop and to get out asap. Again, unflappable Lianne was my voice of reason. She reminded me that this crew stop was vital in getting me to the finish- instructed me to sit down, change my socks and eat my sandwich. I did as I was told…she does know a thing or two.. : )

We got moving again quickly to head for Castletownbere. The sun was getting higher and I was starting to fade (I don’t do heat). In a bid to get me moving quicker, Dave pushed on ahead but this started to make me feel like I was just going backwards. I got more frustrated and upset until the tears spilled over again.

- ‘Dave, I’m in a world of hurt- I need to get out of it. Tell me a story….’
-‘Huh?! A story?’
-‘A story’
-Confused face.
-‘Have you brothers and sisters? Tell me their names, ages, anything, just tell me something.’
Top tip; to stop the spiral, get a distraction. I learned all about Dave’s family. I remember none of it, but it worked. We trucked on, slowly.

Adrigole to Castletownbere is cruel. Any time you think you’re finally heading to the town you’ve had your eyes on for the last 3 hours, you’re turned back up another hill. I wasn’t too bothered by the uphill, but I knew that what goes up must come down, and both my feet and my knees were reaching their limit. I was watching the skin on my arms steadily turn red in the scorching sun. I had long forgotten to take my salt tablets. I’d had enough. Finally we hit road; a small country road leading downwards. This is it! Finally! But no, this road went on for what felt like an eternity. Any time I turned a corner and saw yet more road, I screamed, literally.

Finally, a call from Dave, ‘Main road!’….’I don’t believe you….’

But there it was. We were in town. Dave left me to join the others at the finish line. I drew on every ounce of energy I had left; people were waiting, I couldn’t walk to the finish. I established a very painful shuffle, holding myself up on my poles. As I neared the square, I could see a crowd. A crowd?! But it’s so late, everyone should be gone home? My dad was the first person I spotted. I had known my sister, Sue, would be there, but I had no idea Dad would be. The emotion started building. Then the noise started; cheers and shouts and screams. All urging me forward. I have never experienced a finish line like it. Since I was so late, I had thought everyone would be gone home but runners, supporters and spectators had all waited to welcome me home. The people of IMRA are something special, and it really meant so much to me. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

People make moments and memories. I will forever be grateful to Lianne. From training advice, to keeping me eating, to checking my feet, to keeping me calm, to making me believe in myself, I would not have gotten around without her.
Dave put up with more than any man should have to; burping, farting, screaming, crying, general toddler behaviour. He was unflappable, kind and patient, but I wouldn’t blame him if he never wants to run with me again… : )
My sister Sue, and my dad drove down from Tipp and waited all day for me (although I think Dad enjoyed sampling the West Cork bakery selections!). The whole family tracked me from start to finish and I knew they were backing me.
Michael and his brilliant volunteers gave up their sleep, their time with their families and their whole weekend to support us. They were encouraging, upbeat even when exhausted, and so helpful.
So, the why? I think I’ve found my answer.