Stone Cross to Lug - Relay
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Lillian Deegan | Jul 21 2024, 1:18pm | Afternoon everyone, We are in the process of getting info’s updated for this event. Seeing the buzz about the Tucker in Glendalough yesterday was just the best! Fair dues to all who did the various legs about that race route. You all added greatly to the atmosphere for the ultra GTT folk heading back out each time on their next section along with rallying Relay leg runners for the next leg to close out the race route in jig time #Bravo! With the above in mind, there was plenty of runners above on the Tucker that have the ability to take on Stone Cross even though it is a nav. race. I’m popping up links to Stone Cross race reports from recent years suggesting people have a look, consider getting out to do a few route recces and enter a Relay team - *See below for these. With the event date not till Sept. 21st, if ye start looking at the route now, you’ll be grand come gun time on race morning. Plus, our money man & Committee have ok’d for the entry cost to remain at €21 for a team of 3 - that gives you a pretty decent distance of a Relay leg outing for €7 AND we’ll include a really neat, specially designed t-shirt this year to mark your efforts. Spec. on this shirt is being worked on presently. I’ll get more details posted on this as soon as I have the design wrapped up on. Lastly for now - If runners pull up the 2023 race link, using the history tab, we have a race booklet with loads of helpful info. about the event on there. I’m working on updating this for publishing on this year’s page at mo. *Recent Stone Cross Solo race reports; (these will give you a great idea of what the whole route is like at various stages - you will only be doing one leg most likely). 2023 - Andy Keeling; https://www.imra.ie/events/report/id/2398/#1954 2022 - Brian Furey; https://www.imra.ie/events/report/id/2188/#1857 2021 - Andy Keeling; https://www.imra.ie/events/report/id/2082/#1765 |
| Lillian Deegan | Jul 21 2024, 1:47pm | Also for mention for the 2024 SCTL event - We have dropped the need to have race day hopefuls send through nav experience prior to entry. We are asking that if you wish to race this one - you get out on the route to see how you can manage with a map and compass. This race does not allow for fancy arm candy (watches) or device use of any kind bar a map & compass during the event. The only GPS jazz help you’ll get to have is from a lovely proper old school map of the race route. In the race booklet mentioned in my last post, you will find lots of mapping bits detailed to give you an overview of what’s what. |
| Lillian Deegan | Jul 27 2024, 6:52pm | On the back of today’s Irish Champs race on Lugnaquilla, I’ve booked our post race food from Fenton’s for Stone Cross. The smell in the car park of chipper like kinda food was just too good to let go. On here to also mention we’ve a few people looking to make up Relay teams. I reckon popping up your name here would be an idea. I’ll move your name over to a WhatsApp group where folk can make shapes for team formations. Plus, Alice Clancy has offered to get a few recces in motion - many thanks Alice ;) We’ll get a group chat going and take all from there. If members want to join in, drop your name on this page and I’ll add you in. |
| Avril Challoner | Jul 29 2024, 9:29am | Thanks Lillian. Alice I'd be game for joining on a few recces between now and the race! |
| Alice Clancy | Jul 29 2024, 9:50am | Thanks for setting this up Lillian and for all the encouragement!!! Great idea to enable people to form relay teams via the whatsapp group too… Anyone who is interested, this relay is great fun, with epic runs across the boggiest and wildest parts of the wicklow mountains…lured on by the promise of chips in Fentons!…..it would be great to get a good few teams entering this!!! To that end, I’m going to organise some slow pace recces of each leg over the weekend of 24/25 August (legs 1-2) and on 1st Sept (leg 3)…All welcome! the pace on each recce will be slow jog/fast hike pace to get the navigation sorted…. The nav isn’t too complicated once you’ve recce’d it and got a sense of the terrain….and the bogholes…! On the weekend of 24/25 there will be the added bonus of the imra social on the Sat night in between recces for more detailed discussions of route choices too! Ps Avril, great to hear you'll join the recces! Although it will be more me learning from you! |
