Connemara Half Marathon
Sunday 7th April 2013
My first time to Connemara and my first road trip with 16 of my new running buddies from DSD AC. A weekend which tested our social and personal skills as much as our running abilities over the half marathon course. The logistics of this event for the organizers and clubs like ourselves requires enormous planning and a committed personal investment. A lot of the planning and guess work had been ironed out for our group months in advance by our coach, team leader and schedule planner extraordinaire Declan Ryan including the pasta party the night before which was full of humour and horror stories of the devils mother and the hell of the west which eagerly awaited us.
“It’s like childbirth, you forget how hard it is,” joked my team mate Pauline Robertson (46) who ran a really impressive time of 1:41 on this her second attempt.
After being bussed out to the starting point in Leenane with only one road home, this run is not for the half hearted or the unprepared. Just over 24 hours after we left Dublin in convoy, we were lining up to run our own race, starting with a killer hill within the first few minutes and continuing on for about a mile. Cold but dry and windy weather conditions and water stations every three miles or so were a god send and support even in such remoteness was outstanding. Miles two to nine passed by quite smoothly as some of the ultra runners started to catch up with us, and then hell itself appeared from miles nine to eleven. Walk and run for many of us was the only way up and over this immovable obstacle. “Don’t forget to look up and enjoy the view,” was the advice from our race director Ray O’Connor as the payback for all the pain finally came in the last two miles downhill with clear views of the finish area and the sounds of the tannoy.
“Running with the club has made a huge difference to my running,” said another team mate Marcella Flood (45) who joined DSD only last year and came home in a very strong time of 1:57 on her Connemara debut.
A well deserved medal and finishers t-shirt, followed by soup and sandwiches are part of the deal and although a little pricey at €70 per head, the experience is well worth it. If you plan on doing this event for the first time, be prepared. Read the information carefully, chat to people who have already done it and give yourself plenty of time to relax and enjoy such an awesome achievement. A really tough event, respect to all who took part. Hard is the new black for this season me thinks!
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