Warriors Run 09

T runner

One for the diaries. The 25th Warriors Run is on Saturday 29th August at 3pm.

The recession hasn't hit Strandhill yet as they are offering a top prize of €1000 for both Male and Female winners for the anniversary.

There is also a team competition which may be of interest to Club runners, Boards AC (Boards AC weekend away?), or a group of friends who want to register as a team for the Craic.

For supporters there will also be live coverage of the runners passing Queen Maeve's Grave on top of Knocknarea in the Race Day Marquis, as well as music through the night when the heroes/heriones return from their feat.

For any who hasn't run this is a really well organised race on a beautiful but challenging course.

The course compromises about 75% Road with 25% off-road in the middle.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Strandhill(including Hotels, B+Bs, Hostels and an excellent Caravan and camping Park in Strandhill).

Sligo City is also only 5 miles away.

This should be one of the biggest Warriors runs ever and were hoping to recreate the excitement of the first Warrors run when Kerry runner John Lenihan, famously defeated World moutain running champion Kenny Stuart of Keswick AC.

There will be Hugh crowds on the mountain and 2-3 thousand people cheering you in at thye finish which is a feeling you wont forget.

It will be registration on-line only this year which wont start till May, but I guess its a weekend you should know about early to plan.

BAMO

If you are looking for somthing different this is definately it. There are loads of anonymous haf marathons and 10 ks . Warriors run is tough and am not so sure how good it is for strict marathon running, but for a challenge in its own right, it is a fine event.

T runner

BAMO wrote: »

If you are looking for somthing different this is definately it. There are loads of anonymous haf marathons and 10 ks . Warriors run is tough and am not so sure how good it is for strict marathon running, but for a challenge in its own right, it is a fine event.

Hi BAMO it certainly is a unique challenge. For Marathons: Owen Gahan used it for his Berlin Buildup last year along with the national half and managed a fine 2.30 in Germany.
Its on about 3 weeks before the adidas half and 2 weeks before the National Half, so ideal for Berlin or Dublin.
A good advantage is that you'll get the strenght and strenght/speed endurance benefits of running a half for a shorter distance. Youll be able to take your extra leg strenght (stride lenght) and stamina into a half marathon and run a finer half marathon. And the better half marathon you run the better marathon youll run.

I dont want to speak for Owen but I reckon this was his thinking and he certainly showed out strongly in Berlin.

I ran the national half after myself and managed a PB. I was able to run strongly till mile 10 with that race in me and held the pace. I hadnt planned on a marathon but if I had a few more long runs in me I would have been tempted.

Dont forget the surf in Strandhill for the Sunday morning/afternoon to help cure the legs.

limericklion

This is a much tougher race than a half marathon speaking from experience. Owen Gahan won it last year due to his incredible strenght on the mountain segment where he tore away from Emmet Dunleavy a 3.48 1500m and a sub 14.50 5k man. Gahan had been training with John Lenihan the legendary and former world mountain running champion from Kerry who has won the warriors on many occasions. Gahan if running next year will not be beaten due his incredible speed and endurance up the mountain which if runners dont know about is soul destroying and phyiscally sickening on the legs even to huge mileage men. This race takes at least two weeks to recover from properly in order to train regulary again which makes Owens run in the half in Waterford amazing.
I believe even Irelands best distance runners would run below par in such a race the legs would be gone after the mountain segment and the hills before it which take a great toll. But if anyone wants a challenge then run it by all means as it would be great for a race in the North West to attract the best runners and clubs in Ireland.

T runner

limericklion wrote: »

This is a much tougher race than a half marathon speaking from experience. Owen Gahan won it last year due to his incredible strenght on the mountain segment where he tore away from Emmet Dunleavy a 3.48 1500m and a sub 14.50 5k man. Gahan had been training with John Lenihan the legendary and former world mountain running champion from Kerry who has won the warriors on many occasions. Gahan if running next year will not be beaten due his incredible speed and endurance up the mountain which if runners dont know about is soul destroying and phyiscally sickening on the legs even to huge mileage men. This race takes at least two weeks to recover from properly in order to train regulary again which makes Owens run in the half in Waterford amazing.
I believe even Irelands best distance runners would run below par in such a race the legs would be gone after the mountain segment and the hills before it which take a great toll. But if anyone wants a challenge then run it by all means as it would be great for a race in the North West to attract the best runners and clubs in Ireland.

