Achill ROAR- Sat 11th Sept 2010

Excuseless

From Roar site:
"Swim - 400m Sports or 800m Expert
Paddling - 1300m Sports or 2600m Expert
NOTE:- Exact distances for the swim and paddle will be finalised to give a good match between a good swimmer and a good paddler in the boats being provided"
Kayaks to be set out to have the faster runners to the water taking single kayaks (They will be nearer the water).
This should ensure a fairer paddle result for those aiming for the podium.
Certainly a bit of a lottery who you get with you in the double kayaks but I reckon no great difference between the singles and doubles in the sit on top type of boat.

Presume you have ok'ed your change from swim to kayaking toomuchdetail with the organisers if you originally planned to swim?
Boats being provided only for those declaring an intention to paddle on their registration form.

Some technical glitch w the maps and web site but you can get a copy e-mailed to you by e-mailing a request to info@roar.ie
Maps to be issued at registration and course to be fully marked in any case.

Enduro

A 2 man kayak should be faster than a 1 man, all things being equal. There are 2 reasons for this... the 2 man boats would normally be longer, and there are 2 power sources rather than just one.

Sit On Tops (SOTs) are the easiest kayaks to use, so even with little experience you should be able to do OK in them. Personally I'd rather be in a solo boat than be stuck with someone less able than me. The flip side of that is that the best case scenario would be to get in a double with the best kayaker.

My own opinion on the swim vs kayak is that really good swimmers will have an advantage, as the kayaks are speed limited (because they're SOTs), but poor kayakers should be able to beat poor swimmers.

Peterx

Ideally the likely contenders will be told to pick a single for the oul level playing field. Not fair otherwise as I could pre-arrange to hop in a double with you.

toomuchdetail

4 stars (good)

Already registered in Kayak section as I had already weighted up the options .
Thanks for the info on the Kayak ,going to relax and enjoy it , I think the lake will be a little less stressfull than the sea for the Kayak .
2 more questions for those of you who might know :
I am not the smallest guy in the world so is there a correct position I should take on the 2 man if I get paired up , front or back ?
Cramped badly on GF on the bike despite taking loads of carb fluids , should I look at the like of Nunns or Diorilite in a small bottle, and if so should I be sipping from it regularly or take it when the cramps set in?

Enduro

Ideally the likely contenders will be told to pick a single for the oul level playing field. Not fair otherwise as I could pre-arrange to hop in a double with you.

talking to Brian this evening, and he expects that we'll all be taking singles as there is more time to be lost hanging back for a double than just sprinting for a single. He reckons the speed difference between the singles and doubles wouldn't justify it. First 30 there have to take the singles. Yeah, we'd probably storm away in a double, game over!

Thanks for the info on the Kayak ,going to relax and enjoy it , I think the lake will be a little less stressfull than the sea for the Kayak .

That's the spirit. The whole race is first and formost there to be enjoyed. Yeah, a lot less can go seriously wrong in a lake... you can never get too far lost, no matter how hard you try!

I am not the smallest guy in the world so is there a correct position I should take on the 2 man if I get paired up , front or back ?

Generally it works better with the bigger person in the back, but there are exceptions. Don't worry about it too much though. What I would say is more important is to have the better kayaker in the back so he/she can better control and steer the boat, and match the front person's stroke.

Cramped badly on GF on the bike despite taking loads of carb fluids , should I look at the like of Nunns or Diorilite in a small bottle, and if so should I be sipping from it regularly or take it when the cramps set in?

Using Nuuns in water instead of plain water might be a good idea then. Any energy drinks/powders would probably also do you good. Drink regularly... don't wait for the problems to occur

Enduro

Well that was a very successful race. Achill was a sub-tropical paradise, and looked absolutely amazing. The whole day went really well.

Registration on Friday seemed to go very well. No problems getting all the bikes in place on saturday morning.

The swimmers had a definite advantage over the kayakers, and the doubles had a definite advantage over the singles. Not good for me!

The hill run was fantastic. The ground was still wet in parts, despite the good weather. A brilliant route.. along the beach, out over the sea cliffs, down to a saddle, and then climb to the peaks, a direct descent down the side of the hill and then back along the beach. A very tough run that had everyone walking in parts. One of the most enjoyable new routes I've run in a long time.

