What was your first IMRA race?
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Mick Hanney | May 21 2018, 7:53pm | Potential perhaps for a rolling, long-lasting thread with contributions welcome from all? I'm a late starter to running and to IMRA relatively speaking. Did my first race in my late 30s and for my sins choose to run the Winter league version of Ballinastoe in 2007. Not sure how I found out about IMRA. I guess a running pal mentioned it and I was curious to give it a go. Am I glad I did! I have vague recollections of a foggy drizzly day and hills that seemed to go on for miles, on lots of fire-road and some actual road (out by lough Tay). A bit different from the more evil summer edition where you lose your shoes in the muck. I recall losing time on the ups and the downs and the flat sections! Of thinking that this was insane, but keen to know when was the next race? Race was won by Gary Crossan who was probably finished his warm-down when some of us where still crossing the line. I see a lot of familiar names in the runners list from the day. Lots of sporting battles since over the years and lots of fun had. Whos next? |
| Jason Dowling | May 21 2018, 8:30pm | Howth winter, Jan 2014. Lad out of work at the time done an IMRA race and loved it so said I would do one when I finished night college. Was a somewhat decent road runner (with a sub 3:10 marathon time) and debated whether to bother my arse driving all the way out to Howth for a 5km race. Ended up driving out, done the race, thought I was going to have multiple heart attacks during the race and finished at 168% of the winner. Legs were in a heap afterwards. Had to go back to the pub and tell all my friends that the race was a 'little tough' and play down the fact that it nearly killed me. Crack cocaine is probably less addictive than mountain running. Four years later, I've done the Wicklow Way, Kerry Way, UTMB and 100 miles of Istria and many other great races. Also had the added bonus of meeting plenty of great people along the way. I always remember a friend of mine saying after I done the marathon if I'd ever be interested in an ultra and that idea was point blank shot down. If only I knew then what I know now, what was I thinking off driving out to Howth that day. I shoulda stayed in the pub and watched the match!! |
| Mikey Fry | May 21 2018, 9:04pm | So was hill walking in the mournes with my bro and dad for his 60th birthday and saw these mad people running past us thinking why!!! It’s was a couple years later at a bbq some friends of mine who were running Imra races at the time said I should give them a go so I turned up to Brockagh 2008 ... So we headed off up past the shop and on the fire road thinking this wasn’t to bad...jakers when we hit the first hills I was ready to go home man it was brutal and I couldn’t wait for it to finish.....I hit the summit and started down the mountain and this is where my love grew it just was the most amazing feeling the plunder of the feeling of nearly walking on air and the thought that you could cream yourself at any minute...mind you when I hit the fire road at the end of the race I was recked but got through it back to the pub and the chats the stories....can’t stop running them hills:) |
| Mick Hanney | May 21 2018, 9:35pm | Mikey - 2007 ! https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/423 No photo unfortunately. |
| Mikey Fry | May 21 2018, 9:42pm | Ha ha Mick I’m glad your on the ball:))probably just as well there’s no photos was going so slow:))) |
| Rachel Cinnsealach | May 21 2018, 10:51pm | My first IMRA race was Scalp 2003. Friends of mine from climbing (Peter O Farrell and others) had been talking about “running up hills” before I went to Australia in 2002 and I decided I was going to get involved when I got home. I remember my first race well. I didn’t have a car at the time and I was about to get the bus back to Dundrum when Mary Ni Cholmain convinced me to come back to the pub. She arranged a lift home for me with Henny that night. I was so amazed at how friendly everyone was. This has not changed I arrived last Wednesday and I was no in form for being there as soon as I got out of the car there was a warm welcome and it reminded me of how much I love IMRA!!! Since that night in 2003 I have done 170 races, including Leinster League, Winter League, Leinster Champs, Irish champs, numerous relays and two ultras’. My percentage of winning time varies depending on how fit I am that year. It was a lot better in 2003 when I was training with Crusaders!!! I’ve volunteered at about 50 races (in all positions) and I was League director for the Leinster league and on the committee for a few years. Though IMRA I have made many friends and gained house mates!! It’s a wonderful organisation it’s friendly and inclusive and it is my intention to run races for many more years to come. |
