Achill ROAR- Sat 11th Sept 2010

jpchippy

4 stars (good)

Great day on sat, weather wasnt so bad tho it tends to fade into the back in these things, Myself n my cousin started in wave one at 10am, dont ask me why neither of us had done anything like this length of a race before. Really enjoyed the run tough climbs but took into them well, was very pleased with my progress up and back down the mountain, coulda done with some wipers at the top for the glasses in the misty rain mind. took it easy on the beach rrun back tryin to keep somethin for the cycle. That was not gonna work. On hybrid i jus watched tons of road bikes cruise past, had a good section with another guy on a hybrid with a matchin tesco rucksack to mine and a girl who pushed me on well till the real killer hills started bout 25k in. Id never felt fatigue like it the steep hills and the wind jus made it next to impossible I was literally inching my way up until i finally gave in hopped off for a bananna and a wee and walked the bike up to the checkpoint. The downhill didnt last long and i walked it up one or too more till I got into Dooega where i met my heartbroken cousin who had been powerin on well til he got a puncture, felt really bad for him. Got some momentum goin again across the level ground, tho the cousin flew on by on the puncture repaired road bike halfway along, the real killer was the wind comin back to Keel, even on the downhill it was torture, the thought of all the pints and sandwiches i was gonna throw down me kept me goin tho. Finished in 4hrs 48mins, 143rd overall happy enough for my first long adv race, I think more bike trainin and maybe a new road bike next time tho!

mooseygoat

seen a few boardies said hi ,forgot to put b on my number as i slept it out missing my 10 am wave start just making the 10.30 .thanks to guy for giving me spare swim hat ,found that cycle so hard made me cry bloody wind ,crossed finish line in 4.20 really happy looking forward to next year

thehamo

just lookin at my splits there, lost vital minutes on the run. cycle was very good. Should easily be able to take 10-15 off my time next year. Anyways, placed 190 over all. Im happy with that

mooseygoat

jpchippy wrote: »

Great day on sat, weather wasnt so bad tho it tends to fade into the back in these things, Myself n my cousin started in wave one at 10am, dont ask me why neither of us had done anything like this length of a race before. Really enjoyed the run tough climbs but took into them well, was very pleased with my progress up and back down the mountain, coulda done with some wipers at the top for the glasses in the misty rain mind. took it easy on the beach rrun back tryin to keep somethin for the cycle. That was not gonna work. On hybrid i jus watched tons of road bikes cruise past, had a good section with another guy on a hybrid with a matchin tesco rucksack to mine and a girl who pushed me on well till the real killer hills started bout 25k in. Id never felt fatigue like it the steep hills and the wind jus made it next to impossible I was literally inching my way up until i finally gave in hopped off for a bananna and a wee and walked the bike up to the checkpoint. The downhill didnt last long and i walked it up one or too more till I got into Dooega where i met my heartbroken cousin who had been powerin on well til he got a puncture, felt really bad for him. Got some momentum goin again across the level ground, tho the cousin flew on by on the puncture repaired road bike halfway along, the real killer was the wind comin back to Keel, even on the downhill it was torture, the thought of all the pints and sandwiches i was gonna throw down me kept me goin tho. Finished in 4hrs 48mins, 143rd overall happy enough for my first long adv race, I think more bike trainin and maybe a new road bike next time tho!

Thank god some one else found that cycle though ,i can honestly say its the hardest cycle ive ever done , thats a great time jpchippy on a hybrid in them hills with that wind ,well done ,

trinewbie

4 stars (good)

Results on Irish Tri -

http://www.irishtriathlon.com/index.php/2010/09/achill-roar-adventure-race/

jpchippy

4 stars (good)

mooseygoat wrote: »

Thank god some one else found that cycle though ,i can honestly say its the hardest cycle ive ever done , thats a great time jpchippy on a hybrid in them hills with that wind ,well done ,

By far the hardest Iv ever encountered Moosey, there were a few times when i tought i wasnt gonna make the finish, was ragin I didnt pack a sandwich, il bring a few next yr!

Wreck

4 stars (good)

The race was brilliant, one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. Was great to get out after all the training, and although there is loads of room for improvement I feel like I put in a good effort on the day.

The atmosphere for the whole weekend was super, and I felt it was far better organised than Gaelforce.

I was in the last sports wave at 12.00 which meant I had loads of time to eat and prepare in the morning. Got down to the start and the hanging around beforehand was starting to get to me, but thankfully we started pretty much on time. I had two friends in the wave who decided they wanted to go out fast and get into the kayaks first, so when I saw them speeding off I decided to go with them. Got to the water first and took a couple of seconds to psyche myself up for the swim.

The swim was the most disappointing aspect of the race for me. I really wasn't properly prepared for it, and when I tried to do front crawl I ended up swallowing half the lake. I waded most of the swim which was very tough on the legs, and did breaststroke for the rest of it. Really have to work on this for next year.