The cycle was a good road cycle. Lots of undulating hills, with one or two moderate climbs.

Some great performances from the boardies, particularly DaPope, GoHard, Dunebuggy, and of course the winner himself (2 minutes ahead of me after a great race all day) PeterX

Sniipe

Currently on our second night camping here. The place is amazing partly due to the weather but more so the surroundings.

The event itself was excellent. Not a single complaint on our side. I must admit it was better than gael force for the 4 of us. Definately doing it again next year.

Well done peterx and enduro, as i was heading out 8k into the cycle you guys were on your final 8k. I shouted to enduro, 8k left and you are 300m behind, tho it was more like 400m at the time. I'd say it was a grrat race for ye.

Anywy 10/10 from me and the 3 others with me.

kippy

Sniipe wrote: »

Currently on our second night camping here. The place is amazing partly due to the weather but more so the surroundings.

The event itself was excellent. Not a single complaint on our side. I must admit it was better than gael force for the 4 of us. Definately doing it again next year.

Well done peterx and enduro, as i was heading out 8k into the cycle you guys were on your final 8k. I shouted to enduro, 8k left and you are 300m behind, tho it was more like 400m at the time. I'd say it was a grrat race for ye.

Anywy 10/10 from me and the 3 others with me.

You cant't beat Achill in the good weather.
Its good to see more events of this nature happening there.

Esroh

Never done anything like this b4 and although I can see CP fromthe house never felt I wanted to do GF. The Sports Roar was a the perfect way to start.With everything being centered on the beach it was great to get a cheer as you came back to each change over(though the words of encouragement from people on the beach and the locals at their gates on the road does add that something to your effort).
To be able to walk away with my time splits minutes after finishing was great asit added to the chat you were having with people just sitting on the dunes.

Hats off to all in the experts, Ive walked that run b4 and even those who were on the way down when we were doing our little climb had a word of encouragement.

Well done to the Organisers and the people of Achill for their work on this.
I wouold say to anyone if you want to do an adventure race put the Achill Roar in your diary and take a weekend in Achill in 2010.

KOLICHIYAW

I normally do triathlons - and mistakingly thought that this would be like a triathlon with a wee bit of cross country running thrown in - wanted to quit as soon as we started climbing after the beach run!! Then realised that everyone else was kindof walking too - then started to get into it - caught up with the guy in front - started to take in the amazing scenery & started to enjoy myself - realising this was something v different to triathlon!! A different kind of buzz.

From then on I enjoyed every second - this was a really well orgainised event - and will deffo make it along again next year!

Dunebuggy

Enduro wrote: »

Well that was a very successful race. Achill was a sub-tropical paradise, and looked absolutely amazing. The whole day went really well.

Registration on Friday seemed to go very well. No problems getting all the bikes in place on saturday morning.

The swimmers had a definite advantage over the kayakers, and the doubles had a definite advantage over the singles. Not good for me!

The hill run was fantastic. The ground was still wet in parts, despite the good weather. A brilliant route.. along the beach, out over the sea cliffs, down to a saddle, and then climb to the peaks, a direct descent down the side of the hill and then back along the beach. A very tough run that had everyone walking in parts. One of the most enjoyable new routes I've run in a long time.

The cycle was a good road cycle. Lots of undulating hills, with one or two moderate climbs.

Some great performances from the boardies, particularly DaPope, GoHard, Dunebuggy, and of course the winner himself (2 minutes ahead of me after a great race all day) PeterX

Super Route around one of Irelands hidden Gems. One for next years Calendar. Interesting mix out there from the Kayak to the mountain to the road. .

Well Done to PeterX, Enduro and Go hard and Da Pope (not just on the Kayaking :-)) Hope you guys had a good night

toomuchdetail

4 stars (good)

Great event yesterday, I think we could have got great odds on suncream been part of the mandatory kit !!
Did the expert and found the run one of the most exhausting things I have ever done, really tough climb (use to road running/hills on roads etc) , 3rd last kayak out of water , Picked about 10 off on the run , passed 2 on the bike and that was me . Wanted to finish after the run due to cramp but struggled for 5k on the bike and then it wore off, so curiosity kept me going on the bike and I really did not want a DNF beside my name but looking at the time (about 4:50) maybe I should have .Climbs were tough on the bike .
Tougher, better and more enjoyable than GF .
Not at a stage in my life where I can do GF, half marathon and then Achill without a knock on effect but its a lesson learned.

