After an under par performance due to cold conditions in Ironman 70.3 Galway, Bryan McCrystal headed for sunnier climates at Ironman 70.3 South Africa.  This was also Bryan’s first race in the pro category.

This is Bryan’s first race of the season, next up is Abu Dhabi long course in March, Mallorca 111 in April, where he should repeat some of his great performances from last summer.  We’ll get to see him racing tri’s in Ireland here over the summer as well in Athlone and the Beast.

“Lesson 1- South Africa is hot.

Bryan rolling out of T1 with a flat front tyre. Ironman 70.3 South Africa.

I was here 13 years ago to the day with Ireland youths and remember playing in the heat. I was like Steve Staunton walking out in the Giant Stadium against Italy with my pale glowing face. I can definitely say that it took until the day before the race for my legs to feel normal running & biking. I felt they weren’t my own all week. I even picked up a blister from the sheer heat from the roads while out running. The place we were staying at was perfect. IM SA put me in touch with a wonderful couple – Darryl and Lianne. We got on great and had some great laughs through the week. Darryl was doing the race so there was no guess work about anything. He was brilliant to have (as was Lianne who is a chef!!!) and pointed me in the right direction. We were given the use of a car and even had the pleasure of experiencing a Braai! Big big thank you…

Race Build up

To be honest I was never as nervous before a race as this one. Not because I raced pro category. That didn’t bother me at all. I was excited about that. But I didn’t want to race bad and let the people down that have made sacrifices for me being here. I even felt lazy this week. This was because of the heat, I had to take a day off training because it wasn’t worth driving myself into the ground. You’re better off going into a race undertrained than overtrained. The other thing was that there is not one bit of flat ground here, so every run and ride included hills from the off! In an ideal world I would have needed to be out here at least 2 weeks prior to the race in order to acclimatize like the rest of the guys. I cut it fine in the end. Some / most are out here longer than 2 weeks. But I’m burning the candle at both ends so that doesn’t apply to me.

Ironman 70.3 South Africa - THE RACE

 The swim scared me. I was in the ocean twice and the swell was huge! I didn’t swim the other days because it was too dangerous (and I was lazy). They even spoke about cutting the swim to 600m at the race briefing. Another Galway? Surely not! Better pack my rain jacket in my t1 bag! Yeah right…

Race morning- Conditions were perfect so it was the full 1900m. I planned to draft behind the ”slower ” females but this proved difficult. I had zero speed to the first buoy and was at the back, the very back: last, until my feet touched the sand. Not to panic I knew my strongest leg was next and all going well I could maybe bridge the gap. I ran up to my lonely Trek Speed concept in Transition 1.

Ironman 70.3 South Africa BIKE

BOOM! Flat tire in T1. Spies tell me Vanhonacker was lookin shifty around my bike… just saying… Well – my grandparents would turn in their graves with the language that came from my mouth. I put on a display that John McEnroe wouldn’t touch at centre court at Wimbledon. What to do? No way was I packing in was the first thought. Granted my race was over because seconds count when your racing a top field. I did say I was here to learn a few lessons. Welcome to lesson number 1. Having being on the course during the week I knew it was super smooth so I had taken a chance and didn’t have a spare. Toss of a coin – etc etc, YOU LOSE!

So I didn’t know what to do until a spectator shouted that the support vehicle was down the road. I ran down as quick as I could and got a tire. Problem was I also got a fella not in quite as much of a rush as I was. He couldn’t help me (outside help during a race is against the rules and disqualification is the result) so I had to do it myself. He couldn’t find a bloody thing. At this stage I had a crowd around me willing me on and helping me. “Turn it this way, turn it that way, rip the tire off”. His pump was like one you use to pump up child’s paddle pool. I looked at him and said “seriously, this is your fuckin pump?” I know I know… I should’ve had my own…

Eventually I got it changed and was on my way. 10k moderate effort to the high then I let go. I pushed the hardest gear I had. I was nervous about the new tire because there was no glue on it. Going around corners I was praying for the tire not to come off the wheel. My legs were there! I biked aggressive and hard, always watching my power meter and heart rate. Conditions were overcast and humidity was at 90% plus. I didn’t feel this on the bike but the run was a different ball game. I biked up the field smoothly and picked off all the pro woman minus the leader and a few men. The way out was very tough, very long hard drags. On the way back it was fast. I was bricking it on the descents as I reached crazy speeds. Sitting on the top tube bent over, I asked myself “are you nuts???” then my alter ego kicked in and I felt like Cancellara, for 3 seconds.

Ironman 70.3 South Africa Run

I gingerly started off wondering did I go too hard but I was running fine and within myself after 1k. I knew I was way down but because it was a 2 lap affair on an out and back course I would see where I was. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 12th, 16th!! I was doing my Maths and I knew that my puncture cost me around 17ish minutes. I would have been in the thick of the racing around 4th – 7th. I don’t want to dwell on what could have been but knowing this is reassuring that all my hard work is paying off. There was one mother of a hill. I did do the Castlewellen 10 miler at Christmas, so this was a sinch I told myself! My blister was to give me big trouble in the closing kilometers. I lost time because of it but it wasn’t to matter as noone was around me and my place was safe. I actually made up 2 places on the run. The heat got to me towards the end but I ran strong.

So I got what I came for. Some new lessons learned to bring into more important races.The support has been fantastic. Thank you.

Onwards and hopefully upwards”.

Bryan McCrystal.