| Clare Keeley | May 21 2018, 11:25pm | Great thread Mick! Annacurra 2014 was my first IMRA race! I started running in my late 30's too.... I had run one marathon and the Connemara Ultra Marathon and I wanted to find another ultra close to home. I innocently googled "Wicklow ultra". Low and behold, right on my door step was the Wicklow Way Ultra 51K!! (now Maurice Mulllins). I recced some of it and couldn't believe this trail was on my door step and I never really knew about it:). Booked into Annacurra 3 weeks before ultra as a 'tester'..... I will always remember stopping less than a mile up and thinking I was going to die...I think I might even have taken a gel!!! Have absolutely loved long distance trail running ever since...like Jason, it opened up this amazing world of unexpected adventures that I never dreamed I would accomplish in my 40's. Trail World Champioships in Spain last weekend and my most favourite Wicklow Way Race in 3 weeks time..... what's not to love??!! |
| Gavan Doherty | May 21 2018, 11:42pm | Good man Mick - get the nostalgia going! http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Hell%20Fire89.pdf Myself and Brendan had been orienteering for about 5 years and a load of them were talking about this hill running lark (16 of the finishers that evening are/were regular orienteers). Haven't looked back since... With 51 people for a Wednesday night Leinster League parking wasn't an issue!! |
| Miriam Maher | May 22 2018, 9:34am | Love this thread Mick! First IMRA race was Ticknock Winter - 2013. Got into hill running the year before when I joined Le Cheile AC and found a bunch of keen hill runners there. First race was a leap of faith - was very wary of the concept of actual 'racing' on the hills. Decided to give it a bash along with Karen Devenney, Alison Underwood and long term IMRA runner - Brendan Murphy. Heavy snowfall meant that we waded through thigh deep snow, inky black utterly freezing puddles, Karen and myself got lost along the way, got back on track and arrived in completely buzzed and hooked. It was the maddest and best fun running experience I had to date, have never looked back. 78 races later, moved into Ultra running distances on the hills 4 years ago, met and made a whole new range of friends in the friendliest running community I've been so lucky to get to know. Got upskilled on the laptop courtesy of Karen a few years back and have found volunteering a fair bit to really add to the sense of being part of the IMRA scene. Am officially taking credit as well for getting John McCann into hill running via my raving FB post after that first race! The icing on the cake for me has been my son, Luke, joining me on the hills as a junior since 2015 and this year running in the same races as me... with a little bit of a gap in our finishing positions ;-) We both ran legs of last weekends's Wicklow Way Relay for our club team. What a buzz it has all been. Occasionally I speed up, mostly I remain the same - has never mattered in the end - racing/running on the hills - being there in the first place has been the benefit for me. |
| Angus Tyner | May 22 2018, 9:51am | First race, Sugarloaf....2nd July.........1987, http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Sugarloaf87.pdf Bust my ankle at the bottom , but managed to finish, but out injured for rest of summer. Took nearly 19 years to recover, 2nd race 2006! |
| Brendan Lawlor | May 22 2018, 9:55am | Three Rock Dash 19/5/1999 I did a Mountain Skills course in Wicklow and met Eddie McGovern on the course. 'If you like running you should try hill running' he said and so I did.. I think this was my first outing http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Three%20Rock99.pdf The race report from that night is a who's who of IMRA Leinster history and reading it back 19 years later was a real treat.. thank you Douglas Barry for writing it and Mick Hanney for starting this lovely thread So what got me addicted (and as Jason said it does become a real if healthy addiction) ? Was it Douglas's flowery prose after each race ? Was it registering out of the boot of a car ? Was it the comaradrie? Was it the thrill of breakneck descending? Was it the first night I finished in the lashing rain and felt I had conquered the hill? Was it meeting the legendary Mick Kellet, Seamus Kilcullen and Mike Gomm for the first time ? Was it the pub prizegiving? It was all of this and much more- thank you IMRA! |
| Jeff Swords | May 22 2018, 10:22am | For me it was Scarr in 2010. I was always vaguely aware of IMRA from the late 1980s onwards, my dad ran at the time, and looking at some of the results from 1988 he ran with who I imagine was a young and spritely Vivian and Caitlin and a couple of others who I think may still turn out regularly. There's some familiar names even to me from back in 1988 that he raced with. http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Sugarloaf88.pdf http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Bray%20Head88.pdf http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Cloghnagun88.pdf Warren had just ran a few races and mentioned it to me so I gave it a go, and from then on I was hooked. It helped greatly it being Scarr as it has that amazing descent right back to the finish, had it been Powerscourt Uphill I may never have returned. |
