Craig Woods (Spaghetti Junction)

22 July, 2024 - Martin Cooney

Craig Woods (Spaghetti Junction)
By Martin Cooney

Jimmy McIntyre picked me up around 8.30am as we headed for Craig Woods. A last minute call regarding booking the race and we decide to head to East Tipperary, confident that the All-Ireland Hurling Final was going to be Clare’s in 2024 (just)! As we drove along the motorway, we chatted about our exploits on Carrauntoohil the week before. Landed into a carpark where the Coffee Coop is just on the edge of Grange. I had never been here before but what a beautiful and quaint village. We trot up to the village and check-in for the race and get some lovely hand-made chocolates (Damien McDonnell; you really spoil us). A lot of familiar faces greet us who are not running today- Sean Quirke, Nick Hogan, Michael McSweeney (I thought) and RD for the day; Damien McDonnell.

Back to the car, into the running gear, back to the start and off for a warm-up trot. Jimmy and I head down the road & take a right turn up into the woods. We trot up to the first junction and meet Damien McD. We turn right onto a single path in the woods. It meanders upwards hugging a big stream. We cross a wooden bridge and continue up steps. We head out for about one kilometre before deciding that we didn’t want to get lost. We head back to Damien and ask what the route is. His description included about 5 “figure of eights” routes, all of which were going to pass through this junction! I just kept nodding with his description but realistically was lost after the first “figure of eight”. We trotted back to the start line, where we meet Tom Blackburn and others. I look at the map of Craig Woods on the wall by the old water pump and public phone box. Someone asks me about the route. I comment that I am unsure of it but that as long as we don’t come out on a road in Kilkenny or Laois, we should be alright.

Damien arrives at the start, gives us a race briefing including all the “figure of eight”. “Ready, Go”- and off we go. I am starting my races a bit easier these days since I bust my hernias last year so in about 30th position. Around me are Mags Hassett, Sarah Whelan and Michael McSweeney (fresh off his U10’s race win the week before), who is prodding me jokingly in my back to get a move on as he passes me. It is 300 metres down the road before we turn into the woods. The field has already stretched out with the leaders fifty metres in front about to turn on Spaghetti Junction into the single track that I was just on. I pass a couple of people just before that right turn. We are all in single file as we go over the bridge but then it widens so any passing that is going to happen needs to happen here. I pass Joe Gough and a few other so have jumped up about five positions. We then hit a straight part of the path. There is a slight gap between me and the runner in front of me, who is wearing a backpack. ‘Backpack Guy’ is going along nicely and in the distance Michael McSweeney. The path meanders left, right and left again before a quick descent over a distance of 40 metres. I stride past ‘Backpack Guy’ and catch up to Michael, who starts shoulder-nudging me for a bit of fun. We make a left up & start upward onto another incline. I inch my way past Michael and get a nice rhythm going. I can hear a clatter of feet a few metres behind me so I am guessing that either all the runners have bunched up or a herd of cattle have broken in from a nearby field. As the gradient flattens, I hear a thud as I think ‘Backpack Guy’ takes a fall. Michael asks the fallen runner if he is okay; he says he is; so I keep going.

We start the first descent and immediately hit a junction where I am directed a sharp left and down a rocky road back to Spaghetti Junction where Damien signals us right. I cut the corner well and catch up with 2 runners. The path drifts left & right with a slight incline so you could keep your pace up. I pass both runners over the next couple of hundred metres. About 100 metres later, I take a right turn and popped out onto a fire-road. A long straight in front of me, I hold my pace without going too hard just as a runner with a blue singlet joins me. At the end of the straight, we are directed left & up an incline. I take a moment to tie my shoe-lace (my customary pit-stop at almost every race) before starting this gentle uphill path. I can see Rob Cunningham in the distance and am catching up to him with every stride- no doubt his legs are still in bits after the Reeks Skyline. ‘Blue Singlet Guy’ has now passed me & Rob as I slowly start to come up alongside Rob. I stay with Rob for a minute or so trying to get my breathing back. We have a nice rhythm going. I creep away from him just as we pop out onto another fire-road which doesn’t seem to have any trees on this upper slope. Up the road 200 metres, we are directed left and up to the monument tower. I walk the last few paces to the summit, go clockwise round the tower and start into a narrow, rocky descent.

I turn left and out onto a flat section of fire-road. I have ‘Blue Singlet Guy’ in my sights and get up alongside him just as we take a sharp left. The trail then curves around to the right so I manage to be on the correct side and pass ‘Blue Singlet Guy’. I see a couple of barriers so pass them on the left, squeezing between some rocks. I have gained about 20 metres on ‘Blue Singlet Guy’. It is still relatively flat and slowly the track narrows into a single trail. I turn right into the sheltered woods & start the most fun of a running roller-coaster of single trail. Down, steps, right turn, narrow bridge, steps, left turn, narrow bridge- this is my favourite type of trail so I gain more ground.

I then pop out on a trail I had been on; but now in the opposite direction. Up a gradient and then back into downhill back down to Spaghetti Junction. Through trees, down steps, cross the bridge, pass Damian and back up rocky road. Out of nowhere, well no-straight out through a ditch comes a Yeti! … No; it’s ‘Blue Singlet Guy’! … WTF is that was my initial thoughts as I got a fright, when I heard the hedging rustle. I thought that maybe a lost Yeti had found a home in East Tipp. “Which Way” was a snarling roar from the behind me. I was so startled I didn’t know what to say so I just kept running in case I was going to be mauled. “Which Way” came the snarling call again from behind me. I let a roar back, “I’m going this way” & might have muttered something like “I don’t give a fe*k what way you go” cos I was now in ‘fight or flight’ mode… and FLIGHT it is for me- I’m no hero!

I pass volunteers who now have pitchforks trying to fend off the Yeti (my imagination now gone into overdrive) as I make what I hope to be the last ascent. It is not steep but goes on for 500 metres or so. I hear no footsteps behind me so have shaken off ‘Blue Singlet Guy’ or Yeti, whichever it was. It flattens and then a sharp left back into a flowing, single track, which again drifts left and right bringing me back to Spaghetti Junction. I am moving quite well now and don’t seem to have anyone in sight either in front or behind me. Right turn at the junction past Damien and headed down the hill towards civilization and a public road. I pop out onto the road and make my way the last 300 metres to the finish. I cross the line in 13th position and immediately go over to the old water pump, shove my head under it to cool down and slowly get my breath back.

I wait at the finish line. ‘Blue Singlet Guy’ arrives in about 30 seconds behind me but no sign of a Yeti! Over by the IMRA Munster van, there is cups for water and a spread of food worthy of a banquet. Sandwiches, Lemon Drizzle Cake, Bakewell Tart, Rocky-Road Cake but to mention a few. A great chat had with all the runners who were all in agreement that this is one of the best and most fun routes on the race calendar. A final coffee at the Coffee Coop, an All-Ireland in the back pocket and a fantastic race; what more could a Clare man want on a Sunday in the middle of July!

Massive Thanks RD Damien, his better half for keeping us fed and to all the volunteers who gave up your morning for the rest of us to run- much appreciated! Big thanks to Jimmy McIntyre for his company and for driving on the day.
Thanks for reading this, apologies if my creative writer’s discretion was over-imaginative.