Ironman Hawaii 2011 – another hard day at the office

Martin Muldoon: Ironman Hawaii

Right outside T1 a rear cage bottle jumped out as the road had some bumps and as this bottle was a heavily loaded part of my nutrition I went back for it and noticed a lot of people had dropped bottles there. The first section out to the first turn and back is always fast as people get carried away with the screaming crowds and their fresh legs. It was a good atmosphere but I was keen to get out on the Queen K and find rhythm. As soon as I got out there it was quite busy ahead unlike last year where it was quiet on the first section. About 10mins in on the Queen K I was watching my HR/power but also looking out for some good guys to work with, there was a few of us trying to pull away from the crowd and there were a few motorbikes around. One came up beside me but I wasn’t concerned as I felt I was well outside the 10m box. I had been using the cateyes on the side of the road as a guide as a few guys had told me they were around 10m between, so when the bike slowed down near me I stayed where I was maintaining the distance between me and the guy ahead, but all of a sudden she pulled a red card and told me to check in to the next penalty box. I asked her to repeat it as I couldn’t believe it. I stayed where I was and argued that the gap was legal but she wouldn’t respond, instead just repeating that I should check in next penalty office. I was in shock, The bike hadn’t even started and I was being told to stop for a 4minute penalty. I was so disappointed that I felt like immediately turning and trickling back in to town. I kept going but the penalty tent was a long way up the road and all I could think about was the fact I had been penalised. I was devastated and it distracted me from my race plan. I was determined to not let it bother me but in truthfulness it dominated my thoughts for a long time and it wasn’t until the pain of the run later on that I stopped worrying about it. When I was in the penalty tent I was chatting with another guy and we were laughing at how we were usually giving out grief to drafters and here we were standing in the tent. Not much we could do but laugh about it, and to top it off some pro photographer was snapping us standing there looking bemused.

Martin Muldoon at Hawaii Ironman

Palani was harder than I remember last year, as the breeze dropped I really felt the heat and my pace to keep hr down was close to a jog. On the Queen K I felt alright but decided now to move hr up to 145 earlier than last year. It seemed a long way out and I was very aware of the 16mile still to go. I just kept my head straight  and focused on nutrition and heat management at aid stations. The pro women coming back lightened the load a bit as I watched the leaders go by and figured out what was happening there.

Martin in the finishing straight.

Coming over the line I felt weird so they had me in medical within minutes to raise my temp and get me on the drip as I weighed 10lbs less than before the race. The drip helped replace electrolyte levels and I got an ice bath before leaving too so I was very impressed with the medical setup. It’s the first time I’ve had medical and it really helped me recover after the severe dehydration. A very tough day and a great but painful experience. This race is always my biggest challenge but I can’t wait to get back for the next round!

I’m writing this from Waikiki in Honolulu where I plan to have some proper rest and keep my feet in the air. I will give the body and mind the rest it needs and I look forward to getting out there and improving for next year. Mahalo, Aloha!

Martin Muldoon’s Hawaii Ironman Splits:

This race has been on the agenda for 2 years since I set down a goal to qualify. Having qualified, it took me some time to actually establish what I wanted to achieve. Based on some analysis of my competitors, a frank assessment of my performance in Austria and discussion with Bill (my coach), the aim was to use the race as part of my iron distance apprenticeship with little expectation and no time or position goal.

I knew my swim would be up there as it’s my background. I identified my main competition in the M40 age group as Chris Hauth, a US Olympian at Barcelona. However, having never met him, the chances of meeting him on the start line with 1800 other age groupers to try and get on his feet were slim! I positioned myself at the front of the swim about 7 metres away from the pier (the Pros go off in a more civilised pack of 80, 30 minutes ahead). Finding space was difficult and when the cannon went it was the usual bun fight for a minute or so. Usually things die down by then and I get some clear water. Not this time! The standard is high and I found myself stuck in the middle of high energy biff to the extent I’ve never experienced before, not being able to breathe or hold the water. It didn’t feel like swimming, more like being mowed down by a herd of buffalo. Jaysus (a quick assessment) and I decided that the best strategy was to battle my way over whatever was in front of me. After a minute or so of anaerobic climbing and pulling myself through the field things eventually settled down and I was then able to find a rhythm. I could see I was fairly near the front. I reached the turn buoy in about 27 minutes and change, which I was happy with for a choppy non wetsuit swim. As well as biff to contend with, I also felt some chafing from the salt water on my neck which I think was a result of the battle and contact in the early stages. Oh well. Coming back was a joy in comparison and a 55:40 swim put me in second in my category, 1 second behind Chris Hauth –totally unknown at the time, but very pleased with that.

