The Race 2015

Dory Dory

Based on twitter feeds, sounds like Eddie's on the last section of the marathon, in third place. First woman has just started marathon...and, twitter said no females have dropped out of the race.

Dory Dory

Eddie across finish line at 10pm!!! Third home. Incredible. Very well done!

Bambaata

Thanks a mil all. I never experienced pain like that!! Was in a bad way for a good 8 hrs! For a good two hours I wasn't finishing but managed to bull on! Never experienced conditions like that! Wind and rain were craz. I almost came off the bike about 20 times!

Dory Dory

We've less than 2 hours to go....the tracking on the website is basically worthless so I'm mainly using a combination of facebook and twitter to keep a lookout for our girl. I'm guessing she's nearing the end. !!!!

Oryx

Im done. So hard I could cry. Head or cross winds all the way. Pouring rain. I have seen hell, its in Donegal. One girl did get pulled out with severe hypothermia. Having my friends there saved me from that, but still got hauled in an ambulance for a bit.

Podge83

Super effort Kate . Wex is proud. I was on the bike yesterday and can only imagine what conditions must have been like up there for you all.

I know I couldn't have done it without laying down in the I road and crying like a baby.

ultraman1

Well done Kate and edidie,,,

pointer28

Super job Kate and Eddie !

Oryx

Super job Eddie. But I got more value for money... doing the whole 24hr

pointer28

1) Did you get finish in 3rd? The website is brutal at updates.

2) Why/How are you still awake?

Oryx

He did place 3rd.

Am awake cos I hurt.

career move

Oryx wrote: »

Am awake cos I hurt.

Pain is temporary. Finishing The Race in brutal conditions is forever

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Well done Kate & Ed, super effort.

Kurt Godel

Sounds like hell weather wise, well done to you both.

RacoonQueen

Oryx wrote: »

Im done. So hard I could cry. Head or cross winds all the way. Pouring rain. I have seen hell, its in Donegal. One girl did get pulled out with severe hypothermia. Having my friends there saved me from that, but still got hauled in an ambulance for a bit.

So, you're doing it again next year?

Oryx

RacoonQueen wrote: »

So, you're doing it again next year?

The common theme among competitors today was 'never again'. Even the winner said it.

So no. Never again.

BeBetter

Oryx wrote: »

The common theme among competitors today was 'never again'. Even the winner said it.

So no. Never again.

That's exactly what all the guys said last year, me included, and a lot of them returned this year, and I'm in again next year. You learn a lot about yourself when you push through that level of misery. I found after the race for a few weeks my mood was all over the place, like some form of PTSD!!! But with time passing, as tends to happen with these things, the bitterness turns to nostalgia!! So basically what I'm saying is that I'll probably see you on the start line next year even if you don't realise it yet But huge congrats for those that finished and hard luck to those that didn't. Whether you finished or not you still had to go through hell.

Donegal only seems to have one weather at that time of year, same conditions last year except a bit colder earlier in the day. Basically the worst condition you could imagine for being on a bicycle. Last year I lost the use of both hands up as far as the elbow on the second cycle. They were frozen solid. Couldn't brake or change gears with my left hand, could only use two fingers on my right hand to pull the brakes. Hadn't a hope of being able to use my hands to eat so I literally freewheeled into the last transition and almost fell off the bike. Warmed up, change of clothes, ate and off out on the marathon. That's The Race!

Dilbert75

Apparently UTV Ireland will be looking at The Race at 6:30pm today...

Oryx

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Apparently UTV Ireland will be looking at The Race at 6:30pm today...

Utv NI maybe. Dont see it on the planner. Edit: maybe on ireland live

Dilbert75

Yep on shortly. Prob won't be much though.

Señor Fancy Pants

A huge Well Done folks!

I'm glad I couldn't do it this year, it looked brutal!

You should be very proud of yourselves! Fcuking lunatics!