Once I was out of the water it took me a couple of minutes to get my shoes and socks on, again need to work on this. Started off running and felt really good, overtook most of the people who past me on the swim and the transition. I was up to about two-thirds of the way down the beach and up to about third in the wave when I got a really painful stitch. I think it must have been from swallowing so much water in the lake. I ended up having to walk for about ten minutes before it cleared up, but once it did I was back flying along. The descent from the hill run was my favourite part of the whole race, has so much fun bounding down. Finished the run very strongly and but again transitioned a bit slowly.

About 2k into the cycle I was finding it incredibly tough. At first I figured that I was just wrecked, but eventually I realised my back brake was jammed against the wheel and essentially I had been cycling with the brakes on since starting. Got off the bike and messed around with it for a minute or two before I managed to fix it. After that I got going again, got into a good rhythm and was spinning along nicely. Had a couple of people overtake me over the course of the cycle but for the most part I was the one doing the overtaking.

Overall we were really lucky with the weather, but the wind on the cycle was an absolute killer. I nearly lost the bike from under me a couple of times when it was blowing across me, and once we turned into it head on it was horrible, like moving in treacle. But I got through and once I got to the last 8k or so of the cycle I felt confident enough to really push on and force a good finish.

Managed to get in 2 hr 03 min and finished in 100th place overall which I was delighted with. As I made a few mistakes over the course of the race, if I was to do it again tomorrow I'm pretty sure I could shave at least ten minutes off this time, and it would have been cool to finish under 2 hrs. Having said that my goal was 2hrs10min so I'm ecstatic to have beaten that.

The rest of the night was great fun too, brilliant atmosphere in the hotel, everyone was friendly and easy to talk too. Got up to some of the gayest dancing of all time in the nightclub, was such a laugh. Also got unbelievably messy drunk, and at one point I thought the hangover was going to kill me. So worth it though.

Don't think I got to meet any boardsies which was a shame, but well done to everyone. Also well done to the organisers, it was a thoroughly enjoyable event - the sandwiches at the end were magic! I'll definitely be back in Achill next year, actually can't wait.

It's quite a weird feeling today now that I'm back home and it's all over. This race has been the goal for so long now, it's strange not to have anything to work towards. Think the only solution it so pick another race, the sooner the better!

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

mooseygoat wrote: »

does anyone know when they will be putting up the pics organisers took.

he's normally very quick- the link will be posted to the roar website, the roar facebook page and his own page too www.actionphotography.ie i was chatting to him after, nearly all the pics are Expert race only (bear in mind i had 8 vodkas on board by then, i could have dreamt that he said that)

by god am i glad i chose sports listening to the commentaries on the Expert cycle. Sports for me again next yr- best possible chance of a podium finish, i'd only need to shave 6 mins off this yrs time to have come 3rd this yr

Got my hands on one of the pink Roar jackets- weak for it- prancing around the living room in it last nite like as if i had won the entire competition

They're such a nice bunch, the AR elites, arent they?. So helpful and friendly. I got chatting to that girl Derval that won, in the niteclub and also the next morning in a cafe, such a nice girl- so friendly and really eager to offer tips, and really unassuming as well. Bloody gorgeous too, some people have all the luck!

My favourite part of achill is the fact that everyone is in the same pub/club afterwards. in gaelforce everyone gets split up in the different pubs and there isnt the same atmosphere.

smurphy29

Great race, great event, bloody tough. Finished Expert in 4.33, which I was delighted with, but it was bleedin tough getting there. Had a heavily strapped right knee from the off, which loosened up as the race went on but was really hurting on the cycle home.

Exceptionally tough cycle - I was happy with my mtb at gaelforce, but not at Achill, where it has to be the road bike. Those hills, and that headwind made for a very tough spin. I thought once I linked up with the main road back into Keel that I was as good as done and dusted, but there was still a lot to be done.

Lessons learned
- ride shots were a hit, and I'd use them again over the gels any day
- water management could have been better. I didn't really take into account that we'd keep coming back to the transition and I should have had a 1l bottle sitting there the whole time for refills. Was having to ration a little bit on the bike
- raod bike is the only way to go!
- have to learn to kayak. My kayak time was poor, and this could be the thing to do this winter.

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

smurphy29 wrote: »

- ride shots were a hit, and I'd use them again over the gels any day

Couldnt agree more. I used them for the first time during GF, and am a convert. it's just like eating cola bottles, much more pleasant than the gels.

