Cooley Raid

r2k

Looking for some details on this. The site is pretty useless and cant get them to return e mail. Anyone know what entry is likely to be (numbers) and brief overview of course. Cheers

Causeway

I'll hold my hand up here. Emails should of been forwarded to my own email address but haven't been, i'll change this now and reply to the emails which we've got over the last few weeks.

Yep you're right the website is pretty useless, because the event is changing so much from last year. Working on all the details you'll need about the race now. Website will be updated over the coming weeks.

You'll have 4 entry options.

1. Cuchulainn Challenge (8hr event) Team of 2 £40 per person
2. Cuchulainn Challenge (8hr event) Team of 4 £40 per person
3. Cooley Raid (24hr event) Team of 2 £100 per person
4. Cooley Raid (24hr event) Team of 4 £100 per person

Numbers wise for the event, it's a lot smaller than the likes of the Roar or GF6, last year the event which was only an 8hr event sold out with 86 folk making up 13 teams of 4 and 17 pairs. We should be able to take more than that this year.

The route for this event will be given out on the day of the event, we're still working on it, last years 8hr event went like this.

2008 Race Route/Stages

• Approximate distances for the compulsory route.
• 37.5km bike
• 9.5km run/trek
• 2.5km kayak
• 49.5km Total

Remember sections of the course will be bonus loops (see below for more details on bonus loops), these may be cut out meaning that all teams should be able to finish the course, they will also have cut-off times and if any team doesn't reach them before the cut-off they won't be allowed to do them.

• The approximate distance for the bonus sections.
• 18.5km bike Cut Off Time 13:00hrs
• 8km run/trek Cut Off Time 15:00hrs
• 4km kayak Cut Off Time 16:30hrs
• 30.5km Bonus Total

Grand total of 80km. With the breakdown as below.

• 1.5km run (on sealed surface)
• 2.5km kayak (on water)
• 8km run/trek (mostly on open mountain, short section on road)
• 10.5km bike (on road)
• 18.5km bike bonus (mostly on open mountain, short section on road)
• 8km run/trek bonus (all on open mountain, some short sections of track)
• 23km bike (mostly on road, short section on forest tracks)
• 4km kayak bonus (on water)
• 4km bike (on road)

Bonus loops

Bike bonus loop

Cut Off Time 13:00hrs

• The bike bonus loop will be approx. 18.5km long
• Most of it will be on open mountain with a short section on road
• It will have 6 CP's each worth 30mins bonus
• Any team getting all 6 will get an extra 30mins
• Maximum bonus 3.1/2hrs

Run bonus loop

Cut Off Time 15:00hrs

• The run bonus loop will be approx. 8km
• Most of it will be on open mountain with short sections of track
• It will have 6 CP's each worth 15mins bonus
• Any team getting all 6 will get an extra 30mins
• Run bonus CP's can be visited in any order
• Maximum bonus 2hrs

Kayak Bonus

Cut Off Time 16:30hrs

• The kayak bonus will be approx. 3km
• All teams must visit PC 1 and decide if they will do kayak bonus
• It will have 1 CP
• Bonus 1.1/2hrs

Finish

Hope this helps a little bit in the meantime.

Excuseless

Ivan, Steve and the Causeway Coast Crew put on good value for money events so well worth supporting this event or the Roe Valley Rampage ( To be done in Pairs http://www.causewaycoastar.co.uk/roevalleyrampage.html on 4th / 5th Oct) as a further move into adv races for those that have been happy with the off road elements in the likes of GF and the Achill Roar.

Nav tends not to be too difficult in the one day events and the option to drop some of the course tends to group teams closer together for a sociable finish.
Another great bonus of these events are Joan's famous home cooked :pac:muffins that are sure to feature in the after event fayre

notsobadinc

hi causeway
do all the competitors in this have to be able to swim even though it is a kayak stage and all competitors will have a pfd...

Causeway

notsobadinc wrote: »

hi causeway
do all the competitors in this have to be able to swim even though it is a kayak stage and all competitors will have a pfd...

