StoneMad Ultra July 2013

911sc

Wow, what an event! Were do i start?

First-of-all, a big thank you to Angela, Arthur and all crew involved for having organised such a fantastic event.

Congratulations to all who took part.

Day1: 42kms in full sun, 29degres.
Started in Carlow, reached first water station (only 12kms) soaking wet, it was very very hot along the course. When i reached CP2, i realised that timing had become irrelevant. It was all about looking after your body and stay hydrated.
So, I started to alternate running/walking very early in the race and did that til the end. I think it took me 1h10min more than what i had planned.
The positive of having to walk so much was that the legs/feet were in very good shape pass the finish. Feet were in perfect condition with only a very small blister. To my surprise, my first trip to the gents did not reveal any sign of dehydration:).

I had signed up for the Endurance package, so slept on the floor in Scout hall. Very clean, hot shower available, kitchen upstairs. We have been treated like VIPs by StoneMad chefs, with plenty of good food available at all time.

Day2: 42km, up to Mont Leinster.
It was a pleasure to met Grahamor and Sideswipe in the morning before the race.
Legs were not fatigued which was a good start. They were only 8 of us at the start, of which 4 were new (e.g doing sunday marathon). I think about 14 started on the saturday who had signed up for double marathon. So looks like drop-out number was high.
Having learnt from heat on day1, i proceeded with caution right from the start. I knew this was going to be another tough day. Again, time was going to be irrelevant , as it was all about "survival" and finishing. Watch stayed in my bag.
Got some advice on the saturday evening from an ultra runner: take your time a the CPs, stop few minutes at each and every one of them from the start, drink, eat and go. She did not have to repeat that twice!
Climb to Mont Leinster was steep, tar was melting, but temperature was dropping as we were going up helped by a nice breeze. Fresh air at last!
Descent was very technical and tough on the quads.
Blisters, which started to appear around 16kms mark, now became uncomfortable. Reach CP 28kms at the bottom. At this stage, i was confident I will finish. Back onto country road and hot tarmac, walking the hills, running the flat and downs. I found a way of running which made the blisters more confortable, happy days. Took time to ensure navigation was 100% right, as i did not fancy extra kms. I think a good few people did extra kms. At least 2 went off 5kms and were brought back by car by some locals to the place they vired off.

Finally, reached finish. Feet were sore, legs were sore, but i was over the moon to have completed my first back-to-back marathon, particularly in these tough conditions.

The cherry on the cake was that my name was called out to collect prize for 2nd place...I think Arthur had to repeat it few times, and i guess they must have been only 2 double-marathon finishers then.
Trust me, i am a very average runner and was a small fish amongst the runners who participated in this race. Defo did not get a prize for speed, but for stamina.

Definitely StoneMad event...

pointer28

911sc - Same here with the prize giving, shagged off home after cooling down only to get a message that I'd won the two day HM and left my trophy behind.

Less said about number of finishers the better :-)

I still can't believe I actually won something.

grahamor

I really enjoyed doing the ultra on Sunday. Thankfully the heat was less severe and the course was really nice. Climbing up mt Leinster was tough alright but bombing down the other side made it worthwhile. I ended up running with Hannah Shields almost the whole time and she provided some great advice along the way. We crossed the line in about 6.56.

The amount of checkpoints at the event was excellent.

babalobioddy

Hi, I did the half on day one and really enjoyed the whole experience. yes the weather was hot but there were ample water stops and all competitors were instructed to bring water with them. The course was the most scenic and beautiful that I have ever ran. The run in to the finish was probably the best part as all runners are in full view from both sides of the river. There was also lots of food and a hot shower at the end. all in all im already looking forward to next year. Bring it on !!!!!

911sc

911sc wrote: »

The cherry on the cake was that my name was called out to collect prize for 2nd place. ....Trust me, i am a very average runner and was a small fish amongst the runners who participated in this race. Defo did not get a prize for speed, but for stamina.

Official results have been published... I am 2nd and last...but i finished:rolleyes:

sideswipe

911sc wrote: »

Official results have been published... I am 2nd and last...but i finished:rolleyes:

Hope the legs have recovered? Where are the results listed? Can't see them anywhere.

pointer28

Only on their Facebook page for the moment.

sideswipe

pointer28 wrote: »

Only on their Facebook page for the moment.

Ah Facebook, going to have to get with the times and trade in my bebo account:o

911sc

sideswipe wrote: »

Hope the legs have recovered?

Legs were like 2 wooden sticks on Monday... I had to harness myself onto hand rail to come down the stairs in the morning:rolleyes: Mont Leinster and lack of hill running were the cause i guess. Went for 5km stroll last night, and legs feel ok this morning. Back on track...

Loads of great photos on SMU FB page.