Toughest race in Ireland

johnnyrotten123

So what's the opinion? What I'm really asking is what is the toughest event in terms of running/mountain biking or just running itself.

The Beast of Ballyhoura is one suggestion, but then again I wouldn't know!

Racing Flat

National Senior Inter-clubs cross country. 12k often on tough, hilly, wet, muddy course. At a ferocious pace if you are up the front. Can't see anything much tougher than that. Of course you could jog around it slowly and it wouldn't be a bother, maybe by toughest you mean toughest course rather than race, if that's the case, I don't know.

shels4ever

The hardest race is always my next race... everything hurts at the moment.....

johnnyrotten123

Racing Flat wrote: »

National Senior Inter-clubs cross country. 12k often on tough, hilly, wet, muddy course. At a ferocious pace if you are up the front. Can't see anything much tougher than that. Of course you could jog around it slowly and it wouldn't be a bother, maybe by toughest you mean toughest course rather than race, if that's the case, I don't know.

Fair enough, but what about for the amateur runner or team who want a real challenge to take on? Just one race/event. Any ideas?

Racing Flat

johnnyrotten123 wrote: »

Fair enough, but what about for the amateur runner or team who want a real challenge to take on? Just one race/event. Any ideas?

Try the National Novice Inter-club cross country championships! Only 6k, but still goes off at a hell of a pace.

shels4ever

If your looking for a race there is the Wicklow Challenge too, over 4 or 3 days, you can make this as hard or as easy you like by running or walking.

@ Racoing Flat what type of standard run in the National Novice Inter-club cross country championships ?

dna_leri

The Warriors Run in Strandhill Co Sligo claims to be one of the toughest:

The Warriors Run takes competitors from the Cannon Gun at the beachfront in Strandhill to the top of Knocknarea, around Queen Maeves Cairn and back to the beachfront again. ...The race is classified as a road and hill race or multi-terrained, so whilst approximately seven of its miles are on paved roads, it is the special three miles in the middle, to the top of Knocknarea that gives the race its bite. These three miles include a 700 foot climb on loose gravel, unsurfaced and grass paths. At its steepest incline on the way up, even the most professional athlete slows to a walk and then brace themselves to face the equally daunting downhill run, back down the often slippery slopes, even in the driest of weather

This year its on August 24, maybe next year I'll work up to it.
See http://www.warriorsfestival.com/ for more.

copacetic

700 feet isn't that much, the likes of Carrauntohill would be ten times tougher or certainly 5 times tougher @ about 3500 feet! Would say as running races go any mountain run is much harder than the vast majority of road or cross country races.

earlyevening

Most of these. www.imra.ie

donothoponpop

^ Specifically, this one. Check out the photos for an idea of the ascent involved.
http://www.imra.ie/?sec1=racedetail&id=503

Racing Flat

shels4ever wrote: »

@ Racoing Flat what type of standard run in the National Novice Inter-club cross country championships ?

Open to everyone, fastest would usually be some young fellow on the way up, could probably run close to 14 dead for a 5k. Up to 200 runners, and 150 or so could probably break 18mins for 5k, but then you'll always get 10-20 club joggers at the back, maybe 25min 5k standard. So you won't be last, but you'll probably be a long way back. But it's a great race, great to see where you're at.

aburke

Racing Flat wrote: »

Open to everyone, fastest would usually be some young fellow on the way up, could probably run close to 14 dead for a 5k. Up to 200 runners, and 150 or so could probably break 18mins for 5k, but then you'll always get 10-20 club joggers at the back, maybe 25min 5k standard. So you won't be last, but you'll probably be a long way back. But it's a great race, great to see where you're at.

Yep, It can be a mixed bag. I was 2nd last a few years ago in Santry, and got lapped by most of the field.
I had a much better effort in Belfast this year, about 20th last! - maybe the muck suited me better :-)

But it IS the top race in the country that's open to everybody. Something pretty special about lining up with Cragg and co.. before they disappear into the distance, not to be seem again until half way around the last lap, when they start to lap me!

