The Queen Stage

13 June, 2024 - Warren Swords

The seventh race of the Leinster League brings us the Queen Stage, to use cycling parlance.

It's the longest course with the most climb and thanks to the new start/finish, it's also now the meanest. And that's before we even get to the Abyss part.

It's one of the best parcours for pure racing in my humble opinion. At this stage in the league, you have a fair idea of who you'll be directly racing against allowing you to bring in some race tactics. Executing them is of course a lot harder.

I was glad to see Zak Hanna and Paddy O'Leary toe the line. The pressure for the win was now off my shoulders...

This was at least my 6th time running this race with previous experiences including a DNF, a second place and blowing up after just 3km.

I’m not sure if I like or hate downhill starts, particularly when you know you have to return back up it after a hard 11km. The race starts and we charge down the first km with Mikey complaining about the finish the whole way down.

Robbie Costello bounds pass me, he’s trying to get himself into an early breakaway in the hope of holding off Brian Kitson later.

My plan was to run steady in the early stages and get to the Wicklow Way stile with some running still in the legs. My tactic was to suffer the climbs and hold something back for the last 5km or so of downhill.

The racing started early with plenty of jostling for position once the climbing started. I tucked in behind Mick Dowling as we laboured up the single track while the likes of Peter O’Farrell and Andy Keeling made easy work of it.

At this stage, I thought myself and Mick were well clear of those behind us. However, a photo shows there was a group of six of us packed together.

I passed Mick when the ground levelled off and the legs were feeling pretty good, even managing to hurdle the WW stile at the turn off to Djouce.

I was then somewhat surprised to hear approaching footsteps as we made our way across to the lush green climb. Bernard Fortune and Pat Dowling passed and I made a decent fist of trying to go with them, closing the gap on runners ahead including Andy.

Bernard soon disappeared and I started to flag on the main climb to Djouce as my hiking once again let me down. My short legs clearly adding hundreds of extra steps.

Mick Dowling passed me again soon followed by Valdas who ran all the way to the summit. I’m a bit rusty on the downhills this year but was still surprised at how quickly Mikey caught me after the summit. I managed to pick some awful lines which really annoyed me.

Back onto the lovely green slope, I caught up with Mikey and together we caught Valdas and Pat before I effortlessly glided past Mikey. He would later claim he got a stitch.

Mick and another runner soon came into view and the gap was closing quickly as we hit the Abyss. I was confident I’d catch the two of them but they both descended really well and as soon as the terrain levelled off, my legs turned to absolute jelly at the river crossing. It was then a slow bicycle race to the finish where everyone seemed to finish strong.

An exhilarating night of racing.

Better, Believe It.

13 June, 2024 - Brian Kitson

I rarely went to mass as a youngster. I’d get hooshed out of the house of a Sunday morning but rather than follow the crowds into the holy grey bowels of Monaleen church in Limerick I’d slip around the side and spend mass-time smoking fags with goms like me. The trick to not getting rumbled was to get a debrief from one of the lads who went in, “Hear, Hannos, what was the homily about?” Upon arriving home, to mask the smell of smoke I’d stuff my hands in my pockets and some gum in my cheeks and chew away like a little hamster. No holier and still reeking of smoke.

The only reason I went to the church at all was to catch up with friends and all the goings on. The great and the good were sure to be there. If Wednesday night races are like mass by providing a chance to catch up with so many folks each week, this Ayling Abyss was like Christmas Mass. EVERYBODY was there.

The controversial decision to tack on 1.2km of fire road to the route dominated the pre-race discussion. It’s such a dull beginning and end to an epic course but one upside was that I hit terminal velocity quicker than a nun in a Tesla on the long fast fire road opening kilometre. Upon seeing Rob Costello and me flying past, the fast lads couldn’t have been more shocked had they seen Dan Geelon trotting on water across refilled Paddock Ponds. They had to look down to check their legs were still moving.

Limited as my mountain running talent may be, I can run hard downhill without much detrimental consequence later on so my thinking was to save hay on the way down and let the better climbers find their way past on the way up.

I ran to the top of Djouce. My use of the word “ran” requires the most generous interpretation of its meaning. You’d need a calendar rather than a watch to measure my progress up that hill. I thought I was going “flat out” near the top of Djouce when Dave Doherty strolled past me like a man out on a Sunday walk. He was looking for chats while I was looking for a defibrillator.

Some of my regular sparring partners – Rob Costello, Conor Nolan, Richard Allan, Ben Mooney – were ahead when I hit the summit. I'd need to make up as much ground as possible on the way down. Every aspect of a runner’s downhill skill is tested on the varied descent from the summit to the stream. The rocky summit cone demands supreme foot placement and balance. “Feet high, Brian. Tap, tap, tap”. Caught Rob. Flat-out, top-end speed is required on the grassy shoulder. “Lean forward, faster”. Then you have to carry your courage in both hands on The Abyss itself. “You’ve enough grip. Commit Brian, commit”. Caught Ben. I threw myself into every aspect of the relentless and utterly fantastic downhill. I eventually made my way by Sarah Flanagan near the bottom of the Abyss. She and a few others passed me on the climb from the stream and Paul Flynn caught me on the fire road.

There should be a word for the glorious rush of relief experienced when you can finally stop running at the end of a race. Maybe there is. Whatever it’s called it was heightened when I crossed that line and was offered a Coke and joined the chats. It was good to see Zac Hanna and Paddy O’Leary come out to play. Daire Finn showed he could mix it with the best of them too. Two hundred people ran the Ayling Abyss. Two hundred stories brought and taken away. Tales of hard racing, winning some and losing some, pure flow, and community.

That’s something I can believe in.

Why change the great…

12 June, 2024 - Mikey Fry

Well as we fly down the extra and very not wanted fire road which made this race not as enjoyable as the usual route but hey dom dom dom Dee Dee Dee skipping along and around following somebody being past by somebody Zak and paddy disappeared very early Ben does pass me so I keep up with him eventually I pass him on the way up djouce warrens ahead eating grass loop the top and let’s go fly down pass warren unfortunately a lovely pain I breathe it out eventually warren passes again Valdas and pat linger in front boom when we hit the lovely steep waterfall decent I pass them two pull some bark of a tree legs holding somehow over river up to the lovely fire road Conor the young lad passes me legs were gone knee starts to hurt Sarah pips me at the finish man those treats were amazing afterwards thanks again Dan and crew for super race let’s hope they put it back to original and best route that has not failed us yet Gooday mikey…