Glanageenty Half-Marathon

17 December, 2024 - Martin Cooney

By Martin Cooney

The Glanageenty races are have always been the last of the IMRA Munster races going back for a few years now. It tends to be a lovely route to finish off the season & why wouldn’t it be when the greatest Irish Mountain-runner, John Lenihan designing and honing the area. A dark morning greeted me as I got in my car around 7am. I wanted to make sure I was down early to hopefully get to park in the main carpark. The roads were quiet enough but it was showery so didn’t know what weather to expect when I reached my final destination. I pulled into the main carpark around 8.25am and only found a few cars there so parked at ease before the marshals came along.

I met a guy from Clonmel- we exchanged pleasantries about the route, weather, best heat-rub on the market, how you should feel after eating a wild funky-looking mushroom and general stuff that I presume most runners talk about. I head down to the check-in & meet a flock of IMRA Munster regulars who have given up their day to corral us around this wonderful part of Co. Kerry. I check in, check what kit is required & chat to some of the volunteers as hadn’t seen many since July; when I last ran an IMRA race. I lost a few months since September with injuries so delighted just to be able to make it to the start of this race. Then I headed back to the carpark and got ready.

10.50am, I headed back down to the start & meet even more people I know who are going to race today. Clare has brought its fair share of runners with Damien L, Martin Mc, Gearoid C while also John & Jim from where I work. The great thing about the Glanageenty races is that it is more like a celebration than a serious race… a celebration that you made it through another year relatively uninjured if you were here to run! At a couple of minutes to 11am, Conor (RD) steps up on a height & lets you know the race is about to start. He gives a brief description of the course which was “Folks, there’s 1 small lap, 2 big laps; you shouldn’t get lost…. & GO!” Some people look a bit startled but the leaders take off & we all follow like sheep along the fire-road.

It takes a couple of hundred metres to be able to get into full stride as I was in the middle of the crowd. There are people passed & I have John & Jim to my right hand side keeping me company. As we go over the brow of the hill, Ide Kelleher is beside so I know I am going alright. Ide runs a similar pace to me so happy to trot along behind her as we head down the hill, cross the river and into the windy forest single-track section. We get to a junction and turned right over to another bridge & back up a stepped hill. I am able to keeping jogging up this as my legs are fresh. This single track gradually snakes its way upward for about 1km before heading into a 1.5km gentle descent. There are runners in the distance in both directions. The descent is not too technical but you could easily let the legs go too hard and feel it later in the race. Back around to the start with just under 4km completed, I am still with Ide as we head up the fire-road.

So the first big lap begins and slowly I seem to inch ahead of Ide- she tells me to keep going. Over the brow of the hill and I start to catch up with a runner in a green singlet who has a pony-tail. From here on in, I will referring to this runner as simply Pony. He is moving well as we meander through the low-lying forest. As the next intersection, we get turned left and uphill this time. Myself & Pony make our way up the hill and start catching the runners in front of us. I see Robert Cunningham not too far ahead. We come out on a road & are directed left by Stephen O’Keeffe and 100m up the road, turn into the right and up some more steps. This part of the route has some lovely switchbacks before hitting a plateau and then into more switchback but downhill this time. There is now a group of 5 within about 50m of each other. We are interchanging positions over the next kilometre or so before we hit “The Hill”. I am not sure if there is another name for it but it probably includes words like heart-attack or cardiac... This hill for those who do not know it isn’t very long, it isn’t very high but it knocks the absolute sh*te out of you if you decide to attack it. You gain about 60m over 180m on shaley ground. Anyway, Pony & I catch up with Robert here slowly pass him before we reach the next plateau. We run along some undulating ground before being directed left out onto the farm land which I believe John Lenihan owns. Fences on both sides corral us around this peaty plateau for the next 1.5km as we pass through little spring-loaded gates every few of hundred metres. Halfway round this plateau which now has a gentle descent; I get a big shout out from Martin Hennessy telling me that his 5/4 odds on me being on the podium are gone to s**t as he tears up his pretend betting slip. I am moving along well but conscious not to run too hard as I have another lap of this. We hit a road and are turned right by local marshals. Pony and Robert C comes flying past me as we travel down the 200m of road before slipping back down a single track on the left of the road. For the next 2km it is simply heaven- up, down, left, right, repeat countless times until finally you find the bridge in the woods that will bring you back uphill and around to the start of the course again. I slowly trot past Robert who is slowing; probably because he had a cross-country race the next day. I extend my lead over him and am now catching up with Pony. I latch onto the back of him as we go over a sty. I am keeping with him until we hit the downhill as he strides away from me. Back around to the start line and keep going for the second big loop.

More of the same as I stick with Pony and a few others once we cross the bridge and into the woods. However; this time around we have to contend with the 10km race runners who have started their race as well. As we hit the uphill and downhill switchbacks, the problem now is who is running which race. I pass some people, some people pass me, Santa passes me; I pass out! It all got very confusing for a couple of kilometres, race paces went out the window and to compound matters, we then hit “The Hill” which if I was wasn’t oxygen deprived enough, takes the last bit out of me. My legs are now getting heavy and I trudge up the hill as best I can. I see Maire O’Sullivan and say something but can’t be sure as my brain has stopped functioning due to all the confusion. Eventually I make it to the turn which takes the runners onto the farm land. There is one of the group of 5 still with me as he passes me here or at least I think he was one of them. I pass someone who definitely passed me early in the race.

I pass the local marshals back on the road again before hitting the 2km section of undulating lefts & rights. I pass a female runner who ask how long is left in her race. “What race are you doing?”. “10km” I hear back… I tell her she has 4km left. Some expletives are shouted aloud, which I cannot repeat but let’s just say; it will be an interesting next confession for her if she does go to mass. I move away from her and start passing others whom I now presume to be part of the 10km race. My legs are tiring & by the time I cross the bridge for the final ascent, both legs are cooked! I plod up the last winding ascent, trying to get my legs moving. There are two 10km runners in front of me chatting away as if on a walk… It feels like an eternity for that kilometre but finally I look up and can see no more high ground. I look over at Tralee Bay and the Slieve Mish mountains as the sun breaks through the clouds.

I give it one final downhill push to get me legs going. Momentum gets them moving well and I start to catch the two chatting runners. As I come up behind them, they let me through. I go over the last sty, meander through the foliage & then onto a fire-road. I open out my stride but try to over-stride as I don’t want to injure myself in the last couple of kilometers. Back into the final woods, I keep going and am catching another runner. I pop out onto the road and push uphill for the last 300m to the finish where I am greeted by Tom Blackburn who takes my number and time.

Sincerest thanks to all the volunteers and organizers for all their work leading up to & on the day of the race- a great day of racing was had on a legend’s course!