Peter X, Enduro, Gohard and a few other of the elites here ,your in a league of your own and give us mere mortals something to aim for .Congrats as I know its not something you get off the floor and it takes a lot of work .
Well done to all especially Peter , i think they will either build a statue here in Mayo for you or just stop you crossing the Shannon to compete .

Well organised event with no B.S , just honesty with the competitor at the centre with everything from pre race emails to the after race chit chat . well done.

mymojo

really enjoyed the event...everything ran so well for competitors and everyone seemed to have a great day...the weather was a bonus! stunning. found the run very tough as wasnt expecting anything as hard as that:eek: since gael force i thought nothing cud compare but i was mistaken! really challenging..i thought it was gunna be a bit of off road but didnt know till registeration this meant up a mountain..fun fun! the bike was difficult after the run as most peoples legs were tired from the run...the initial steady climb away from keel felt like it went on forever but the same road coming home felt like heaven! the after party was a great idea and met lots of people who i hope to meet again...really enjoyed the event and will def be back next year to give it a go again

GoHardOrGoHome

4 stars (good)

What mymojo failed to mention is that she won!

Don't know where you were coming out of the kayak stage but you lead the run and held on for the bike section. Pretty good for someone who bought a bike (for/since Gaelforce) and bought a pair of mountain runners in the few days before the race.

See you at WAR in April!

Well done to mymojo and peterx!

mymojo

GoHardOrGoHome wrote: »

What mymojo failed to mention is that she won!

Don't know where you were coming out of the kayak stage but you lead the run and held on for the bike section. Pretty good for someone who bought a bike (for/since Gaelforce) and bought a pair of mountain runners in the few days before the race.

See you at WAR in April!

Well done to mymojo and peterx!

haha thanks! yeah bought the shoes on tuesday and the bike on thursday...had to try look the part at least :P definately huge difference using road bike to a hybrid which is what i had up till now...but that cud have been a good thing because when it came to the cycle i was used to cycling a slower bike so i felt like i was flying yesterday at times when i had the new bike...its not a top of the range one(500euro bargain!?) but i love it already...was thinking i shud stick to the hybrid for training on to make my training tougher? or is this a bad idea? found it took a little while to get used to the dropped handle bars and brakes etc on the road bike but soon figured it out ( apart from when i got my foot stuck in the pedal and fell on my face at the bike check point yesterday:eek: which Gohard and the photographer bought witnessed! cringe! )

looking4ward to more upcoming days out

yop

4 stars (good)

Well done to everyone, have to say it was a great event, cracking course and the fact we got the results straight away and got sandwiches, fruit and water was a great plus.

Only did the sport section but the course was cracking with the different terrains and the cylce was class with the scenary (If you got 10 seconds to view it) was amazing!!

Well done to everyone for taking part and to the organisers for great event.
Our gang will be back again.

GF hold your head in shame.

SavannahRose

10/10 for Achill Roar. It was great. I did the Sports , first time doing anything like this. Found run bit tough going, I was glad to get on that bike. Did it half an hour quicker than I thought it would take me! Event was really well organised,my friends gave it a huge thumbs up too , we willd definetly be back next year! and might even look to do another adventure race if its those distances again, no way I'd be up to expert challenge. Achill is beautiful location too.

Excuseless

Achill Roar Results now up at www.roar.ie

Mr Freeze

3 stars (average)

Well done to the Achill Roar organisers, it was class, great routes and really well planned and executed flawlessly on the day, this was my second adventure race ever, and the organisation of it put GF to shame.

I only did the Sports route, as it was too soon after GF for me, I don't think I would have been fit to do the expert. I was glad I didn't do the expert when I heard that it was a tougher route than GF.