I dont know if I agree with that. Gahan, won that race by his skill on the descent rather than his climbing power. He had only 10 secs or so on Dunleavy at the summit and opened up 90 secs on the descent stretching it out to over 2 minutes at the end. In a report I saw Dunleavy attributed Gahans strenght to his high mileage marathon training as well as his mountain skills.
I dont think Gahan was training with Lenihan in the year before the race but obviously he was in the past.

The thing that gets some runners is muscle soreness after the descent. This is due to eccentric contractions of the quad muscles due to "braking" on the descent. (Your knee tries to bend forward while descending while you try to brake pushing it back with your quads causing microscopic tears).

This can be avoided by a light hill run with some descending within 6 weeks of the race. You will get mild soreness recover quickly and your muscles will mesh stronger. That will reduce recovery time. I suppose to train for the race properly you should run once or twice on hills anyway in the run in.

Anyway we can agree to disagree on that but hopefully well get a top class field out, runners and clubs.

There is one or two in IMRA who might give Owen Gahan a run and Stevie Duncan from Gahans own club in Omagh. There is also the possibility of raiders from Britain given the Bank holiday. There might also be fast runners (top few from BallyC) lured into it but as you say they may find it hard to hold their advantage through the mountain and may fail to regain thier speed after.

When did you run Limerick Lion?

limericklion

I ran many years back but was at the race in Augest as I have relations back home in Sligo. Perhaps you are right about about the way Gahan defeated Dunleavy but for Dunleavy to attribute Gahans success to the high mileage is an interesting one considering Emmet runs 100 plus miles a week. Even during the track season it remains extremely high due to his coach Jerry Kiernan's training philosophy. So it matters very little really where Gahan opened the led the fact remained his skills are so much better than everybody elses whether up or down the mountain that he will only be defeated as you said by a top international mountain runner and not by a top class international cross country athlete, maybe Martin Fagan would easily beat him but given the timing of the event it would not attract those type of runners despite the wonderful prizes. If anyone would suggest possible local winners please do but bar Dunleavy they are not of a high enough standard.

Enduro

If anyone would suggest possible local winners please do but bar Dunleavy they are not of a high enough standard.

Ha ha, T-runner, he got ya there (unknowingly I'd guess)

This race takes at least two weeks to recover from properly in order to train regulary again which makes Owens run in the half in Waterford amazing.
I believe even Irelands best distance runners would run below par in such a race the legs would be gone after the mountain segment and the hills before it which take a great toll.

Depending on your definition of distance, I'd have to strongly disagree with that, from my own experience. My recovery time was about a day, but that probably had more to do with having run the GF6 the previous day. Those things before the mountain section aren't hills, they're undulations They tire out the flat runners before the real fun begins.

T runner

limericklion wrote: »

I ran many years back but was at the race in Augest as I have relations back home in Sligo. Perhaps you are right about about the way Gahan defeated Dunleavy but for Dunleavy to attribute Gahans success to the high mileage is an interesting one considering Emmet runs 100 plus miles a week. Even during the track season it remains extremely high due to his coach Jerry Kiernan's training philosophy. So it matters very little really where Gahan opened the led the fact remained his skills are so much better than everybody elses whether up or down the mountain that he will only be defeated as you said by a top international mountain runner and not by a top class international cross country athlete, maybe Martin Fagan would easily beat him but given the timing of the event it would not attract those type of runners despite the wonderful prizes. If anyone would suggest possible local winners please do but bar Dunleavy they are not of a high enough standard.

