Irish Mountain
Running Association

Coillte Crone Caper

AuthorDateMessage
Ellie KilleenJun 24 2021, 2:01pmHi, please can you tell me if there will be a junior route on this course? Thanks!
Justin ReaJun 25 2021, 12:47pmYes we will have a short course. It will be close to 5km, but still have a significant climb/descent. There will be an earlier option to turn back but this would mean a DNF.

The main race will start at Waterfall and run down access road for 1.5km before entering forest. We will start juniors at bottom of road where finish will be located.
Justin ReaJun 26 2021, 11:09amThis is a fantastic new event made possible by access to the Powerscourt Waterfall granted by the Powerscourt Estate. We have named it in honour of the sponsorship provided by Coillte for our race numbers this year. There is a challenging route devised by Alan Ayling (of Abyss fame). 

This route includes epic views of Waterfall and the Wicklow hills, scenic trails through beech woods and forest roads, and gnarly climbs and descents some of which are on bike trails. Have a look at some of the uploaded photos for a preview of the race.

This route is 10.5K and has 570m of climb. There are technical descents off the summit of Maulin, and down some of the bike trails. Please consider an early start if you are usually a finisher greater than 160% of the winner's time.

We need some more volunteers for marshalling and a few running volunteers for parking, etc. Your assistance with running this event is much appreciated. Please volunteer by putting your name in the event details page.
Laura FlynnJun 26 2021, 6:38pmWell done Justin on helping to get us access to this venue and to Alan for devising what I’ve no doubt will be another interesting course.
Just to remind people, the reason we can run IMRA races at such a low cost is that all the work is done by the members themselves by volunteering to help at races and in lots of other ways behind the scenes. In a normal year we put on approx 100 events so we’re a very different model to your local athletics club which might run one 5k a year.j
As a rule of thumb, members should sign up volunteer once for every 10 races they run. If you’re not sure where you’re at with this your runner profile in our website shows all the races you’ve run ( with lots of interesting stats to keep family and friends entertained) and also your volunteering record.
In the current environment with numbers restricted, if you’re not lucky enough to secure a place in the race, please consider giving that time back to IMRA.
And a huge thanks to all of you who already do this regularly.
Fiona SmythJun 30 2021, 10:14pmHi all,

Saw earlier that there will be filming in Enniskerry next week on the Wed in the late afternoon going on into the night so there will likely be a bit of gridlock with diversions etc so worth building a bit of extra time in to getting to Powerscourt & avoiding the village!
Alan AylingJun 30 2021, 11:58pmThanks for the heads-up Fiona, sounds like good advice...
Could be worth avoiding Enniskerry altogether by approaching from Kilmac.

Wonder could we get the film crew to do a nixer and film our race for us? Wouldn't exactly be Disney kids' stuff though, more like a low budget horror flick where the unfortunate victims are tortured by being made run up "The Ride" for no reason by the sadistic race marker...
Eoghan BrennanJul 1 2021, 6:17pmHi all,
This will be my first race of the year, will I be able to pick up my race number at Reg like previous years?

Thanks
Eoghan
Brian FarrenJul 1 2021, 6:46pmHi. Looking forward to this run, the photos certainly wet the appetite. Just one point on the GPS coordinates, I think the westerly coordinate should begin with a minus i.e. -6.2105
Justin ReaJul 2 2021, 11:46amThanks Brian! GPS coordinate updated

We need a few more non-running volunteers as marshals. A nice opportunity to view the race go by from a scenic location.
Caroline MoranJul 2 2021, 1:47pmHi Justin,

I had signed up to run but am happy to volunteer instead, have signed up online as non running so you can just ignore that I have an entry

See you Wednesday

Caroline
Justin ReaJul 2 2021, 4:59pm@Eoghan Yes, race numbers and timing chip can be collected at registration.

@Caroline. Thanks for volunteering. We need at least 8 marshalls on the course as Alan has devised a twisty turney route that could flummox some tired runners!

A couple more volunteers would be much appreciated.
Dee OrganJul 2 2021, 5:20pmI'd be happy to volunteer if you still need people.
Bill HallidenJul 3 2021, 11:27amHi Justin I would like to volunteer as a marshal but before I commit can you let us know what time the marshals would need to be at Powerscourt
Justin ReaJul 3 2021, 3:16pm@Bill the nearest Marshall is 2km from start, so to be there in time for early starters you would need to arrive latest 6:30pm.
Bill HallidenJul 3 2021, 6:33pmHi Justin I should be able to make it for about 6 so count me in
Robert JankowskiJul 4 2021, 1:47pmAny chance to still get entry for this race?
Henny BrandsmaJul 4 2021, 4:20pmHi there, entered race on Wednesday but can't make it, so I don't know if possible, but somebody else can take my spot.
Henny.
David MasonJul 4 2021, 6:39pmHey guys, due to unforseen circumstances I won't be able to make the race on Wednesday. Would anyone like my place ? If its possible
Jenny Uí ShéJul 4 2021, 6:59pmHi Justin
sorry if I missed this but will be the race be opened up tomorrow at 6 for entry or have a missed it?

Jenny
Joey IgoeJul 4 2021, 8:13pmHi, if there are any dropouts I would be interested in racing. Thanks joey
Justin ReaJul 4 2021, 8:49pmI'm afraid we cannot accept transfers. Please sign up for one of the up and coming races, or feel free to volunteer for events if you missed an entry. Your help is what makes these event possible.
Justin ReaJul 4 2021, 9:04pmThere is a payments issue that has paused entry for the race. this should be resolved by tomorrow (Monday) hopefully.