Will definitely go back next year and do Roar again.

dapope

I really enjoyed this event. Well done to the lads for setting a fantastic course. As a Race its definetly up there with GF but as an Event its got so much more. From registration right thru to the presentation of prizes it delivered. It didn't cost an arm and a leg either.

Well done to PeterX and mymojo!

Overall I had a good race. I did the "expert". Teamed up with GoHard for the Kayak and we got off to a flyer. I found the run very tough. The transition area lent itself well to spectators and the encouragement of the crowd was very much appreciated. I had a good cycle by my own standards but still got creamed by a few tri athletes and cyclists. Finished just outside the top 10.

Achill Roar we'll be back for more!

Sniipe

Yeah dapope, I agree with you on the transition area point. The start and end of all three parts ended up there. It was great to have the spectators set up camp there. I'm sure this event will definately be onwards and upwards. I'll definately be re-booking asap and ensure myself a place.

I came in 77th out of 97... which is not great, but I still enjoyed it. I've never done a triathalon and I've rarely run, I do do the odd cycle.

I have to ask this tho and hopefully someone will come back to me, I ate very little that day and I think it came against me.
I had porrige in the morning, then I ate a quarter of a power bar just on the start of the biking section. Otherwise I drank 1 litre of the orange powder stuff mainly on the run and couldn't stomach anything but water on the bike.
I had a friend on the race also and I would normally be 20%-30% faster, but I couldn't for the life of me catch up.
My theory is that the run messed me up big time and the food didn't make any difference?? I was constantly on the verge of cramping my calves. Those undulating hills were not expected and I didn't fare as well as I had hoped on them. I had a guy Ivan cycle with me a fair bit of the way. He was great company and a good climber, he was grinding low gears and I was spinning high gears and he was doing well. In the last 5k he pulled ahead.

Here check out the cool new graphs just uploaded to www.roar.ie now (nice for comparing yourself to someone else, the "position after leg" is cool

yop

4 stars (good)

Sniipe wrote: »

Yeah dapope, I agree with you on the transition area point. The start and end of all three parts ended up there. It was great to have the spectators set up camp there. I'm sure this event will definately be onwards and upwards. I'll definately be re-booking asap and ensure myself a place.

I came in 77th out of 97... which is not great, but I still enjoyed it. I've never done a triathalon and I've rarely run, I do do the odd cycle.

I have to ask this tho and hopefully someone will come back to me, I ate very little that day and I think it came against me.
I had porrige in the morning, then I ate a quarter of a power bar just on the start of the biking section. Otherwise I drank 1 litre of the orange powder stuff mainly on the run and couldn't stomach anything but water on the bike.
I had a friend on the race also and I would normally be 20%-30% faster, but I couldn't for the life of me catch up.
My theory is that the run messed me up big time and the food didn't make any difference?? I was constantly on the verge of cramping my calves. Those undulating hills were not expected and I didn't fare as well as I had hoped on them. I had a guy Ivan cycle with me a fair bit of the way. He was great company and a good climber, he was grinding low gears and I was spinning high gears and he was doing well. In the last 5k he pulled ahead.

Here check out the cool new graphs just uploaded to www.roar.ie now (nice for comparing yourself to someone else, the "position after leg" is cool

Same as you on the cramps, had one on the cycle. Not sure about the food thingy, like you I had porridge at 8.30am before the drive down, there I had 2 jaffas and a cereal bar and had 1 litre drink in my hand with NuuN tab to see if I could elimiante the cramps, but it only gave me a stitch 3/4 into the run.

So I think in my case its probably just still not used to a run and a cycle straight away.

littlebug

i've just been looking at the results to see if this is something that a lesser being such as myself could consider for next year but I'm afraid I can't make head nor tail of them
Would someone mind giving a run down of the (sports) course, what the run was like, elevation/ terrain/ times etc.
By lesser being I mean someone who can run a nice flat 8k in about 45 mins.

Sniipe

littlebug wrote: »

i've just been looking at the results to see if this is something that a lesser being such as myself could consider for next year but I'm afraid I can't make head nor tail of them
Would someone mind giving a run down of the (sports) course, what the run was like, elevation/ terrain/ times etc.
By lesser being I mean someone who can run a nice flat 8k in about 45 mins.