Well done on doing in on a MTB:eek: in that time, you must have been knackered after. Road bike is the only way in achill. Absolutely no positives to having a MTB, at least in GF you can see the positives.

woody1

4 stars (good)

so after a look at the results and a nights reflection on them here are my thoughts
did it in 2.15 (208th or 212th depending on which results you look at ) and was happy with that at the time , but what i didnt realise, and i should have given how many people were in the race was how little time would be between each placing ie the guy ahead of me was 2 seconds ahead.. 2 seconds !!! so every second matters.. im not really talking about the racing here more the transitions.. i spent a good minute getting the lifejacket on properly when others were just throwing them over their heads consequently it took ages to get off as well.. shouldve pulled the kayak further out into the lake too spent minutes trying to shuffle it out of shallow water... jogged back to transition dont mind that i was pacing to do the whole race .. messing around with bag in transition ( by the way was it just me or were there a lot with no bags / gear ) ran down beach got sped up slowly up hill , messing about with rain top and bag at check point .. more time.. down hill up beach, met a guy i know and ran with him up the beach couldve gone a bit quicker but he was suffering ( great cyclist terrible runner ) so i ran with him from the bottom of the beach and into transition .. looked up at mountain and saw dark clouds thought it was gonna rain so more time wasting getting wet top on and bag back on and out onto bike... had buff on under helmet too warm cycling and taking helmet off buff off helmet back on... and on to the end... im reasonably happy with the kayak run cycle times but i figure i cost myself 3-4 minutes just fannying about .. that was fine until i realised it wouldve put me inside the top 200...

its amazing how competitive i can get when im sitting down looking at results.. and how lazy i can be when im racing..

by the way my brother in law who was doing the sports with me and my brother missed the left hand turn on the sports cycle and ended up doing the expert cycle and did it in 1.50 something hes a very good cyclist but he was wrecked after ... hes certain there wasnt a marshall at the turn when he passed it.. dunno why there werent fixed arrows here instead of a girl holding 2 arrows but anyway small gripe great race and day out overall..

the bro finished 11 minutes ahead of me 2:04 for his first race of any type ever 104th or something like that

again if i thought 11 minutes was gonna be 100 positions !!!

ThisRegard

4 stars (good)

Just looking at the various splits now, I really need to work on my cycling, or else do the sports where there's less distance for me to loose time

As I thought my run was decent enough, up in 72 minutes and down in 31 which was decent enough in overall terms, faster than many that finished in a better position than me. But then looking at the graph it's just one big dip from then on, 75 mins to the midway checkpoint on the bike and from there to the finish another 64 minutes, that doubled my on the road position from what I done the run in, from being in the 70s/80s right down to 142nd :eek: Overall they evened out to finishing around 115th. I like to blame the fact that I was on a flat bared road road bike so couldn't get all aero and that but I don't do much cycling in comparison to running so it was probably a combination of both. I knew I was on a hiding to nothing when streams of tri-bikes and nice looking road bikes stated going by me.

Kayak went well, can't really say much about it but it wasn't as bad as I expected, pretty uneventful until 2 ramming incidents approaching the finish, one was accidental as the guys didn't really have much control at the time, the other was just ignorance on behalf of the other kayak as they seemed to want to go through us as a shortcut to the closest bit of the shore rather, they managed to shove the arse of our kayak around so we were facing the wrong way :rolleyes:

Back to the run, that was enjoyable except the last few metres to the peak, that was bloody steep but there was a nice recovery distance along the ridge to the aerials. Then came the fun descent ! I took the hell for leather approach and just went for it catching alot of people who were more cautious and slipping all over the place, one guy must have slid about 20 feet on his ass with water going all over the place but he was fine. Had a nice run back to the transition with another guy who I had to ask if we were to run around the flag again at the end of the beach and we just seemed to run with each other from then on.

Can't be too hard on me oul bike though as it was perfect for the roads in Gaelforce, I did loose a bit of time but also managed to reel in lots of road bikes too. Add me to the list of people who are going to be nice for santy this year.

ThisRegard

4 stars (good)

Wonkagirl wrote: »

I got chatting to that girl Derval that won, in the niteclub and also the next morning in a cafe, such a nice girl- so friendly and really eager to offer tips, and really unassuming as well. Bloody gorgeous too, some people have all the luck!

Was that in the Beehive cafe ? And at one point she was talking about those ride shots ?

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

ThisRegard wrote: »

2 ramming incidents approaching the finish, one was accidental as the guys didn't really have much control at the time, the other was just ignorance on behalf of the other kayak as they seemed to want to go through us as a shortcut to the closest bit of the shore rather, they managed to shove the arse of our kayak around so we were facing the wrong way :rolleyes:

Exact same thing happened to me. i was pretty unimpressed. me and my kayak partner were flying along, alongside another pair who were doing the same speed, about a foot between us, no issues with banging paddles or anything.. bit of banter, bit of a race going on.

next thing, this stoopid BITCH in a single kayak went straight between us, whacked me in the face with her paddle, clattered the **** out of the other pair as well leaving them in a spin and facing the wrong way.. not a word of apology, nothing. big ugly muscly arms on her as well, clearly a seasoned kayaker. it was the only bit of nastiness i saw during the race, but it ruined my buzz for a few mins all told

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

ThisRegard wrote: »

Was that in the Beehive cafe ? And at one point she was talking about those ride shots ?

indeed it was- i wasnt at her table tho, but i met her at the till and we chatted for about 10 mins. lovely girl.

does she use ride shots as well? i would have loved to suck more info out of her but i didnt want to take the piss, she was off duty after all!