Top be honest I think Emmet Dunleavys comment was based on his inability to claw back Gahans lead. Dunleavy is a former Junior mountain running international and knows his way up a hill. He may have not had the descending skills (and strenght) of Gahan that you gain from long runs on hilly/mountaineous terrain.
I didnt realise he was on such high mileage but Id point out that Gahan would have been concentrating on longer and medium aereobic runs to boost his endurance. Some of the long runs might even be regarded as quality sessions if progressive or run at marathon pace.
A fast runners mileage outside of sessions would generally be run at a very easy pace (with a lot of doubles) to objective being to recover before the next hard speed/interval session. An elite marathon runner would not double till about 75 miles per week compared to 50 for elites at shorter distances.

I'm guessing that Dunleavy had specified his training before the race but Gahan would have strenght over him.

I fully accept your point about the advantage for hill runners, 4 out of the first 7 were hill runners last year.

These are only my views I have pondered the different methods of training for this one: this year Im going to try marathon training (have entered Berlin) with Long runs on hilly/mountainous terrain: Every week 2 out of: long tempo runs, hill reps, and long intervals (6*2k). The rest: easy running, with a core work 3 times a week and a lot of cycling.

(Im assuming this wont scare Enduro so I will also have my brother armed with bat and photo of Enduro on mountainside should he show up;)!

For possible local challengers:

For Dunleavy to get down to 54.30 hed need to sacrifice his summer.
David Kelly also from Sligo AC could manage it with a bit hill practice.
Stephen Duncan from Omagh AC was the top qualifier and finisher for Ireland in the European mountain running champs and comes from a road background.
If Enduro trained specifically for it and got his 5 mile time back under 26, didnt have to do the Gael Force the day before: he could run under 54-55. He wasnt 2nd fastest and not that far off Gahan for the mountain.
Youve also got Barry Minnock who was second in the national novice and has dominated IMRA events for the last few years.
However, If you get someone like Andi Jones who won Snowdon the last few years and is just as impressive on the road there mightened be anyone to touch him. I dont think there is anyone alive to challenge Lenihans record of 50 mins though!

T runner

Enduro wrote: »

Ha ha, T-runner, he got ya there (unknowingly I'd guess)

I actually am eligible for the "local" (from Strandhill) category, and I am certainly not good enough to win

Depending on your definition of distance, I'd have to strongly disagree with that, from my own experience. My recovery time was about a day, but that probably had more to do with having run the GF6 the previous day. Those things before the mountain section aren't hills, they're undulations They tire out the flat runners before the real fun begins.

It took me about 4 days, but mainly due to slight leg soreness: I hadnt enough hill work done. Im worried that too much hill work will affect the flat speed though, but I guess the minimum is to get the strenght right and build the speed on that.

stmochtas

Going back to the race which I would love to do as I am originally from the area.

Does anyone remember reading whether there were some group training sessions on the course during the build up to the event?

It would be great to get some tips from those who have done the race before and also not to suffer alone when training for it.

T runner

stmochtas wrote: »

Going back to the race which I would love to do as I am originally from the area.

Does anyone remember reading whether there were some group training sessions on the course during the build up to the event?

It would be great to get some tips from those who have done the race before and also not to suffer alone when training for it.

Myself and Sobriquet trained on the course last year. Will post the next time training. Would be good to get a group training together.

goldencircle

A great race and day out. I have run this race often over the years although never near winning...... the money might make me lace up the trainers once agian this year. was a spectator last year and watched Owen win. Emmett was only 10-12secs down at the top and it was Owen's decent that won it.

Perhaps you are right about about the way Gahan defeated Dunleavy but for Dunleavy to attribute Gahans success to the high mileage is an interesting one considering Emmet runs 100 plus miles a week. Even during the track season it remains extremely high due to his coach Jerry Kiernan's training philosophy.

I don't know if he does this amount of mileage but last year the national T & F was at end July, he probably had a 2-3 week break like most of the elite athletes do after T & f, then that would leave 1 week -10 days training for warriors so i think 100 mile week slighty misleading.

BAMO

stmochtas wrote: »

Going back to the race which I would love to do as I am originally from the area.

Does anyone remember reading whether there were some group training sessions on the course during the build up to the event?

It would be great to get some tips from those who have done the race before and also not to suffer alone when training for it.