Transition was not rushed and I took time to put on my de soto arm/shoulder coolers. A 3:27 T1 time had me out on the road with no crowds around me and I then got to work. Having ridden the turn at Hawi on the Tuesday before the race, I knew that I needed to be strong for that section. I felt good and settled in to my power figures comfortably. After about an hour Curt Chesney (last year’s winner and also the 2011 and 2010- 70.3 World M40 AG champion) came past me. OK, so do I let him go….? Hell no – time to race! I stayed with him for a bit before deciding to push the pace a bit. We exchanged places a bit on the Queen K and at the bottom of Hawi before I kicked on. I was loving this bit. I’m in Kona at the World Ironman Championships and duelling it out with the current world champion – how cool is this? Bring it on – show time! I turned at Hawi (which is just under 60 miles) in second. I saw 2:37 on the clock. Wow! That sounded fast, but my power numbers were in the lower range of target intensity so I was happy. The winds were kind too, so I used my weight to hammer down Hawi with no concern for crosswind. At the bottom of Hawi there’s a short drag before rejoining the Queen K where I span up and, hitting the Queen K at the 80 mile point, I felt ok. With some time banked, my power numbers where they needed to be and nutrition going well, I decided that it was now just a matter of ticking over back to T2. At about the 90 mile mark, Curt came past. This time I decided that it wasn’t the time to race. It wasn’t a case of not feeling strong, but more a case of contemplation of the run ahead. I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to compete in a foot race with him, so decided the best option for my race was to just hold my average power at the level I had held to that point. I also knew that a sub 5hr bike was comfortably within range. I rolled into T2 in 6th with a 4:52:28 and again was very happy.

T2 was orderly and 3:09 saw me out for the run.

My strategy for the run was all about core temperature and heart rate control with no pace goal. So, heart rate for first 40 minutes was lower than target average (allowing for cardiac drift), walking aid stations to take on board sponges, ice, drink water and electrolyte drink. This worked well. The run was not comfortable – running in sweat filled runners sloshing around in water is not pleasant – but I was mentally strong. I figured that as long as I didn’t blow up I wouldn’t disgrace myself. I didn’t know my overall time, but thought I must have gone out on the run with just under 6 hours on the clock, so I had a rough indication of overall time. I went through half way with 1:40 on my watch and feeling ok (it’s a relative term). When I entered the Energy Lab I saw Curt coming out – wow, he had put just under 4 miles into me over 16 miles – impressive stuff. Some cloud cover came over at this point which was welcome and by the time I exited the Energy lab and onto the Queen K, I was ready to run through the remaining aid stations, remove my arm/shoulder coolers and hat and enjoy the last 6 miles. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t particularly comfortable, but my heart rate was bang on target and, apart from the unpleasantness of running on hot tarmac with what felt like burning and blistered feet, I had no GI issues and nutrition was seemingly working.

Coming off the Queen K and running down Palani was a good feeling, then to be followed by a cruel loop around town where you run away from the finish line and the buzz before hooking back for the final run down Ali’i Drive. Helen passed me the tricolour before I entered the finish chute to see 9:13 ticking away on the clock. Wow! I didn’t expect that when I woke up in the morning!! Crossing the line, I was a very happy man. My run split was unspectacular – 3:19:12 BUT it was a negative split AND I had managed it well AND felt in control. That has left me happy, but also with something to work on over the winter.

My overall time was 9:13:56 and I placed 9th in my AG. I wrote the following on a blog entry entitled “managing expectations” a few weeks ago:-

“I noticed that last year’s M40 winner at Austria posted 8:47 and was 30 minutes slower at Kona. That drop off looks to be a pretty good indication of what to expect. In terms of position, 9:32 is unlikely to make the top 10. Taking into account the fact that I only came 11th in a qualification race, the odds for a top 10 placing are high”

Before I came out to Kona, Bill had said 9:20 to 9:30 would be an excellent result for a debut at Kona. Based on my 9:02 at Austria, I rationalised that sub 9:30 would be good. In that context, I’m chuffed to actually only drop 11 minutes on my Austria time and place higher at Kona than Austria.

The support I’ve received from family and friends before, during and after the race has been phenomenal. If I were to acknowledge you all now individually it would double the length of my report. So, a collective thank you and I apologise for not giving you a direct mention!

Next up for me is the ITU Long Distance Championships in Henderson Nevada on 5th November which is my end of season (finally!). I go out there with a small Irish team of 7 athletes. I’m in a good place going into the race and will go into it mentally fresh and full of confidence t what I consider to be an ideal distance for me – 4k swim/120k bike/30k run. However, right now I’m kicking back with Helen for a week on the Big Island before going home to see my kids. I miss them.

David Vaughan on the opening run

It has been a personal goal to race at an elite level for Ireland in the ITU World Long Distance Duathlon Champs an event that hasn’t been held in the last three years. So when it was announced that this year the event would be held at the World Powerman Champs at Zofingen I was extremely pleased to be put forward by Triathlon Ireland as our representative.

The first rule of Powerman Zofingen is… You don’t talk about Powerman Zofingen. All season I’ve been trying to get info on this event from my fellow athletes but nobody would divulge anything. “you’ll have to see” was the common reply but it was clear there is a hidden mystique about this race.

The opening run goes straight up a hill and into the forest which is a taste of things to come for the next 190k of constant gradient changes where maintaining any rhythm is the biggest challenge. I ran 32.23 for the opening 10k run and came into T2 in 16th position among some very strong bikers which was exactly where I wanted to be.

David Vaughan eating up those climbs

The 150k bike route features 9 climbs including the infamous Bodenburg climb three times. The bike leg was very tactical with most of the men’s elite field stretched out in pace lines which were only broken up on the climbs. The Bodenburg is a very tough climb. It’s not long at about 4k but the gradient literally changes every 25m which is it’s unique personality and I’m pretty sure it got steeper on each lap. I got two fast laps done but went through a bad patch on the seventh climb after dropping a gel and then taking two of an untested brand at a feed station in town which clearly didn’t go down well and I started to feel nauteous. I laid off the nutrition for a while but got it together for the last 20k of the bike coming into T2 with a bike split of 4.10 and in 20th position in a group of 3.

