Lugalla (Leinster Championship route)
Forum Messages
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Kitson | Jul 4 2025, 7:19pm | I’m back as Race Director for the Luggala Leinster Championship Race. How this was allowed to happen after what went down at last year’s Dargle Four Peaks is beyond me. Runners were bounding in all directions, second guessing their lines and life choices. Some went missing (*note to self: confirm they eventually showed up*). Crowds gathered at the finish line swilling beer and brownies. And yet…here we are. This year is going be a treat. The third instalment of the 2025 Leinster Championship takes place among the peaks of Luggala, Knocknacloghoge (a name as hard to type as the mountain is to climb) and Carrigvore. Now, I know that some of you have already checked the till and noticed a 25% reduction in peaks compared to last year. “What’s going on, Kitson?”, I hear you cry. My response to you is because THERE ARE NO MORE PEAKS. Three peaks it is, and a cracking peaks they are, with some of the most stunning views in the land. So get over it…or rather, them. We’re keeping the best bits from the Dargle race: free route choice, epic post-race refreshments and banter among friends. But there’s more. We have secured exclusive access to the wonderful Luggala Estate where the start/finish will be based. Luggala is a truly special area, but due to access restrictions, entry for this race will be limited — details to follow. I hope you’ll sign up, as it’s a standout route worth doing even on its own. If you're aiming for the Leinster Championship, remember: your best three races count, and there are still three left, so even if you’ve yet to start, there’s still time to take part. Information has been added to the event Details page. A couple of important call outs: 1. Recces- please start your recce from the parking area on the military road to minimise IMRA footfall into the Estate. A Google Maps link is available in the Details page. 2. On race day, there will be flags marking the line to/from the start to Luggala and Knocknacloghue (how many more times will I have to type this!?). These markers are there to minimise soil erosion and other eco reasons. Please stick to them, these are the fastest lines anyway. Brian |
| Brian Kitson | Jul 15 2025, 4:41pm | Quick bump. Need volunteers. Thank you Rob and Pavel for signing up already. Bump complete. |
| Keelin Holmes | Jul 19 2025, 12:50pm | Hi , which map does everyone use for this run? Thanks Keelin |
| Gareth Little | Jul 19 2025, 1:17pm | Hi Keelin, East West maps are the best but unfortunately this route goes across two different map areas, Wicklow East and Wicklow West. https://eastwestmapping.ie/product/wicklow-east-encapsulated/ https://eastwestmapping.ie/product/wicklow-west-encapsulated/ Thanks Gareth |
| Gerry McGuinness | Jul 19 2025, 5:25pm | Wicklow West. Covers the whole course. |
| Brian Kitson | Jul 21 2025, 2:30pm | Entry for Luggala Champs race on Saturday is open. It's not often we get an opportunity to race up these three Peaks from Luggala. What's seldom is wonderful. |
| sadhbh holmes | Jul 22 2025, 8:45am | Thanks for reply everyone, has anyone done this with little or no navigation experience ? or is that a no no ? |
| Brian Kitson | Jul 22 2025, 11:39am | Hey Sadhbh, I'm delighted to read you're keen to get involved in IMRA. Just a heads-up, this particular race is on the tougher end of the IMRA scale. Unlike the shorter, well-marked league races, this one is part of the Championship series. The route travels over plenty of rough terrain and while navigation is generally straightforward in clear weather, it can become quite tricky if the cloud comes down, especially on the long out-and-back section to Carrigvore. Please note that GPS or electronic navigation isn’t allowed in Championship races, so you’ll need a basic ability to use a compass and map to navigate the course safely. If you're newer to IMRA, it might be a good idea to get a few of the shorter, marked races under your belt first. I’d highly recommend Church Mountain, Seahan, and Bray Head all of which are coming up on Wednesday evenings over the next few weeks. They’re great introductions to the sport and will help build your confidence and experience. |
| Brian Kitson | Jul 22 2025, 2:30pm | Just to add to my earlier comment, for anyone concerned about the navigation side of things, I have absolutely no problem with folks pre-arranging to run with a buddy who is more comfortable with a map+compass. |
| Liam Vines | Jul 22 2025, 3:13pm | Just want to point out that juniors are not allowed to enter this race as it is a championship race run on an unmarked route. You have to be 18 at some stage in 2025 to be able to enter. I hope this makes sense.. See you all at the top of one of the mountains on Saturday morning…. |
