Ultra Marathon #3: Sli Gealthacht na Mhurcai Ultra

Originally scheduled for the 3rd of March 2018 the second edition of the SGUM simply could not contend with "The Beast From the East" and was re-scheduled to the 17th of March, St. Patrick's day.

What drew me to this race was the fact that the route follows 71km of "The Breffini Beara Way". The Beara Way is one of Ireland's most famous trails and it winds its way across some challenging terrain in terms of mountains, forests and bogs.

The morning of the race as I lay in bed waiting for my alarm clock to ring. At 04:45am it finally does and I get into the clothes I prepared the night before. Rosa is with me and we both eat a similar breakfast - banana, a healthy bowl of muesli with yogurt. We then jumped into the car where all my extra gear was waiting as I had prepared everything I needed the evening before. My gear consists of:

Drop Bag 1:

Which has chocolate, baby food, coke, a fresh - buff, socks and runners. I won't see bag 1 until checkpoint 2 which is 29 km into the route, I plan on running straight past Checkpoint 1 as its only 16 km into the race and I should be still in good shape.

Drop Bag 2:

It’s packed with jellies, baby food, coke, a tin of beans and a spoon (protein & carbs) and a fresh pair of socks. Bag 2 will be waiting for me at Checkpoint 3. I'm really looking forward to Checkpoint 3 which is at 54 km as I believe if I can get to here in good shape I can crack on and test myself for the last 20km.

Bag 3:

Is to remain in the car for after the race. Bag 3 has a towel and a change of clothes for after the race.

I drive to Millstreet with my self-compiled playlist "Enter the Zone" blaring. Upon arrival I immediately eat some more muesli. I do the necessary sign in, gear check and GPS tracker setup as part of registration. With time to spare I visit my car and eat some Cacao bars before making my last pit stop to the toilet.

We take a bus to the starting line. This bit’s though as I feel nauseous as the road is full of twists and turns. Approximately 50 runner's are taking part and as soon as the bus stops everyone filters off and begins their final pre- race rituals. The race instructions are announced and without any excitement or drama the race starts.

The field of runners gets going and each contestant tries to find their perfect rhythm that will take them the distance. I lag towards the back a small bit, I like to ease into these long runs and be silent. I tend to think of the first 10 to 15 km as a warm up, I compartmentalize each segment of the route in my mind as to focus on the race in its entirety can be daunting. The mantra I will adopt for the day will be:

Run downhill, Jog what's flat and hike what sections are up hill.

I will adhere to this no matter how good or bad I feel. At this moment in the race my mantra is the only way to build confidence and ensure I will have some energy reserves for the latter sections. The majority of Ultra Runners do this or something similar. However, There are always a minority outside the norm, the top 5 percent who just create their own rules of engagement and race it out until the end proper. These guys are a different kind of animal.

The first 15 km of the route takes us through small bits of boggy forest and then up into the hills which are covered in fog, making the trail hard to identify. I rely on a guy in front of me to find my way. Eventually we make our way down out of the fog into beautiful Gougane Barra where the orrotary and lake can be seen as well Checkpoint 1. As I arrive into Checkpoint 1 I feel good and, not messing around, I keep moving. The route from here takes the road back towards Ballygeary where there are some minor hills and steep descents. The route then goes off road into forest and then back onto road. Those of us running together at this point can hear the horns of tractors and trucks beeping in Ballygeary. As we arrive into the town the St. Patrick's Day parade is in full swing and we suddenly become participants as we run down the main street to the bemusement of the local spectators.

At Checkpoint 2, just outside the town, I change my shoes and socks as I expect a fair bit of road and better trails from here to the finish. I scoff down what food I can and load the rest into my bag. I set off slow as my legs feel a bit labored after the first boggy section. I spend a fair length of time hiking just a small bit out in front of Tom, a man whose company I enjoy but if I end up talking too much with now I know I'll pay for it later. However, Tom is fighting his own mental battle as he slipped earlier and does not feel the best as a result. In silence we move across the mountains, fields and roads. Picking up the pace as our bodies slowly shake off the after effects of the bog and we get to grips with the task we have at hand. As it begins to rain we cover up trying desperately not to get cold. A downhill section into Checkpoint 3 raises the spirits as we get to open up the legs and hips and move at speed.

All of a sudden we arrive at Checkpoint 3 and we have completed 54 km of the route. Checkpoint 3 was like a celebration. At this point of the race judging on how you feel you either know you have it in you to finish strong, suffer to the end or call it a day. Thankfully I feel relatively strong. I eat some beans and salty crisps. I change my socks again and load my bag with food and water and set off. I set myself 3 goals:

1. Be back before dark. I have a headlamp in my bag and I do not want to use it.

2. Pass out someone. I knew from talking to the guys at Checkpoint 3 that a group had left not too long before we arrived. Surely someone was running in that group who didn't belong there and would really suffer on the last leg of the race. I wanted to catch that unfortunate person.

3. Get home? Back to the finish line under 10 hours.

With that I began to run, jog and hike like a mad man. The route got confusing and I spent a fair bit of time trying to figure out which way my efforts should be focused. Thankfully Tom was never too far behind and seeing that I was confused from a distance he was able to direct me with a wave of his hiking poles.

As I continued to push on, I entered that phase of an ultra where you feel isolated and enter a state of flow where the task is the only thing on your mind - no outside worries just focus on executing the task that you set out to do. I love when this happens.

I took a look behind and could see no sign of Tom anymore. I knew where I was as I had done a recce of the final 15 km section a month earlier. With the confidence that came with the familiarity I now had with the route I pushed harder. About 10 km to go I see a body moving through the ferns in a white top. Excited at finally getting a glimpse of the carrot I was chasing I pushed even harder while also trying to be careful and not push too hard as to cause an exhausted muscle to tweak. With 7 km left I caught up with the body and I saw it was a man, he's moving at a light pace and I passed him - SWEET.

Automatically I align myself to my next goal. With plenty of daylight I know I'll be back before dark. The last piece is to make it back under 10 hours. I continue to move well, but as I do not wear a watch during Ultra's I am clueless as to what time I may be clocking up. I reach the main road running, jogging and then walking the last kilometer. I cross the road and touch the sign which is the recognized race finish line. No big banners, no big crowds, no music blaring and no fancy medals. This is Ultra running in Ireland. Just a growing community of like-minded outdoor enthusiasts who push themselves to incredible lengths. The finish line is therefore fitting - A sincere clap on the back saying well done.

I find out I finished in 10 h 09 m and I am immediately disappointed but then I see Rosa is here wrapped up at the finish line with a cup of tea, she knows to well that this is the only thing on earth I want after a run.

I congratulate her on running her first Half Marathon today and then ask who won between Ireland and England in the 6 Nations Grand Slam show down. The cold took over and I shivered my way inside happy with that I had completed my third Ultra Marathon.