Gaelforce West - Discussion & Afters

trentv

I think people have every right to complain about the quagmire at registration, about the transition mess of bikes being moved etc, and I too would love to see how the accounts balanced out at the end. The pasta is only testament to their cost cutting for profits at approx 2c per cup.
I dont agree with needing to warn about dangerous bends, I believe thats up to the individual to take due care on an unknown road. But there definitely should have been warnings for the huge potholes.
But overall i loved the course, the day and as always Westport!
I would love to hear a response from the organisers to the bulk of comments that have been raised too, just to see if they can agree they dropped the ball on a few points.

mccarre4

I totally agree WithCheesePlease, here’s my tuppence worth.

• Goodie bag that contained 10% off vouchers... perhaps better to receive this as a welcome pack to go towards the cost of buying the gear in advance of the event.
  
• Those of us in the later streams didn't even get as much as the free fig rolls and Lucozade sport at the reek or the finish line as they had ran out. Its pretty easy to figure out how many you need and then order sufficient stock.
  
• Certain roads should have been sealed, or at least had a marshal to warn you they weren't.
  
• T-shirt.... what a joke, I would have preferred to pay €95 registration to get a decent t-shirt and mars bar in my goodie bag than pay €85 and get nothing. It wouldn't bee too hard to even ask on the sign up form your t-shirt size as opposed to only having XL
  
• A few signs along the roads in Westport and surrounding directing you to the registration point and the start line wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
  
• What’s wrong with getting a little medal when you finish the race either.. something you can have as a keepsake.. maybe even a GF wristband similar to those you get at a festival .

I have just noticed on the prelim results that the team names are all messed up too…

racso1975

Agree with some of the above.

Registration: Thank god I registered on the thursday. Ya could tell it was a disaster waiting to happen!!! but it meant i was throught the process in about 10 mins and had a bike rack!!

Competitor numbers: not sure if this was really an problem for me. i know it meant my run time was prob a min or 2 off due to slowness of main pack at the start of the run stage but i'm pretty sure it did not prevent me from a podium finish

Marshalls: Found them to be helpful where they could be and most of them supportive during the race ( though the attitude of one young one sitting down at the bottom of cp deserved a slap of a fish) and lets face it they were all volunteers.

Transitions: Have no complaints re water as brought enough liquid to keep me going through the race. though the bike area must of been a disaster for all competitors whose bike's were just dumped on top of each other.

Greed: It was pretty obvious from the off that this was a money making exercise between the entrance fee and the continual pushing of after party tickets to the madness of selling "breakfast rolls" , the breakfast of champions :rolleyes:, before the race and then the 2 chartered physio's to rub down 2000 people


Overall: i loved it. cant compare it to other years as it was my first

But please dont just use this forum to vent your anger send an email otherwise things dont change.

--amadeus--

racso1975 wrote: »

But please dont just use this forum to vent your anger send an email otherwise things dont change.

To be fair the forum is here for people to express thier feelings so I have no problem with that. But you are right - if you're not happy then tell the organisers, they are the ones who can change things.

And please keep to the facts, no unsubstantiated allegations, no personal abuse and if you see a post that crosses the line please report it so we can deal with it.

mccarre4

The pasta chef and physio’s must have been on a half day as they weren’t there when I finished

ddwport

As i approached the base i was of two minds whether to take the short cut or stick to the path. The expression "if you can't beat them join them" came to mind and i opted for the short cut. For what you save in distance i felt i definitely lost in stamina. I'll be sticking to the path going up next year. Short cut definitely sapped every bit of strength i had. Were there any checks for wristbands once we retuned to the bottom? I was to exhausted to have even noticed.

donal_mcg

Just so some of you know, I mailed the orgainsers yesterday to let them know some of the gripes that I had and others on the thread. I was pleasantly surprised to have a reply back today, saying they will be in touch later in the week. Nice to see.
Hopefully they will take some of what is said on board for next year.

2 Wheels Good

Official results are up, jumped up a few so some people might get nice surprises

Keedowah

No sign of the pics online yet.

FAir play to ya donal_mcg - kep us posted!

