UTMB 2013

grahamor

Made the lottery for the CCC, absolutely delighted.

Anyone else from Ireland in one of the 3 races this year ?

jeffontour

Congrats!

There are lots of Irish in. A few who would be seen and heard around these parts for sure. If you select Ireland for country on this page you can see who entered and who has made it through the lottery.

Enduro

Feckers and their obviously unrigged draw. A shower of bas....;)

I think I'll be applying for this instead.. No point in going short to the TDS when I can go long to something different!

Congrats to all who got through, especially Dunebuggy who's like a kid at christmas. The Irish did well. Most got through (even those applying from Italy!), and there are lots of top class runners in the gang that'll be headinig out

*jealous*

jeffontour

Enduro wrote: »

Feckers and their obviously unrigged draw. A shower of bas....;)

Haha, your theory has been shot down along with your hopes of racing!

Enduro wrote: »

I think I'll be applying for this instead.. No point in going short to the TDS when I can go long to something different!

Nice, you will have your Hoka sandals broken in nicely by then.

mithril

Very disappointed not to make it into the CCC. I will probably do the Lakelands 50 instead over the Summer and take Portumna a bit more seriously. It seems a pretty poor alternative at the moment, but I am sure I will enjoy it when the time comes. Good luck to everyone in the UTMB series who made it through. I will be checking on-line over the August week-end for the Irish names

grahamor

Can anyone recommend hills/mountains around the Dublin/Wicklow area that would be good for training ?

I should probably try and join as many IMRA runs as possible from now on Think ill do the Mourne Way ultra again as training too.

Dunebuggy

Was waiting for Enduro to calm down before announcing yes, made it in to the UTMB. Had assumed Enduro would be in making top 30 last year. But apparently he needs to hit the POdium to get that privilege....

SureWhyNot!

grahamor wrote: »

Can anyone recommend hills/mountains around the Dublin/Wicklow area that would be good for training?

All of them... get to know the Wicklow Way like the back of your hand. Get up to the Mournes, but run the mountains up there too. Check out the 7sevens, mourne500 and Circuit of Analog Valley among others.

Also check out the long hikes, Maumturks, Galtees, etc... well worth doing to get the time on your legs. The steepness of the 12Bens are great for teaching the knees what to expect on the long alpine descents.

nerraw1111

mithril wrote: »

Very disappointed not to make it into the CCC. I will probably do the Lakelands 50 instead over the Summer and take Portumna a bit more seriously. It seems a pretty poor alternative at the moment, but I am sure I will enjoy it when the time comes. Good luck to everyone in the UTMB series who made it through. I will be checking on-line over the August week-end for the Irish names

Have you done Lakelands 50? Looks like a great event.

ThisRegard

grahamor wrote: »

Made the lottery for the CCC, absolutely delighted.

Just spotting this thread now, great news.

Oisin11178

grahamor wrote: »

Can anyone recommend hills/mountains around the Dublin/Wicklow area that would be good for training ?

I should probably try and join as many IMRA runs as possible from now on Think ill do the Mourne Way ultra again as training too.

Some training :P

nerraw1111

On another note, this year's elite field is shaping up nicely. Some of the top guys from US like Olson and Krupicka have been added.

grahamor

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Have you done Lakelands 50? Looks like a great event.

I heard it's hardcore

Looking forward to doing the Mourne Way ultra in 6 weeks. Interested to see how the weather and terrain will be compared to last year.

Enduro

I hope the weather will be better for the MWU this year alright, but sure if not it's just training us all to HTFU anyway

I've made my way into the field for the UTMB for this year. Really looking forward to it (again!). It's my #1 target race for the year. Big improvements in preparations for this year's race for me so far, since unlike the last 2 years I haven't broken any bones (yet! :eek:).

MWU is actually perfect training for the UTMB (or any of its sister races).

grahamor

Enduro wrote: »

MWU is actually perfect training for the UTMB (or any of its sister races).

Yep, i agree, that's the main reason why i'm doing it again. It's almost the distance of the CCC but with a bit less elevation

Will you be using trekking poles in the UTMB this year Enduro ? I've got my Z-Poles already which weigh next to nothing. Have heard good things about Leki poles too but found them awkward to adjust .

Enduro

grahamor wrote: »

Will you be using trekking poles in the UTMB this year Enduro ? I've got my Z-Poles already which weigh next to nothing. Have heard good things about Leki poles too but found them awkward to adjust .

I'll definitely be using poles this year. I now think that they're very benificial on those long steep (walking) alpine climbs. I reckon about 90% of runners use them, if not more! I've got a pair of Leki poles which the lads in Basecamp gave to me to try out. I had them adjusted for myself in no time, but they do need to be pretty much the right size for you when you buy them alright. Make sure the poles will fully support your weight, as you could end up using them like crutches later on in the race!

grahamor

Congrats Enduro on your 20th place finish, amazing performance

I came home in just under 24 hours for the CCC. The climbs are never ending and unforgiving but the scenery was breathtaking. Only ate 4 gels and relied on noodle soup, coke, orange pieces and pie instead. No stomach issues just terrible blisters and chafing. I'd definitely wear more cushioned shoes if i do it again.

ThisRegard

Well done grahamor, I'd say it was a great experience.

Enduro

A big well done Graham. Glad to be able to offer congrats to you in person on the way back. Hope you enjoyed the whole experience. Sounds like you took full advantage of the aid stations It was a great year for scenery this year, with the weather being so brilliant.