ThisRegard

4 stars (good)

woody1 wrote: »

dunno why there werent fixed arrows here instead of a girl holding 2 arrows but anyway small gripe great race and day out overall..

There were fixed arrows on Friday evening anyway as I had a bit of time and went driving the route and spotted the turn off for sport. Maybe the marshals then took them off to wave at the cyclists but then got caught short and had to hide in a ditch for a minute or two. The poor bloke though.

indeed it was- i wasnt at her table tho, but i met her at the till and we chatted for about 10 mins. lovely girl.

does she use ride shots as well? i would have loved to suck more info out of her but i didnt want to take the piss, she was off duty after all!

She mentioned that she found them great alright. I had a pack which I opened just as I reached the peak, at the time they felt like eating rubber my mouth was so dry, it took me ages to swallow one which put me off trying them again during the race.

You must have been in there when I was there as it wasn't that busy, she was at the table with a good crowd, I was at the table beside her and you may have seen me wandering around in there with a baby in my arms at some stage.

DogSlySmile

4 stars (good)

Had a brilliant time at the race I did! I was in the last wave of the sports so we got some decent weather. Hated the kayak (maybe I'll practice at least once before next years race :rolleyes:) Loved the run! The hill was a bit of a surprise but it was a fun surprise! I took a bit of a spill on the way down, fair play to the guy who stopped and made sure i was allright! The cycle was ok for me, apart from nearly choking to death on a power bar (Damn those things are hard to swallow when your mouth is dry).

I finished 19th in the sport category (1:52) which I am frickin delighted with as it was my first race and I only got about 6 weeks training!

Bring on next year!

P.s cheers to all the lads and ladies on here who helped me out with all sorts of stuff I didnt know You're all legends!

Fi H

woody1 wrote: »

so after a look at the results and a nights reflection on them here are my thoughts
did it in 2.15 (208th or 212th depending on which results you look at ) and was happy with that at the time , but what i didnt realise, and i should have given how many people were in the race was how little time would be between each placing ie the guy ahead of me was 2 seconds ahead.. 2 seconds !!! so every second matters.. im not really talking about the racing here more the transitions.. i spent a good minute getting the lifejacket on properly when others were just throwing them over their heads consequently it took ages to get off as well.. shouldve pulled the kayak further out into the lake too spent minutes trying to shuffle it out of shallow water... jogged back to transition dont mind that i was pacing to do the whole race .. messing around with bag in transition ( by the way was it just me or were there a lot with no bags / gear ) ran down beach got sped up slowly up hill , messing about with rain top and bag at check point .. more time.. down hill up beach, met a guy i know and ran with him up the beach couldve gone a bit quicker but he was suffering ( great cyclist terrible runner ) so i ran with him from the bottom of the beach and into transition .. looked up at mountain and saw dark clouds thought it was gonna rain so more time wasting getting wet top on and bag back on and out onto bike... had buff on under helmet too warm cycling and taking helmet off buff off helmet back on... and on to the end... im reasonably happy with the kayak run cycle times but i figure i cost myself 3-4 minutes just fannying about .. that was fine until i realised it wouldve put me inside the top 200...

its amazing how competitive i can get when im sitting down looking at results.. and how lazy i can be when im racing..

by the way my brother in law who was doing the sports with me and my brother missed the left hand turn on the sports cycle and ended up doing the expert cycle and did it in 1.50 something hes a very good cyclist but he was wrecked after ... hes certain there wasnt a marshall at the turn when he passed it.. dunno why there werent fixed arrows here instead of a girl holding 2 arrows but anyway small gripe great race and day out overall..

the bro finished 11 minutes ahead of me 2:04 for his first race of any type ever 104th or something like that

again if i thought 11 minutes was gonna be 100 positions !!!

I'm with you on the wasting time front...for some reason i thought it would be a good plan to take off shoes & socks and wring them out after the kayak. took a few mins to do this that were completely unnecessary esp with the rivers on the beach :D

There were fixed signs at the cycle junction on friday & saturday and on saturday there was a marshal aswell. They were definitely there on sat as i looked at them before i saw the marshal...but as i had driven the route on friday i knew to look for them. they were just before the turn on a lamp post. Its a pity your bro in law missed them. Overall i think the race was a lot better sign posted than some i have done this year.


On a different note
Sounds like a few people could do with some time in a kayak. I recommend www.totalexperience.ie

I have done a couple of kayaking sessions with them that are geared especially towards adventure racers and they were fantastic. I'm sure if there were enough people on here interested they would run one especially for boardies. They have all the gear and are based just outside blessington.