| Stuart Scott | May 22 2018, 10:45am | Excellent idea Mick! My first race was Ticknock Summer 2007. I'd been looking in from the outside for a couple of years thinking I'd be laughed out of it for walking around. I was an orienteer but certainly not a runner! Anyway Ticknock had been advertised as 5k so Kevin O'Riordan and I said we'd shame each other into turning up. Worst case, we could walk it and still be back before dark. The race ended up being 8k and I finished almost 50th last (which was far higher than expected). Stairs were tricky for the next week but I was hooked! Now 180 races later, I continue to be amazed how many friends I've made (and continue to make) through IMRA, and many of them through carpooling. |
| Brian Kitson | May 22 2018, 1:04pm | Djouce Woods, May 2014. Nearly dislocated my shoulder on the lightening fast descent through the woods trying to use a tree to execute a poorly judged 'slingshot' manoeuvre around a sharp turn. Still learning with every race since. |
| Conor O'Farrell | May 22 2018, 4:57pm | Notes from a freshman! I had not been running for a few years due to a bad case of planter fasciitis - not that I was a great runner anyway - but I had been fairly prolific on the road-bike for 3 or 4 years. So, I had just started back running in February last year(2017), and as soon as I did, Dave Docherty was telling me that I had to try the IMRA races. I remember telling him that he should be careful who he advises to do such things, as someone like myself could have a heart-attack running up the side of a mountain - I had myself down as a prime candidate. A couple of months later (with a few more road miles under my belt) I was watching the relay on Killiney Hill and I got chatting to a few of the IMRA collective and decided to head along to the Sugar Bowl race the following week. So, on the eve of my thirtysomething(OK ok fortysomething, the IMRA age categories don't lie) birthday, I bit the bullet. Suffice it to say, that for the first half of the race I was swearing under my breath. Once I got to the top of the Sugarloaf, I was thinking that this was one of the worst ideas I'd had in my life. The descent was a whole new level of fear that I didn't know existed - how the hell do I stop???? But as the race wore on, I really got into it. The ups/downs, trying to stay out of the way of the experienced heads(who was I kidding, they were already long gone). To be honest, my goal was not to finish last, and I achieved that. The buzz after the race was really good in Plucks, I could instantly see the appeal. People were asking me if I was hooked, and although I didn't admit it, I had a great time and would be back. It wasn't long before I learned my first valuable lesson about trail running: If you are going to look around, step aside and stop first. On my second race in Howth, I was admiring the fantastic view, while running. I promptly tripped over a rock and picking up a few bumps and bruises. Since then, I have had the pleasure of running around 25 or so races, including some great relays this year. A note on the volunteering: On one of the early races last and appeal went out for volunteers, I remember thinking to myself: "what sort of eejit would volunteer to stand on the side of a mountain for an hour or so on a miserable night like tonight?". I was also concerned that I would not a have a clue what to do if I was sent up to the summit of some new (to me) mountain. The Race Directors are very experienced and you can engage with them to perform a task that you are comfortable with. The fact of that matter is, there is always a great buzz about volunteering for races. For me, it really opened up the social side of IMRA a lot more. As result, I have met a lot more IMRA people and made so many new friends. I have been invited to join some night-runs, relay teams and weekends away to the distant races, not to mention other sporting activities altogether, due to the people I have met while volunteering (and running). As I'm sure you can tell, I'm here for the social side as much as the mountains. Running up hills is not something I ever thought I would be doing - and there may be those of you who have observed that I am still not doing it :-) - but it sure is addictive! |
