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28 November, 2009

For overall result of WWR '05 <a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/total%20results.htm"> RESULTS </a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Leg1.htm"> LEG1</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/leg2.htm"> LEG2</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/leg3.htm"> LEG3</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/leg4.htm"> LEG4</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/leg5.htm"> LEG5</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/leg6.htm"> LEG6</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Leg7.htm"> LEG7</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Leg8.htm"> LEG8</a>

Full results spreadsheet is posted below for you to check (with some difficulty) what team was in the lead at any stage of the day
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Full%20Resuts%20Spreadsheet.htm"> Full Spreadsheet</a>

Another spreadsheet (from Jim Fitzharris) that is resorted by position after each leg. Lots of time to waste messing with this one.<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/WWRelay2005.xls"> Excel resorted Spreadsheet</a>


From 2pm onwards the car park of the Parkview bar and restaurant in Shileagh started to fill up with a very tired but jovial group of runners. Most of the talk was not about brilliant runs they had but the various cock-ups that kept the annual Wicklow Way Relay competitive until the end. These tales were periodically interrupted by another one of the 35 teams finishing the 120km course to a loud cheer.

The list of excuses for missing dead lines at starts or for going wrong was very long. They included early morning mist at Sally?s Gap, trees being missing from where they were last year, Rottweiller dog obscuring sign, malfunction of GPS (these will be banned in future), too many maps and briefing notes.. A few of the navigational errors can be explained by runners not having done the leg before hand (as obliged by the rules) but quite a few went wrong on routes that were known to them. The competitive nature of the event this year might explain this. One of the places that caused a problem to many (elite and fun runners) was on the way up to Mullacor, the main track heads to Derrybawn with the lesser track cutting back towards Mullacor.
To do well in this event you have to be on time, fast and alert.

The heat played a part in this year?s event, with one runner being overcome and having to be hospitalised, we wish him well. Many others suffered and the winning time was down from 7:17 to
7:36, although the composition of the winning team last year may have affected that. On the point of team composition, in the four years that the event is running a team of 8 has yet to win, even though this year 32 of the 35 teams were of 8 runners. At the post race gathering many were of the opinion that an elite team of 5 or 6 will always beat a team of eight with the extra restriction of having two vets. and two ladies. Is it time for change, to allow only teams of eight or will that destroy the nature of the event?

The competitive nature of the race can be judged from the results above but some points to note.
Five teams had a best leg time, one team had three best legs but did not win the event, one team went wrong twice but still managed to win. The lead changed after the each of the first four stages, Rathfarnham held the lead after stage 5 but a new leader The Scallywags emerged from the pack after leg 6. The Anphibians were back in front after 7 and just managed to hold on to the end in spite of a fastest leg 8 by Rathfarnham. There were many individual brilliant runs and it is probably unfair to single any few out but ones that caught my eye were Gerry Brady?s (M50) 52:41 on leg 6, anyone breaking 60.00 on leg 5 in the midday sun was going very well (Alan Lawlor 59:33) and what about the injured John Brooks on leg 7 ?

There was more to the day that just the competition, many stopped off on the way at Drumgoff, the Dying Cow (Tallons) or the many other viewing spots to cheer on the passing runners and there was always up to the minute details at the finish as to where the lead players were. A larger that normal crowed pitched their tents on the fair green and made a night of it.