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

yeah i'd be on for that Fi. i know brian keogh from a gaelforce training weekend last yr he's a great guy.

my kayak time was ****, plus i really struggled with the run to and from there- more so that the 8km run. took me 28mins in total. i looked at my times and the times of the winning female, and i was fine everywhere else apart from my first split- the dash/kayak section, was really slow.

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

ThisRegard wrote: »

You must have been in there when I was there as it wasn't that busy, she was at the table with a good crowd, I was at the table beside her and you may have seen me wandering around in there with a baby in my arms at some stage.

Indeed i did! we were at the table on the left when you come in the door, the one on it's own- 3 blondes. saw you alright, we were admiring the baby!

i love that little cafe, our b&b was just up behind it.

woody1

4 stars (good)

i had cycled the route before , looked at the map and listened to the marshall / announcer before the race.. i didnt miss the turn.. hopefully this wont start a domestic cos if hes on boards he'l recognise himself ... but i dunno if i can say that for him.. its a pity cos there was a good bit of banter going on between the three of us me, bro and bro in law as to who would come where the brother had 9 minutes lead on him by the bike section but we figured he might just catch him close to the end.. but we'll never know now.. which is a shame..

DogSlySmile

4 stars (good)

Soilse wrote: »

Anyone know the storey of the guy seeming to do it barefoot passed him on my way down the hill and again as he overtook me barefoot on the bike?

Yeah I was talking to him for ages at the party! Sound fella. He did the triathlon for charity, I think epilepsy Ireland. He was saying he always runs barefoot as he used to get shin splints when he ran in runners. He was telling me he started running barefoot after reading 'born to run' which I will defo be checking out now.

Weird thing is I saw him in the beehive cafe the next morning and he was wearing a pair of saloman cross-country runners!!

nerraw1111

4 stars (good)

Well that was a super race and weekend. Achill is the perfect place for such AR races with a great atmosphere throughout the weekend. I really like the friendly and relaxed nature that the Roar team create.

I had a decent day out in the 2nd wave of the expert but lost time time on the cycle. But it's my weakest leg and I knew going in that I'd lose a fair a bit.

The kayak section was grand. I prefer to come to the kayak stage a bit later in the race as it takes a while for my arms to recover and puts me off my stride on the run. Some shocking kayaking by some. I appreciate it's difficult to steer the things but one pair deliberately rammed the kayak. Even after contact was made, they attempted to bulldoze us with the intention of turning us a full 360 degrees. Eventually let out a roar of : 'Go ****ing around us,' which seemed to work. Still part and parcel of the race.


Was about 20th out of the water and decided to chase down the front runners. Caught a couple in transition and onto the beach. Loved this section and the torrential downpour only reminded me of why I do this. It was stunning as the beach was flooded with the rain. But head down and concentrated on the work in hand. It was fairly flat so my intention was to run it hard and make some time. I think I was about 4th come to the start of the mountain. Was able to run most of it and was caught by three people along the ridge. Held my position and seemed to widen the gap between the chasing pack.

Did my superman pose for the photog, and on across the summit. I think i ****ed up my descent here. I lost sight of the runners in front of me so couldn't see where they came off the mountain. Was directed about 200 metres were there was an arrow pointing down. Was descending well but I couldn't see the runners I was chasing so wasn't sure where I was going. Eventually caught sight of them and they were at least 300 metres to the left of me and I could see the markers. Was a bit annoyed as I probs lost a minute on them by taking a different route. Managed to catch them before the turn around of the sports.

The return on the beach was hard. I was suffering big time on this and not sure why. I was a minute per km off my pace going out. But held my position. Got into the transition shattered. Downed a powerbar and onto the bike.

Decided that I would take a diarolyte straight away as I was beyond paranoid about getting cramp. Took the sachet straight. Surprisingly palatable. I figured I had a decent lead on some of hte guys in my wave and hoped to stay ahead until the turn off at Achill Sound. Sure enough within 10 minutes, I train of three cyclists powered by. Tried to grab their wheel but didn't have the power in the legs.

Another cyclist then caught me. We had a brief chat and he expressed consolation that I was on a straight bar racer after putting in what must've been a decent run. I agreed!

Off he went but I kept him in sight. The wind was a huge issue for most people. Managed to get over the hills, giving me a huge boost as they were easier then first feared. Downed another diarolyte (still paranoid about cramp) Eventually came out onto the Keel road and looked at my watch which told me a sub 4 hour was on. In reality it wasn't as the wind was just too strong for me.

I managed to catch a couple of lads from the earlier wave. Decided to work together and took turns at the front. We worked surprisingly well with each of us really spilling our guts at the front before pulling off to let the other come through to do the same. There was one other who didn't do any work but he was pretty shattered.

Bike into transition and sprint to the finish to clock a time of 4 09. Was happy with the result and overall position of 64th. Which was just 12 places off my position on the run.

