Glen of Aherlow Trail Marathon
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Cunningham | Aug 19 2024, 12:48pm | Aherlow Trail Marathon is now Open for Entry. |
| Patricia Ryan | Sep 16 2024, 12:42pm | Aherlow Trail Races This year 2024 marks 10 years since the inaugural IMRA Aherlow Trail race event. Originally called the Loop de Loop, this event was conceived in 2014 by Mark Morrissey. Consisting of a 63k Ultra, a 42k Marathon and a 21k Half Marathon. All 3 races ran over a 21k loop of the trails through Coillte forestry in the scenic Glen Of Aherlow. Crossing Slievenamuck and taking in some fantastic views of the Galty Mountains. The 3 race distance format has proven to be very successful with the Ballyhoura and Glanageenty races following a similar format. Ultra (Stag Course) 3 loops of the 21k course with 300 meters of climbing in each loop. Barry Hartnett set the current record for completing the ultra in 2016 in a blistering time of 5:04:37. The women’s record was set by Donna McLoughlin, who has held the fastest time to complete the ultra since the first race was held in 2014 with a time of 6:43:06. Marathon (Fox course) 2 loops of a the 21k course. The record for the Marathon is held by local man Tom Blackburn, who designed the course and set the record in 2015 with a excellent time of 3:06:01. Tom also won this race 4 years in a row from 2015-2018. The woman’s record was set in 2015 as well by Suzanne Kelly in 3:43:56, Suzanne also won the half marathon in 2014. Half Marathon (Hare course) There have been a few small changes to the course since its creation. But for 2024 it will revert to a course reminiscent to the original one. The record for the half Marathon is currently held by Stuart Maloney who set a time of 1:22:10 in 2017 The women’s record was seized by Kealey Tideswell just last year in 2023 with a time of 1:35:47. Kealey has won the half marathon race 3 times in total with two consecutive wins in 2022 and 2023. Volunteers. The success of this event over the last 10 years has been made possible by the immense help from volunteers. The likes of Jane and Ger Griffin, Willie O’Donoghue, Lynda Hynes, John Cunningham and the Aherlow community. Everyone who has given their time over the years have been a huge help as they guide, hydrate and support runners on the trails. Every participant receives an IMRA Munster Long Sleeved T-shirt and there are prizes for the top three finishers male and female in each race. Showers are provided by Aherlow GAA. The refreshments and chats afterwards in Lisvernane community centre are always a delight. Sign up at https://www.imra.ie/events |
| Walsh Rowan | Sep 20 2024, 4:49pm | 2nd lap added to this GPX, I accept no responsibility for lost souls or soles https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2759460?units=km |
| Gavin Roche | Sep 21 2024, 8:50pm | Thanks to Rob and Trish and everyone that gave up their time today so we could go out and run. It was a really enjoyable race and very well organised. |
| Karl Richards | Sep 22 2024, 3:19pm | Thank you so much to Trish, Rob and the amazing group of volunteers. All of whom made this race possible. I was a bit blasé about the race seeing it described as having 580m elevation. A false sense of security hahaha. My watch said 1100m of elevation. It was a super testing route. Really enjoyed it! Thank you all. |
| Brian Flannelly | Sep 22 2024, 5:26pm | Results are now up for this event - any questions/queries on them, please email: brian <dot> flannelly <at> imra <dot> ie |
| Robert Cunningham | Sep 23 2024, 9:46am | Massive thanks to all the volunteers who gave their time to help out with the Aherlow Loop de Loop. It's greatly appreciated by everyone especially Tricia and myself. |
| Deirdre O Gorman | Sep 23 2024, 12:30pm | Thanks a mil to Rob, Tricia and all the volunteers; ye had a long day out, it's very much appreciated! |
| Barry Walsh | Sep 23 2024, 12:50pm | Thanks to race team, volunteers and all involved - great event. Always come away feeling positive from an IMRA event. |