Which event are you talking about.

Roe Valley Rampage will have kayaking which will be on the River Roe, about 4km-5km down and then back up the river, depending on the tide you may be able to stand up in a good few parts of this river. With a PFD on anyone should be able to at least make it to the bank even if they can't swim. BTW this event is only £25 per person to enter, you'll need a team mate. Whole thing will cover approx. 40km and last for 3-6hrs depending on how fit you are.

The Cuchulainn Challenge which is the shorter 8hr version of the Cooley Raid will have about 6km of kayaking, without giving to much away at this stage it'll be on flat water and again it shouldn't be much of a problem for non-swimmers.

The Cooley Raid which will be a 24hr race this year will have the same kayaking as the CC above in the early stages but we may also have a longer Sea Kayaking stage which would require you to be able to swim with the aid of a PFD, and it's still in the planning but there may also be other water based sections.

Enduro

Sounds interesting indeed

mymojo

sounds excellent...will have to see if i can find a team or partner !!!

notsobadinc

hi causeway
just from browsing the participants requirements on the website it mentioned being able to swim 50 plus meters but you have just cleared that up....
now down the main part of my inquiry...brother and i are hoping to partake in the 24 hour event and although im not the strongest swimmer-hes ok...otherwise the Cuchulainn Challenge will do...anyway is there much availibility left for the cooley 24 hour...
thanks

notsobadinc

also i only heard about this event earlier today and the roe valley rampage in last few minutes via your last post
thankyouplease

r2k

Cheers for the email Causway & really looking fdw to getting registered and a nice tour round the hills!

Causeway

notsobadinc wrote: »

hi causeway
just from browsing the participants requirements on the website it mentioned being able to swim 50 plus meters but you have just cleared that up....
now down the main part of my inquiry...brother and i are hoping to partake in the 24 hour event and although im not the strongest swimmer-hes ok...otherwise the Cuchulainn Challenge will do...anyway is there much availibility left for the cooley 24 hour...
thanks

Online entry for the Cuchulainn Challenge and Cooley Raid hasn't opened yet but will do so sometime next week. I'll stick a post up here when it opens.

Loads of room for all the events. Roe Valley Rampage entry is open and would be a good event to try out an adventure race if you've not took part in one before.

notsobadinc

hi causeway
thanks for the update.
bro wont do the 24 hour race so guess we will have to resort to the cuchulainn challenge instead.
we both completed gf6 and roar so heres hoping this is no. 3:rolleyes:

Causeway

Get your team sorted. Online entry is now open for both the Cooley Raid & Cuchulainn Challenge. www.cooleyraid.com

kenster03

Hi Causeway.

Friend and myself are thinking about doing the cuchulainn challenge. Both of us have done gael force and basically just looking for some info regarding event.
I understand that route will be given on morning of event, just really want to know
would there be much cycling off road? we both have mountain bikes with skinny wheels which we might need to chalnge?
Also would you have an email address of anyone who did this last year so we could contact to get some feedback?

Be great to hear back from you,

Thanks alot

K

Causeway

Hi kenster03,
Like last year we'll put up the distances for each section in advance of the event, this could just be a few days before the event. On the morning you'll get more details on the route.

We'll be taking teams into the Cooley Mountains so there will be a fair bit of off road mtbing, the main bulk of last years off road section was in one of the bonus loops, so you have the choice you could change your wheels/tyres to cope with the off road or choose not to do that section.

I have loads of email addresses from those who took part last year but i'm not in the habit of giving them out, a few of those who took part have posted on here so hopefully they'll be able to answer any questions you might have.

Any takers?

kenster03

hi

thanks for quick reply.
i understand regarding emails.

can anyone recommend what type tyres to use?
Also any tips on what type of gear/food etc to bring.
thanks

kenster03

hi guys

still looking for some feedback on this event please?

Enduro

Nothing special is required for tyres for your bike. Just use normal general purpose mountain bike tyres. Unless you're trying to win the race it isn't worth worrying about.