Gerry1995

In general I thought it was excellent, it was my first triathlon and I thought I was finished on the reek. Not nearly enough training done. I had no problem with the number of marshals on the course. I did however have a problem with registration, that was a real mess. I was there at 13.00 on Friday got my number from the wall, collected the A4 white envelope and left. Next day on the bus I remembered the timing chip, it was not mentioned at registration (no goodie bag either) and I would have assumed it was in the envelope. At the finish I fully expected some type of plaque or medal as memento to the most difficult event I have ever taken part in. Also no refreshments of any sort at the finish. Overall though I enjoyed the day even if it did take me 7hrs and 45 mins.

GForcer1

yop wrote: »

Time wise how did you find the difference in routes? Was it very steep coming off the cone?

i was longer on the day of the race, the previous day i done it though i hadn't a run and cycle under my belt but i think next time would go to the right as going up the first half of the steep bit takes alot out of you, also it's harder to come down that part aswell the other way is easier and i think you can built up a better rhythm descending..

DaithiOG

nerraw1111 wrote: »

I seriously don't get people complaining about lack of marshals. The route was blindingly obvious, you were a given a map and there were marshalls at all junctions.

The marshall at the roadsplit into westport house ( car on the right, cyclists on the left ) went awol sometime between 2.15-3pm. On my way out I pollitely told approx 5 cars to get out of the cycle lane before they killed someone. Suprise suprise, after I had left the entrance area another car went up the wrong side, and 4 lads who were racing hard up the cycle lane nearly all crashed into it. Luckily only of of them hit the car.
Is marshalling like that easily forgivable ? No.

nerraw1111 wrote: »

There was one girl in another thread moaning about the fact that she got her 'favourite jeans' dirty at registration.

She'd probably driven from the other side of the country to register in a field of mud. I was not wearing my fav jeans but I resent being told to stand in a swamp to register and put my bike up against a fence.

The competitors were great, but I won't be giving the entrepreneur behind this event any money in future. But fair play, he must have made about 200k.

EAD

This was my first ever adventure race and I love every puddle, pothole, bad bend and bog hole along the route. The route itself was very well marked and easy to follow and I don't think it was that poorly marshalled (although three children along the last leg caused a two-bike crash!).

During the race the muck didn't bother me, it was exactly what I had expected - but as someone who only brought only one change of footwear I didn't expect the mess that was registration.

I entered the race as a personal challenge and I thoroughly enjoyed the day but there was an air of stinginess about the whole thing. The goody bag was a laugh - my WHITE teeshirt is already out of shape - if there are going to be snacks/drinks surely an effort should be made to provide for all entrants, and the gig was pure racketeering. Making an event like Gael Force work is a lot about creating a feel-good factor and I feel too many people have gone home loving the course but not the event.

Please don't make it bigger next year - just make it better!!

toomuchdetail

The path is quicker by a long way , spoke with Mountain rescue people yesterday and they confirmed what I knew anyway . This is there tried and tested route for a reason as it is the quickest way for them to a rescue so why argue with the experts
Despite 2 trips on the path up the reek in the last 2 weeks I followed the rest as it was my first GF and I was convinced they knew something I didn't .... I was wrong. I added at least 40 mins to my 2 previous adventures up the reek this was allowing for fatigue . First and last time and to make it worse I followed them down again .Looking forward for a rematch.
Other lessons learned include but are not exclusive to pitfalls of carrying runners and bike shoes,trying to change the said runners while the weight about 4kg each with crap , hydration,calf cramps, not having balls big enough to go flat out downhill ..i actually cramped my right hand on the decent at prospect as I was holding the breaks that tightly !! also running up hills while out for 9m run is no preparation for hill running.
The reek is in bits at the moment , I am sure there will be some backlash on this as the gorse and heather will take time to recover.


Many here doing ROAR ,if so the sports or expert.

kerinsp

crap. I didn't realise there was any zig zag path going up. I just went the direct route like an exhausted lemming. Cant wait for next year.

