The best natural race course in the country

22 April, 2025 - Brian Mullins

What a day out. Many thanks to Trish and all the volunteers for allowing us to experience a fantastic day on one of the best natural race courses in the country. The weather promised much but at the start with low cloud it looked like the compass may have to be out as you couldn’t even see Paradise Hill, let alone its big brother Temple. However it soon turned into one of the most glorious days on the hills anyone could wish for, sun with a cooling north breeze interspersed with a few minor fog patches.

Great to see such a big crowd out and a mighty chat with Donatus on the bus over had me worried about all the training everyone else seemed to have done in the lead up,
John Williams and Micheal McSweeney looked particularly enthusiastic which is always an ominous sign that things will be fast whether you like it or not. I was supposed to be helping on a Ramsay Round this weekend but after a failed attempt at a Kerry Round the previous fortnight I reigned in my ambitions to completing a traverse of the Galtees instead. And given I had DNF’d this race in 2019 due to be being borderline hypothermic around Fearbreaga because of the driving hail I needed to redeem myself at this race. A finish was a must after a sobering road run along the Glen of Aherlow that year.

Lining up at the start in Anglesborough I could see some serious operators about in both the male and female ranks and as Mairead tapped me on the shoulder to say hello it was clear my mind was still on the DNF! I had two goals for this race. The main one was to beat my time of 2017 as the conditions were pretty similar to then, with a fall back of just finishing which would beat my 2019 DNF.

Trish rang the bell on the button at 9am and as we ran up the road I looked at the Guinness sign disappearing behind us thinking a few pints, Murphy’s obviously, would be much more enjoyable than what was about to be suffered! A blue and white singlet appeared next to me in the form of Peter Roche with the ever present Nick Hogan keeping close order. These lads are much better and faster runners than me so I said I might as well lead it out up Paradise Hill and see how long I could hang on.

The first climb on this race is a b*stard, there is just no other word for it, think the relentless steepness of Nephin or Cruachmhor. Anyone that runs all of this is a genuine hero. Anyhow the top of Temple eventually comes with a 20sec lead over a few others and I turned the brain and brakes off down the other side, just as steep, and hoped my nav was better than 2019 when myself, Tom and Mark ended up wandering around in a circle for about 30mins before we found the wall start to Lyracappul. As it turned out it was as my 20secs turned into 2mins. I thought this was great until I immediately realised I was going to be both an easy navigator for the lads behind to pick the quicker lines as they could see where I made a mistake but also a hunted prey that they were chasing down!

The next 2ish hours were both the best and worst day out I’ve ever had on an Imra race. I could hear my chasers for most of the day and fully expected them to just stroll past me at any moment as sometimes it genuinely felt like their voices were getting louder and closer yet every time I turned around (word of advice here, don’t ever turn around) they were still about 2mins behind. Seeing Martin Hennessy as first aider on top of Galtybeg was a genuine tonic when he confirmed the 2mins gap I had was sort of holding (Martin you can lie very convincingly!).

Off and over to Greenaun and O Loughlins Castle and the body just seemed to settle into a steady pace, until I went up to my thighs in a bog on the run over to Fearbreaga. A short moment of panic as I extracted myself from a sucking mass of peat and the adrenaline had me running faster than the fox I saw bolting off ahead me in the distance. A less than ideal line to Slieveanard saw Peter and Nick get to within 30sec of me just before the summit of Bane where Ger and Jane Griffin were stationed photographing the horror in my eyes as I said I expected to be passed at any second. Ger to be fair lied convincingly enough to say I had 100yards over second even though I didn’t believe it as unfortunately I had again turned around and looked.

An all or nothing descent to the hammerhead I thought would be in vain as both Peter and Nick are a good 30secs per mile faster than me over fire road but I said wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t at least try. Having consumed nothing but 500ml of water and no food for the whole trip I was now beginning to feel the energy deficit as I pushed into anaerobic territory on the fast downhill fire road and looking behind at a curve in the trail (don’t f**king look behind) I could see my fate was sealed. There was no way I could hold this.

10mins later I am sitting on the ground in the car park of Cahir Castle. It’s great to see the finish. It’s great to see Brian and Julie Byrne in such great form. It’s great to be finished. It’s great that Damien found a beer in the van. It’s great not to be hunted anymore. It’s just great. I never want to experience that again, but maybe I do! Maybe 2025 will be better.

Thanks again to Trish and all the volunteers and also a massive thanks to Peter and Nick for pushing it.