| Paul Morrissey2 | May 22 2018, 6:28pm | Bray Head 2008. My 10 year anniversary run went significantly worse! A few climbing friends had been talking about it a few weeks ahead of the race. Can’t remember exactly why I went (I had done 2 or 3 runs overs a couple of km in my life before that)..... I think I wanted some spice in my hiking. I remember hitting the cross not feeling great, and swearing never to do put myself through this again as I neared the second top. Then the last 2km through the forest and a sprinty path just made me pure giddy (even though I thought the finish was at the bottom of the hill and not down the pier.... man that made me sick!) and I was trying free up Wednesday’s for the rest of the summer. Outside of the endorphins, my first impression was the friendliness of the group. Even without knowing more negative start-line experiences (which I’ve built up in other sports since), I was surprised by the “nice” competition that seemed to be around.... that mood also set up a really fun season of trying in vain to beat the 2 people who finished ahead of me in that race (bleddy nemeses!!) People we’re happy to chat to newbies about the simple things of the sport without making us feel like children and we really felt part of the community straight away. So yeah, I was ok. |
| Justin Rea | May 23 2018, 12:21pm | First race was Prince William's Seat in 1993. I find myself living in its shadow 25 years later! http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Prince%20William%20Seat93.pdf Three things got me hooked: - That feeling going to bed on Wednesday night having scrubbed the muck off your calves. Utterly flattened, but exhilarated - Results were usually up the same night. Thanks Doug! - Pints in the pub. Denis put it well. Heavy drinkers with a running problem ;-) |
| Sarah Brady | May 23 2018, 2:38pm | Love this! Glacier Lakes relay 2016. I got leg one, up Kevin's Way and across to Lough Ouler and back to the Wicklow Gap. I did a recce with Suzanne Kenny a few weeks before and the fog was so heavy that we couldn't even see Tonelagee, never mind find the lake, so we had to call it off. I was skeptical about whether this beautiful heart shaped lake existed. A week later on a clear day I went out again with Stephen Brennan and we managed to find it. :) Race day was great. I was new to trail running and this was my first attempt at running on open mountain. I still hadn't figured out that a bee line isn't always the most sensible option, so I did a lot of stumbling through gorse and my time was probably a bit rubbish, but I remember thinking this is a really weird but awesome way to spend your time. Two years on, these sentiments have not changed. :D |
| John Murray | May 23 2018, 7:42pm | Great thread...love reading the stories and as a complete newbie to IMRA I'm so envious of those guys running the hills for so many years...at 41yrs old I wish I had discovered this addictive adrenaline rush years ago! Funny thing is one of my closest friends since my early teenage years is actually Caitlin Bents daughter...how I didn't get dragged into this years ago is beyond me! lol My first IMRA race was the Dublin Peaks Challenge last November 2017. It was a 30km route from Ticknock Car Park to the top of Kippure summit and back again. Up to that event I was only leisurely running the mountains for about 1yr year with some friends every Sunday morning up around Cruagh and Prince William Seat. Before that I had never done any running of any kind since I was a little kid in school many moons ago! Dublin Peaks was an unmarked route which led to me quickly learning about what a recce is and why I need to do them! lol My buddy Frank who has been running the hills for more years than he can remember and been a massive influence, tour guide and agony aunt over the previous year dragging my slow ass showed me how to recce the course. One week previous to the race I remember pulling into the petrol station in Kilmacanogue. As I filled my car two other guys on either side of me who were also filling their cars started talking across me. Suddenly they started talking about the Dublin Peaks Challenge and my ears popped! James Cahill being one of the guys stopped and chatted to me for a bit when I asked if he was doing it. He said...'Tough Race for your first IMRA event!'. Needless to say he was right and although I've run Kippure during my recce days I still remember the cramping in my legs as I tried to run/walk it on race day! lol Although I loved just going out at 6am and doing a leisurely run with my buddies, Dublin Peaks made me want to race more and more. The buzz, the nerves, the adrenaline rush, the laughs, the scrambling through gorse, the dirt in your toes for days, the fog, the cold, the sun burn, the amazing sunsets, Deer eyes at night, river crossings...it all sounds crazy but it's so addictive!!! Since that day 6 months ago I've experienced so much more with ever race I've done in such a short time, the RAW 80k Ultra, 56k Art O'Neill, 80k Glendalough Glover, 42k Glacier Lakes and coming up next in the Wicklow Way Solo! Safe to say I'm hooked! lol Met so many new people through IMRA in such a short time and can honestly say you're all a bunch of nutters...in the best way possible! ;) |
| Alan Ayling | May 23 2018, 11:48pm | Bray Head, Christmas '97. The late Peadar Dempsey was in charge. A very short race and a very long drinking session in the Strand Hotel afterwards. Doorty big bag of chips at Henry & Rose before getting the DART back to the northside. Pretty sure Paul Nolan walked home to Dundrum. Good times. |