Huckleberry23

Hey Guys,

I really enjoyed Gaelforce, but i felt it was a money making exercise for the organisers, i was late entering & ended up on heading out on the final wave, after finishing i was pretty annoyed not to even get a bottle of water, there was nothing available, i payed the same amount of money as the earlier participants (although a mate of mine who finished earlier told me he got a bottle of lucozade sport LUCKY BOY!), its pretty unfair to not even get fruit afterwards just because you went out on the last wave. As for the ''goody bag'' the t-shirt was an absolute joke regarding quality i've ran 10kms that give you better t-shirts, it would have been nice to get something commerative to mark the achievment. I didn't feel it was a failure - i'll definitley do it next year, but the organisers need to think about all the competitors & not just the first few hundred - food & energy drinks should be standard for every competitor first to last - No Excuse

kippy

Lets face it, a lot of these runs/tris/adventure races are nowadays a very lucrative business (granted not the majority but a lot).
As already mentioned email the organisers with the issues you had and if nothing is done DONT enter it next year. 2000*85 is a hell of a lot of money, never mind any ancillary revenue gained and for that money you expect a tip top event.

clopd

Mayo News:
Adrenaline junkies give tourism Gaelforce boost

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7489&Itemid=38

jayzbrady

Photos are up! Go to sleepmonsters.com, then go to photos. There's a bar along the left hand side of the screen. Gaelforce is listed there. Browse to your heart's content!

gaelforce09

Lads people would want to get a grip for chriest sakes.
My first time doing Gael Force and i was happy with the way things were done.

I registered on the friday at 4pm. I had to wait a little but i was out of there by 5. As for the muck so what. Take off your shoes and roll up your trousers. It wasnt ideal but the conditions werent ideal for organisers either.

As for the course and marshalls. In my opinion there was plenty marshalls on the course and all it took was a little common sense to get around without any hasel.

At the finish i was glad to just get over the line, pasta was the last thing i wanted to be eating!

What i think is great about gael force is the difficulty of the course and the extreme conditions and decisions that you have to make alone while out there. It really test the mind. If people want a very well organised race where everything is handed on a plate to ya go run some 10 k or 5 k race. This is an adventure race for chriest sake.

The only things i have a problem with is that the after party was never advertised as outdoors(my fault should have enquired before i bought the tickets) and now you have to pay money for your photograph of the event. Surely each competitor could be given a free photograph. Neither of these are big issues and i am sure i get over it.

All in all an excellent event and i will definetely be back next year but next time i will be alot more physically equipped i hope!

Gazz666

Last year i followed the zig zag route and kept up a steady jog until i reached the really steep part. Think i got up in about 45-46 minutes.

This year took the more direct steeper route, no chance of jogging up that and the pain in my quads was incredible, to be honest with everystep i took i was waiting for my muscle to explode, got to the top in 48 minutes.

Coming down was easy just kept hopping from rock to rock hoping it would hold.

Next year im going the zig zag way again, abit longer but faster i think.

yop

When myself and my mate did the training run we went up the zig zag route in 38 and down the same way in 22. We did contemplate the straight down route but I think it was fact we wanted to finish the event also without exposing ourselves to injury by taking a route covered in heather.
But we will investigate that route for next year.

Redbhoy

I only came across this event recently.
What exactly do you get for your €85/€95??

Do you get the use of a kayak or do you have to bring all your own gear?

Peterx

ronanmac wrote: »

Out of curiosity, Peter, did you take a time on your first cycling leg, and if so, how long did it take you?

No chip time and I didn't take enough splits on the garmin.
Times from last year would be comparable to this year's times give or take a few minutes. http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2008/GF6_2008_checkpoint_times.html

Eoin ran up the zig zags and down the straight way last year. I ran up and down the zig zags last year.
It looks to be that zig zags are ok for going up - especially if you are close to cramping - and for good downhill runners the straight way down is best. The straight way spreads erosion all over a pristine heather flank though...

I was 5th onto the reek of my wave and intended to zig zag it but they 4 ahead went straight up and so like a little sheep I followed them and then went straight back down again despite my pre-race protestations otherwise:)

A cursory check of the first few results indicates I'd have been about 5th or 6th overall excluding the climb up CP.
There's no CP in the ROAR and I won't have the advantage of prior experience. Should be good!

Noangel72

...the goody bag I mentioned above, use of kayak, timing chip, course, marshals, a bottle of gatorade when you cross the finish line and that's it........

kippy

Similiar thread goin on here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055660814
Looks like a few people weren't too impressed.