I guess those running times sound like what I do at the moment...anyway here is all the info you need. Route, terrain, my poor heart, distance: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13236034
I didn't use the splits and I forgot to turn off the watch at the end which I think was 4hr 43min. (if anyone knows how to edit the garmin tcx file I'd be happy to hear - because simply removing the trackpoints and re uploading it to garmin connect won't even upload again)

Peterx

Anyone who can run 8k in 45 minutes will get around the sports course.

The pain and suffering you wish to inflict upon yourself will depend on how much training you put in.
Talking to a few runners after the race they nearly all cramped or suffered on the bike as they were unused to cycling and very unused to cycling after running.
The more training you do the better you will get to know how hard you can push, it's a fine line between feeling great on the run and going quick and then blowing up on the bike. In the sports event you're looking at between 1 hour 45 and 3 hours of effort depending on fitness (i think)

Peterx

The race was good, as expected the very good swimmers got away on the water stage but the mountain running remains a bit of a niche market with stalwart IMRA runners lapping it up and everyone else enduring it.
The beach/hillrun is fantastic, it would be a great race in it's own right and might possibly resurface in a revamped IMRA Connaught league one of these days.

John McEnri had the fastest descent off the hill and was having the race of the day until Padraig Marrey passed him on the very last corner on the bike for the final podium place. sickener:) That very scenario was playing itself out in my mind on the bike - I had visions of a chase group swallowing me up and a potentially very exciting mad 100m dash for the line ensuing through transition but luckily the gap was just a little too big although they were closing in, much like the death star heading for the wee moon of Endor:D I was surprised to see Enduro finishing second, the man just doesn't know how to quit, fabulous racing for a fella that should be asleep after the recent exertions of a mere 7 day AR race..
Young Karl was flying until he had a sudden and total bonk on the bike, he's a huge prospect though and only cycling about a year so he'll be the one to watch. Great to see fresh blood coming through and mymojo can take a bow here, super victory on her shiny new bike and runners!

The organisers can take a very big bow, lots of planning and precision execution of the plan were evident in everything they did. Size is a factor and smaller races can have a great atmosphere about them as this one certainly did. Chris Caulfield was the last man standing in the residents bar by the way.

littlebug

Sniipe wrote: »

I guess those running times sound like what I do at the moment...anyway here is all the info you need. Route, terrain, my poor heart, distance: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13236034
I didn't use the splits and I forgot to turn off the watch at the end which I think was 4hr 43min.

Thanks Snipe, that's brilliant though the elevation looks a bit scary! It looks like you juts lay down for an hour at the end

littlebug

Peterx wrote: »

Anyone who can run 8k in 45 minutes will get around the sports course.

The pain and suffering you wish to inflict upon yourself will depend on how much training you put in.
Talking to a few runners after the race they nearly all cramped or suffered on the bike as they were unused to cycling and very unused to cycling after running.
The more training you do the better you will get to know how hard you can push, it's a fine line between feeling great on the run and going quick and then blowing up on the bike. In the sports event you're looking at between 1 hour 45 and 3 hours of effort depending on fitness (i think)

Thanks Peterx, this is definitely on my radar for next year. I'll dust off the bike and keep working on the hills!

yop

4 stars (good)

littlebug wrote: »

i've just been looking at the results to see if this is something that a lesser being such as myself could consider for next year but I'm afraid I can't make head nor tail of them
Would someone mind giving a run down of the (sports) course, what the run was like, elevation/ terrain/ times etc.
By lesser being I mean someone who can run a nice flat 8k in about 45 mins.

That would be my pace on an 8k run so you would be fit to do it, I finished in 2hrs 8 mins and came in the top 50 of the sports.
Cycling wise I would expect to do a 22km cycle in 45 mins on normal roads so that will give you an idea of where I am at

As Peter said the BIG thing seems to be the transition from the run to the bike, I struggled on the run but made up about 15 places on the bike even though I cramped.

But then I think I lost a place due to looking at the lovely beach and scenary around Dugort.

Thats your goal set now littlebug. But if you get in some hill running then you will be the stronger for it.

I am going to see if I can figure out how a newbie might begin with IMRA.