The 30k second run starts with a steep 3k climb out of transition. I don’t take long to get into my running stride but it was incredibly steep and therefore seemed pitifully slow but I was quicker than the guys around me. I picked off a couple of places but started suffering stomach cramps so had a couple of stops in the forest and lost a minutes because of that. I decided stopping again was not an option and carried on in a Catherina McKiernan London Marathon ’98 fashion. It ain’t pretty but it’s a race and I don’t mind getting messy if it’s the fastest way to the finish. But I certainly wasn’t planning any handstands at the finish.

I was still taking on gels and drinking coke so I was still getting nutrition in and running fast. In the end I came home in 17th with a fast finish and a total time of 6.47:47 which in any other year would be worth a top 10 finish and is a very respectable Zofingen debut. I raced hard, managed a couple of crisis situations well and never stopped racing while many others suffered and either fell behind or dropped out.

I think I can make at least 5-10 mintues worth of simple improvements for next year based on the experience alone. Plus maybe another 10 with the right work done over winter so I’m already making plans for a sucessful return next year.

This race is an incredible challenge. Before racing it I thought of it as the Ironman of Duathlon but it’s nothing like an IM course so if you’re interested in a big challenge then Zofingen is a certainly that. And it would be great to see more Irish athletes at Zofingen testing themselves at this iconic event.

I’d like to thank Triathlon Ireland for their belief and support. Shorter Rochford cycles for the P3 power. Compressport UK for recovery. Optimum Velocity for the future and Mark H my employer for being understanding about time off.

A big thank you Fritz my homestay for being so accomodating and helpful while I was in Switzerland. And Monica for feeding me (whoever knew mashed potatoes were the worlds best recovery food?!).

And also a big thank you to Phil Parsons for handing out nutrition and support on the day. You were an immense help.

Owen Cummins Race report

Photos thanks to Darach Glennon.

“I hope they like the rain!!” My thoughts at 4.30 in the morning as I drew the curtains to see what the angry galway wind was doing to the Ironman flags draped along the Salthill promenade. A wind I would have to deal with later, but more importantly a wind that my competitors would have to deal with.

I certainly don’t like the wind and the cold, I’m fairly sure nobody racing Sunday liked it too much, but I knew I could deal with it. I knew it could work to my advantage. I knew others would suffer. Owen 1 weather 0!!!

This was a quality pro field, but I knew I was in the best shape possible. I was confident I could swim and cycle with the best of them and if I could hold it together on the run I could get a top 5 finish. I had been building up to this race for the last 12 months, since I decided that long course triathlon was where I could get the most from myself. Considering that for the past 12months I have been working full time while doing a masters, I had put every single hour possible into training for this race. Outside of work triathlon has been my life. But I wasn’t nervous, I hadn’t butterflies in my stomach, I was excited!

After breakfast I followed the usual routine of sorting the bike and doing a short run before getting suited up for the swim. At some stage during this early morning blur the rumours started that the swim had been reduced to 750m. This was the last thing I wanted. Furious wouldn’t come close to describing how I felt. Owen 1 weather 1!! Eventually I managed to compose myself with the fact that even though the swim was sorter, I could see from the bouys it was still longer than 750m and the choppy water would still work in my favour. I felt comfortable throughout the swim and exited first with a pack of about 7 trailing behind.

The plan on the bike was to stay comfortable for the first half, go with the moves, but stay out of the red. After 30 K on the bike I found myself in a group of three made up of Dominik Berger (5th), Pavel Simko (2nd) and myself. Although the eventual winner Mike Aigros had managed to slip away up the road and ended up putting nearly 3 minutes into us by the end of the bike. Sitting behind two other athletes even at 10m plus definitely has its advantages. When moving at over 40K/hr it gives you enough draft that can make the difference between staying under control and coming off the bike fresh or coming off with no legs. The only problem was that anytime I moved off the front the pace slowed, and I began to freeze. The cold forced me to ride on the front for 95% of the time from 30k on to keep the pace high enough to keep warm. If I could have I was willing to play the game and sit in for a bit to save the running legs. Instead I dragged two competitors around the course, the only reason being it was a better option than sitting in one of the ambulances with hypothermia. At least I knew they were finding the pace hard, on the slight uphills I would open up a  gap but each time they managed to claw their way back to 10m.

Coming off the bike I was genuinely worried about being able to stand, my feet had gone so numb. My legs felt good and once I got the first few strides out of the way I knew I’d be ok. This was only my second long distance race so I’ve still a lot to learn about the distance. Especially the run leg. Going through 10k in second place, I felt good, I was running within myself. However I dropped to 3rd after slipping on one of the corners and cutting my chin. At the time I didn’t realise how bad it was but I must have lost a fair bit of blood considering it needed to be stitched after the race. A bad patch from 12k to 17k lost me a lot of time, I struggled big time. I’m sure I need a few more long distances races in me to keep my pace up for the full half marathon but the fall on Sunday definitely didn’t help. With 5k to go I began to get a sense that I was nearly there, and I could hold onto third place. There was still some fight left in me and I wasn’t going to leave any of it out on the course. It was far from pretty but it’s not often you get a chance to run for an Ironman podium. I can’t stress enough how much of a lift the support out on the course gave me. If this was anywhere else in the world the outcome might have been different.

Knowing my family and girlfriend were at the finish line to share in the achievement made the last 12 months of hard work worth while. Performance sport can require a selfish existence at times, and sharing the highs with those that share the lows it just one small way of saying thanks!