| Ken Cowley | May 24 2018, 11:28am | Good idea for a thread.. My first IMRA race was Bray 2010, having previously done quite a lot of hiking, loving the mountains, and some road-running (starting with 2008 Dublin marathon) but had never really put it all together nor even really heard of mountain-running as a formal sport. Anyway, I was hooked pretty quick, and in the last 10 years have done over a hundred IMRA races, 4 ultras (including 3 Art O'Neills), and have enjoyed every single one of them, with just the one exception - a dislocated shoulder after a tumble on Seefingan a few years ago. As we know pretty much any day in the hills is better than pretty much any day in the office. I've also Race-directed a few times. It really is the best sport in the world - mountain running is an unbelievable mental tonic and a much more full-body workout than the likes of road-running, plus IMRA remains a fantastic organistaion! |
| Mick Hanney | May 24 2018, 12:11pm | Some great memories there. Many of which revolve around drinking sessions :-) Oh how times have changed. |
| Mike Long | May 24 2018, 1:20pm | Tibbradden - mid 1990's Was encouraged by a work colleague (he knows who he is!) who came in every Thursday morning with great stories from his Wed nights in the hills. I arrived knowing nothing about the route etc. Vivian produced some numbers from the back of his car and off we went - about 30 of us. There were no markings. I asked my colleague who might I follow. He pointed to a young lady and said "she is a great navigator but not much of a runner" So off I went. It turned out to be Beth Mc Cluskey. I lasted about 25 m. I then came upon Graham Porter who chatted to me all the way round. The rule in those day's (or so Vivian said) was that you did not appear on the race results unless you went to the pub afterwards! |
| Stuart Scott | May 24 2018, 1:25pm | Mike, I think that rule should be reinstated! It could bring a new meaning to 'chip timing'. |
| Rene Borg | May 24 2018, 6:38pm | Lugnaquillia 2006. My first competitive race of any sort really. Did it with little trainng and rolled my ankle on the way down. Mick Kellett and John Shiels walked me down and supplied me a jacket (it was pre-jacket rule times!). Was out of action for 4 months after but came back for next year's Winter League and that was the start of a many year love affair with IMRA races. |
| Paul Mahon | May 26 2018, 7:27am | Corrig - 26/5/99 - 19 Years ago today ;-)! http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Corrig%20race%2099.pdf Conditions were described as "Dry/V. slippery" in Douglas' Post Race report/ results. I had just moved back to Ireland, found work in Rathdrum and was looking for something to get "stuck into" and it proved to be a good move for me sporting and socially. I was all over the place in a pair of regular road shoes but it was mighty fun and good post race chats with Hugh Mc Lindon and Cormac Mac Donnchadha in particular I remember. Numbers were smaller then but a was great standard at the top with John Lenihan and others going well. I thought I might be half alright at the sport when I finished 2nd to John in Croagh Patrick just 2 months after my first race, wearing Walsh PB by then I am fairly sure, but in reality it was just a lack of fast lads showing up that day :-) Reality was restored when lots of fast clubs lads plus John, Robbie Bryson and Noel Berkeley all showed for a World Trial Race over a savage tough 4 lap course in Crone a month later where I struggled to finish 25th. http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/World%20Trophy%20Trial99.pdf The post race pub scene was indeed an integral part of the sport and I have some great memories particularly of some spots after the country races like Galtymore where the pub owners handed over the sliced pan, ham and butter and told us to go ahead to make our own sandwiches (FOC) to supplement our pints in the sunshine. For me anyways there was a real sense of loss come September when the IMRA scene events eased off though there was always great gathering for Powerscourt Ridge and post race social & prizegiving (In Rathmines Cricket club followed by Tramco ). Many new faces at races these days but still the same social sense and banter thankfully. Great times, people and places along the way for the past 19 years and hopefully lots more of the same to come - Thanks IMRA :-) |
| Gerry Brady | May 27 2018, 11:06pm | Dublin Peaks in 1989 and coming from a cross-country / road background. Started in Marley Park and went up via Tibradden onto Three Rock. Kept thinking every ridge was the top then decided to stop thinking. Then the sound of bag-pipes, a special touch arranged by Douglas Barry. On the descent waking up when I heard some footsteps and pushing on. The 2nd race was more interesting from Djouce Woods to summit of Djouce and back in the following March. Starting hard along the edge of the forest, the descent to the Dargle!, the climb up towards Maulin and turning left onto the ridge proper. Having a quick look behind and not seeing anyone. Continuing a bit before looking back again! Hmm, jogging back down a little then a bit quicker then realising I should be back in the woods! Hmm, coming back out and seeing some walkers. Do you know where Djouce is? After that I warmed up by running most of the course. |