Peterx

John Shiels has some good photos up
http://www.pbase.com/forrest5000/roar2009

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

Well done again peter.. you legend. Saw you running on keem beach on sunday, ya mad ****er.. was hoping to stop you to get a few tips but you disappeared!

managed the sports solo in just over 2 hrs 20, pathetic but it's only my 2nd race ever.. gonna get myself a proper road bike for next yr, up the pace on the running, do the paddle instead of the swim and knock 25 mins off my time and win the ladies sports solo in 2010!!

absolutely loved every minute of it. the craic, the comraderie,the weather, the scenery, it was just fantastic. what an amazing part of the country. brian is an absolute scream and had me in stitches about 5 times during the briefing/prizegiving.. hilarious.

the swim/paddle was badly matched though i thought- the slowest paddlers were still faster than the fastest swimmers in the sports section..

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

Peterx wrote: »

John Shiels has some good photos up
http://www.pbase.com/forrest5000/roar2009

any idea what the link is for the 'sports' pics- that the 2nd photographer took?

notsobadinc

ya fair play to all that took part and volunteered. class weather and scenery...gf is a real let down in comparison-take the technical t-shirts for instance at 15 quid while gf was 85 and you got a cheapo cotton job... peterx enduro and co did very well.
i did achill with my bro and although we are newbie's to this as gforce was our first outing, we are estatic about taking part in more upcoming events.
we were chatting to gohard and dapope on sat night-(great times lads, especially dapope-do cavan people know of your ability...)but they mentioned the art oneill ultra race in january 2010 so it sounds like the next outing for us.:rolleyes:
i have some experience of road running but am now less interested in it as the buzz i get from the hills is far better and more challenging but i really struggle on cycling-i was drained on the bike on sat-anyone know of a way of quickly increasing endurance on the bike...help appreciated:o
also can anyone of any ability join imra and are all the races wicklow based

Slogger Jogger

imra is welcoming to anyone of any age or ability. If you look at the imra runners list you'll see all sorts. The majority of races are in the Dublin / Wicklow area, but there is a strong imra Munster contingent with races throughout the year there. Theres races elsewhere on the calendar around Leinster, over in Connaught (Croagh Patrick) and lots of races up north (check out the nimra website). The imra website is award winning and a fabulous resource, something you can spend ages on at a time looking at photos, results and race reports.

Sniipe

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

The majority of races are in the Dublin / Wicklow area, but there is a strong imra Munster contingent with races throughout the year there. Theres races elsewhere on the calendar around Leinster, over in Connaught (Croagh Patrick) and lots of races up north (check out the nimra website).

yeah, only 2 events that I could see in connaught, one on CP and then another the day / weekend before it (can't remember) - Connaught championships

dapope

notsobadinc wrote: »

we were chatting to gohard and dapope on sat night-(great times lads, especially dapope-do cavan people know of your ability...)but they mentioned the art oneill ultra race in january 2010 so it sounds like the next outing for us.:rolleyes:
also can anyone of any ability join imra and are all the races wicklow based

They know nothing thank god

The IMRA races are a great way to prepare for this sort of thing. This was my first year back doing IMRA runs for a few years now and it certainly wet my appetite for endurance events.

KOLICHIYAW

notsobadinc wrote: »

-anyone know of a way of quickly increasing endurance on the bike...help appreciated:o
also can anyone of any ability join imra and are all the races wicklow based

My cycling was pretty rubbish last summer - but got a lot better through the winter by getting a turbo trainer and doing a winter season of cyclo-cross - improved handling, technique, endurance & made getting back on the tarmac feel like a breeze!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15805

http://www.cyclingulster.com/documentation/CI_Calendar_2009-Final.xls

peteg

Well done to the roar team. Great race in a great location, it was every thing GF was not,bikes racked on solid ground not bog, starting and finishing in the same area,great for viewing, a long race for the hardcore racers or a shorter race for those who wanted some thing easier or racers new this type of thing.Well done to Dean Gillespie only 16 who finished 4th over all in the sport event.
[

Excuseless

On behalf of the ROAR Team just to let ye know that all the feedback to info@roar.ie and here on board.ie is appreciated.