Please do follow the action of Owen Cummins on his blog at www.owencummins.com

GaelForce West – Race day

Did the usual tried and tested things like eating 2.5hrs before the start, the normal warm up, the usual stretches etc. I felt nervous but didn’t show it.

Padraig Marrey on his way to Victory in WAR: Glenmalure in June

I know MSAI guide had me down as hard to beat but Paul Mahon knew that I had problems, my previous results coming in to the race were nill and that’s never good for moral, nether the less I had a title to defend and I approached it with vigour.
Spotted all the pre race favourites except Peter O Farrell, Peter loves this race, never worse than 2nd and won it 3 times. He knows the course and most of all he knows himself and his strengths. On the Reek he can just dance away from the opposition and all the other pre race favourites knew that as well.
Race starts and Tom O Dowd who has been having a storming season so far took of on a flier of a run with 4 others going with him, I didn’t panic as I knew Niall Somers would be the most dangerous if he got a lead so kept him in range without going too deep, when I finally reeled in Tom with Niall barely ahead, I said presto exactly where I need to be.
8k into the run and there are 4 of us together, Tom, Niall, Peter Cromie who is a good biker and myself, no Peter O Farrel at this stage.
Got on to the road section 4k from the Kayak and felt that the run pace had dropped considerable, no one wanted to show their hand and I felt this would suit me so I held fire as well (mistake number 1).
Got to the Kayak in 4th and paddled across, My paddling was a bit below par as had done little all year, thought it wouldn’t make a difference …it did.
Of the kayak and on to the bog section, Tom had passed me on the kayak and had at least 30 seconds lead, I needed to be with him for the bike section after Delphi and pushed as hard as I could but nothing there, the doubt started to creep in.
Niall Somers and Bruce Duncan the English pro adventure racer had shot ahead of me and had 20 seconds with Tom a further 20 seconds ahead.

Padraig happy to be finished Gaelforce west

Just on the way in to Delphi and my worst nightmare appeared it was Peter…
Out on the bike Peter asked me to work with him and at this stage I had no choice, Tom, Bruce and Niall were ahead and working together , don’t work and Peter and myself are doomed to the minor placing ..work and we stand some chance.
I felt strong on the flats and drags but on the climb of Shreffrey all the lights on the dash were flashing, doubt filled my thoughts and then BANG !! double spasm of both calf muscles… had to stop pedalling and saw Peter ride of.
Gathered my thought and gave myself a good Bollicking and fired up the engines again and got the desired result… over the top and made a kamikaze descent and suddenly Peter was back in view but the other 3 were out of sight.

Caught Peter and went straight past more or less to show him I was back and stronger than him, Peter clawed back and gave no in clinging to how he was going.
We could see that Bruce had been dropped and seemed to be struggling, we worked to catch him and Peter put in a right dirty dig as we approached Bruce, he responded well and joined on to our train. That dig showed me how strong Peter was.
Up front Tom had dropped Niall which I felt was a big mistake by him, had I been with him or Niall I would have combined to open up a big as lead as possible and then take my chance on the Reek.
On to the off road section and Bruce was struggling straight away. Peter drove on and at this stage I decided to be cagy and sat on, no point dragging Peter up to Tom and Niall then get dropped myself.
On to the really rough off road section and I decided to try my hand and went as fast as possible over this section catching Niall with Tom in view, maybe not going bad after all.
On the approach to Transition 2 Croagh Patrick Peter and Niall came cruising by me leading into T2.. not good for the confidence.

Croagh Patrick

Tom O Dowd had a lead of about 40 sec, Niall, Peter and me altogether with Bruce only a handful of seconds behind.
Tom went for the straight up approach with Peter and Niall following, I went straight up on to the path as felt my legs weren’t up to the severity or steepness of that route.
Got to the pile of stones at the bottom of the cone and the guys were barely ahead of me, Niall was suffering and Tom was in Peter’s range.
I knew if I wanted to win I had to pull something special out of the bag, climbed as hard as I could and was still over a minute behind Peter and Tom at the summit, Peter looked fresh, Tom had all the signs of pain on his face.
On the descent I thought of 2010 and just let go, my legs opened up and I started to fly, by the bottom of the cone the guys lead was halved, I pushed harder and suddenly I was running parallel to Tom with Peter only 200m in front.
Had I pulled a Houdini, I was the same position in 2010 with my usual strong biking leg to come when all the lights on the dash turned into a disco, I had went to hard and scrambled in collect my bike, Tom had 10 sec on me with Peter about 30sec.
If you were a betting person you would have put the house on me to catch and pass the 2 lads!! It wasn’t there the legs were flooded with lactic acid and nearly cramping, Dr Oliver Whyte asked me how do you feel, I didn’t answer but I say the expression on my face said what he needed to know.
On the Skelp I was struggling with Tom and Peter moving further and further away, crawled to the top and did another lunatic descent down the rough rocky track.
It was now or never, I was travelling at 40kph and bouncing all over the place, one mistake and I was shredded meat.. to my surprise I still couldn’t see the 2 leaders but was travelling that fast was afraid to look properly.. on the road past Gannon’s garage could see Tom about 300m in front maybe Peter wasn’t far ahead either so pushed all out only catching Tom with 2k to go, the wind went completely out of me when looking across the quay could see Peter on the way down By the Quay which looked like a minute lead to the last Transition at that stage the race was over as a contest.. led Tom around the pond and into Transition for the last 800m run..
Tom wanted 2nd more than me and sprinted along the sea shore all I could do was watch.. was beaten by stronger men on the day and was happy with my lot.
Peter has some record in this event and really pushes himself each year to win, If Tom improves another little bit he will be super hard to beat in the future. Looking over the top 20 there are alot of young guys coming through so can only imagine what next year will be like.
Thanks to my sponsors Marrey bikes and Planet X and to all my training partners over the past few months for pushing me hard
Well done to Killary adventure for putting on a great show and hope to see you all again in 2012.