| Conor Murphy | Jun 1 2018, 7:58am | Carrauntoohil 2013. It was going on at the deep end, but live within sight of the mountsin, had hiked it many times and had done a bit of road running so asked on various forums how hard would it be. And it was the thread starter here, Mick Hanney, who answered and said it was not really one for beginners but that if I knew the mountain very well and could navigate it, that was the biggest issue. So turned up, listened to Vivian's wonderful race brief ( "it's very simple, you run to the top, you run down") as he threw a bundle of crutches on the ground and it just clicked. Finished 38th so didn't feel disgraced...and was hooked. |
| Paul Nolan | Jun 1 2018, 2:07pm | Hellfire 17/05/89 Brendan Cryan who'd managed to make De La Salle Orienteers into a schools orienteering force in the late 1980s told us of a cult of lunatics who didn't bother with maps while running, instead they just raced to the tops and back down. I did 2 races before the leaving cert intervened. The following summer I finished the league having fallen in with the late Peader Dempsey who provided plentiful encouragement and transportation. Serious racing and fun times. @ Alan Ayling, I'd an awful fear of motion sickness that Brayhead Dash night. @ Mike Long, hobbled into work more like. There were many years when summer Thursday's found me with concrete calf muscles. |
| Mike Jordan | Jun 13 2018, 10:49am | Ticknock Winter 2011 (114/165) May have ran up and down Keeper Hill unregistered in a race while living in the west before this one but it also may not have been an IMRA race! Moved to Dublin late 2010 and looking to speed up my hiking I decided to give an IMRA race a go. I made plans with a friend to do the Wicklow Way Trail (now Maurice Mullins Trail) and wanted to do some other races as training. Prior to this race the full extent of my running training was attempting to run from Kilmashogue to Fairycastle and back. I liked the downhill much better than the uphill. Still do in fact. Nice friendly atmosphere at reg in Taylors. Someone gave me a lift to the start. No warm-up (sure I'd be running far enough in the race!). Strongest memory from the run was it was very misty and I was going uphill with my head around my knees when I lifted my head to see a massive mast materialize right in front of me. A guy from my old outdoor club in UL finished directly behind me (Damien P) which I was happy about for about 10 seconds until he told me he had missed the start by 10 minutes! 7 years later, currently nursing an ankle injury, and still running as many IMRA races as I can due to the places IMRA races take me and the people I meet along the way! Mike |
| Hilary Jenkinson | Jun 13 2018, 5:46pm | This is a great idea and I'm enjoying all the different tales. My story is that I met a chap at the end of June in 2010 who was a bit of a hillrunner himself and he talked me into doing the Dublin Mountain Plod. It was a lovely sunny day on that July morning and my only previous long trail run was up and down Croagh Patrick in Gael Force the year before. It was a bit of a plod but totally enjoyed it and I'm still plodding up and down those hills. The chap, you might know him Paul Mahon. |
| Liam Vines | Jun 14 2018, 1:27pm | Trooperstown winter 2012. GAA football (badly) was my sport for 30 odd years but knew I couldn’t play on forever as the young lads were just too fast.. (now even the old lads are too fast) so an alternative had to be found and Galeforce it was and in training for that ended up at IMRA. The bike has since been dumped in the shed but have been blessed to have competed in and completed some amazing mountain running events. |
| Sarah Brady | Jun 14 2018, 2:41pm | Wow Liam, can't believe you only started in 2012! I sortov assumed you came out of the womb in a pair on Inov8s. :D |
| Mick Hanney | Jun 14 2018, 4:01pm | haha. Great to see peoples stories. More please :-) |
| Gareth Little | Jun 14 2018, 4:13pm | I remember mine well, it was Ticknock winter, February 1st, 2009. Back then I was a road runner, through and through, purely because I had no clue hill running existed. About a week before the race, I fell upon this IMRA thing on the internet and it caught my attention. I saw there was a race close by and I said f*#k it, I'll give it a go. The only thing was, the race was on a Sunday morning and I had plans for the Saturday night in the shape of celebrating 125 years of GAA at Crooke Park. So there was enough Guinness drank to kill a man that night, which made things interesting for the next morning. I rocked up to the start line not having a clue what I was in for and off I set (in my astro turf football boots!) I crossed the line after what was a hellish slog, in a respectable 36th position and I will never forget the buzz, never. From that point on, I was hooked and the rest is history..... |
