Curtlestown
Authors
Unknown
28 November, 2009
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/50k%202.htm"> Current Standing 50k Challenge </a>Anyone who was interested in doing today’s second race in the 50k challenge and was disappointed that they could not make it can now cheer up. They missed gorse up to their chest, nettles, fierce rain, mist, hail and 40mph winds.
Sixteen souls lined up at Curlestown for the 17 km (by optimum route) navigational race in which four features had to be visited in order by a route of your own choosing. First up was the summit of Knockree and a new track not on the map looked like a good option but when it ran out at the end of the field system gorse jungle took over. Experiences here varied from gorse at waist to neck height. Two clever runners approached Knockree from the rear (South), a much longer route but they wont be plucking thorns for the next week. Most people knew how too get off Knockree fast by the old winter league route but at the bottom of Knockree if you don’t do winter hill running or the Maurice Mullins run, like Mick Mangan you will add one to two km to your journey by following the Wicklow Way rather than the “hostel” track.
From Crone the next feature was Maulin summit and there were as many variations in approach as runners. The famous “hillrunners ride” was as good a route as any but turning left at the top Bruce ????
Maulin was manned by Brendan Doherty who in total did a three hour stint in torrential rain and wind between there and Tonduff. The advice given at the start was that if runners were under pressure here to go directly to Tonduff and home, a few took this sensible option. The next feature was Coffin Stone on the Western slopes of Djouce. The planner assumed that runners would make an anti clockwise sweep of Glensoulan to minimise height loss but left the temptation of the Maulin to Djouce track as a longer but faster choice. Taking the conditions on the day into account it was a brave choice to head out into the near zero visibility of Glensoulan. Four runners did this and race winners Paul Nolan took a pretty direct route following up the west most river valley, Brian Bell the recognise expert at reading the terrain did pretty much the same but failed to find the Coffin Stone. Relying on topology has it difficulties when you can see next to nothing.
Mick Mangan did a very clever contour west of War Hill dropping the least amount of height to hit the feature bang on. David Bolger also had a good cross-country leg here. The rest opted for what they knew the track from Maulin to Djouce, familiar to any runner who has done the “Powerscourt Ridge” race. What could have been a very tricky leg most runner completed successfully, Coffin Stone to Tonduff but most confessed to being glad at seeing Brendan to confirm where they where. From there it was home to Curlestown without having to brave the gorse of Knockree but by what route? Runners were warned of the dangerous cliffs of Ravens Rock but could the planner tempt anyone to descend to the West of this notorious Glen. Whoever might consider this route it would definitely not be an orienteer who were all well aware of the man size holes in this area from the Leinster Champs a good few years ago. But that is just what happened; see can you guess from the results who lost an hour here.
At this stage in the 50k challenge there are only 7 who can competed the series while PN and BS at least will not be available for race 3 so the final result is still very open in the very long final race on Sept. 5th.