Which gear to bring will depend on the speed you want to cover the ground at, and the weather forcast. A lot depends on how often you get to change gear. At the moment I'd presume that would be once. So you should bring two complete sets of clothes, if possible. I'd recommend cycle shorts, powerstretch leggings, a thermal base layer, a lightweight/mid weight fleece, a spare fleece/thermal, a good set of waterproofs (jacket and leggings), preferably goretex or equivalent, preferablt lightweight, trail running shoes, bike shoes, good socks (but not sealskins).

You'll also need a mountain bike. A hardtail would probably be best. Needs to be resiliant, and as light as you can afford.

Foodwise... something you can cook at the transition (including cooker possibly), like filled pasta for example. Lots of snack you can eat en-route. It needs to be stuff you will east, as opposed to should eat. Power bar type stuff is good, but not ecessarily edible when you need it! Isotonic powder (that you add to water) is also good to have. Use ziplock bags to divide it up into portions if you buy a tin of it, or just buy sachets of the stuff.

Thats a start for you anyway.

Causeway

Kit lists have now been updated for the Cooley Raid (24hr event) & Cuchulainn Challenge (8hr event)

Enduro thanks for your reply to kenster03, just to clear a few items up, teams taking part in the Cuchulainn Challenge won't see any kit boxes from start to finish, so you'll not be able to change gear or have time to cook food.

The event will start with a 7km sea kayak stage (on sit-on-tops) in order for us to have more chance of running the this stage we want everyone to wear wetsuits, we'll transport the rest of your kit to the end of the kayak stage and return your wetsuits to the finish for you.

kenster03

Hi Casueway looking for accomadation close to start coming from south ireland so could you reccommend somewhere. pm message if you can. thanks. k

Causeway

Looks very like we will be starting in or very near Rostrevor, if things go to plan we'll have camping/parking on Friday/Saturday night, showers and bar for after each of the events.

Dunebuggy

Enduro wrote: »

Nothing special is required for tyres for your bike. Just use normal general purpose mountain bike tyres. Unless you're trying to win the race it isn't worth worrying about.

Which gear to bring will depend on the speed you want to cover the ground at, and the weather forcast. A lot depends on how often you get to change gear. At the moment I'd presume that would be once. So you should bring two complete sets of clothes, if possible. I'd recommend cycle shorts, powerstretch leggings, a thermal base layer, a lightweight/mid weight fleece, a spare fleece/thermal, a good set of waterproofs (jacket and leggings), preferably goretex or equivalent, preferablt lightweight, trail running shoes, bike shoes, good socks (but not sealskins).

You'll also need a mountain bike. A hardtail would probably be best. Needs to be resiliant, and as light as you can afford.

Foodwise... something you can cook at the transition (including cooker possibly), like filled pasta for example. Lots of snack you can eat en-route. It needs to be stuff you will east, as opposed to should eat. Power bar type stuff is good, but not ecessarily edible when you need it! Isotonic powder (that you add to water) is also good to have. Use ziplock bags to divide it up into portions if you buy a tin of it, or just buy sachets of the stuff.

Thats a start for you anyway.

Your man is the expert . . But if I could add 1 Tip: I would bring spare runners for the Kayak Section - you should be able to dump them with your wetsuit after the Kayak section. Else you will be running all day in wet feet.
Spare socks !!! Oh and bring a Hat with ear flaps very necessary specially at night- but its going to be cold in November.

1 Food tip - lean more to the slow release foods - rather than the sugar bombs. But a bag of jellies is always handy.

Other than that the list on the site is alot more updated now. . .

Dunebuggy

Causeway wrote: »

Kit lists have now been updated for the Cooley Raid (24hr event) & Cuchulainn Challenge (8hr event)

Enduro thanks for your reply to kenster03, just to clear a few items up, teams taking part in the Cuchulainn Challenge won't see any kit boxes from start to finish, so you'll not be able to change gear or have time to cook food.

The event will start with a 7km sea kayak stage (on sit-on-tops) in order for us to have more chance of running the this stage we want everyone to wear wetsuits, we'll transport the rest of your kit to the end of the kayak stage and return your wetsuits to the finish for you.

