Irish Mountain
Running Association

Wicklow Way Relay

Forum Messages

AuthorDateMessage
Dee McCarthyMay 26 2008, 10:46pmHas anyone already worked out the distances for the legs which havent been put up already? Would be most appreciated!
Stuart ScottMay 26 2008, 11:05pmLeg 2 is 15k exactly anyway, not 14 as advertised!
Rene BorgMay 26 2008, 11:18pmDid a measurement of Leg 5 today. It's 13.6km (so basically the 14k advertised) and features 571m of climb and 577m of descent. Ascent grade is a surprisingly high 8.8% on average (more than the majority of all LL races). So a tough little leg.

I'll be adding the precise measurements to the descriptions as we get them in. I'll be doing Leg 1 and 7 as recces too, so I'll have those. If anyone else has the rest, feel free to send them. Otherwise I'll measure them in the years to come :)
gb May 31 2008, 9:57am<br />
Fastest times<br />
<br />
Race : Civil Service (2004) 7:17:21<br />
Leg 1: Colm Mullen (2007) 56:00; Emma Legrand (2005) 75:30<br />
Leg 2: Gerry Healy (2004) 61:02; Lisa Higgins (2003) 83:50<br />
Leg 3: Dessie Shorten (2003) 27:04; Jean Carr (2007) 31:11<br />
Leg 4: Wieslaw Sosnowski (2004) 38:25; Beth McCluskey (2006) 43:37<br />
Leg 5: Gerry Hickson (2004) 56:03; Karen Bothwell (2005) 66:40<br />
Leg 6: Gerry Healy (2004) 48:57; Nina Phillips (2003) 63:46<br />
Leg 7: John Brooks (2005) 75:07; Beth McCluskey (2003) 101:37<br />
Leg 8: Paul Nolan (2003) 40:40; Beth McCluskey (2006) 47:27<br />
Rene BorgMay 31 2008, 8:34pmI don't know Gerry Healy, but fairplay to him for setting two records in a day! I'm guessing quick recovery is on his list of strengths?!<br <br
Rene BorgMay 31 2008, 8:38pmLeg 4 statistics: 9.7k, 363m ascent, 432m of descent. avg ascent grade 7.5%.

Very fast leg.
Colm MurrayJun 1 2008, 10:02pmAnyone doing a leg 7 recce tomorrow (Monday) after 9.30 a.m. or Tuesday morning, could I hitch a lift from Dublin? 086 8526508
Robert CostelloJun 3 2008, 9:35amAny chance I could get a lift with someone who is driving to leg 2 on Saturday?

I'll be coming from Rathmines.

Cheers,
Rob
Caroline ReidJun 3 2008, 11:46amRE LEG 6
Due to an injury on our team, I've to change to Leg 6 but I tried to recce it yesterday and failed miserably at the ride about 25 minutes into this leg (the one you turn right at 100 meters before the black and yellow varrier). There are 4 different rides and I took two different options but ended up hacking through branches etc.
Anyone interested in doing this leg some evening during the week (very slowly?) please text me on 086 4035910.
Anyone doing this leg that hasn't recced it, NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!
Niamh Ni CholmainJun 3 2008, 11:55amThe ride is signed. You just need to be looking out very carfully for the sign. It is more than 100m before the barrier though.
I will email you directly Caroline about a recce on Thurs maybe?
Niamh
Caroline ReidJun 3 2008, 12:07pmThanks Niamh,
Myself and two walkers walked up and down for 10 minutes and we couldn't find any WW sign. I AM a bit blind, but I even put my glasses on and still couldn't find it;)
Def email though and if your ankle is up to it, Thurs would be great as at the moment I can't walk from Carauntoohill!
Rene BorgJun 3 2008, 12:31pmCompleted the recce of leg 7. We clocked it at from the new start to new finish at 21.37km with 685m of ascent (700m of descent). The profiles I've gotten so far are a good look, I'll see if I can put them up somewhere.