Great atmosphere at the end of the race and good craic with Brian the MC's unique style. The presentation at the hotel afterwards was excellent with the winners getting some well deserved recognition. Noel Brady's performance was the result of the day for me.

Made it to the niteclub afterwards. Good craic was had. So all in all, a great event at a stunning location with top class organisation. And perhaps most importantly, good fun.

For anyone who did hte sport, I'd thoroughly recommend the expert. It's a stunning route from start to finish.

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

DogSlySmile wrote: »

Weird thing is I saw him in the beehive cafe the next morning and he was wearing a pair of saloman cross-country runners!!

jeez the beehive was the place to be yesterday morning! such a cute cafe

if any of you were the 3 guys in northface jackets (that had had dinner in calveys on sat nite, and i saw you in the beehive yest morning too) i owe one of you an apology.. apparently (according to my buddy) late in the niteclub on sat nite i was chatting to one of you and was quite rude (aka LANGERS), you suggested going to a party and apparently i stormed off telling you to pee off.. very unlike me all told, but i was pretty bombed and my feet were killing me:).. also i had just gotten a very queer text from my ex BF and i was a bit rattled. so apologies if you know who you are!

ShabbyIrishDad

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who posted advice to my nutrition query last week. As this was my first time to compete in one of these races (and my first time to post on boards.ie), I found the advice very useful.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the race. I finished with a time of 2hr 19mins. I was a little disappointed at the time with my effort in the cycle (I knew this would probably be my weakest discipline) - I found the wind a real struggle on the way home. However, I am delighted to read here that everyone found the wind a struggle.

As this was my first race, I have to say that I thought the organisation of it was great, and am really looking forward to competing again next year. I would love to keep going with these events - do you all keep in touch on this thread throughout the year with regards to other events? Where is the best place to find out about other such events?

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

i'm glad you enjoyed it shabby! you've been bitten by the bug now!

every time an event is on there'll be a thread here.. and imo it's the best possible source of info- fellow racers..

i'm thinking about doing westport sea2summit in nov (organised by padraig marrey, the beast who won roar on sat!), but the definites for the 2011 calender are:

May- connemara adventure challenge
June- wicklow roar
July- tulfarris10
aug- gaelforce
sept- achill roar.

.. at an absolute minimum

well done on your time, super performance for a newbie!

ShabbyIrishDad

Thanks Wonka!

How does the Wicklow Roar compare? I would have guessed that it was tougher (bigger hills etc..). Is the run all off-track? Can you use a road bike for this one?

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

i didnt actually make wicklow this yr shabby (went for '1' drink after work on the fri which mysteriously resulted in me ending up in leggs at 5am) but from what i've heard, it's all onroad biking.. one of the others will confirm tho im sure

connemara is half off half onroad.. great event too though. they're all great in different ways but achill is my fav..:)

what did you do in the end nutrition wise?

thehamo

whats all this about a night club? i was home n tucked up in bed by half one thinkin the party was over!:eek:

JUst thinking about the hill. Took a spectacular tumble on the way down. went flat on my face, into a jamesbond roll and back on to me feet all in one smooth move, only to be met by a round of applause by a couple of people behind me!:P

ThisRegard

4 stars (good)

ShabbyIrishDad wrote: »

Thanks Wonka!

How does the Wicklow Roar compare? I would have guessed that it was tougher (bigger hills etc..). Is the run all off-track? Can you use a road bike for this one?

The cycle is all on road so a road bike is perfect, the sprint shares the first half of the cycle with the expert course, both do the same cycle to the transition to the first run. The first run is the same for both, up a tough hill which is very heathery but it's the second half which is the killer, along the beach of the lake which just saps the strength from your legs because of the underfoot conditions. Sports then hop back on their bikes back to the start. The course is undulating but nothing to steep, that's saved for the experts.

Expert continues on to Lacken and up a long long hill, at the summit they ditch their bikes and run up another peak and then return to the bikes and head back to the finish.

trinewbie

4 stars (good)

Given the weekend conditions in Achill, I found it a tougher course. The wind on the return leg of the bike was a nightmare and took any last bit of strength out of the legs.

Very easy to go off too hard in the Achill race, even 5 percent too hard coming up the back of the hill to the Cairn can cost you dearly later on in the race. In WW Roar the bike route allowed to get a decent rythm going, with the climb up to the second run being of a fairly constant gradient...the undualting hills in Achill along with the wind meant getting motoring was far more difficult..

Wreck

4 stars (good)

thehamo wrote: »

whats all this about a night club? i was home n tucked up in bed by half one thinkin the party was over!:eek:

Oh man, you missed out, the nightclub was so much fun.

ShabbyIrishDad

Wonkagirl wrote: »

i didnt actually make wicklow this yr shabby (went for '1' drink after work on the fri which mysteriously resulted in me ending up in leggs at 5am) but from what i've heard, it's all onroad biking.. one of the others will confirm tho im sure

connemara is half off half onroad.. great event too though. they're all great in different ways but achill is my fav..:)

what did you do in the end nutrition wise?