| Paul Kelly | Jul 29 2024, 10:24am | Thanks Lillian, nothing like the smell of chips to lure you off the hill.... @ Alice - I'm doing the solo but definitely game to join in the reece's. Need to get some mountains back into the legs.. No run May blurred into no run June and a bit into July! :-) So I need a shock to the system. haha I'm the pinnacle of don't follow me I make bad life choices.... |
| Andy Keeling | Jul 29 2024, 11:13am | I'm going to pencil in a nav recce of leg two (Sally gap to Wicklow gap) for Sunday 1st of September. It's open to everyone to join in and we'll adjust the pace to suit the group. If you're interested in joining give me a text on 0 ate tree ate 9 too won six 5 ate nice and early so we can make a plan. We can get a WhatsApp group going from there. Cheers |
| Rachel Harney | Jul 29 2024, 12:01pm | Yes please Lillian, for the recee group. |
| Elaine Casey | Jul 29 2024, 12:01pm | Hi all, I'd be interested in leading from the back on the recces, can you please add me to any WhatsApp groups oh ate sevn 6 tree sevn 6 oh fyv tree. Ta muchly. |
| Sean Sheridan-O'Gorman | Jul 29 2024, 12:50pm | Hi guys, definitely up for recce :). I'll hide in the middle and draft... If I could be added to the WA that would be class, thanks. oh ate tree ate cix tu sevn sevn sevn fyv Cheers, Seán |
| nicola cleary | Jul 29 2024, 2:01pm | I'd definitely be up for a few recces too! Thanks Lillian, Alice and Andy! |
| Patrik Albertsson | Jul 29 2024, 6:57pm | Can you please adme to WhatsApp group for Reece. 0872518331 |
| Laura Flynn | Jul 29 2024, 8:26pm | I’d love to join a team . Thanks for organising Lillian, Alice and Andy. I’m happy to be added to WhatsApp group. |
| Robert Costello | Jul 29 2024, 11:18pm | Great idea folks. Please add me to the WhatsApp group Zero Eight 7 six 3 six 4 zero 1 four. Thanks |
| Richard Fox | Jul 30 2024, 11:46pm | Hello Lillian/Alice. Will you please add me to the recce group. Thanks so much for organising. Cheers foxy |
| Richard Fox | Jul 30 2024, 11:47pm | Oops sorry I’m at 087 9155320 Cheers foxy |
| Niamh O'Ceallaigh | Jul 31 2024, 9:40am | Me too please Alice. thanks |
| Christopher Willoughby | Jul 31 2024, 8:48pm | Could I be added to the WhatsApp too please? Oh ate seven 9 won 7 six ate 9 seven. |
| Brendan Delaney | Aug 19 2024, 5:54pm | Hi Lillian, Alice, could you add me to the WhatsApp group, please? I’m interested in running any leg. Thanks. Brendan Delaney - 087 7544814 |
| Terry Lawless | Sep 2 2024, 6:36pm | Hi Guys. Could I be added to the what's app group for this race please. If anyone has space on a team for a leg 2 runner, I would be delighted to take part. Did that leg last year. Terry |
| Eoin Syron | Sep 6 2024, 1:25pm | HI, I would love to join a Relay team if anyone is looking for a runner. Happy to do any of the legs. Eoin |
| Lillian Deegan | Sep 10 2024, 11:07am | Hi all, entries for this one close on Friday at 18h. Looking for race day helpers. Relay team captains buy the entry for their team and follow up with me naming their team for the tracker link. Email team spec to Lillian.d@hotmail.com |
| Lillian Deegan | Sep 17 2024, 11:59am | Still seeking help for Saturday folks. No first aider, no race. |
| Lillian Deegan | Sep 19 2024, 10:27am | Morning everyone, Last few bits ahead of Saturday. •Leg 1 runner Sign-in at the barrier from 7:15 to 7:45 sharp. Leg 2&3 runners can sign-in at their resp. starts. Our CP helpers will let you know the mandatory kit. •Race will kick off bang on 8am. •Mandatory kit clothing will be confirmed at sign-in. •Trackers will be fitted to your waist in an elastic belt. •Remember to pack water and food. •Everyone wears their IMRA race No. At each CP can I ask you to let our helpers know your IMRA race No. as you come in. Our volunteers at both Gaps will be keeping a manual time just in case of any device issues. Andy and Emma at Fenton’s will have hot food cooked fresh as you land. Mick H. will be tracking folk and keeping the bar in the loop. And that is it for the mo. Let me know if I’ve missed anything. See you Saturday morning in your best ever go fast legs. Lillian |
| Lillian Deegan | Sep 19 2024, 10:29am | Tracker link - https://live.primaltracking.com/stonecross24 |
| Raghnall O'Donoghue | Sep 19 2024, 10:08pm | Hi Folks, As always, the most complicated thing about this wonderful race is the logistics of a point-to-point. In keeping with this, my best laid transport plans for the day have come awry. Is anyone doing a shunt from Fentons to the start on the morning of the race that I could get involved in? Or perhaps going back to the start after the race (aiming to be done in 7.5 - 8.5 hours...we shall see!) Thanks - Raghnall |