For people that are participating in the 24hr event, Is it true that we will have a break after the Cuchulainn Challenge ? and will our kit boxes be there. . . or is it just cheeky to be asking these type of questions ?

Causeway

Dunebuggy wrote: »

Your man is the expert . . But if I could add 1 Tip: I would bring spare runners for the Kayak Section - you should be able to dump them with your wetsuit after the Kayak section. Else you will be running all day in wet feet.
Spare socks !!! Oh and bring a Hat with ear flaps very necessary specially at night- but its going to be cold in November.

1 Food tip - lean more to the slow release foods - rather than the sugar bombs. But a bag of jellies is always handy.

Other than that the list on the site is alot more updated now. . .

:eek: C'mon Dunebuggy don't make the logistics of this race any harder for us

Chances are we could transport the footwear that teams use in the kayak stage back to the finish. This could be an old pair of trainers or if you want to go all fancy you could use real paddling shoes/booties.

Causeway

Dunebuggy wrote: »

For people that are participating in the 24hr event, Is it true that we will have a break after the Cuchulainn Challenge ? and will our kit boxes be there. . . or is it just cheeky to be asking these type of questions ?

Very cheeky!

A number of things have changed over the last few days but it is planned that the 24hr teams will have a break of sorts, you'll still be kept busy because you'll have your map/maps to mark up for the 2nd stage, maybe fit lights to your bikes if you haven't already done so, get some food in you, the list goes on if you see what I mean. You will be able to see your kit boxes doing this time plus 1 other if things go according to plan.

No more cheeky questions now.

We'll send out final details to all the teams after the enteries close on the 3rd November and hopefully you'll have enough time to ask any questions about things you think we haven't covered in enough detail.

Dunebuggy

Causeway wrote: »

Very cheeky!

A number of things have changed over the last few days but it is planned that the 24hr teams will have a break of sorts, you'll still be kept busy because you'll have your map/maps to mark up for the 2nd stage, maybe fit lights to your bikes if you haven't already done so, get some food in you, the list goes on if you see what I mean. You will be able to see your kit boxes doing this time plus 1 other if things go according to plan.

No more cheeky questions now.

We'll send out final details to all the teams after the enteries close on the 3rd November and hopefully you'll have enough time to ask any questions about things you think we haven't covered in enough detail.

I'm done :-) Thanks for the info appreciated. Just to say good luck with the hard work you have to do over the next two weeks to put the race together. We are really looking forward to it.

Excuseless

A big thumbs up to Causeway and the rest of the Causeway Coast AR team on the Cooley Raid and Cuchulainn Challenge events last weekend.
The effort shown in each stage showed throughout though the weather on the Saturday made for a hard day out for all with some difficult navigating in mist particularly on the run section to and from Eagle's Rock.

As always the catering was first class and the muffins and soup made it all worthwhile

Special mention to some boardies on the "No Sign of Fear" team who despite being fairly new to the AR game had a great race and ended up with a podium position in third place not far behind the Danish AR Team who had made the trip to Ireland especially for the race.

MREGAN

Well done Causeway Coast crew. Next Year I promise. See you in the Glens of Antrim. Glens Of Antrim Adventure Race

Dunebuggy

Have to agree with Excuseless!!

A very well run event , thanks to Ivan and his crew for putting on a great race and encouraging us all the way through our 34 hours :-). It was much appreciated.

Super event for us - really enjoyed it. There were many highlights but the Bouldering and the Swamp / Tunnel and the horrible climb out were brilliant.

Thanks for the soup n bacon sandwiches :-) See ye in Antrim on the 28th of November.

GoHardOrGoHome

Myself, Dapope, Dunebuggy and another IMRA runner started at 9am on Saturday morning had a break in between stage 1 and 2 and went out again at 8pm until 6pm the next day.

Pretty weird feeling to be falling asleep while cycling along a road.

Fantastic feeling to see the mountains and valleys of the Mournes lit up with golden sunshine.

Great event Ivan. I'm even thinking about a multi-day expedition adventure race at some point.

