Racing 795 Member Forum

Well done lads fantastic result!
Sounds like Tracy did a great job, fair play its tough going, feels like pushing a big rock sometimes!
Nice report Mike, that is one tough leg you ran. I did it last year and took a fall coming down the first descent, it's a tough second climb after what has gone before it, even the flat bit of road was tough.
Well done everyone a great team result in what is a really enjoyable race.
Any more reports there lads?

Saturday morning found me up at an ungodly hour and off to Glendalough for Leg 4 of the Wicklow Way Relay. The leg was 9.6km with 363m of climbing and was from Oldbridge to Glendalough. I didn't bother car pooling for this so arrived outside Glendalough at about 8am and walked the 6km over the Wicklow Way back to the start. This acted as a great warm up and was really enjoyable as the weather was lovely and the trails were deserted except for me and the deer, rabbits and sheep.

The relay handover point was a bridge at a crossroads so I settled down to catch some sun and look at my competitors. It was lying on the grass eating banana sandwiches when I realised that I probably should take this a bit more seriously. Almost everyone else was doing elaborate warm ups and stretches and were wearing trail shoes - I had on an old pair of runners and spent most of the time sitting enjoying the sun.

Mike and Ross arrived and we had a quick catch up and then Joy arrived for the changeover.

The first two km were on the road. The first km was uphill, and I mean uphill. It was probably the steepest hill I've ever run up. Pretty quickly I began to catch glimpses of two runners ahead who had a good head start on me but who were running slowly enough. I kept them in the sights for the first km - which tool me 5.30mins despite running as hard as I could Like I said, steep.......The second km was mostly downhill and I ran this hard, covering it in 4mins. After about 2km we turned onto a fire road / wide gravel trail and I caught the two runners ahead of me here. I sat in behind them for a bit. I had to walk some of this uphill, but my walking pace was only slightly slower than their slow running pace. At about 3km I passed them and pushed on. The heat was brutal, I was sweating like mad on the top of an exposed hill while my bald head sizzled. Kms 3 and 4 were mostly uphill but then it leveled off for another km and here I spotted another runner ahead. I caught her fairly easily but then into km 6 which was mostly downhill on steep narrow rocky trails and my lack of experience caught me out. Two of the runners caught me back on the downhill and left me for dead. Into kms 7 and 8 and these were again mostly uphill. Once we hit the start of the climbs I recaught the two runners again and knowing that the last km of or so into Glengalough was a steep narrow descent I pushed hard on up the hills. When I had to walk I did it after rounding a bend where I couldn't be seen I pushed on hard conscious that there were runners close behind me and also that this being a team event I didn't want to let the team down. Last 1.5kmn was all downhill and I threw caution to the wind. I couldn't see anyone behind me so knew I wouldn't get caught. Into the finish in 52.08 by my watch for 9.6km A crap time for the distance but one I was happy with, I gave it my all. It was a good minute before anyone came in behind me.

Well done to IMRA for a great event and to Captian Tracey .

Good reports lads, well done again. http://racing795.com/2013/05/29/wicklow ... -may-2013/

Well done Mike and Peter, great reads. It was a great day out and my legs are still feeling it! Thanks to all the team, to Tracy and to all the 795ers for the support and craic at Shillelagh