2013 Art O'Neill Challenge

Enduro

Great reading there. That filled in a few gaps in my knowledge of what was going on during the race! It sounds like you had a really good race.

By the way, I reckon your routing decision at the forest corner was the correct one, given your knowledge of the area. Pushing through unknown forest is generally a no-no, unless you know for sure its definitely easily do-able. And that forest there is very thick. Probably a "crawling on hands and knees / stomach" job (That would be fun on a cold wet night!). I took the route you did for the first 2 years I did the AON. It's a crappy enough climb up alright, but its not very far, and its a known quantity, bringing you onto the fastest route to the road.

Outside

Thanks Enduro, a great experience in which I learned a lot about myself! Thats what it's all about really!

During one of our recce's we hit the corner of the forest easily (daytime of course) and broke through the forest to the lower fireroad. As you mentioned, it's pretty hairy trying to push through and find the fireroad, it's only ~100m but it's a long 100m getting your eyes nearly taken out pushing past all the branches. Just on the night it seemed more straight forward on the map to find the proper entrance (never having recce'd that route). If I was doing it again, I'd grin and bear it to break through the forest. Or you could let us in on your route Enduro?!

nerraw1111

Nice report, fair play for maintaining that pace and effort.

I fluked the forest entrance on the night. Stayed up high, east of the river until we hit the edge of the forest.
Walked up about 20 metres and there was the entrance to the fire road! Lucky in that I wasn’t sure if we were above or below the entrance.

Nearly undid that lucky chance by turning right when we got to the road instead of left.

AON2013

Gasherbraun wrote: »

Firstly a belated thanks for a great well organised event.

I see you say ''see you next year'' but was just wondering (as are others I am sure) what the chances are of an event for walkers next year assuming it is not too soon to have an idea. I think I read somewhere that it may end up as just an ultra run in 2014 so is this how you envisage the 2014 AON? Just curious really since I dont want to start looking forward to the organised event if it is really not likely to happen.

Apologies for sticking a walking related question in here....it just seems the only forum that is appropriate

Hi Gasherbraun,

I forgot to reply to this....it is a bit early to say what exact format the event will take next year but it will be on. I'd love to see a section for walkers remain but that decision hasn't been made yet. It may also depend on other external factors so we will all just have to wait and see.

opus

Any info yet if this is going to be run again next Jan? Did the ultra version with a friend this year & we were hoping to go back and see if we could knock a bit off our time.

Micilin Muc

From the AON Facebook page on September 1st:

Hello out there!
People are starting to wonder when registration will open for AON2014 and we are currently in talks with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to see if they will give us a permit. As soon as we know we will spread the news on FB and the website.

Happy Trails,

Declan

Micilin Muc

Update on the Facebook page today:

I have been in repeated contact with the National Parks & Wildlife Service in relation to a permit for January 2014 but they have yet to come back with a decision. I will post here and update the website as soon as I know so keep an eye out.

Proposed date for next year's challenge is for a start on Friday, January 10th...at midnight as usual so you'll be busy on the 11th too!

Aislingtherese

Hey Declan - any news on when registration for AON 2014 will open?

Rogue Runner

Aislingtherese wrote: »

Hey Declan - any news on when registration for AON 2014 will open?

see post above

Aislingtherese

Yeah, I saw that thanks, but it was 2 weeks ago. Just enquiring as to whether there is any update, that's all.

Rogue Runner

If there are any developments they'll no doubt be posted on the Facebook Page.

Diesel

Some of us who still have choice, choose not to be on facebook.

Please keep that in mind and post here as well as web/fb .. thanks.

Also, in spirit of AON.... if OPW don't come back.... lets do it anyhow !

Bet Art never asked permission to jailbreak !!
;-)

rgds

Micilin Muc

Latest update from the Facebook site:

The moment we all have been waiting for has arrived....just got word from the National Parks & Wildlife Service that Art O'Neill will be making another break for freedom on January 10th, 2014! I will post here to give details of when places will become available. Yippee!

nerraw1111

Sweet!

Enduro

Well that's great news! Once more into the breach, once more!

opus

Hmmm mixture of excitement & worry as I'd already committed to running it with a friend if it was on. Guess will have to take it a bit easy on the chocs over xmas

jfk247

mixture of excitement and nerves...any idea of when the registration will open up? i can only imagine the rush once it does!!!

DogSlySmile

How have they done it in the past? Did they announce that entries will open on a certain date, or did they just announce that entry is now open?

nerraw1111

They announced when entries open a few days prior last year.

opus

Not sure I should be publicising this given the shortage of places but anyway I spotted this posted on the FB page:

We hope to have registration opening very soon so fingers on your buzzers and apologies in advance for the unavoidable lottery.