@Excuseless - WHY OH WHY didn't you tell me the Danish girls were single?! :mad: God damn it!

MyMojo did the CuChulainn challenge as well. Pretty good showing for Boards in the end!

dapope

Well done to Ivan and the rest of the crew on a fantastic race. It was my first 24/34hr race and it certainly won't be my last. It was a fantastic course. I'm already looking forward to the Glens of Antrim race.

Highlights for me were:

Sitting the wrong way around in a Kayak with GoHard thinking he was sinking
Kayaking into the middle of Newry city and getting abuse from lads going to nightclubs
Trawling through knee deep mud to eventually cycle through an amazing railway tunnel
The lights on my bike being mistaken for E.T. by a bunch of lads while passing a country pub
Heading off into the Mournes at 6am, watching the sun rise and the mist burning off the landscape around us
Dunebuggy taking us to the summit of the "Fake Donard"
Dunebuggy taking us to the summit of the real Slieve Donard
Bouldering
Bacon Sandwiches
Stories in the pub afterwards

Enduro

Well done to the boardsies. Great going, and an excellent result!

mymojo

great event! was meant to be doing the 24hrs but after finishing stage 1 (the cuchulainn challenge 8hrs) that was me done! was so cold i cudnt face going back out into the elements..what a lightweight!!! haha fair play to all you guys who went on....i was thinking of u all when i was back home watching x factor haha..hope to do the 28th nov too :rolleyes:

Dunebuggy

Just wondering is there many people entering this Adventure Race this year ? It was a good event last year, both the 8hr or the em 36hr ....

Fi H

Trying to convince my mate to do the 8hr with me but it may be beyond my capabilities from waht i can see its all mountainbiking which i have little experience of....or maybe you can enlighten me

GoHardOrGoHome

You're on a mountain bike but there'll be road sections and off-road sections. If there's any tricky off-road sections you can just walk your bike along these.

It's really great fun and you do some mad stuff that you don't get in the multi-sport non-navigation adventure races. Zip wires can pop up and there was a river climbing section in the 24 hour race last year.

I'd go for it. I'd say you'd need somebody who can read a map though.

Fi H

dont you mean someone who can read a map PROPERLY dont think i will make it...my mate reckons i am too slow for her

Wonkagirl

If anybody feels like entering a boards team, or is looking for team members, consider me interested. There's no way i'd convince any of my gang to do it, and my gaelforce partner in crime is out for 3 months after ACL damage at bootcamp the other nite:mad:

Would go for any of the events really, would really fancy pushing myself for the longer one- had a bit left in the tank after the 6 hours of GF!

GoHardOrGoHome

Wonkagirl wrote: »

If anybody feels like entering a boards team, or is looking for team members, consider me interested. There's no way i'd convince any of my gang to do it, and my gaelforce partner in crime is out for 3 months after ACL damage at bootcamp the other nite:mad:

Would go for any of the events really, would really fancy pushing myself for the longer one- had a bit left in the tank after the 6 hours of GF!

That's a great idea. Either email the organiser Ivan Park (great guy) and say you're looking for a team or see if they have a facebook page and contact him through that. I'll post up tomorrow with more info if I can. 8 hours of the Cuchulainn Challenge would probably be easier than a 6 hour Gaelforce because you're going constantly in GF whereas there's times in the Cuchulainn challenge where you may have to do a task like pulling yourself across a lake in a boat using only a rope or walking along the edge of a clearing with a tennis ball balanced between you and your partner's foreheads or eating 4 HB loop-the-loops between your team of 4. Seriously, you can get all kinds of weird tasks in real adventure races. You may have to stop for a minute and study the map and decide if it's worth your while going to the next checkpoint (where you punch a card) or if you should just run to the end of the section. So it's not a sufferfest for 8 hours. It'll be great fun.


Found it! Here's the link...