| Rory Campbell | Sep 20 2024, 6:29pm | Hi Raghnall, no prob. Will give you lift back to start after finish. |
| Raghnall O'Donoghue | Sep 20 2024, 10:13pm | Thats brilliant Rory - thanks a mil. Was beginning to plan the shortest route back over the hills! Let me know if you need a lift up to the start in the morning. |
| Stuart Scott | Sep 21 2024, 8:12pm | Thanks a million Lillian for all the hard work organising this year. It was great to see that reflected in the numbers. Your Whatisup group was inspired (and inspiring) as well. Thanks also to everyone who helped organise the teams and Maike for helping arrange the carpooling. I had a great day out, with zero visibility but relatively mild and dry, conditions couldn't have been better! It really is one of the best races on the calendar. |
| Brendan Lawlor | Sep 22 2024, 7:48am | Big thanks to Lillian and her volunteer team for a fantastic Stone Cross to Lug Relay ( and Solo) event yesterday. Great to see better support for the Relay event this year and long may that continue.. if you are even half interested have a go next year.. it’s a great race event |
| Alice Clancy | Sep 22 2024, 10:50am | A huge thank you to Lillian, Foxy, Mick, John and everyone who helped make Stone Cross so special and so much fun!!! Zero visibility all day but the craic was mighty!!! I’d highly recommend the relay to anyone interested….we formed a good few teams and recces this year via Lillian’s excellent WhatsApp group, which we’ll no doubt use again next year….also the t-shirt and chips in Fentons after were lovely! Special thanks to Foxy for giving up his chance to plunge into a few bog holes to take on first aid ….! |
| Laura Flynn | Sep 22 2024, 11:46am | Despite the mist that was a really enjoyable experience. Thanks Lillian, Foxy, John, Mick, Finn for giving up your day to make it happen and to Alice for your enthusiasm for it and for encouraging us all to do the relay event. Sorry to have missed Fentons and the chips but I’m looking forward to next year already. |
| Gavan Doherty | Sep 22 2024, 12:14pm | That was fierce crack altogether - thanks! I found a cut up piece of EastWest map with the number 5 written on it... message me on 0862621445 if I can get it back to you! |
| Gareth Little | Sep 22 2024, 1:05pm | What a day and what a race! It’s always one of the best events on the calendar. Thank you Lillian and all the other helpers. As mentioned before, extra thanks to Foxy for your sacrifice and to the super volunteer, Mick Hanney! Although the conditions were challenging, they actually made the race that bit more interesting and as some one put it to me yesterday, “it levels out the field” which is very true. Well done to everyone who took part too! Gareth |
| Lillian Deegan | Sep 25 2024, 12:57pm | I got a tad waylaid since Saturday and I’m slow getting back here to wrap on this year’s SCTL Relay showdown. What a fab number we had toeing this year’s Relay line up - fair dues to each and all of our 8 teams. I think massive thanks is due to Alice Clancy for pushing the recce side of things way out from gun time on the WhatsApp chat. Mucho thanks to you Alice. Hope to see you on the Solo lineup for next time too :) On the winning Team side of things, I had Space Jam Monstars pegged for the win from Sally Gap with Theo legging it into CP5 in jig time and Darran belting it off into the mist for CP13. Kathryn you weren’t to know Mike Jordan lunched with me in the car at Wicklow Gap (I ate, he didn’t). Mike relayed some of his cunning nav. plan. It was basically to try/ chance doing something a tad different to years previous, visibility pending, as he tipped up from the WW Gap car park. Mike’s prep and mind set clearly worked in favour of Lugging a Cross to Fenton’s. Well done lads, ye picked a winner there :) Liam will be in touch with your prize vouchers. (I’ve only got round to sending details on this morning). With Stone Cross being a real out and out solid nav. event, plenty of members seem to be put off taking it on. Fear of getting lost is probably the bottom line here. If the latter ain’t the reason, we just don’t know what it is. With an entry cost of €7 or €25 for the Solo, cost can’t be the main issue. As Alice has shown us this year, pulling the recce jazz together helps everyone. We can look at this element again if we get a calendar slot next year. While I’m on about costs, in a bid to raise the profile of this year’s SCTL