Peter O'Farrell descending off Djouce in WAR:Wicklow Adventure Race.

The weekend starts with registration at Killary and then Delphi and the small touches and organisation are improving year on year with free tea/coffee and biscuits at Killary and a clear system to manage the difficult logistics of placing 3000 bikes on the side of the bog at Delphi. I got that out of the way relatively early as with the best will in the world there is always a queue there later on Friday evening and then it was off to book a spot on the GAA pitch at Westport House campsite. I’m always thinking about the food before a race and the thoughts of scrambling around Westport competing with 3,000 racers+friends all looking for pasta didn’t appeal so I’d made my own pastamush on Wednesday which made for a very restful Friday evening.

The two weeks camping with Orla on Holidays had me very used to the tent and so a good sleep was had before the 4.10am wakey wakey. In previous years I’ve had the relative luxury of sleeping in Paul Mahon’s van but the lovely Hilary had claimed both his heart and my spot in the van this year! New buddies Niall Somers and Anthony Frazier were also camping and they drove us up to the bus for the 5am drive out to Glassilaun Beach and our 6.30am race start. Niall was excited about the race and rightly so, he’s having a super season and I’d marked him down as the probable man to beat. I had no knowledge of Bruce Duncan, apart from the fact he was good enough to be shipped in for this race and was a serious savage over the longer distances. Paul Mahon’s prerace formguide over on www.msai.ie gave me a good idea of who the main contenders were and what their likely strengths were. I was very relaxed on the bus on the way out, I had a plan, I knew what I wanted to do, I knew when I wanted to eat and drink, I knew there would be much hardship on Croagh Patrick and I knew Martin Bradshaw would start like he was in a 5km roadrace as he’s a great hillrunner.

Peter on Croagh Patrick with Tom O'Dowd just behind.

I’d like to say I was cool, calm and collected from the start but the sad truth is I just couldn’t go at the pace the first run started at, even if I wanted to. The speed the lads took off up the first few kilometres was unreal and I was back in 40th place with the doubts raging away in my head as always in the fast first 6km of this race. “Two layers was stupid, it’s too warm, you’re sweating too much, you’re miles behind, mountain shoes on tarmac, why are all these lads I don’t know killing me?” Not quite the sound of music..Eamonn Hodge didn’t really help by noting to another runner that he was happy enough if he was only going at my pace. Last year’s winner Padraig Marrey was miles ahead and I still couldn’t see Niall or Tom due to the other athletes between us. Anthony Frazier with a ridiculous woolly hat was 100m ahead and not coming back to me so I consoled myself with the thoughts he must be sweating like a beast in there. As we headed up away from the fjord 3 runners with a nice short staccato style jogged past and put a good gap into my group. I didn’t quite consider quitting but to say it didn’t help with the doubts would be the understatement of the day. According to my watch I should have been warmed up by now and passing lads but there was still a lot of race to be run so I just kept going with it and slowly but surely the lungs opened up, the calves hurt less and other athletes started coming back to me. Onto the kayaks in 18th place and I got my first huge boost of the day, the leaders were not as far ahead as I’d feared. A brisk paddle across Ireland’s only fjord taking the occasional break to drink from the bottle I’d carried and I hopped out of the sit on top in much better spirits in about 11th with determination having banished doubt for another year. It just appears to be something I have to go through at this start before the fun of racing the rest of race starts. C’est le vie..

I had a good second run, caught a few more lads and arrived into the bike section with Padraig Marrey and behind 3 leaders, Tom O’Dowd, Niall Somers and the English raider Bruce Duncan. The 3 lads were working together and Padraig and me were working together chasing them in joint 4th. Padraig has had an amazing year with the 12 ascents of the Reek in 24 hours amongst others fine achievements so I hoped my newly cycletoured legs would match his less cycled legs and that appeared to be the case as we worked well together both taking turns pulling at the front and slowly eating into the lead of the group ahead. Onto the big bike climb of the day and the 3 lads all split up which was the second big boost of the day for me as Padraig and myself came back together quickly after the climb and fast descent and once again worked well together eventually catching Bruce. I put a good dig in just as we caught him to make sure he had to try hard to catch onto our coattails. He’s a good racer so of course he did. The 3 of us worked for a while until the bogroad shook things up again. Padraig quite simply ignored the rutted uneven rocky muddy surface and kept cycling as if he was on tarmac and instantly dropped me and caught up 120m up to Niall. Bravo. I said a silent sorry to my poor delicate carbon framed road bike and put on more speed myself and slowly caught back up to Padraig on an easier section.