Enduro

hunnymonster wrote: »

lol, I was following them alright. Finished 9th from what I can see but the checkpoints/penalities are a bit difficult to decipher so don't hold me to that placing. Photo's are absolutely amazing though and it looks like a very slick operation. Can you imagine how good the finish line pizza's tasted!

9th it was, and very happy we were with that too. There was some penalties etc applied to some of the teams, but we got all mandatory and optional controls, and didn't incur any addtional penalites, so not too much complications with our result. Finishing the full course is a big achievement in itself. The photos are indeed fantastic (there are a few very good ones of us cycling out of the Badlands), but reality was even more stunning. A very very slick operation indeed...probably the best AR there is. The finish line Pizza, Coke, and Ice cream was heavenly!

Noangel72

I couldn't agree more with the negative feedback!

Things I liked:
_organisers managed well the logistics
_transportation went well
_my wave started on time
_course and transition areas were well marked
_Views from Croagh Patrick are great (for the few seconds I spent sight seeing)!
_it didn’t rain while I was on the course!

Things I didn’t like:
_registration area was flooded
_goody bag was poor (cheap t-shirt, a bunch of brochures and that’s it)
_cycling course was too easy and boring
_recuperation area was poorly organised (I missed the free pasta)

All-in-all I didn’t experience the usual racing atmosphere I get from most adventure races; it felt more like I was taking part in a well organised, and expensive (€75 registration fee), tourist attraction.

Will I be back next year? ...probably not!

racso1975

cycling course was too easy and boring

Happy for ya!!!!! easy is not a word i would use lightly



Out of interest what are peoples opinions on using the walking sticks going up CP. Any help?

runnerpaul

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Had a great time along the course although at one point I felt like crying. Fantastic event, stunning scenery, great atmosphere on the course and an incredible buzz crossing the finishing line.

I reckon I did it in around 5 hours 40mins or so. The cycle section was a disaster for me, just didn't train hard enough. Suffered all day on the bike.

I loved the first running section, the scenery was other wordly. Wouldn't mind going back and just walking the section.

Re: The goodie bag? I didn't train all summer for a goodie bag, I trained to complete the challenge. Couldn't care less what was in or out of the goodie bag. I paid 85 euro to run the race.

Re poor signage? It's an adventure race, you should be prepared for sharp corners etc. I mean what do people want? It's a remote location which would be spoiled with obvious signs such as 'slow down sharp corner.' I could tell you before the race that people would crash, **** happens.

The registration was a massive pain in the arse however but the marshals did their best. The weather didn't help.

Very disappointed to see bottles left on the reek. I'd like to think people dropped them by accident but the sheer quantity says otherwise.

Great day, delighted with myself

I was the same on the bike. From 5 miles into the cycle I bagan to suffer and it didnt stop until I crossed the finish line. Wont get caught out like that next year.

'Goodie Bag': That was crap. It was embarrassing for the organisers. I wasnt in it for one but I would have thought more of them if there was no goodie bag at all.

Poor Sinage: I thought it was great. As it was an adventure race I thought I would have needed a map and compass but didnt.

Registration: Complete joke!!!! What moron thought that tent could cope with such numbers? A school hall or something should have been hired. Even the organisation of it as it was seemed poor. Why were numbers, chips, 'goodie bags' all handed out separately? I wouldnt have even bothered with the 'goodie bag' had I known I would be given a crap tshirt and spam!!!

Kit check: Do it right or dont do it at all. I queued for ten mins to have my kit checked. The girl didnt even want to see any of my stuff. My word was good enough. I didnt even get anything to show it had been completed. At the kayak transition I got checked again. My word was still good. Best thing was I didnt have all the required kit. Losers!

Transition: Have more sense. Adventure race or not that is not what a transition should be like. Like it or not a transition becomes a focal point of a race. Anybody who sees that mud pit will not be given a good impression.

Bottles on the reek: Disappointing to see. I had pckets in my bag for bottles. It wasnt difficult to carry them to the finish.

The race: Great!! Loved it even though it was prob the most painful thing I ever did. I'll def do it next year but if things like registration arent sorted I'll not be back and will warn people off it. The bad points are things that could be excusable if it was the first year of the competition but this was the 6th year!!