DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - An email arrived this afternoon “We have just launched a nationwide search to find three Irish challengers willing and ready to take part in the Powerade Never Give Up Alpine Marathon Challenge, a thrilling 42K mountain marathon race across The Swiss Alps in July 2009. It might be of interest to your readers, those interested can apply at www.nevergiveup.ie/2009

No excuses. No fear about doing your first marathon at altitude. No running scared from the 42km mix of pain and exhilaration in The Swiss Alps. Pain is what the body uses to fool the mind into giving up. We need three people like you who are ready for the challenge of a lifetime. Over 6 months of specialised training you and the team will be pushed to your limit, and because you Never Give Up, you will make it through the world’s most spectacular Alpine Marathon.

Online entries will be accepted from Nov 7th – Dec 8th 2008. A shortlist of potential challengers will then be drawn up from the overall list of entries. A panel of judges will then select three individual challengers whom they feel are best suited to undertake the Powerade Alpine Marathon Challenge in 2009.

-Robin.

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - Here are this weeks muddy links…

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SEMA Mountain Rescue Vehicle - Subaru Creates Ultimate Off-Road Forester

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Snocator - An iPhone Ski Application with built in GPS Piste Trail tracking.

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A great helmet cam video - Extreme mountain biking (Scotland).

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Kitesurfing over a whale - Telegraph Picture of the day

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Zac Sunderland - 16 year old lone teen sailor is almost halfway around world

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Out.

-Robin

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - This footage was shot above Belfast in Northern Ireland with downhill mountain biker Colin Ross. It’s part of the new Irish film Break The Cycle.

Colin Ross rides Cave hill (short version) from Andy Yoong on Vimeo.

Break the Cycle features the best Irish Downhill Mountain Bike riders. They each have their own unique lives, and different views, but they all have one thing in common - their love for bikes.

From the full time pros, to the medical graduates, air conditioning engineers, apprentice joiners, and personal fitness instructors, their passion for downhill mountain biking has united them all.

Riders include current Irish Downhill Champion Colin Ross, Redbull Rampage and Masters World Champion podium rider Glyn O’Brien, Womens Masters World Championships silver medalist Meave Baxter, Irish Pro Ben Rieid, Irish team members Dan and Gerard Wolfe, 021 Racing riders Tom Power and Greg O’Keefe, and up and coming riders Jamie McCullough, and Ewan Doherty.

-Robin.

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - Irish runner Conor McLaughlin has won the Polar Circle Half Marathon in Greenland. His race report sent to us by email:

I wanted to do a race which would capture people’s attention in order to raise much needed funds for the Irish cancer society. I decided to do the Polar Circle half marathon in Greenland. I seemed to be well run and affordable.

I started training in May. I did a lot of work on the Beach on soft sand to replicate the underfoot conditions of what it would be like to run on snow. I did a lot of long distance swimming as well to prepare for the exposure to the cold.

The race day conditions were perfect and i was fortunate to get a good start on fellow competitors. The first 5km was extremely difficult because we were quite high up on the ice cap and temperatures it down to - 15.The ice cap involved a few hills and snow up to 75 cm thick which was hard to run through.

Once we were off the Ice cap the race began to feel like any other run. There were a few points along the way i thought i would have to stop because of the cold air hitting the back of my throat was tough to cope with, but things worked out well and i was lucky enough to win the half marathon.

Thanks to by sponsors and the Ulster Bank community cash back i was able to raise 860 Euro for the Irish cancer society.

SPONSORS
McLaughlin family Inver
Abbey hotel Donegal town
Hegarty’s shop
All sports Donegal town
Patagonia store Dublin
Great outdoors Dublin
Sean o Donnell motors
Gabriel Breslin
Art Kavanagh
Paul Floyd
Colm Campbell
Anne Marie Sheerin
Henry kee & sons
Malachy byrne
Dave Ainsworth

-Robin.

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - Everyone is busy! Here are some muddy links to keep you ticking over…

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Now this is offroading. Lions Back Moab, Utah.

First Person Perspective Going Down The Lions Back Moab UT. - Watch more amazing videos here

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Mountain Golf Fail. I love this video!

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Order of Malta are recruiting first aiders in Dublin.

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Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team provide info for Mountain Bikers in the area.

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Rockface Rescue. Ever fancy driving a rescue helicopter? Try it in this game!

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Fireproof tents, that pop-up when you need protection from heat.

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Out.

-Robin.

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - It seems to be the week for videos! A list of just some of his victories below should speak for themselves about what he has accomplished..

2 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (2006 and 2007)
6 Cro-Magnons
4 Lybia Desert Marathon
3 Marathon des Sables

Check the trailer out here with subtitles!

Marco Olmo is the best ultra-trail runner in the world. He runs for more than 160 km non-stop, twenty hours of race in the desert of Morocco or on Monte Bianco, at 2500 m. high. On the eighth of October he will be sixty years old.
Marco is a legend between runners and worldwide enthusiasts. He is a symbol of passion, strenght and clean sport.
Born into a peasant family of a little township in Italy, when he was twenty he left the country to work in the town’s cement plant. His fate and life have been marked by this choice: still nowadays, notwistanding his sport successes, he defines himself as a “loser”. We will tell the history of a out of line man and athlete, and that of his town and mountains. We’ll follow him during his preparation trainings for his next (and maybe last) race: the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, the hardest in Europe.

Quote from website making the documentary unpassodopolaltro.it.

-Eoinod-

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) In the wake of Eoin Keith’s demolition of the existing Wicklow Way running record, right at this moment mountain biker Ryan Sherlock is attempting to do the same with the cycling record of the same route. He announced his attempt over on the IMRA forum, and you can follow his progress on Twitter!!

From Eoin Keith:

For the record, the cycling record currently stands at 12:04, and is held collectively by Beth McCluskey, Peter O’Farrell, Paul Mahon and myself. I’ve never heard of anyone else who has managed to cycle the whole WW in one go, and indeed I’ve only heard of one other attempt.
Its good to finally see someone have a good go at taking this record. Its very much there to be broken.
For those hill-runners that don’t know Ryan, he is one of the best mountainbikers in Ireland, and is the current Irish Marathon (long distance) champion. I’m expecting him to set a record that will be extremely hard to beat.

Best of luck Ryan and to Melanie Spath providing support!!

-Aisling-

Image from Rocky2007.

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) Below is the trailer for Dave Macleod’s Echo Wall climb that he succeeded on earlier this year. It follows his preparation and training in the build up to actually finishing off the amazing climb. A review has been posted on ukclimbing of the film.

Images from Dave Macleod

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - Just interesting video on what a day is like when summiting Everest. Crazy to see how many people your sharing the summit with!

-Eoinod-

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - The dates for the IBL have been released. Really glad to see a round in the new Play At Height Wall in Kerry.

DCU, Saturday 11 October.

An Daingean Play at Heights, Saturday 1 November Bouldering, and Sunday 2 November Lead climbing Comp.

Galway (New Climbing Wall) 29 November.

Middelton Saturday 24 January.

DCU Saturday 28 Febuary.

-Robin.

(Image Credit: Monument Boulders, Llangollen. Caroline Harney onsights a V4/5 sitter in Clwyd, by Dave Ayton)

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