Ultra Connemarathon 2013
Before immigrating in Ireland, i was searching on the internet about local ultra races and when i see the Connemara ultra site, i remember the blog of Andrea Rigo in Italy. He ran this race with his friend Matteo Grassi and the main picture on his blog remained during many months as the one taken in Connemara. Then I tried to get friends from Torino to join but many reasons made them stay home… It will be a training race few weeks after Rome Marathon, and preparing for the 100 km of the Passatore, from Florence to Faenza in Italy. Ultra connemarathon 2013 will be my first ultra in Ireland.
The bus to the start
The morning I meet John Cronin, my club mate, on the way to the cathedral where we are going to take the bus. We will take the early bus at 7 am this Saturday morning. Few bus will bring the two hundred ultra-runners along the Connemara roads. The bus trip is fast as we spend time to speak about ultra races, mountains… After a 42km drive we arrive in Maam Cross we meet my work colleague Ivan. He introduces us to his friend Mark from Cork. Ultra runners are a small world within the Athletics family! We finish to relax listening to the race organizer giving his race briefing. It is simple, take right, then right and right in Leenaun and right on the bridge to come back to Maam cross where there will be the finish.
We take another bus to go to the start few kilometers before the finish line. In 60 km it will be more difficult to run the last 3 km! The day is dry but cold. I have a t shirt, the club Galway City Harriers singlet, wind jacket, buff, hat, gloves… The crowd is important at the start of this ultra. It is one of the most run in Ireland. we are roughly 200 runners in the middle of the Connemara bogs. 2 other race happen later this day:
– Marathon with a start 21km further 1:30 later
– Half marathon (with 2000people) further 21km, 3h after us.
With my speed I will be behind these 2 groups. Ivan told me we should try to run in less than 3 hours the marathon to avoid the crowd, but i prefer to start slower and be more conservative. It is the first time I run this race and the last 21 km are hilly and challenging.
The race
The line is setup in the middle of nowhere and the small pack of runner is not rushing to be on the front. A guy on a push chair is on the front and with Ivan we follow.
We start the ultra connemarathon 2013. Three or four runners start stronger. I try to keep the good speed, i plan to run in 1:35 every half marathon. Ivan stays with me even if during these last weeks he could not train. We can discuss and we don’t know really the position, but we don’t pass or get passed.
I have my new long tights with two large pockets for the five gels, I plan to take one every ten kilometer. I take my first gel at mile six just before the first aid station and drink some water on top.
On the first right turn, we get overtaken by a runner wearing Uarash sandals. We let him go. This time the wind blows against us and it is good to run in 2 to get protection. I keep the speed, but feels that Ivan start to have difficulties to keep up with the rhythm. We are along a nice lake and i tell Ivan that it is a beautiful place. As an answer I just get huuhuu… It is the end of our common race…
Just before the half marathon mark I start my lonely run. It is 1:33 when i cross the marathon start line. The marathon runners are are all gone, they started three minutes earlier.
The second half marathon
I start to overtake the last marathon runners quickly. The road is large enough and i just try to keep covered from the wind when i can and keep my speed. I see the guy with the sandals and keep reducing the gap. Sometime i see some Italian runners who came to salute Matteo Grassi’s memory. Matteo passed away few weeks before.
I keep the speed and continue with my gels every ten kilometer. The stomach, the legs, the feet are all OK after thirty kilometer. I overtake one of the ultra runner who certainly decided to cross the first half marathon line before 1:30 to avoid overtaking… Then I reach the guy with the sandals. He accelerates when he sees me. We have five hundred meters downhill, I accelerate to see and he follows. Sandals have no cushioning and he will pay later this downhill. When the road is going up i let him go and pickup back my speed.
The marathon runners start to have the same speed and we turn right again to run down to Leenaun. The wind this time in the fjord is blowing very strong against us. I prefer to slow down and keep protected by runners from the marathon in front of me. The race will start on the last thirteen miles. The guy in his sandals is only fifty meters away. Just before Leenaun i pickup a faster group and we cross the marathon line in 3:06′. The first two half marathons have been perfectly controlled and at the same pace.
Let the race begin!
At the aid station I take my fourth gel and i flush it with water. The group dissolve and we turn right. It starts to climb very steep. We see already the last runners of the half marathon struggling with this hill. They started 6 minutes before us. 2000 runners are filling this very narrow road of Connemara.
I don’t see sandal man neither the marathon runners who were in the group. I try to overtake wherever i can but get stuck behind the crowd. It will be complicated. I then start to keep the left of the road shouting “left” “left”. Most of the runner let me through, but some struggle or have MP3 players and don’t ear me. Sometime it is very close and I risk to fell or need to run in the grass. It is not comfortable at all but i forget the race and the steep hill and try to find my way through. Slowly the road start to be flat again but I cannot accelerate because of the crowd.
Then a motorbike and a car from the organizer get through and ask the runners to stay on the left side of the road and tell me to run on the right. Thanks a lot for that, I feel like Moses and I finally get a free road in front of me. I accelerate and I can see it after the race on my speed. I feel good and every small hill is passed comfortably. Now I know the rest of the road because I ran it few weeks before the race. It is important to recognize the finish of a race if you can.
The finish
I take my last gel, at kilometer fifty, but my stomach has problems to take it. I need to reduce speed for few km. We then turn right over the bridge to head back to Maam cross. It start gently then the biggest hill stays here in front of us. This is the most famous part of the ultra connemarathon 2013. The wind blows against us and I try to keep a steady pace.
Helen is waiting for me with her bike half way to the top and get difficulties to keep the speed. I continue to overtake some runners but the road is not full any more. At the top, I start to accelerate, the race is nearly over and roughly 3 km are missing.
My friends from the club (Galway City Harriers) are here to cheer up, thanks to them.
I finish the ultra connemarathon 2013 in 4:40′ in a good fourth place only few minutes behind the third. I ran a perfect constant race and my last split was the faster of all ultra runners.
Celebration
My training for the 100km Passatore is proceeding very well.
I wait for my friends to arrive. Ivan finished very slowly and was passed by John. We don’t wait too much and drive back to Galway. We meet with John in the nice Oslo pub in Salthill to enjoy a nice burger and few pints! It was a great place for the post race celebration.