I ended having a huge breakfast from the B&B at 8.30 (I was in the 12 o clock wave) - a bowl of porridge, a bowl of alpen with fruit, and a fry (couldn't resist). I then had a bottle of lucosade sport during the run, with a couple of granola bars over the course of the cycle. Drank plenty of water before the start and during the cycle.

DogSlySmile

4 stars (good)

Wreck wrote: »

Oh man, you missed out, the nightclub was so much fun.

You missed nothing! Loads of 'unce unce unce' music and CAN'S for sale at the bar for extortionate prices! :mad:

I know I'm sounding like an old grouch now but bed was the place to be!

Fi H

Thats not true...nightclub was great crack...:D:D

woody1

4 stars (good)

i know i may be harping on but does it bother anyone else that some people didnt have the minimum gear not talking about guys with stuff in pockets i saw at least 2 that mustve been hiding it up their ar** these people may have finished in front of you def did in front of me and the bro met a couple 2 one said he "forgot" the bag getting on the bike dunno maybe its cos im just outside 200 that its buggin me..
also just realised i timed the kayak took roughly 13 r 14 minutes ( got a lesson earlier in year in lake, priceless , didnt know it at the time ) but it took me 12 minutes to run up and down etc jesus wept.. 1.6k in 12 minutes

ThisRegard

4 stars (good)

Yeah, it bugs me when you have all your stuff with you and the guy beside or infront doesn't. I know with some people they pack very tightly and have it shoved into pockets and into the back of jerseys but there was one guy I caught that had nothing. He was wearing regular running shorts and an Adidas tech top with no pockets, I know as I have the same myself and had no light jacket or anything with him. He went by me at the start of the climb but I caught and went on by him later, it would have pissed me off had it been the opposite way. The thought that he was just out for a jog and wasn't part of the race seriously entered my head at one stage as he looked like that.

DogSlySmile

4 stars (good)

woody1 wrote: »

does it bother anyone else that some people didnt have the minimum gear not talking about guys with stuff in pockets i saw at least 2 that mustve been hiding it up their ar** these people may have finished in front of you def did in front of me and the bro met a couple 2 one said he "forgot" the bag getting on the bike dunno maybe its cos im just outside 200 that its buggin me..

That defo pissed me off, the amount of people I saw with no gear whatsoever was a joke. What happened to the pre/during/post race spot checks??? I'm only annoyed because it took me so long to get all the pieces of the kit together (I search high and low for that damn whistle!) It wasnt much of a hindrance during the race though, didnt even know I was wearing it most of the time and it definitely cushioned the impact of my tumble down the hill:D

Ah well.. no point pissing and moaning 'bout it now! A great race and a great weekend was had by all!

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

woody1 wrote: »

it took me 12 minutes to run up and down etc jesus wept.. 1.6k in 12 minutes

jesus wept indeed- i'd say i was about the same. i dont know how to improve that- it's hard kicking off to go any faster, i struggled to catch my breath as it was. perhaps a proper warm up is required, a good 5min jog beforehand? i dunno.. my dash-kayak-dash leg was atrocious, it was the only place where i was really off the winning time for the ladies in the sports. was within 30- 60 secs on all other legs, but 9 mins (NINE MINS!) slower for that first section.

Karagesh

4 stars (good)

At least 5 people passed me on the Sports Run with no kit. A quick check and a cheeky 5 minutes time penalty would knock it on the head. Blowing by them on the bike eased the pain thou

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

Karagesh wrote: »

At least 5 people passed me on the Sports Run with no kit. A quick check and a cheeky 5 minutes time penalty would knock it on the head. Blowing by them on the bike eased the pain thou

In all honesty though, would you need a kit for an 8km run? not in my opinion. i had blanket/whistle/bandages on my bike, but unless you were doing the expert course i dont think you'd need them on the sports run.

i'm at a bit of a loss as to why people are so incensed by this kit-factor all told.

nerraw1111

4 stars (good)

People not carrying the kit doesn't bother me at all. It's so light that it'd hardly make much of a difference to the overall positions/time. If someone passed me without the kit, they'd still blow by with the kit.

I still think they're idiots but in general it's not going to affect my overall position

Karagesh

4 stars (good)

The whole point of the sport race is to get people used to the adventure race event and get them ready for the expert. You are meant to be somewhat self sufficent.

I bet noone would be complaining if i patched them up with my first aid, gave them my mountain blanket and waterproof kit, up the mountain section if they fell and cut themselves while they waited for the Medial Team to arrive.

A friend of mine suffered a bad crash in France and ever since I always carry some sort of first aid as help can often take longer to arrive than you think.

Its not the position I care about, it the lack of respect for some basic rules which are there to keep everyone safe.