We had some matters not quite 100% - Sports water section "Fair Match" and positioning of the Sports mid bike check point near the bottom rather than the top of that twisty descent on the same side as the cyclists were the main ones from feedback.
I think these were seen as minor blips by some and not at all by others but for sure we will be working on getting those right for next year.

We worked hard on putting on a good event right through from planning, registration, racing and partying and it is great to get the 100% positive feedback since.

Here's to another ROAR and more

Mr Freeze

3 stars (average)

The info and graphs on the splitsbrowser site linked from the Roar main page are great.

Nice touch lads again.

Wonkagirl

4 stars (good)

Excuseless wrote: »

On behalf of the ROAR Team just to let ye know that all the feedback to info@roar.ie and here on board.ie is appreciated.

We had some matters not quite 100% - Sports water section "Fair Match" and positioning of the Sports mid bike check point near the bottom rather than the top of that twisty descent on the same side as the cyclists were the main ones from feedback.
I think these were seen as minor blips by some and not at all by others but for sure we will be working on getting those right for next year.

We worked hard on putting on a good event right through from planning, registration, racing and partying and it is great to get the 100% positive feedback since.

Here's to another ROAR and more

They were definitely very very minor blips.. all in all it was a superbly run event. As others have said, GFW could learn a lot from it..

Any idea where the sports pics are located online? The expert pics are awesome, hope the sports ones will be half as good!

toomuchdetail

4 stars (good)

A quick question for the IMRA/Hill running community who for obvious reasons excel in these events .
Is there a large leap in training for 10k/15k road run to a similar trail/mountain run . Do you increase the intensity of training or is it as simple as train on a trail/mountain ?
How would the run on Roar rate against the usual scene with the IMRA calender ? I see runs rated on the website but unsure how bad an 8 rated run is is or how easy a 5 is .
Like the feel and scene of the hill run's but if Roar is an "easy" run I am out of my depth !!

Enduro

Is there a large leap in training for 10k/15k road run to a similar trail/mountain run . Do you increase the intensity of training or is it as simple as train on a trail/mountain ?

Its a simple as training on a hill/mountain, IMHO.

How would the run on Roar rate against the usual scene with the IMRA calender ? I see runs rated on the website but unsure how bad an 8 rated run is is or how easy a 5 is .

It was harder than most of the Wednesday Leinster league races, and well up to the standard of a good Championship race. It was quite long, and very steep in parts, with plenty of technical challenges on the descent in particular. The IMRA ratings are only a rough guidline based on simple figures like total climb and total distance, as well as terraine. Personally I thought it was a very tough challenging run, and if it was in the IMRA calendar I'd say it would be in the top 25% of races in toughness terms.

Like the feel and scene of the hill run's but if Roar is an "easy" run I am out of my depth !!

Don't worry about being out of your depth at IMRA runs. There is a very wide range of abilities taking part in the average IMRA race. Just don't start with a "10" rated race! Preferably start with races that are fully marked.

yop

4 stars (good)

Pics for the Sports are up, some of the finish line pics are not there though. I look like I am on fricking holidays in the 2 I am in!!!

yop

4 stars (good)

All pics up now

GoHardOrGoHome

4 stars (good)

toomuchdetail wrote: »

A quick question for the IMRA/Hill running community who for obvious reasons excel in these events .
Is there a large leap in training for 10k/15k road run to a similar trail/mountain run . Do you increase the intensity of training or is it as simple as train on a trail/mountain ?
How would the run on Roar rate against the usual scene with the IMRA calender ? I see runs rated on the website but unsure how bad an 8 rated run is is or how easy a 5 is .
Like the feel and scene of the hill run's but if Roar is an "easy" run I am out of my depth !!

I think it's as simple as training on trails/hills/mountains. I did very little "training" but I did about 20 of the IMRA runs throughout the year (I started last year). At the start there was a lot of walking on the ascents but I've reduced that a bit. I still do it though depending on the terrain. There was one long trail race in Ballinastoe (12k) where Jlang had a very steady uphill pace whereas I would run for 20 seconds then walk for 10/20 seconds (mini-recovery) and go again. The ideal thing would be to keep a running motion. Jlang beat me of course (the only reason I was close was because he was injured!).

