Ireland hits the trail!
The trail running boom continues in Ireland this summer. Not only could the new Wicklow Adventure Race which featured a mountain run of the famous Spink in Glendalough celebrate around 700 entrants (!) but there’s three more off-road running events for the really eager to match themselves against…
Any new race is welcome and two of these races have the notable benefit of taking place over precisely marked 10k and 21.1k courses giving you a chance to enjoy both the classical distances and the trails you love. About the third, well we’ll come to that in a moment…
Columbia Cooley Legends Half-Marathon
Here’s a true classic in the making which should attract runners from both side of the border with its favourable location in the Cooley Mountains. The route takes you from Jenkinstown to Carlingford following the historical way-marked trail “The Tain Way” in the shadow of several of the Cooleys such as Slieve Foy and Carlingford Mountain itself.
With just over 500m* ascent most during the initial six kilometres, there’s enough here to keep serious hill runners interested and the profile resembles a gentler version of the former Wicklow Way Trail route so here may be a chance to relive the memories.
(* It is over 700m according to the website but the corrected GPX file provided shows 507m)
The event takes place this Saturday (24th) and there are still plenty of entries left before the limit of 350 is reached.
Full details of race, route, an excellent FAQ and more on the Cooley Legends Blog.
Kilruddery Midsummers Eve 10k Run
New event organisers AliveOutside have picked the famous Kilruddery Gardens as their venue for this Monday evening 10k and if the advert is anything to go by, there’ll be something to take your mind of the pain:
With a stunning location nestled between the Sugar Loaf Mountain and Dublin Bay, Killruddery House & Gardens is one of Ireland’s best kept secrets. Widely known as the “Gateway to the Garden of Ireland”, Killruddery House is famously where much of the filming for the multi-award winning BBC series The Tudors was set.(AliveOutside.ie)
Trail runners are recommended for this course (always promising) and the course promises to be undulating as you are taken through fields and wooded areas and even a flirt with the rarely run “Baby Sugarloaf” that stares across the N11 to its bigger cousin which serves as the traditional end to every IMRA Leinster League season.
Full course details and much more at AliveOutside.
13 Peak Endurance Run
This event popped out of nowhere when a poster called Lee Stella announced a gruelling 13 peak route starting and finishing at the picturesque Lough Dan. The run will start at 8am on the 26th of June which will be convenient for many as this does not clash with any local IMRA events.
The route passes by the following checkpoints and will require solid navigation skills or good local knowledge: Lough Dan to Scarr – Brown Mountain – Brockagh – Tonelagee – Stoneytop – Barnacullen – Mullaghcleevaun – East Top – Duff Hill – Gravale – Carrigvore -Luggala – Knocknaclogogue – Lough Dan.
All details currently available as well as contact details for the race organizer can be found at IMRA (although note this is not an official IMRA race). The race promises to be partially marked and the event organizer encourages all participants to raise some money for the Irish Hospice Foundation.