Fi H

I think I would have died without my mandatory kit ...ie water

Its there for a reason, there were a number of people who fell on the hill and the emergency blanket would have come in handy on a day like sat waiting for someone to come help if you were really hurt, the guy with the bandy ankle had an emergency blanket. Also a think a few people on here mentioned there not being water at points on the route...drinks are part of the mandatory kit so you should have had one with you

I bring my bag with me everywhere now to just be used to it and to know where it rubs/ how it works w ith different tops etc. I think this is the difference between tri and adventure racing - you have to carry stuff.

That said i think if they arent going to police it then it should be taken away as it isnt fair on those who bring it. Saw some people with full on back pack...was wondering what they had in there. I just have a tiny camelpack equavalent which holds the bare minimum aswell as water. Wouldnt leave home without it as i am accident prone and thirsty

GoHardOrGoHome

4 stars (good)

Wonkagirl wrote: »

Indeed i did! we were at the table on the left when you come in the door, the one on it's own- 3 blondes. saw you alright, we were admiring the baby!

i love that little cafe, our b&b was just up behind it.

So close and yet so far! You weren't there when I was getting slagged off by Derval for getting beaten by her were you?! I gave a wave as I was leaving. It was a nice little cafe wasn't it!

woody1

4 stars (good)

ah look its not a huge deal .. but i suppose id feel like if your supposed to have it your supposed to have it and thats it... so i think it couldve been checked very handy at the kayak -run transition and sorted there... in terms of safety it wasnt needed at all.. if i blew a tyre i wouldve ditched the bike and ran it ( slowly ) there was enough on the road that if you hurt yourself seriously someone would sort you out... im not sitting here banging the keyboard in a rage... just seeing what other people think plus i went to the bother of getting the stuff spending on a half decent bag spent all friday looking for a foil blanket etc...

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

woody1 wrote: »

i went to the bother of getting the stuff spending on a half decent bag spent all friday looking for a foil blanket etc...

well at least you have it now- you'll need it for gaelforce and all the other races.

imho it should be mandatory for expert but not sports. you dont see people doing 10km runs with bags and kits and the like. altho i did have my kit on the bike, if you did have a bad fall on those wild roads, the least youd need is the foil blanket.. similarly, you'd would be foolish to go up that hill on the expert course without the kit, anything could happen up there and you're a long way from safety/help. not so on the sports run. let's all use our common sense here

no gohard, missed that slag from derval about you getting beaten.. loving her work! she seems like a really genuine girl.. yes that cafe is the business, gorgeous coffee and we also had banoffi and blueberry pie.. delish.com! it was my dessert after the full irish in the b&b an hour earlier

threeleggedhors

3 stars (average)

If it says mandatory and people are going to the bother of getting all the gear then absolutely everyone should have it and there should be a kit check at registration. If anyone then decides not to bring the kit and gets injured, good luck to them. I don't care what anyone's personal opinion is on whether it's really needed.

Man I'm angry today, Monday blues after a great weekend :rolleyes::D

trinewbie

4 stars (good)

threeleggedhors wrote: »

.... Monday blues after a great weekend :rolleyes::D

Tell me about it.:(

Mr Freeze

3 stars (average)

elchupanebrey wrote: »

Was in the kayak with ckwport, we nearly capsized right at the start, what a sickener that woulda been. Luckily we stabilised and struggled on, and aside from being sideswiped a few times got through it ok.

I was sure we were in the drink when the kayak went up on its side nearly! That woulda been race over I'd say, well who knows!
As sh1t as I was in the kayak, those 2 lads that kept hitting us didn't help much. Twas annoying (funny now) when they brought us to a complete stop when they crossed and went sideways infront of it.

elchupanebrey wrote: »

The weds spin will be stopping soon due to the shorter evenings, and afaik the sunday spin will take the route used on a weds for the winter. Is this right CK.

I think the Weds spins will only last another 2 weeks depending on how dark the evenings are.
Then the Sundays will continue for the rest of the year, but will be a shorter distance and slower pace to encourage new people to join up and continue with the group until March when the pace & distance will probably increase again.

snailsong wrote: »

Thanks, elchup. Hadn't planned on doing any of the work, just hanging on at the back like a parasite:).

There are a few of those, some people pretending to be parasites too, only sprint of near the end.

Now back to Roar!
Did the sport, beat my time and position from last year so happy enough, ran very bad but cycled good. No sports courses for me next year, time to graduate to the Expert courses. Gonna be hell by the sounds of things.

As for the mandatory kit, I managed to squeeze it all into my jersey pockets this time, it was sound, a bit annoying at 1st due to the bouncing as I ran but after a few mins it didn't bother me.
Whether its sports or expert, if you fell on that hill and did some damage on a bad day like Saturday, you would be in trouble without the kit , and a small med kit and space blanket take up no room in jersey pocket, so no excuse for people not bringing them.