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28 November, 2009

Like running the race , writing the race report doesn?t get any easier as the time goes by. However, here goes.
The evening/the race itself. The weather was unusually fine for Callary, with good firm going underfoot. At the elite end of the race , the recurring theme was of the same horses, perhaps in a slightly different order. Copious details of all finishers are in the table below, but it would be only fair to laud Paul Nolan for his win on the night. He has an outstanding record (including the actual record) and has gained many victories on this route up Sugarloaf. Commenting on just one more group, the M50s radiated cliches of the ?his pounding feet were never far behind? type, panning out in the sequence Bruce, Henny and then Joe Lalor. Expect more riveting yawns from this never-ending soap as the season unfolds
Access and parking. Getting there was hell- all of South County Dublin seemed to be jammed up. Andrew O?Mullane, where are you when we need you? On parking, good and not so good news. Gordon Douglas claimed he was ?virtually kidnapped? by Eddie Hughes and others to make up a full car, down at the Glencormac Inn. However, your correspondent did a rough count of the cars in the Callary carpark (about 80) versus the number of competitors (193). A school report would say ?can do better? at just over 2 people per car
The route itself. A slightly different one from last year (sorry, Mike Long). Keen marking by Emma Sokell, who judiciously sent poor Joe Bent to freeze at the turnaround point. The same Paul Nolan (and he should know) claims that erosion is now a real concern. Footing is more and more difficult at the top, as smaller rocks and gravel wash away, leaving a jagged surface below. Which brings me to my next ramble......
?Should the race stay in the calendar?? In a straw poll of about twenty runners chosen by random methods (like who happened to be next to me in the carpark, bar etc) 99% voted ?yes?. ?It is unique, and should stay? was a very frequent response. Which finding neatly leads me to.........
Safety and security, through the ?staying left? rule. Opinion in general was that this worked well on, a route with some tight stretches. Eoin Keith, however was heard (by most of South Wicklow) to murmur gently at one poor transgressor. Turlough Conroy had a good point when he said that runners back in the field perhaps underestimate how quickly the leaders can start a descent, and so be running past them. Heads up, everyone, on this route in particular.
Race administration. This appeared to go as smooth as silk with all manner of newbies fitting in as if they had been doing it all their lives. Speaking of silk, Brendan O?Connor, resplendent in suit and tie, set new levels of sartorial elegance in the admin enclosure. Standards are really shooting up. Even the crowd got in on the act, as John Loughran?s dad was co-opted into marshalling runners into the ?Finish? funnel. Profound insights were absent however, when I quizzed Gerry Lalor on the feelings in the tent when 200 runners depart, and a sense of solitude and expectancy awaits their return. ?The main feeling you have is of getting a really cold a**e? was all I got in the way of deep contextual analysis from our man in Havana.
Injuries. Thankfully these appeared minor and treatable. Two notified to me concerned Justin Keatinge, our systems guru and Paul Mahon (just a normal, run of the mill guru). Rumour has it that Justin failed in his attempts to get a resuscitating whiff of oxygen from a new bottle acquired for our first aid. If further rumour is also true that he was blowing in to it rather than sucking out of it, then this is very suspect for a systems man. Regarding Mahon, (who this column has had to chastise before), his sprained ankle suddenly worsened dramatically when Mary O?Colmain told him there were 6 (yes, 6) physios who had taken part in the race. Anne McKenna was finally stuck with the task of molly-coddling him, a task she performed with professional aplomb.
See you all on a hill somewhere.

In addition the committee would like to thank the multitude of volunteers who helped out at the race, to make it run so smoothly.