| Adrian Hennessy | Jun 14 2018, 5:09pm | Like Gareth Little, my first IMRA race was Ticknock Winter, 2009 - unofficially however. I too had been out the night before, rocked up the start in Ticknock only to realise that sign on was down in Taylors. I cycled back down only to be met in the car park by Paul Mahon (RD) who informed me that I was too late and registration had closed. Always a stickler for the rules is Mr. Mahon! Anyway, numberless, I started at the back and ran the route anyway and had a great time. My first proper race was down in the Ballyhouras a few weeks later where I learned a lesson in descending from Tom Blackburn. |
| John McCann | Jun 15 2018, 11:56am | Annacurra 2013. I had been running for a few years and I was looking for something different. I went back and did a few orienteering events, something I hadn’t done since I was a kid. It reminded me just how much I used to love getting into the proper outdoors. I knew nothing about IMRA until I saw a Facebook post from Miriam Maher who had just done her first Mountain race in Ticknock the week before. That led me to the IMRA site and I saw that there was a race down the road from me that weekend. I just had to give it a go. I arrived to the race with layer upon layer thinking it would be very cold on top of the hills but failed to take into account that the effort to get up to hills would soon result in overheating. My race strategy was as naïve as my gear choice. I started the race way too quickly and on the first steep bit I must have been overtaken by at least 60 people. I was in awe of the pace everyone was going. My first race, just like Scarr the other night, was won in a ridiculously fast time by Des. The other thing that stuck with me was the community spirit of everyone there and at 7 Euro a race nobody was trying to get rich, they were just in it for the love of the sport. 5 years and 115 races in and I feel like I’m just getting started. IMRA was the catalyst that got me hooked on running. There’s no going back now! |
| Peter Cannon | Jun 16 2018, 10:23am | Great thread. For the day that’s in it. Blooms Day 1999. Scalp. I stumbled across a glossy imra calendar in the sports club. They were a must have glove box accessory, like today’s race numbers. Unfortunately, technology took over there. I saw the next race was Scalp, a local one for me so off I went with my friend Dave. Because I wasn’t going to look like and eejit on my own. With my first imra race I thought of my risk assessment. Ok its 7-8k, its Scalp, I got this, I’m not much of a runner but sure I’ll get there. It started across from the Scalp Petrol Station on the Enniskerry Road. You then spend 35 minutes trying to breathe, not stop, not fall over or cry and pray nobody will notice. I was amazed at the pace of the crowd especially that downhill technique. Got around what seemed like forever. Had a sprint finish with a certain Brendan Doherty which of course he won, ye can’t beat experience. Good chat with him at the finish and, well he made me come back. Dave survived too thank god. Race was won in 23 minutes by Hugh Mc Lindon. 1st Lady was Laura Flynn. Great to see so many people still out there and enjoying the addictive sport and warm community. If you look at the link you will notice the regular volunteers. Have to mention a certain Vivian O’ Gorman who appears 3 times on the volunteer list. Is that possible? Personally, I would ban him from volunteering. Give someone else a chance to win the Prize. http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/Scalp%2099.pdf What really got me intrigued was the buzz and discussion in the pub afterwards, Particularly 3 people were discussing a run from Bray Head to Bray Head? Surely not. https://www.imra.ie/reading/view/id/6 What can you say about imra. You’re Priceless. Big shout out to the committee who always leave a great legacy and numerous volunteers making it the place to be every Summer. Thanks a mill guys. Peter |
| Andrew Hanney | Jun 16 2018, 8:56pm | Brockagh burst 28th March 2015 – I literally started running a few weeks before this race. Even from when I started, I ran primarily on trails and avoided roads; lots of my first runs were in Clara vale and along the beach in Kilcoole. I had heard many stories from big brother Mick about running in IMRA and he had mentioned it to me to come along some day. I always had a love of the hills and the outdoors, so it seemed to be the natural next step. So, literally on the morning of the race I decided to hit the road for the Brockagh centre in Laragh. The race was short at 6k, and sharp as it heads up to the top of Brockagh, I was relieved to find that I wasn’t the only one who was reduced to a steady hike up the hill. There was only 48 runners in this race, and I was