The new end should make leg 8 a bit more than a kilometre shorter, if our reading of the new route is correct?

It's generally very easy to follow, and if you've recceed it once, you should be hard-pressed to go wrong.

The run is a good bit easier than the Wicklow Way Trail, but on the hot day Monday it was quite tough going, even though we took it handy and jogged it in about 1:55.

The 500ml of water brought amounted to nothing, so if you get another hot day, make sure you plan your logistics right and have a few support points.
Aisling CoppingerJun 4 2008, 2:08pmI don't believe there's a new start, just a new finish to leg 7. According to Joe:
"No new start to leg 7, only new finish, Iron
Bridge is the handover not, not Ballyteige T 073848"
P O'FJun 4 2008, 3:45pmHi Caroline,

The turn right up the track is on a sweeping right hand bend, the WW wooden sign is about 2m higher then the fireroad you are running on the right hand side at the start of the track up the hill. There is a small pile of stones on the right hand side of the fireroad just at the turn right and a very pictureque view of the mountain across the valley has just grabbed your attention away from looking out for signage (i nearly missed the turn)

The WW wooden signs are quite easy to follow from there to the handover and as the leg notes say you can run along the tarmac road instead of the WW at the road at the top of Slieve Maan.

Leg 6 also has the all important P. Nolan approved river at the finish :)
barry wattsJun 5 2008, 10:37amHi guys

I'm looking for a lift to the start of leg 2.
Will be staying in Kilmainham on Friday night so can get to alot of city jumping off points to meet.

email me on barrington1978@yahoo.com

All the best

Barry
Rene BorgJun 5 2008, 10:05pmLeg 1 has now also been weighed and measured: 14.43km, 556m of ascent, 518m of descent.

It surprised me that leg 5 is actually tougher looking just at the number (more climb spread over shorter distance and higher ascent grade). Guess the fact that leg 1 has two climbs as opposed to leg 5's one, makes it trickier for some.

Great route any way, overall, having tried 5 out of 8! :) Time to string them together some day perhaps ;-)...

Pity it's not out and back, leg 5 would be a great race as a pure raw test of strength.
Shay FoodyJun 5 2008, 10:44pmDoes anyone wish to carpool for leg 1 - our team's leg 1 runner has a car but wants to get away after the leg, so the idea would be to meet at the end of the leg at 6:00, find parking and take one car back to the start. If anyone is interested, drop me an email at shay_ie AT yahoo.com

Derek CharlesJun 6 2008, 9:02amHello All,

Need a lift for a stage 3 runner, from the Stillorgan/ Blackrock area to the start of stage 3. Is there any one passing that way and can offer assistance to a struggling team. Please call 086 8040809. Thank you.
Mick HanneyJun 8 2008, 8:33pmJoe, Are you missing a Clonliffe & guests line from the leg 6 results?
Regards,
Mick
gerry bradyJun 8 2008, 11:56pmNew fastest leg times for Aisling Coppinger (81:07) on leg 2, Mags Greenan (65:57) and John Brooks (53:49) on leg 5, and on the new shorter leg 8 for Carole Pauli (43:13) and Barry Minnock (33:33).
cormac o ceallaighJun 9 2008, 7:54amA big massive thanks to Joe , Nora and all their volunteers for organising another fantastic WWR, what a super day,brillant weather, excitement,wining, losing, PB's , getting lost/found , sunburnt,exhaustion-great fun!!
Barry MinnockJun 9 2008, 10:19amThink it was going to be easy to set a new fastest time on leg 8 given that it was 1.05km shorter and 110m less climb than previous years. For info: I've clocked new length of leg 8 at 10.1km with 160m climb, 255m descent - over to Rene to correct me if I'm wrong :)

Would like to extend my thanks Joe, Nora and to the many others who helped put this event together - was glad to be pulled into the starting line up at the last minute. Wasn't glad to have to run so hard - at least I know what to get Turlough for Christmas :) Well done to Clonliffe & Guests - consistently top of their legs & so deserved the victory. We'll be back!