Onto the Reek – Tom in front, Niall in second and myself and Padraig joint 3rd with Bruce 5th close behind. Off we went jogging along through the initial “flat” section which can suck you in both physically and mentally as the ground is both soft and actually not flat at all so even a slow shuffle is pretty good going along here. As per usual with all the blood in the legs and none in the head we all head for the straight up option like moths to the flame, the zig zag may be more efficient but when there are lads ahead you tend to chase them! I had a good climb, I am supposed to be a hillrunner after all and finally pass Tom half way up the cone. I’m onto the top in 1st place for the first time in 3 hours of racing. Big Boost numbero 3. We pass John Shiels, a friendly face from the hillrunning and a fine photographer. Not a chance of me trying to emulate his trademark hillrunning leg kick photo. Tom and Padraig and Bruce all have better descents then me, who’s supposed to be the hillrunner? J

The great strong bursting hope of winning and the almighty fear of Padraig or Tom doing a repeat of last year on me are mixing well and with the constant thoughts of the two lads working together and closing me down I head off on the bike and find some more to give on the skelp. It feels easier than last year which is big boost number 4 of the day. I’m calm, collected and very very determined. No horses or closed gates or killer vans or Padraig shaped apparitions block my path on the fast fast descent to the main road and then I hammer it back to the quays with very strong emotions coursing through my system. Winning this great hard race again would be very special but I can’t count my chickens just yet as I pass the place where 3 years ago I passed Padraig struggling with a puncture and dropping from 1st to 4th in the process. I can only really relax and enjoy it when I get off the bike and see the finish line after the short run into the finish. It’s a great feeling to hear my name on the PA and I soak up the sheer fierce joy coursing through my body in those final few steps before dutifully dibbing out and giving Mary Young a sweaty hug.

It has been a brilliant race and with a final burst Tom O’Dowd sets up second place with Padraig in 3th. Padraig’s time was a few seconds quicker than his winning time of last year which shows savage consistency and Tom has knocked chunks off his 2010 time leaving the same top three as last year.

I await next year’s formguide with interest as with another improvement like this Tom will hammer the times for the newer extended course. Niall Somers will have learned a lot from racing the course and has the class if it all goes well for him on the day. Padraig, myself and the likes of Eoin Keith will continue to have close battles but there’s serious talent out there and the day it all clicks for them is the day the mythical fast early starter just keeps going and doesn’t come back.

Thanks again..

Peter O’Farrell.

“What a difference a year makes! Last year was my first year to try adventure racing and take part in Gaelforce West. By the time myself and my boyfriend Kevin Deery (who will I refer to from now on as Kev) decided to enter the race there were only spaces left in two waves – the elite wave or the walkers/joggers wave at 8.30. Not having done any adventure races at the time of entry we of course immediately opted to enter in the later wave.

Emma Donlon perfecting her skills in the IMRA series.

One year on and how things have changed! Having got second the year before, there is no doubt what wave I’m going to join this year and am proud to be starting off with all the rest of the elite athletes. The part I’m not so delighted about though is the 5am start! Generally not able to sleep too well the night before a race anyway, I had resigned myself to getting little or no sleep before my alarm went off at 4am. I was very happy however when I woke just after 3am realising that I had slept quite soundly for the previous 4/5 hours. I rested for the last hour and was wide awake and ready to go by the time the alarm did sound. The B&B we were staying at (St. Anthony’s – couldn’t ask for a better place to stay or nicer people to look after you!) were very good about making ourselves at home in their kitchen and preparing some porridge and toast. On the way to the bus both Kev and I commented on how awake and fresh we felt for the time of day it was. This was short lived as after about 10 mins into the bus journey we both started feeling wrecked again! It was hard to picture on the journey to Glassilaun Beach in the pitch black that we would all be racing in a little over a hour’s time!

I was feeling quite nervous about the race as I was coming into it with an injury and the last 4 weeks of training hadn’t been what I planned. I broke two of my toes descending Snowdon in Wales four weeks previous and hadn’t done any running since on doctors orders as a result (with the exception of a run earlier that week to test the toes and see how they felt). Although the toes seemed to be healing well I was nervous about putting them through such a hard race when they still weren’t right, in particular the descent of Croagh Patrick. Another fear was I would go over on them again at some point during the runs as we were going to be continually on uneven ground. All I could do was keep my fingers crossed it would all work out.

Just before the start Kev and I went for a quick warm-up run. Kev was also coming into the race with an injury having hurt his back two weeks previous and despite being barely able to walk the previous weekend had decided to give the race a shot and hope the back held out. I was grateful having him by my side at the start, helping to calm any last minute nerves.

Before we know it the race briefing is over and we’re all lined up at the start line. A quick blast of the horn and we’re off. The sprint off the beach is something else! Elbows and feet flying everywhere, it was survival of the fittest and I was relieved to get onto the road in one piece! Knowing the pace was going to go hard for the first few kilometres I had resolved to not get caught up in all that and just run my own race. I would consider myself a stronger runner than cyclist (although I have been working a lot more on that this year and seen some vast improvements) I wanted to try and get a lead if I could on the first run. I kept going at a steady pace and was happy coming onto the main road with my time. One we turned back off the road down towards the kayaks I started cramping and knew that unfortunately a toilet break was probably on the cards. Running down the last half a kilometre I was having the argument in my head whether I should stop at the portaloos very quickly and lose some precious time or whether I could keep going. By the time I reached the kayaks, my body had already decided for me, a stop at the portaloos it was!