Have run it several times but not competitive. Best finish is c 90 mins. There seems to be loads of groups running in Strandhill in the weeks coming up to the event = not sure are they ad hoc or not, but from my knowledge of the area, you should be welcome to join in from the cannon with any of them. Only tip I can give you is to include PLENTY of hills on your training and start slowly! It really is an enjoyable ebent, very well run and there is a bit of history about it. Good luck!

Enduro

(Im assuming this wont scare Enduro so I will also have my brother armed with bat and photo of Enduro on mountainside should he show up!

I'll bring some raw meat to toss in his general direction. That oughta distract him for long enough to get past saftely.

If Enduro trained specifically for it and got his 5 mile time back under 26, didnt have to do the Gael Force the day before: he could run under 54-55. He wasnt 2nd fastest and not that far off Gahan for the mountain.

Hey! wadya mean get my 5 mile time back under 26! I've only ever done one, so I only have the one time, probably for eternity . But, yeah I know what you mean. Of course it'll never happen. Too many other distractions. At least GF6 is on the weekend prior to the warriors this year, so no direct clash.

I dont think there is anyone alive to challenge Lenihans record of 50 mins though!

Amen to that! He's a different class.

DU.LLAHAN

Can anyone tell me the break down of the warriors run?

How many miles/k to the glen road turnoff where you go cross country?

How many miles/k is the mountain stage?

How many miles/k is it from the bottom of the mountain to the finish?

Thanks in advance

Enduro

From what I remember from two years ago... It felt like a 10k road run, interrupted half way by a 5k hill race. But I'm sure T-Runner will have more accurate information.

cloneslad

DU.LLAHAN wrote: »

Can anyone tell me the break down of the warriors run?

How many miles/k to the glen road turnoff where you go cross country?

How many miles/k is the mountain stage?

How many miles/k is it from the bottom of the mountain to the finish?

Thanks in advance

This should supply you with all the info you need

http://www.warriorsfestival.com/content/about-warriors-run/route

It's a great run but an even better organised event. Don't get bogged down in the details of the route, just sign up for it when it opens, do a good amount of training and let the good times roll come race day

DU.LLAHAN

Enduro wrote: »

From what I remember from two years ago... It felt like a 10k road run, interrupted half way by a 5k hill race. But I'm sure T-Runner will have more accurate information.

Thats a good way of looking at it:)

cloneslad wrote: »

This should supply you with all the info you need

http://www.warriorsfestival.com/content/about-warriors-run/route

It's a great run but an even better organised event. Don't get bogged down in the details of the route, just sign up for it when it opens, do a good amount of training and let the good times roll come race day

Thanks for that.

T runner

DU.LLAHAN wrote: »

Can anyone tell me the break down of the warriors run?

How many miles/k to the glen road turnoff where you go cross country?

How many miles/k is the mountain stage?

How many miles/k is it from the bottom of the mountain to the finish?

Thanks in advance

Hers some previous threads about it:

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055484066&highlight=warriors

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055660639&highlight=warriors

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055122656&highlight=warriors

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055288846&highlight=warriors

There will hopefully be an advanced training schedule on their site soon.

This is a training schedule of Kenny Stuart a two time mountain running world champion in 1985 and 1986. There are two schedules: hill running and marathon running. He also won international marathons with a PB of 2:11.There is also schedules his wifw used.

His wife was also a champion hill runner and her raining is covered in this article also.

Each week Kenny did Long intervals, long tempo, 2 minute hill reps and a long mountain run. You need to be on big mileage to achieve this every week but it would be achieveable every two weeks. These are the ingredients also to do well in the Warriors run.

Heres another schedule Robby Bryson wrote for hill-runners on 20-30 mpw.
Cycling can play a huge part to climbing ability and Robby was probably the best Irish climber ever. Robbie holds the record for the ascent of Snowdon and is a past winner of teh Matterhorn International mountain race. The fact that he did a lot of cycling is no coincidence.

(Kenny was second and Robbie third in teh first edition of Warriors run in 1985)