Connemara Ultra is a pretty tough race too - As much mental as physical.

Racing Flat

aburke wrote: »

Yep, It can be a mixed bag. I was 2nd last a few years ago in Santry, and got lapped by most of the field.
I had a much better effort in Belfast this year, about 20th last! - maybe the muck suited me better :-)

But it IS the top race in the country that's open to everybody. Something pretty special about lining up with Cragg and co.. before they disappear into the distance, not to be seem again until half way around the last lap, when they start to lap me!

Connemara Ultra is a pretty tough race too - As much mental as physical.

NB, that's the National Senior XC you're talking about...Cragg no longer a Novice

aburke

Racing Flat wrote: »

NB, that's the National Senior XC you're talking about...Cragg no longer a Novice

Ooops.. quoted the wrong quote.

shels4ever

it was always an aim to run in the national CC , maybe the year afte next i'll be fit enough...

T runner

I did the National inter club 12k CC on a muddy enough Sligo Racecourse last year and I can vouch for that one. It gets hard early and thats the easy bit.
The warriors run is also a very tough race and is on a great course as good as any similar distance in the country. Its very tough to force yourself back up to road racing pace after the hill and the hill makes the last 4 miles a lot more painful than a normal 15k/10m. (If youre a road runner who likes a few hills this could be the one for you).
There is a hill race on Knockdu, Co. Antrim which is basically a perverse CC race of 7.6k with 5 horrible steep grass hills (80m height gained and descended each).
Carrauntoohil is very tough. After the main climb there is a horrible strenght sapping ridge involving six mini climbs. Then when youre dying there is the torture of a huge fast descent. Torture if you go fast or slow. And then a fast 1.5 k section where you have to push it and finally a nightmarish steep descent on concrete. (Its a really fantastic, spectacular race though, best views in Ireland) You wont be yourself for a couple of weeks after that said. But I suppose by that criterion any marathon could be tougher although ive never ran one of those yet thanks be to the devil.
Sorry for only going on about hill races, but I do them more than the other types.


All that said I found it the hardest to push all the way in the 12k CC. If id the guts on that day to push it as hard as some of the lassies and lads I saw after that race, Id have to say that one would have been the hardest.

Timmaay

Interesting thread poeple! Its kind of split down the middle between xc nationals and hill running! I'm still not sure which I think is tougher!

Certainly hill running is incredibly physically demanding, anyone who had done a few will tell you the mental barrior you have to go through when racing up hills, with your legs burning and your heart rate through the roof. You're praying for the downhill to come for a bit of a break, but that isn't much of a break, taking massive strides, as fast as you can go! Soon you'll be praying for another uphill just so as you can avoid killing yourself on the downhill:P. Then take races like the Circuit of Glenmacnass, as dono linked to. It is over 2hrs long, and requires you to keep a steady eye out and not loose your way (which I hear lots do, they go the wrong way around lough tay and end up miles away).

But even despite not beening able to say 1/2 as much about national XC races (have done a good few in my time, and have all sort of good and bad races, the bad beeing where I go out at 1500m pace and die later:rolleyes:), there is something very metally demanding about running at a constant pace through a mucky field for 40/50mins. Maybe it is because of the relentlessness of it that gets the better of me, I enjoy the pain, challanges and variety in hill races, whereas XC is a relentless, try and switch off the pain for a solid 40/50mins.

ocnoc

The Wicklow 24hour Rogaine is tougher than the Beast. Although your not running sub 3min/km, your running with kit for 24hours over more than 150km with a couple of thousand meters of climb depending on route across rough mountain terrain...
Or head up north for the Mourne Mountain Marathon. A two day mountain navigation race where you carry all food and kit needed for 48hours. Day one is a staggered start but day two is a mass start.

The CC's/hill runs are nothing on the Rogaine.

buck65

Achill half marathon is a bitch too, although not a patch on hill running I'd imagine, but there are some genuinely challenging parts to the course. At least 4 miles uphill - roads are good, a great race for a novice looking for an extra challenge than a regular half.