Sign up will be via the link on the AoN webpage - http://www.artoneillchallenge.ie/registration.html

nerraw1111

Ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Registration will open this week and we will give a couple of days notice before it opens to make it as fair as possible

AON2014

Hello all,

Just so you're totally up to date there is a new thread called Art O'Neill 2014 where the most up to date postings about the event will be posted. Registration is being sorted as we speak so watch here on the Art O'Neill site and Facebook page for the advance notice of when it will become live.

Cheers,

AON2014

Gravale

Art O'Neill 2014

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057042596&page=2

AON2014

In the interest of fairness and not spoiling anyones weekend registration for places for the 2014 Art O'Neill will open on Monday, November 18th at 8.30pm in the evening.

Good luck.

Bugsy2000

Let the scramble begin!

A few of us recce'd the section from CP1 to CP2 yesterday. Brilliant day out. It pissed rain all the way from Galway & once we got to Lucan it cleared & didn't rain for the day. Lovely up there. Very poor visibility up high but that's perfect for training for the AON.

This was the first time any of us had done serious off trail navigating. We had the maps with grid points marked along the way we wanted to hit, compass & an App on the phone that gave your Grid Ref location as back up.

From Black Hill up through Billy Byrnes Gap we felt we were fairly on track and then through the clouds this huge mountain appeared, just as we felt we should be heading downhill. A little bit of panic before the clouds magically cleared (in the space of 30 secs) & we could see for miles. We were more or less bang on & could see the gap in the forest that leads to Ballinagee Bridge. It was a confidence boost & we were fairly happy after that regardless whether we could see far or not.

It was an eye opener though. The crags & crevices that just appear from nowhere would make you think it would be lethal to try & run this at night.

Two things I learned yesterday;

You can have the maps & the Apps but you still need to be able to read your surroundings & react to them.

Second, I'm glad we're not heading back from CP2 to Black Hill. That was some endless slog heading back to CP1.

Good luck with the entries everyone.

AON2014

Registration will go live very soon(8.30pm that's evening time just so you know!). With all the activity the site will probably be slow to respond so be patient. Please fill out all the details on the form accurately especially Race Category & contact details. Only one entry per person as this is the fairest way to do it with only 200 spots available. And, as Harvey Norman says….when the 200 spots are gone, they're really gone….Best of luck.

Fianna Fowl

these things happen.

from facebook.

"Sincere apologies but due to unprecedented traffic levels on the Art O'Neill website the registration page is not working. None of the places have been sold and we will post here about how we intend to avoid the traffic issue shortly. REGISTRATION WILL NOT BE GOING LIVE TONIGHT so you can go to sleep knowing that you won't be missing out. Once again sincere apologies for this inconvenience."

AON2014

Art O’Neill Revised Registration Process

Due to the unprecedented demand for such a limited amount of places for the 2014 Art O’Neill Challenge we have decided to change the registration process to a lottery for places. We feel this is the fairest way for all interested parties to be in with a chance of a spot. Anyone who would like to take part email the following address but follow the directions below exactly.

Only emails received between 9pm, Tuesday, November 19th to midnight will be in with a chance.

All emails of interested parties are to be sent to art.oneill@mail.com

Any mails looking for places to the info@artoneillchallenge.ie will NOT be considered for the lottery.

The Subject Line must contain your intended Race Category ie Ultra, Hybrid or Walker.

Message Body must contain the following information only:
• Full Name(of the person who will be using the place)
• Guided or Unguided – please specify
• Mobile number

Note: Mails containing other unspecified information and/or any mails received outside of the allotted time above will not be considered and will be deleted without being read.
200 lucky participants will be selected at random from all the eligible mails received. The resulting list of would-be participants will be contacted next week via email with details of how to secure their place. Any offered place is only for the person specified in the message body and it will not be possible to transfer any places.

Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you.
AON Team

911sc

I am uterly dissapointed and disgusted.
Just got up to find out registration for lottery was last night, and only 30minutes notice was given to opening of registration window.
Never seen such a shambolic registration:mad:

Aislingtherese

I don't understand the logic here at all.

You give people at least 3 days notice of when registration will open.

It doesn't open. Due to technical problems, fair enough.

Then you give people no notice at all and open up a lottery. So all of us who had assumed that you would give some notice and went off to get on with our lives last night missed out on this.

No logic at all with the follow through on this.