Great photos Lindie & Gerry. Gerry - is there a hint of a change in strategy to get more runners into the hills? The new approach might just work ...

Neal McQuaidJun 9 2008, 1:28pmhowdy,
just from someone who could be regarded as a very part-time runner. Great going to all those who organized the event on the day and had the patience to sit there and wait for all the runners (covering a serious stretch of time at the end of each leg!) at the start/end of each stage. Thanks for giving up a day to do it, it's appreciated.

On a side note, I know a few people were a bit put off by the fact that there was no free refreshments/drinks, etc. at the end of the day. Considering we'd all shelled out 15Euro to run the event with no visible return from it (bar very sore legs), it's not ideal! It's the least that could've been done.
Also, I didn't see a final award ceremony - I was in the last 10 teams to come in so did we just miss it? If you're looking to get people to 'get more runners into the hills', you need to make sure to include them in the final social part to get them to hang around. I didn't particularly care - I know enough of ye already - but getting communities together is how to get people to stick at the sport long-term.

I'm not trying to be critical for the sake of it - seriously, the logistics of the day are tough, getting volunteers to help out isn't easy (I have enough hassles in my climbing community with the same thing to know what it's like, etc. - but some simple things that could've been done to improve the day for those who weren't running PB's or aiming to win, and were just out for some fun.

And yes, I promise to run my route next time so I don't have to run it with a map on my mobile phone and the text description in my hand ;)
Mick HanneyJun 9 2008, 1:46pmNeal,
Realistically they have to have a cut off time to do the likes of the award ceremony at the end. Otherwise the winners etc would have to wait quite a while.
I, for one, was marshalling (with 3 kids in tow) at the end of leg 7. I was there from 1 til 4, before handing on to Mick Redmond. At 4, only 19 of the 36 teams had passed through. And that is despite the mass start later in the day at Drumgoff.
Do you have a suggestion as to how it come be improved upon? The hanging around isn't so bad for people like me as I am relatively local.

Regards,

Mick
Brendan LawlorJun 9 2008, 1:58pmNeal

The race fee for this event goes to our junior fund and hence the prizes and goodies are kept to a minimum - part of the fun of the event is the support teams give to their runners and their support logistics...water at stage ends, snacks etc. It would be both unfair and unrealistic to ask stage marshalls to take on this task
P O'FJun 9 2008, 4:50pmHi Joe, Nora and the many others who helped. Thanks gain for another great edition of the WWR. It's absolutely brilliant to see the race won (and lost) by less then a minute and fair play to Gerry Brady and Clonliffe for managing to find a way to challenge Rathfarnham by getting Tallaght, North Laois and Athenry to help out :)
As regards some of Neal's points it really is up to each team to support their own runners, the more experienced teams had helpers out en route passing water and sometimes directions to their runners. If the joy of running in such a friendly event with great people isn't enough then maybe WWR running is not for you. The ?15 is helping with juniors who hopefully are the future lifeblood of the organisation.

cheers,
pd
Neal McQuaidJun 9 2008, 6:18pmI honestly didn't know the funds went to the Juniors - seriously that's great to hear! I'm trying to get something in place with the climbing comps so I now have a good example of where it's being used.
Like I said, didn't mean to cause offense, and I'll eat humble pie now and apologize now if I did! I know I'll be back for another WWR at some point in the future.
And like I said, it was just what I'd heard from one or two other people and I'd been thinking similar thoughts a bit myself so thought it was worth querying.
As a side note, maybe it's worth promoting where the funds go? Seriously, most people who aren't super-active runners don't know about it.

On a side note (and bringing this thread back to a positive slant), great result PD - when you going to transfer your running to climbing once again? :)
gb Jun 9 2008, 6:54pm:) race report up
kevin englishJun 10 2008, 4:53pmwell done to the organisers,volunteers,drivers and of course Clonliffe and guests 8th man Turlough :)