Team Geared Up

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) Cracking day for a great race! It’s one of my favourites and it’s been 3 years since I ran Ballybraid. We all lined up at the race start, a picturesque spot by a stream and were given really good race direction by Dermott Murphy. I had ran the race route the week before with Paul Nolan and Isabelle Lemee, so wasn’t overly worried about getting around this circuit, one of the Leinster and Irish Championship routes. As soon as we’re off it’s a couple of miles up forest track till we hit open mountain up a tough climb to Mullaghcor. If anyone managed to look around at this spot they would be rewarded with one of the most spectacular views in the entire country! Breathtaking! No time to stop this time though as it’s off away as quick as you can downwards until you head out along the Derrybawn Ridge. This is the most enjoyable part of any race, skipping along on nice soft terrain, no sign of much bog to drag you down, then up and over the various humps till you reach the summit (full of teenagers it was!!)

At this point the speedy leaders, Peter O’ Farrell, Bernard Fortune and visitor Ian Rowbotham were making serious tracks on their way back. Homeward we followed off the ridge to find the little scraping that brings you to Cullentragh, up and over the stile, down along a gentle descent till you hit the stile that brings you onto the forest road. You really feel like you’re nearly home at this stage but there’s a couple of miles (including a little hill!) to get through before you’re home. My legs always ache on those long downward drags and the manoeuvring over an unexpected pile of logs left me scraped and sore!! (Ha ha just to add to my bruises from continually falling off my bike!!)

What a finish, it’s just a beautiful, scenic, picturesque spot and like Paul Nolan said to me the week before: “Every mountain race should finish at a stream”. He’s right you know…. :-)

-Aisling-

Images are from my flickr set, first one is of the winner Peter O’ Farrell, second one is of some of the travelling visitors who made the race really international! Well done also to Kevin Trainer who came 4th in his first Irish mountain race!
Results here.