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28 November, 2009

The last of the three new race routes in the 2007 Trail League series at Carrick proved to be unanimously liked - thanks to rainbows, great views over distant seas, and a tricky and demanding course. Thanks to everybody throughout the League for marking, marshalling, registering, handling the finishes, and anything else I've not mentioned. Great efforts get great results!

All that remains is to find someone who would like to write a race report below!!! Offers to imra at iol.ie and I'll put it up on the website. Thanks! Douglas

Mick Hanney writes back in a flash!
The last of the trail race series was held at Carrick mountain in Glenealy. Presidential influence managed to acquire a yard & shed for parking and registration pre-race. We could do with such facilities for all races! The shed looked like it has held many a late night cider party! No cider for us as we got through the registration process, very efficiently I have to say, helped considerably by those thoughtful souls who bring exact change. Douglas was on the phone quite a bit guiding in the lost sheep stuck in traffic on the way and unfamiliar with a race venue so south of the usual hills! At least the midges didn't find us this week.

The race itself was great. It had a bit of everything and was experienced by almost 100 runners. The start, along the tarmac road, wouldn't have been to everyones liking but it allows the field to spread out a bit before entering the forest trail proper. The haul upwards was for the most part gradual and on decent forest track, with a couple of nice variations off through single track which involved a water obstacle (becoming a feature of imra runs in recent months!). The field spread out in its normal way with the contenders heading off into the distance leaving the rest of us behind.

Running very well ahead of me I saw to namecheck but a few Cormac, Jenny, Rene, Aoife and Orla. Beyond them was Tony Collins and the leading group. Personally I was treading water a bit on the way up and lost a no. of places to those around me in the trail standings, but who cares. The advantage in going as slow as I was was in being able to take in the view of the surrounding countryside. A rainbow had taken off from the sea just as we made it to the top and it was a great sight.

The trail wandered ever upward (surely higher than the advertised ascent??) and boy were people glad to see that downward arrow! The descent was slippery in parts but ever so exhilarating. Grip was at a premium in some places and I expect that there were some fallers, as footwear choice probably wouldn't have done much for you with some of that mud. Having recce'd the run (some bit slower) last Thursday I was probably at an advantage coming down so I knew was corners to take tight etc, so I made up at least 2 places on the fast downward section. Happily it finished at the forest clearing and not back up along the road. All in all a great race.

Great credit to Jenny & co for the route selection and marking. Douglas and volunteers did their usual excellent job. Well done to Keith Daly who overtook Derek Coogan (winner of the previous 2 trail series races) to win in a fabulous time of 32.33 Overheard talk at the start of Turlough Conway being away in training? That was put into practice with a fine 3rd place. Congrats again to Jenny for leading the ladies race again and to Leeanne Tobin for a good win in the Junior section. Well done to all who took part and made this series a great success.