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=1559989075188#!/group.php?gid=121597067889187&v=wall&ref=ts

Wonkagirl

I'm sold! thanks gohard, have sent him a message on facebook just now

cheers.;)

Causeway

Wonkagirl wrote: »

I'm sold! thanks gohard, have sent him a message on facebook just now

cheers.;)

Haven't received anything. You can email me on ivan6068 at aol dot com

Fi H

wow...theres service for ya
Ivan will you be looking for volunteers to help out over the weekend? if i cant find a slow ass like myself to do it i might pop up if you need help instead!

Causeway

Fi H wrote: »

wow...theres service for ya
Ivan will you be looking for volunteers to help out over the weekend? if i cant find a slow ass like myself to do it i might pop up if you need help instead!

Would rather see you racing but if you can't get a team mate then by all means it would be great to have your help.

Causeway

Full weekend spent out on the route, it's all coming together nicely. All we need now is some teams, so will boards.ie have a team, Wonkagirl never did get that message on facebook, any questions stick them up here and I'll do my best to answer.

Wonkagirl

jsut emailed you there

i'm definitely interested in a boards team if anyone else is.

how many per team?

Fi H

from what i can see its 2 or 4 person team!

Fi H

Hi Ivan
I am wondering when/if you guys will be putting up more info on the course. I know a couple of people interested but as we are new to adventure racing are waiting to see info on distances etc before deciding to enter. Is it going to be put up or is it a surprise I knwo some races dont tell until the day
Cheers

Causeway

Wonkagirl wrote: »

jsut emailed you there

i'm definitely interested in a boards team if anyone else is.

how many per team?

2 person or 4 person teams.

Fi H wrote: »

Hi Ivan
I am wondering when/if you guys will be putting up more info on the course. I know a couple of people interested but as we are new to adventure racing are waiting to see info on distances etc before deciding to enter. Is it going to be put up or is it a surprise I knwo some races dont tell until the day
Cheers

Fi not so much a surprise, knowing the distance is grand when it come to your GF/Roar and WAR type events were a route is planned and you race from start to finish, this route bar a few tweaks here and there remains the same each year. Other races such as the Cooley Raid/CuCuhulainn Challenge, Beast and the CCAR series change each year/race, this adds to the adventure of the whole thing. Most of these races also allow you to shortcut sections or include bonus sections/checkpoints.

As a rough guide below is what last years Challenge event was like. It had a total of 81km, not that much more than the GF but you do need to keep in mind that it's not road biking and the kayak was longer. If you only did the compulsory route it was much less than the GF.

We will be putting more details about the route up onto the site but not until we've tested out all the sections, one thing you won't see until the day is the maps.

Below is the 2009 event details.

[*]Approximate distances for the compulsory route.
[*]25.5km bike
[*]12.5km run/trek
[*]7.5km kayak
[*]45.5km Total

Remember sections of the course will be bonus loops or checkpoints, these may be cut out meaning that all teams should be able to finish the course, they will also have cut-off times and if any team doesn't reach them before the cut-off they won't be allowed to do them.

[*]The approximate distance for the bonus sections.
[*]18.5km bike
[*]8km run/trek
[*]9km bike
[*]35.5km Bonus Total

Grand total of 81km. With the breakdown as below.

[*]0.5km run
[*]7.5km kayak
[*]8km bike
[*]6km run/trek
[*]6.5km bike
[*]6km run/trek
[*]18.5km bike bonus
[*]8km run/trek bonus
[*]11km bike
[*]9km bike bonus

Fi H

cheers for that

jeffontour

Had the Camp 95 harness recommended to me as the harness of choice for AR due to it's light weight. Anyone know of any Irish retailers, real world or online, stocking it?

I'm also on the lookout for a multi sport helmet, my own bike helmet is ancient and cracked so probably time to upgrade before I regret it! Any recommendations?

Dunebuggy

jeffontour wrote: »

Had the Camp 95 harness recommended to me as the harness of choice for AR due to it's light weight. Anyone know of any Irish retailers, real world or online, stocking it?

I'm also on the lookout for a multi sport helmet, my own bike helmet is ancient and cracked so probably time to upgrade before I regret it! Any recommendations?

Campsaver.com for the harness -