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DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) I’ve mentioned before about how marathons just aren’t cutting it for the serious folk any more. It’s all about ultras and ironmen and multi-day events. Not only are these events filling up, they’re filling in record times. The Ultra Trail Tour du Mont Blanc took months to fill in 2006, 8 hours in 2007 and 5 minutes in 2008. The Marathon des Sables places for 2009 (UK and Ireland allocation) sold out in about 4 minutes. The Western States 100 gets over 1200 entrants for a race with only 357 places. Pretty soon you’ll have to organise your own ultra to be guaranteed a place.
Which is exactly what one of our Wednesday Night gang is doing. Eoin Ryan (he did a static ironman in Dublin last October) has created his own ultra distance challenge. He’s calling it the Ultramarathon Triangle and it’s based around the usual multi-day event concept of 6 and a half marathons over a week, but he’s based this around the Grand and Royal Canals. He’ll start with the Grand Canal in Dublin (40k) on day 1, then 55k to Bury Bridge Tullamore on day 2, 36k to the Shannon on day 3. Day 4 is the Royal Canal, a whopping 82k to the Meath/ Westmeath border. Trip to Leixlip on day 5 will involve 42k which brings him to the final 20k to Dublin on day 6.
He’s running in aid of Children’s Hospital Crumlin and a charity looking after the poor in Argentina. Eoin kicks off on June 19th! Best of luck!
UPDATE: He’s gotta website: Irish Ultrarunner.
-Aisling-
Image of Grand Canal from Dublin Tourist site.
Latest Comments (3):
eeeh wow thats some loop!!!!
Isn’t it? Anyone with the mental capacity to do a static ironman (never mind a regular one) has to be built of incredible stuff though….
Sounds great. Might be worth checking with Waterways Ireland @ 6472557 before setting off just in case any of the towpath sections are closed ! You might have checked already but worth mentioning as i was caught out doing a similar run on the royal canal last year.
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