When I exited I found Kev had just arrived into the transition area so it made deciding who to partner up for the kayaks an easy decision! We were a little slow in getting ourselves launched into the water as I had to explain to him where I had come from and why I wasn’t already out there which I did with some urgency, anxious not to lose any more time. We kayaked over without incident and arrived at the bog section of the run. Here is the last time I saw Kev as unfortunately his back had already started to play up and he was forced to drop out during the bike leg. I found the bog section particularly painful as I kept going over my toes and let out a yell or two along the way. I was very grateful to get back onto the road and happy to make it the bike transition area in one piece!

Emma Donlon winning the Hellfire Adventure Duathlon, where she entered as a beginner!!!

Once on the bike, I set off hard, knowing Mary Mulchrone won’t too be far behind and that she is a strong cyclist. It was nice to be on the bike and get a break from the running and take some of the pressure off the toes. I really enjoy the cycle on the Gaelforce route, love the scenery and the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere and enjoy the speed you can get up on some of the sections. Last year I did the cycle on a hybrid, in fact I did all the races I entered last year on a hybrid, the only bike I had at the time. After a number of people advised me that I’d probably need to get myself a better bike, I bit the bullet at the start of the year and bought myself a racer and haven’t looked back since. That bike is now my pride and joy! One of the people I passed on the cycling section was Eamonn Hodge, someone I first met on the cycling section of the Achill Roar last year and who was one of the people who suggested upgrading my bike. I laughingly asked him what he thought of my new bike as I passed him by just before the big uphill section.

The only part of the cycle I really don’t like is the bog road before Croagh Patrick but having cycled it a couple times over the last two months, I didn’t find it as bad today. I passed Noel Brady near the start of the bog road running, having abandoned his bike a few minutes before after the chain broke. He had phoned home and had arranged to have another bike waiting for him at the base of Croagh Patrick so he could still finish the race. That man is an inspiration to us all!

As always when arriving at Croagh Patrick, the legs are in bits and scream out at me as I try and breathe some life into them and get them moving again. I very slowly jog up the bog section at the base of the mountain and then change my tactics and follow the line of guys in front of me taking a straight line to the summit through the heather. I have never gone this route before, always opting to follow the zig-zags but as everyone was forging straight ahead I felt foolish to be the only one turning right and following the longer path up. In hindsight if I was to do it again I would go the usual way I do up the path as I can run this, however the steeper ascent up through the heather forced me to just hike.

Emma with her trophy from the West Wicklow ROAR

I always find the ascent of Croagh Patrick, although one of my strengths, very painful and I’m grateful when I finally reach the top. At the summit there is somebody there beside the dibber with a camera and they ask me if there if anything I want to say. Completely exhausted at this stage I manage to gasp out a no and promptly turn around and start running back down! The first part of the ascent off the steep part of Croagh Patrick is the only part of the Gaelforce course that I truly hate – it scares me! I decide to follow the same path down as I did up as there is no one in front of me to follow and I have too little experience of going straight down to try it on my own. About halfway down the steep section I pass Mary Mulchrone looking very determined on her way up. I know Mary knows this mountain like the back of her hand and will no doubt descend in a straight line down and at speed. I decide, again due to lack to lack of experience on taking the more direct path, to descend via the zig-zags and try to do this as quickly as possible not wanting to lose any time here. Although I think I made a disaster of trying to descend the steep section at the top I look at my watch at the foot of the mountain and I’m happy to see my overall descent took just over 15 mins which was the time I was aiming for.

Now I’m back on the bike and on the home straight. I play it very safe crossing the Skelp (that nasty off-road section just after Croagh Patrick), opting to get off my bike a couple of times and run with it instead. I cycled all of this section last year but this year I decide to be more careful, preferring to lose some time here than risk a puncture and lose the whole race. I finally start to relax once I hit the main road back to Westport and push hard again to pick back up my speed. Hearing the crowds as I cycle into the Quays I finally start to acknowledge to myself that I’m going to do it, the dream is going to come true. The last 800m run, the legs are feeling tired and I’m grateful to see the finishing line come into sight with Kev at the end waiting to congratulate me on my win! What a day, what a race, I won’t forget this one for a while!”

Gaelforce West 2011 by EmmaDonlon – The Extra Mile (www.theextramile.ie)

a quick update from London – I am currently in Lensbury checking out a proposed location for the Irish Olympic holding camp for 2012 – having made the short journey down here last night from Hyde Park.\

Yesterday I raced in the London round of the ITU World Championship Series – a race which doubled as the test event for next years games.

It was the best field that has been assembled since the Beijing games and until half way through the bike I was feeling very comfortable in the lead bike group – the swim was fast (the leader rounding the first swim bouy at 350m in 3mins 45 seconds) but I held my position well and never really felt under too much pressure. Half way around the bike though the weather changed dramatically and I came down in a crash around Buckingham Palace – the roads becoming very slippery on roads which usually have a lot of traffic.

It took me quite a long time to adjust myself, assess the damage, get my chain back on my bike and adjust the brakes – it took me maybe a minute but that is a lifetime at this level. I am not an athlete who likes to pull out of races – the thought didn’t even cross my mind – as I reported on my twitter last night ‘ a man learns nothing by quitting’.

It was a lonely race from that point onwards – though my bike wattage was one of the highest all year ! I ran steady off that and with help of the Northern Irish Institute I gained some valuable information in terms of timings and video analysis.

As they say ‘the finish line marks the start of the next race’. I will spend a few more days here in London with the team and with the help of Sonia O’Sullivan will learn some of the running trails around Teddiington and Richmond. On Wednesday II’m off to Hungary for the next World Cup.

onwards

gav

www.gavinnoble.com