gig, Committee ok’d giving a t-shirt to all runners on the Solo & Relay. I would like to say a huge thank you to Kamila Beblot. Kamila has done all the IMRA graphic designing on a volunteer basis of late and her work on the shirt for Stone Cross got me out of a tricky situation last minute. Thank you Kamila, we need to get you running too. I’ll have a word with Brian ;) On my event volunteers - as with the Solo, from a helper crew perspective, the Relay event is lucky in the greater scheme of things. Year on year we are blessed to get repeat helpers who know precisely what’s needed at CPs. Thanks to John and Stephane and Mick Hanney for taking care of the CPs & FA needs at the finish for us. And thanks to Finn Goggin (With Collie being a super early bird for reg and race time on all the long day races, we get Finn as a courtesy on the help front. Cheers Finn, (Colm) see you for the WW Race ;) And lastly, the savage Foxy. Richard saved the day giving up his Relay spot for the event to go ahead - the WhatsApp group say you’ll not haft to put your hand in your pocket for a long time. You’ll be tipsy on the thoughts of it :) Briefly back to the t-shirts - While we ran with short sleeve shirts this year, we got sample long sleeves with Kamila’s design on there to consider for next time. With Stone Cross being an autumn race, I’d be thinking for anyone who might like a shirt next time, if it’s a thing, long arms would be a neat option. As a special thanks to Foxy, we gifted a long sleeve shirt his way. Foxy, have you tried it on yet? Feel free to send me a pic when you do :) I’m sure it’s only gorgeous on yeah! Primal Tracking (thanks for the remote minding of us Rowan) did a few tidy ups for me on Sunday. We picked up on a few mini errors on the Solo & Relay where racers did not hit every CP bang on. With the mist/ low cloud cover, we have decided as these errors are not huge and they do not change the finishing order, therefore results will stand. Jeff got the Relay results for pulling together yesterday. With me getting waylaid trying to figure specific leg running times, it delayed things here, sorry. Jeff will get round to getting them up as soon as he can. Fingers crossed SCTL gets a repeat slot on the 2025 calendar along with our money man & Committee allowing for hot food from Emma & Andy at Fenton’s. |
| Lillian Deegan | Sep 25 2024, 3:08pm | I’m back with something I missed earlier. We had a good few OG IMRA folk out on Saturday. One for me for particular mention was Ruth Lynham. Great to see you back Ruth and congrats on roughing out run No. 101 with IMRA - whoop whoop - GoYou! |
| Avril Challoner | Sep 25 2024, 3:35pm | Thanks again to Lillian for all your work on SCTL. I think fear of the nav element is a big feature for low numbers. It's a fantastic route and on a clear day wouldn't be overly challenging nav wise but on a day with low cloud its a different story. I'd be more than happy to take out anyone who is tempted by the relay or solo for next year and wants to do early recces over the next few months. Seeing the route early would allow them plenty of time to do their own recces and try improve on my route before next years race! Shirts design is fab, thanks Kamila. It's a great way to spread the love about the race, I'll make sure to wear it with pride anywhere potential 2025 runners could be! Finally, the chips at the end were great, I was looking forward to them from the top of lug (okay, really from Kippure)! |
| Sean Forsyth | Sep 25 2024, 4:00pm | Hi Lillian, I know for myself the proximity date wise to the Wicklow Way race was a factor in not taking part in this years event...and may be (I think) the case with other participants in other races (Glen of Aherlow, Ecotrails). I love this race and I will be definitely back in for it next year if its on. |
| Alan Kennedy | Sep 25 2024, 4:57pm | As Sean says timing was the issue this year. For me it’s EcoTrail on Saturday. Regretting it now when I hear new shirts available for this year :( And as Avril said the nav is an issue and did scare the hell out of me last year but several recces helped especially as conditions were the same as this year. Recommend the relay to start with. |
| Jeff Swords | Sep 27 2024, 11:15am | Relay results published, slight delay due to us not been supplied the 2 non-competitive team's breakdown which Lillian dug out so should be all there now. Note that we are aware the some leg timings for the 2 non competitive teams may be incorrect and we're working on obtaining the correct ones. |
