Glacier Lakes A Touching Report

27 April, 2025 - Owen Fenton

This race takes effort and study. You need to first get your hands on maps, GPS files and do a few recees. The Wexicans (or Yellowbellies) had two separate recees both at or around the 32 km mark and then maps were photocopied and marked and bearings discussed and eventually agreed upon. I could sit on my sofa and visualise the route except for the last leg where we had decided to simply run back the Wicklow Way (WW) from Glenmalure. I tend to get lost in races and therefore my goal was not to race but to get around without getting lost and above all to have fun.

Karl Richards and I went up together and our start was 9:20 am. Some nerves to start with but a small group headed up the valley (the start and end for mere mortals has running!!) and it was obvious we all had put previous work in and did the necessary homework. We all popped out onto the road at the same place but whereas others entered open mountain we stayed on the road and popped in right after a large mound we had marked on our maps:) The road is definitely faster for next time:) so I will keep that tip to myself!! We were climbing upwards to a saddle finding grassy parts as a guide and then onto Lough Ouler. The climb down to touch this heart shaped lake is steep and slippery (which can be fast or slow depending on your character), so we took our time and then climbed out again in reverse. I could see some were climbing up-up-up whereas we did a horseshoe around Tonelagee and dropped to the car park to volunteers and smiles. I avoided falling on race day. But on my first occasion my leg almost snapped off after disappearing down a gap between two granite slabs. So be careful.

Spirits were high and we ate and chatted going up the fire road to the reservoir. For us what looks like a quarry at the back was where we took our bearing and therefore, we kept a clear open mountain line through the next 2.3 km section. We chatted with a lad from Cork and then he disappeared map in hand. Amazingly easy to go wrong here but the day was so clear, and we had a few peat hags and rocks to guide us through to Lough Firrib. Enjoy the bog soup and the slow progress on a wet day:)

Now a change of bearing and about 2.2. km to Three lakes. A few solo runners passed us here and all were taking slightly different lines. I feel we did better here than on previous occasions and i dunked my head in the lake. We went left where it was very-very wet underfoot but managed to remind ourselves to keep south and find the valley opening up and the expected River Avonbeg that builds from a trickle to a stream to a river - the secret here is to cross over to the right at the correct time and then climb upwards and eventually to pop out onto the road but stay to the right (not left which will be paid for by either running back or criss-crossing the valley to the correct roadway - not advised as we evidenced on another recee!!).

Onwards for about 50 m and left down the valley. Wonderful views, wet underfoot conditions and continued onto the "Roman Road" section as I call it, which is difficult to run fast without face planting. Eventually another well stocked CP with a good few laughs, a can of coke and my own fruit chocolate covered biscuit bar.

The back of this adventure was certainly broken and the harder open sections were behind us. But of course, the next climb to Arts Lough was on our minds. Up the hill and left again from the CP and we found our way to the base of the climb, clambered over some sheep fencing and set our poles in motion. Things went very quite as arduous work was needed to get us to Arts Lough and still upwards and some detailed contouring around to get us laser focused on hitting Kelly's Lough. It was much wetter than 2 weeks previous. After here its simple - find the forest roadway and start running - yes there is some running in this race!! until a sharp left through the trees affected by windthrow and you are finally decent steeply by a treeline to the next CP before Glenmalure Lodge. Spirits were extremely high here and we didn’t really hang around for long. We were gifted a can of coke and drank that going up the road towards the lodge - Karl disappeared to a bin and we regrouped turning left onto the WW (follow the yellow man) - from here we decided a few weeks back to run the entire WW back to the lakes in Glendalough national park instead of taking the shorter route - why oh why:) anyway we added another 7 km onto the legs but we ran the whole way and chatted and smiled. For me this was a long hard training run for a 100 miler in Canada (Sulphur Springs 100) in 4 weeks’ time so the longer and harder the better. Finally, we weaved our way past instagramers and emerged through the arch by the tower and over the bridge to the start and the yummie cheesecake!!!! Spoiled. Thank you to Eoin and Lilian and all the volunteers - this one has real IMRA magic attached, and I would love to give it a real blast now that i know the route. To finish, after cleaning the blanket bog off my skin, it revealed 100s of scratches and bruises - these were of course war wounds of happiness.
Thank You