soon to find out why…. As the weather changed completely when we started climbing (see photos of the race https://www.imra.ie/events/photos/id/1301/), and by the time we summited, we were getting lashed out of it by stinging sideways rain, and in the midst of it all was the most stunning rainbow you’ll ever see covering the valley below. At this point I untied my rain jacket from my waist and tried to put it on, of course it instantly turned into a sail and tried to drag me off the mountain, I gave up trying to put it on. Then the downhill, and by the time I got back to the start, I could feel my face again. I was hooked; I would be back for more, for sure, especially after winning a box of chocolates in the draw… how cool is that I thought! I’ve gone on to do many more races, met lots of great people, lots and lots of friends, and have so many fantastic memories as a result of IMRA. Looking forward to many more races. |
| Val Jones | Jun 16 2018, 9:07pm | My first IMRA run was in April 1991 http://media.imra.ie/archiveresults/braycot91.pdf Like Gavan I head heard of hill running through orienteering. Once I hit the steep climb I came to a grinding halt as I watched John Lenihan streak up to the cross. I thought well I am never going to be able to compete with this. The race went on from the 2nd summit and back around by Windgates and the cliff path. We were piped into the finish by a bagpiper. It was 2001 before I tried again. I really went along to Howth to find out who they got permission off as I wanted to map Howth for orienteering. Well that bit failed as Joe said they didn't ask permission and if anyone asks "We are just a bunch of lads out for a run". That run was longer than todays, going across the golf course and down to the road the other side, and it was 2 loops. Secretly enjoyed being glared at by golfers as we crossed the golf course on the right of way. It was the following race on Sorrell Hill on a lovely evening that the endorphins kicked in running back Lugnagun ridge and I thought this is not so bad. I got a spot prize in the pub afterwards. Found out a few years later Vivian used to watch out for newcomers, find out their name, and 'draw' them |
| Gerry Brady | Jun 16 2018, 11:44pm | I remember that race Val with regret still. It was one of Douglas Barry's improvisations, an international race on Bray Head. There were 100 punts for the first to the Cross if they finished within x minutes. I still remember realising after 4-5 minutes that Colin Donnelly had slipped away early on and he stayed clear to the cross, a Scotsman! John Lenihan and a few others caught him on the run across the top and then around 10-12 runners came together as we rejoined the cliff run for a road race home. Hard to believe England had a 1-2-3, embarrassing. |
| Barry Murray | Jun 21 2018, 3:07pm | to add myself to the memoirs Three Rock Winter 2006 I had just started proper running and dabbling in triathlons after many years of playing football. A friend of mine told me about this race up near 3 rock. I was living in Rathfarnham at the time so I knew the area well and said I'd give it a craic. It was a cold wet February day. I was used to the more traditional and measured approach of the road runners to "wrap up". Decked myself out in long pants and long sleeved top. Look around at the start of the race and realized I was over dressed ! It was my first introduction to the mountain runners approach of less is more, which I abide by now. Thought I was a decent enough runner but had no real experience of big climbing or descending. I remember liking the underfoot conditions and the mud and the bog. It was immediately just so much more fun to me that running on the roads. I also remember the simplicity yet structured the registration and set up was. Person with laptop, sitting on a fold up chair, in a carpark... all numbers and results recorded. I then remember seeing "carpooling" on the website and it all just struck me how organized the IMRA folk and almost "geeky" they were, and still are ;-) I moved abroad then for a few years and got into ultra running. That meant I didn't get the chance to do too many IMRA races. They seemed too "short" to me. It wasn't until I moved back in 2015 that I started racing regularly. I was using them as my training runs for the ultra's. It was here that I got into the the whole IMRA buzz and the camaraderie. Having left the ultra's to the side, I have been able to focus now just on the IMRA scene. While I like racing and competing, the main reason is just to be in the outdoors with like minded people, having fun. That's really what its all about for me. We have the most amazing landscape to access and IMRA is just a great way to utilize it. It's good for you, its enjoyable, and it barely costs a dime. CC up next.... Let the good times roll ;-) |
| Keith Mulvey | Jun 22 2018, 9:20am | Hellfire relay in 1991 I think. Shortly after that Djouce when it had a smooth peaty surface all the way down the steep (now rocky) side. |
