I’ve never felt so guilty about having a race entry.
Back in October, the Art O’Neill Challenge started to sell race places. The Challenge itself consists of 55km of terrain, 25km on road and 30km deep within the Wicklow Mountains. What makes it all the more difficult is that it starts in the middle of the night, in the depths of Irish winter.
The line of Art O’Neill participants in 2011.
Despite it sounding a total torture fest, people rave about the Art O’Neill. So much so that last time over five hundred people entered the challenge. The vast majority hiked the route, taking between 12 and 17 hours to complete it. A few brave souls ran it, with the record now standing at 6 hours 45 minutes.
With last year’s popularity, I thought there must be something to it. So, when the Art O’Neill opened for business, I logged on and registered. It was quick and simple. And I thought nothing much more of it. All I needed to do now was a bit of training and a few recces.