| Brian Kitson | Jul 24 2025, 1:44pm | I find myself in the unenviable position of being the RD to follow up from the high bar set by Liam and his Lakeside acolytes over on Church Mountain last night. We have a few tricks up our sleeve to make things special for Luggala on Saturday. It's a fantastic route with jaw-dropping views, epic climbs and long, springy classic descents. The weather forecast looks decent so sign up today. Couple of reminders: KIT - Bring all Level C kit on Saturday. The items required for the race will be displayed on the kit board in the car park so you don't need to bring everything down to the start. - Bring a change of clothes to the start as there will be plenty of refreshments and a raffle taking place after you finish. - Bring a charged mobile phone set to loud so you hear us if we need to get in touch. It is worth storing the IMRA Leinster Emergency phone number on your device in case you have a problem during the race. This number is also displayed on the reverse of your race number: 0872617599. Finally, I am ok for volunteers now, unless of course you happen to be a pagan queen with a horse, thanks to those who already signed up. I will be in touch. |
| Keira-Eva Mooney | Jul 24 2025, 5:16pm | If you grant Striders exclusive dominion from the lands of Church Mountain to the fog-kissed reaches of Luggala, you may find that the queen’s gratitude manifests in most unexpected and enduring ways. |
| Kate Flynn | Jul 25 2025, 12:52pm | Last chance to sig up for tomorrows Leinster championship race. Feel free to buddy up with a nav extraordinaire if feel more secure on the mountain. Weather not looking too bad and if you're moving fast enough you wont notice it at all! |
| Liam Vines | Jul 25 2025, 2:56pm | Where are you going first??? Come on lads.. Luggala only comes around every second year.. book in.. I will have something nice for you all at the top of Knocknacloughoge.. See you all in the morning or afternoon depending on which way you go… |
| Jeff Swords | Jul 25 2025, 4:55pm | On Wednesday I tried promoting my anti clockwise loop starting with Luggala as it had less climb but a little road and wasn't getting anywhere other than some bemused looks |
| Jeff Swords | Jul 26 2025, 4:36pm | Results published, email IMRAResults at Gmail dot com for any queries. Great day, thanks to Brian and crew for organising and providing treats at the end, and to Luggala Estate too. |
| Brian Kitson | Jul 26 2025, 5:20pm | Great to get the result up quickly, thanks Jeff. Fair play to those who raced today. Between this new Luggala Championship route, and the Dargle Four Peaks across the road, we have two fantastic free route choice Leinster Championship events to choose from each year. It was great to see so much variation in the routes taken today. For those on Strava, the Flybys will be entertaining. This route has yet to reveal all its secrets. Congratulations to Becky and Peter on their fantastic victories. IMRA had the run of Luggala Estate to ourselves. A huge thanks to Linda and her team, they couldn’t have been more welcoming and were a pleasure to deal with. Next time, we just need some gazillionaire to park a satellite overhead so we can get phone signal. Many thanks to the volunteers who gave up their day… Rob Tobin played a blinder on First Aid and was calm and assured as he dealt with rolled ankles, cuts and what looked like major surgery on his own WWR impacted toe-nail. Conor Nolan was up to his eyeballs all day marking Luggala then driving over and back to the sally gap TWICE. Gareth Morgan and Liam Vines had to contend with the ever-changing weather on the summits. It was full battle regalia one moment to being stripped the next (hopefully not too stripped). Liam, as ever, thanks for devising yet another great new route and teeing up the folks in Luggala Estate. Pavel Bodi was a brilliant right-hand man and if you enjoyed the post race beers and snacks thank Pavel. Ailbhe Donnellan and Jody Boyle got the race started and the results recorded perfectly, thanks for that. And Ailbhe, those cookies: AH…MAY…ZING! Finally, well done to Kevin O’Riordan on his 300th race. What an achievement, and still only a youngfella. I had your T-shirt but you were gone by the time I remembered to give it to you. Sorry if I forget anyone…Moretti time. |
| Cormac O'Ceallaigh | Jul 26 2025, 6:57pm | Well done to Brian and the team for a brilliant well organized race today. No shortage of route choices.The refreshments at the finish were a very welcome treat.One suggestion for next year's race .....a shuttle bus from the finish back up to pier gates !:) or special dose of king of mountain points for runner's! |
| Gareth Little | Jul 26 2025, 8:31pm | Thank you Brian and thank you to all of the other volunteers today. It was an absolutely magnificent morning/afternoon to be out on the hills. There was certainly no messing around with that course either - 850m of climb over just 14K, with people running off in every which direction at the start. The Strava Flyby was a most interesting watch! Brian had things running like clockwork as usual. Registration and gear checks were slick, plenty of chat about route options and a few last minute change of minds thrown in too. The post race refreshments were also a very welcome treat. There was even beer! Thanks again, Gareth |
| Jeff Swords | Jul 26 2025, 8:41pm | @Cormac, fully on board with that suggestion! The IMRA van drove by us half way up and all we got was waves and smiles, no shuttle service was offered. |
| Joseph Boyle | Jul 27 2025, 9:55am | Finish Line photos added. |
| Maike Jürgens | Jul 27 2025, 7:52pm | a rambly not so 5 minuty race report added. I think it is still very much open which route is the quickest, certain at my end of the field. |
| Mick Hanney | Jul 27 2025, 9:49pm | For those not on strava, photo added showing the different routes. |