Sometimes I find the steeper races easier because you "have" to slow down to a walk and you can get your breath back. In the less steep races you feel obliged to keep running evening though you're knackered and your legs are burning but walking would be too slow!

16k for the Achill Roar run is quite long compared to most IMRA races. These usually vary from 6k-10k. 12k would be a fairly long one. Full list here. http://www.imra.ie/events/. There are some much longer ones - Wicklow Way Ultra 44k, Dublin Peaks 33k, Circuit of Glenmacneass 36k(?) etc. So the Achill Roar run would be harder than any of the Wednesday night runs (look up the Leinster League on IMRA).

I enjoyed it though!

GoHardOrGoHome

4 stars (good)

notsobadinc wrote: »

.gf is a real let down in comparison-take the technical t-shirts for instance at 15 quid while gf was 85 and you got a cheapo cotton job

Berghaus quality technical t-shirt. Super value.

notsobadinc wrote: »

... peterx enduro and co did very well.
i did achill with my bro and although we are newbie's to this as gforce was our first outing, we are estatic about taking part in more upcoming events.
we were chatting to gohard and dapope on sat night-(great times lads, especially dapope-do cavan people know of your ability...)but they mentioned the art oneill ultra race in january 2010 so it sounds like the next outing for us.

Didn't realise your man was your brother! I wouldn't mind doing the Art O'Neill this year as well. It was a good night in Achill all right!

notsobadinc wrote: »

i have some experience of road running but am now less interested in it as the buzz i get from the hills is far better and more challenging but i really struggle on cycling-i was drained on the bike on sat-anyone know of a way of quickly increasing endurance on the bike...help appreciated:o

Cycling is definitely my worst discipline as well. I don't know about "quickly" increasing endurance. I'm going to try cycling into work a couple of days a week and maybe going for a long cycle at the weekend if I can. Long being 2 hours and rising to maybe 4 (which will sound like nothing to the real cyclists!).

notsobadinc wrote: »

also can anyone of any ability join imra and are all the races wicklow based

A lot of them are Wicklow based but there's often people car-pooling from Dublin or picking people up at Luas stops etc.

As SJ said, IMRA is very welcoming to people of all abilities. You won't be out of your depth. The winter league starts in January and there's a race just before Christmas which is supposed to be easy enough. I reckon I'm doing the Powerscourt Ridge race although the Cooley Raid/Cuchullain challenge is tempting.

Excuseless

To compliment the photos available via www.roar.ie there is now a short film of the event as filmed and edited by Russ Ryan.

It is now available on via www.turas.ie

'TURAS is Ireland's first on line outdoor adventure channel. Check out their outdoor adventure films, news articles and reviews covering adventure racing, kayaking, hiking and hill walking, surfing, paragliding, and much much more on www.turas.ie or if you would ilke more information on anything then contact them at info@turas.ie

Check it out and see are you the star of the show

Excuseless

News from the Roar web site:

Following on from this year's successful event, next year's Achill Roar has been provisionally scheduled for Saturday 11th September 2010 - This is subject to agreement and confirmation

Some "Lost and found" items remain unclaimed - please e-mail us at info@roar.ie to arrange for reuniting with your belongings or they will be donated to a charity shop.
Items unclaimed include: Asics Red/ White trainers size 11; Large Red/ White Giro Bike Helmet; Light North Face Black Jacket; Grey hoodie jacket w contour pattern; Xcel Grey/ Brown rash top



In reply to GoHardOrGoHome posting:- The Art O Neill is unlikely to be held this year or at least in the same fashion as it was last year as a proper organised event with support stops, bag drops, transport from finish, etc.
The event in Jan 2009 was done as a fundraiser for the Stuart Mangan Appeal.
You may have heard the sad news of Stuart's passing away in early August.

The Art is a challenge not to be taken lightly at any time of the year and particularly if done in the traditional way with a midnight start from Dublin Castle and with self navigation to Glenmalure across Wicklow’s sometimes inhospitable mountains.

GoHardOrGoHome

4 stars (good)

September 13th 2010 is a Monday!