Gaelforce West: the reek, straight up or follow the path?

Rusty Rothar

I've done gaelforce three times and cant decide on whether its quicker to go straight up the reek/croagh patrick (done this twice) or to follow the path (did this on my first attempt). I'm not a great hill runner, especially descending, but am trying to work on this before this years race. Just want to get a feel for what people think is the quickest route?

woody1

if i was doing it again this year id go up the path and straight down the side at the earliest opportunity..
huge time to be saved going down.. went up and down the zigzag path last year and on the way down people i had left behind further up the mountain had caught up with me by the time i got back to the bike.. of course youl have to practice your descending..

Rusty Rothar

woody1 wrote: »

of course youl have to practice your descending..

that was my big problem from last year, got to the reek about 5 minutes ahead of one guy, but finished 10 minutes after him in westport all because of the reek! cheers, was considering that way up and down, my main issue with going up the path was getting caught behind people, have gone for an early wave this year so that shouldnt be an issue

woody1

went in the first wave last year and that wasnt a problem.. no waiting for kayaks.. first run probably in better condition and less crowded too.. early start though !!

hardCopy

I would go zig-zag unless you're a strong climber.

I tried going straight up the heather in 2011 and it was a disaster. You'll be scrambling up banks that are up to hip height, it's very hard work. I was completely shattered by the top and pretty sure I didn't save any time. I actually had to stop and sit down at one stage, as did several others around me.

I went up the zig-zag route in 2012 and was 12 minutes quicker going up, but I was also a lot fitter so it's not a perfect comparison.

I came down across the heather and found it fine, if a little hard on the back. Just make sure to keep checking your bearings, my eyesight isn't great and I picked a bad line and ended up running about 100-200 metres extra to get to the gate at the end.

nerraw1111

It's not black and white. Depends on the runner. I've always gone straight up. Twice it worked really well, last year I went too far left and lost a fair whack of time.

You'll find in IMRA races that some lads are v strong on the steep stuff but not as quick on the more runnable inclines. One week, you'll be a few places behind someone, the next week, you'll be ahead depending on the climb.

hardCopy

Its well worth a recce if you can get down to Westport. It's a great town to go out in and there's plenty of nice cycling around as well.