Peterx

From Heather Irvines "The Race" report for 2016

http://www.redbull.com/ie/en/adventure/stories/1331781565198/the-race-why-this-is-ireland-s-toughest-race?wtk=shared.Ireland.Sports.RedBullcom%20Adventure.FBPAGE.28512.Yes%20-%20Dark%20Post.398104569&linkId=22346556

"Entry costs €600 and includes two nights’ accommodation at Gartan, dinner before the race and breakfast before and after the race.
- 150 entries are available for The Race and they do sellout. This year just 86 of those 150 took to the start line and only 68 made it to the finish line"

That's a massive DNS percentage - 43% of 150 people who shelled out €600 didn't make the startline.
It does look a very tough event. 15km of kayaking with occasional hailstones would be nasty enough.

Bambaata

Id say there are a lot of guys that sign up after a few pints and then realise what is ahead of them, others probably get injured through the months before and there have been a few that just didnt toe the line on the morning of the race.

It might not be on par with the epic multi-day events some around here do but as a 1-dayer its certainly a test. I've now marshalled it twice and done it once so have seen every angle of the course. The weather this year started hard with a northerly wind which really slowed the kayak section. Soon into the first bike though the wind helped things but the effects of the very cold and slow kayak would have already taken their toll on a lot of people. A lot got their gear choice wrong for the kayak so a lot didn’t make the Muckish cut-off time but from there i believe only 1 athlete didn't make it through to the finish.

Its an amazing part of the country and if I can get back running in the coming months ill definitely be toeing the line again. They had the most beautiful starry night to finish this year (with some showers of hail etc) and to say i was jealous was an understatement - heres a small taster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfx4-NfZZUk

Enduro

Peterx wrote: »

It does look a very tough event.

Not really, and certainly not as tough as they prattle on about.

Bambaata

Close thread, enduro has spoken ;-)

sconhome

It looks tough but the conditions it has been run in are probably the worst part of it.

Its a race that is just within the reach of box ticking and I think, sorry observe, lots of people planning on doing this, registering and then realising the enormity of the challenge to be race fit rather than just getting through it they bail.

joey100

@ Enduro, I'd be curious about why you don't think it's that tough? Anyone I know who has done it has said they were surprised at how tough it was.

Peterx

Enduro wrote: »

Not really, and certainly not as tough as they prattle on about.

Enduro, you are a sample size of 1 person.

In a sample of 150 people (the entrants) 43% disagreed with with your opinion this year, after shelling out €600. (not the 57% I said earlier, my mistake)

A further 20% of starters also DNF'd.

For those people, it certainly is a tough event. It does look tough, it is listed in a list of tough events.

You might not agree but that's just the way it is, much like one day multi-sport races in Ireland calling themselves Adventure Races (with capital letters)

Enduro

joey100 wrote: »

@ Enduro, I'd be curious about why you don't think it's that tough? Anyone I know who has done it has said they were surprised at how tough it was.

(1) It's not that long overall
(2) the kayaking is quite short (but not ridiculously so)
(3) Kayaking designed for lowest common denominator. Can't bring own kayak (but can bring own bike... organisers totally inconsistant there)
(3) The cycling is all on road. No bike skills required. Just simple endurance
(4) No navigation required. Fixed route, known in advance, which can be recced.
(5) No section is particularly long in itself, and breaking it up into alternating disciplines makes it easier (i.e. in general it is easier to mix up disciplines in any given timeframe than to do a single discipline continuously over the same timeframe)
(6) It really is not that long. No sleep deprivation issues etc.

Anyone capable of participating in a (real) adventure race should breeze through a race like this. Anyone capable of finishing an IM should breeze through this by doing a couple of hours of kayak training, and incorporating off road running into their trainging routine.

Enduro

sconhome wrote: »

Its a race that is just within the reach of box ticking and I think, sorry observe, lots of people planning on doing this, registering and then realising the enormity of the challenge to be race fit rather than just getting through it they bail.

I think you've nailed it with the "box ticking". It probably does look tough to the box tickers!