There are still entries available. Please try again once entries re-opened.
Aaron ShortenJul 5 2021, 8:01pmAny update on entries?
Eva FairmanerJul 6 2021, 8:56amJustin, just checking is the early start at 7pm? After doing a recce of the route on Sunday …methinks an early start is necessary!
Justin ReaJul 6 2021, 11:54am@Aaron Entries are open again

@Eva Yes early start at 7:00PM for runners that need a bit more time to complete. It is a pretty gnarly route all right. Reminds me of the Maulin Winter route Gerry Brady devised.

Well done on taking a recce as there are a few turns to watch out for.
Laura FlynnJul 6 2021, 7:04pmWe, or rather Jason, has finally resolved the payment issues we’ve been experiencing. Thanks for your patience and to Jason for devoting most of his weekend and more to the task.
There are still some entries left for tomorrow night. We will open the shop for purchase of these again at 8pm this evening.
It will remain open until 11pm or earlier if the event is sold out before 11pm.
Paul GonnellyJul 6 2021, 8:27pmHi Laura, still getting the following message

505
You cannot use this service from there https://imra.ie/ Please contact the merchant.
Laura FlynnJul 6 2021, 8:38pmHi Paul, can I ask you to read Jason’s forum post re the credit card payment system from 8.13 am this morning and follow the instructions set out by him.
Let me know if you are still experiencing problems after this, you can email me directly on laura.flynn@imra.ie
Ben WardJul 7 2021, 2:47pmJust checking on registration, is it 6-7 this evening? Sorry if I've missed it somewhere...
Thanks
Justin ReaJul 7 2021, 3:13pmYou can register from shortly after 6:00 until 7:15. Start will be adjacent to registration.
Ben WardJul 7 2021, 4:16pmperfect, thanks
Conor NolanJul 7 2021, 9:50pmThat was a fantastic course and a blast to run. Some racers thought it was a 5k road race at the start! and then after about 3k of climbing we drop down to the carpark and go all the way up again! Devious. But the final ascent of Maulin and the mostly downhill to the finish was fair reward.

Thanks to all the people who make these events happen
Justin ReaJul 7 2021, 11:05pmGlad you enjoyed it Conor. Having 9 Marshalls on the course may be seen as excessive, but the smooth routing of all runners on a tricky course is not easy. Thanks to all the volunteers that made event possible. Some very capable people made it safe and enjoyable for all.

Also very grateful to Powerscourt Estate for the use of the facilities. Having the kiosk open for ice cream was a bonus!
Brian FarrenJul 7 2021, 11:36pmThanks Justin and crew for a great race. Alan what a route, loved it, though at one point was beginning to wonder how many switch backs you had on the way to Maulin, felt like I was never going to get there!!
Conor O'FarrellJul 7 2021, 11:45pmWhat a tough race. After the tough uphills, I was hoping for some nice sweeping downhills to finish. No such luck on an Alan Ayling course. Very challenging, steep, technical descents to keep us alert until the end.

Thanks to the race crew tonight, and Peter for doing such a good job on laptop.

Results are up. Any queries to results@imra.ie please.

Con
Alan AylingJul 7 2021, 11:47pmFunny you should mention that Brian - my oxygen-deprived brain became pretty convinced someone had snuck an extra 2 switchbacks in there between my marking the route and running it!

Now in Mikey's absence - who's going to do the honours with a race report? :-)
Laura FlynnJul 8 2021, 7:34amWhat a rollercoaster that was. Really tough course with that cruel twist at 3k dropping us back down knowing we had to climb all the way back up again.
Thanks to Justin and his team for putting it together. Great location for registration and fabulous views once we cleared the forest. Thanks again to Powerscourt for allowing us access on such reasonable terms.
Barry MinnockJul 8 2021, 8:01amTough really enjoyable course. I was worried with Mr Ayling plotting with talk of continuous twists & turns :) Well done Justin & Co. Fantastic to get to start at the waterfall and super to be able to get out and race again. Nice to be shown as first for a wee while & was happy to summit first, but no I couldn't hold on down those descents - just about held onto 2nd ...
Roelie SmitJul 8 2021, 8:30amThanks for a great event Justin and all the volunteers on the night. Thanks to all the marshals keeping us going in the right direction. Friendly faces along the way helps. Alan, did you draw inspiration while snacking on a pretzel? Cracking route.
James H CahillJul 8 2021, 8:36amThank you Justin and all the volunteers for a "great" (I use the term advisedly and 12 hours later as the pain has subsided) evening in the hills. Super new route. Is this the antithesis of Ayling's Abyss, "Ayling's Agonizing Ascent" within "Rea's Maulin Melee". Thanks all.
Joseph BoyleJul 8 2021, 10:00amPhotos up, apologies for some focus issues, I think everyone passed too fast. Great route Justin and Alan, I was wrecked getting to the marshalling point and I never heard the Lord's name being taken in vain as I did yesterday evening at MP5.
Aubrey O'NeillJul 8 2021, 10:33amI was definitely one of those so apologies to the other marshals who heard my potty mouth as well!

Devious course-plotting I must say but thoroughly enjoyable!
Karl BourneJul 8 2021, 10:36amThanks all for another well organised race. Super route, and I also got caught out by the false descent at 3K before climbing back up - but all part of the fun. Lovely climb up Maulin and a cracking evening for it.
Caroline ReidJul 8 2021, 12:52pmThanks to Justin, Alan and all the team - WHAT A ROUTE - simply awesome!! The encouragement from the marshals and the craic with everyone in the race really helped get around the course - well that and the promise of ice cream at the finish ;)

With trying to manage a temperamental ankle/knee, a big thank you for letting me take the early start, without which I couldn't risk toeing the start line on such a technical course. Am happy to take a 300% finish time to have got to experience that route!

BIG SHOUT OUT to Powerscourt waterfall estate and Coillte for making last night a reality!