It's summer, it's June, and we’re slap bang in the middle of the mountain racing season. As usual IMRA has put on an array of mid-week and weekend races to test speed and skills over a range of distances and terrains. There are titles too to contest for, such as the popular Leinster League, the … Continue reading So many races – But how many to run?
I went along for a fun run out. Hazel had told me how, in the Leinster League, the girls from our orienteering club Setanta had been doing really well in the races. They needed three girls for the team to score: often however, two was all they could muster up. Seeing that I’ve already done … Continue reading Summer Evening Race around Scalp
I only decided to run the race at the last minute. It was either that or stay in the house, eat more chocolate cake, and get even more depressed about the weather. For yet another week, the weather was wet and windy, and thus a Wicklow Round attempt was simply not on. So on Friday … Continue reading Boggy Ballybraid
When it comes to mountain races, I’m a terrible one for complaining. Why do they have to mark nearly all the routes? Why, when the routes aren’t mark, do hardly any racers turn up? Why don’t more people run the IMRA navigational series? Why don’t a lot of Irish mountain runners know how to use … Continue reading Teaching Mountain Navigation
I think the Irish Mountain Running Association (IMRA) Website is fab – it’s got everything: news, forums, links, superb photos, results, information about other runners, facilities to carpool and volunteer for races, a reading room... So much so that I just have to let everyone know about it. Read all about the site here on … Continue reading I love the IMRA Website!
Race registration is one of the most nerve-wrecking moments of running in mountain races. Who is going to turn up to the race? Who will I be battling it out with on the hills? Few girls ever turn up to run the Wicklow Way Ultra: there’s rarely more than three ladies who want to run … Continue reading My Wicklow Way Ultra
The Wicklow Way is a 132 km walking trail that travels south from Dublin, up and over the Wicklow Mountains, before finally finishing up in Clonegal, County Carlow. The Irish Mountain Running Association avails of this trail on a regular basis through a popular series of annual races. First off there’s the Wicklow Trail and … Continue reading Running the Wicklow Way
The clocks go forward this weekend. The days are getting longer. Summer is right around the corner. And, more importantly, it’s a sure sign that the mountain racing season is just about to start! How could you not get excited by it all when you see what’s lying in store. There’s the mountains... And the … Continue reading How could you not get excited?
How do you learn to read a map and use a compass? How do you get good at route choice and cluster order? Who do you ask about fell-running shoes and mountain-running bags? How do you work out what to eat and drink, and how often to do so in different types of races? Courses … Continue reading Mountain Mentors
I had a good year in 2008. I won the IMRA Irish Championship, the Connaught Championship and the Queen of the Mountains. Later, I came first overall in the IMRA Navigational Challenge. With Andrew McCarthy, we retained our 24 hour Irish Rogaine Title in June. In September, together with John MacEnri, we won the Mourne … Continue reading Is it the winning that counts?