Gaelforce West 21/8/10

Mr Freeze

Both I think, I will be taking the bus anyways from Westport.

Wonkagirl

helimachoptor wrote: »

Cheers, a quick question, can competitors make their own way to the start line or do they have to go by bus?

u can do either.. why put yourself through the hassle of making your own way tho,the bus drops you at the start line, if you drove you'd have a bit of a walk as you cant park at the start line i dont think?

i have to say though i was a bit psyched out on the bus last yr when people starting talking about what they'd eaten, the training they'd done etc. the nerves kicked in bigtime and i thought i was going to have a whitey

Vitamin C

Does anyone do Gaelforce for charity?

One of the lads I'm doing it with (he's also a first timer) is trying to sort out sponsorship cards etc...just wondering do many people do this?

Someone told me yesterday that the Flora 10k raised 14 million for various charities this year... When you hear that you kind of think fund raising should be an option for every endurance type event.

Anyone any thoughts?

Peterx

Yep, plenty of folk organise sponsorship for their chosen charity and some races choose a specific charity each year.
I think Amnesty International may have had some involvement with GaelForce in previous years.
The women's mini-marathon is a special one off case in terms of sponsorship though. It's the only time my sister comes to me looking for money for instance, I'd say if I came to her looking for sponsorship every time I raced she'd have a few choice words for me!

Vitamin C

Peterx wrote: »

I'd say if I came to her looking for sponsorship every time I raced she'd have a few choice words for me!

Ha ha...yeah, if you're doing a race every second week it'd be a different story altogether!

I think I'm gonna get something organised for it so, I haven't done any proper charity stuff in years so it seems a shame not to.

Cheers Peterx

elchupanebrey

Myself and a mate cycled up the bog road section of the GF route on saturday. We cycled in from Killary adventure centre, using the GF cycle route. I forgot to check exactly what the bog road section is length wise, but it took me the guts of a half hour from the junction where you turn onto this road to get to the foot of the reek.

I used a road bike and regular tyres, and they held up fine. Going up there faster will probably be a different story on the wheels though.

yop

elchupanebrey wrote: »

Myself and a mate cycled up the bog road section of the GF route on saturday. We cycled in from Killary adventure centre, using the GF cycle route. I forgot to check exactly what the bog road section is length wise, but it took me the guts of a half hour from the junction where you turn onto this road to get to the foot of the reek.

I used a road bike and regular tyres, and they held up fine. Going up there faster will probably be a different story on the wheels though.

So will you use normal tires on the road bike for the event?

ThisRegard

That's something I'm interested to know too, but I was thinking it may be too soon weather/road condition wise to decide. Stick with my road tyres or get a pair with a bit of thread on them.

elchupanebrey

Well Yop, story Bud.

I haven't decided yet, I'll do it again once or twice with these tyres before making a call on it. I wouldn't want to advise anyone either way, coz sure enough someone will come a cropper and blame me.

yop

elchupanebrey wrote: »

Well Yop, story Bud.

I haven't decided yet, I'll do it again once or twice with these tyres before making a call on it. I wouldn't want to advise anyone either way, coz sure enough someone will come a cropper and blame me.

We wont blame you I might get out myself in the next few weeks to try it. If not I spotted the kevlar tires for 10 pounds on chainreactions

elchupanebrey

I hear Diana Ross does a lot of shopping on chainreactions, boom boom.:o

yop

Hee hee, do some work

Mr Freeze

elchupanebrey wrote: »

I hear Diana Ross does a lot of shopping on chainreactions, boom boom.:o

Where is the thumbs down button when you need it?

elchupanebrey

CKWPORT wrote: »

Where is the thumbs down button when you need it?

Not a Diana fan then

g0g

So I registered a few weeks ago and booked accommodation! I'm not much of an adventure racer (yet!) but did the Dublin marathon (first and I'm pretty sure last marathon!!!) a couple of years ago (just under three and a half hours) so hoping I'll be able to survive this GFW thingy! Can't believe there are only 31 places left already! Anyways I've a few questions. Sorry if they've been asked before, but I couldn't find answers easily. Some of these might be stupid, so apologies...

1) Bikes at Delphi
Ok I get it that you bring your bike to Delphi the day before and dump it there. Do people lock it up (as in leave their own lock?) there? Sure then I'll be lugging the lock around the course! Is it safe to leave drinks / repair kit / helmet on the bike?

2) Bikes in Westport
I'm only just getting my bike this week (Boardman Comp Hybrid 2010 - please don't tell me it'll be no good for the event!!!) and haven't cycled in a few years. I'm also getting a car boot rack thingy. Where do you secure your bike after an event? Is it possible to safely lock a bike to the outside of a car on the rack or are they easily rob-able? Do hotels let you bring them indoors?

3) Training
I'm currently running about 13km a couple of times a week in the Phoenix Park and plan on cycling in there too. Am I completely mad if I don't try running/cycling up some mountains in advance? I don't have any target time for the run, but I'd like to think I'll be running throughout the event!

4) Mud
Just how messy should I assume in advance the course will be? I'm in the 08:30 wave as I registered late. Is the place likely to be in bits? When it says running through bog are we talking sh1te up to your shins or just very mucky ground?

5) Clothing
I see a rain top is on the required kit list. Can anyone recommend the best place (not too pricey) to get one!? Am I better buying online or through a sports shop?

6) Kayaking
How do you get on/off a 2-man kayak without sticking your feet in the water and having your socks soaked for the next hour? Or is that part of adventure racing?

7) Course
Is the course on the day very obvious? With a big event like the marathon you can't go wrong, but with only 3,000 people spread over 65km starting up to 4 hours apart I assume you might find yourself fairly alone in parts?

Thanks a million and sorry again if any of this has been asked before! Really looking forward to the event now!

Trotter

Just to add to the newbie questions, I've never done a mixed event like this so would I be better off wearing cycling shorts all through the event, or buying a triathlon suit?

toomuchdetail

g0g wrote: »

1) Bikes at Delphi
Ok I get it that you bring your bike to Delphi the day before and dump it there. Do people lock it up (as in leave their own lock?) there? Sure then I'll be lugging the lock around the course! Is it safe to leave drinks / repair kit / helmet on the bike?
No locks last year as its failry secure , drinks,repair kit etc will be fine on the bike , transition last year was a mess due to space and bikes were thrown all over the shop but the new crowd seem to be fairly slick .

2) Bikes in Westport
I'm only just getting my bike this week (Boardman Comp Hybrid 2010 - please don't tell me it'll be no good for the event!!!) and haven't cycled in a few years. I'm also getting a car boot rack thingy. Where do you secure your bike after an event? Is it possible to safely lock a bike to the outside of a car on the rack or are they easily rob-able? Do hotels let you bring them indoors?
They could easily be liberated from you bike rack so would look to bring them indoors , am sure the hotels will be fine (as long as the bike is clean) and they may have a lock up store . Westport is safe enough but there is always one hoor.!!

3) Training
I'm currently running about 13km a couple of times a week in the Phoenix Park and plan on cycling in there too. Am I completely mad if I don't try running/cycling up some mountains in advance? I don't have any target time for the run, but I'd like to think I'll be running throughout the event!
In a nut shell yes, but it depends on what you hope to achieve in the race itself .Get 1 x 15-20k hilly cyce in weekly and at least 1 x 5k+ hill run at least . Try a brick session where you bike for 10-20k and then try to run for 5 mins to start with.
There is a couple of training plans on here.

4) Mud
Just how messy should I assume in advance the course will be? I'm in the 08:30 wave as I registered late. Is the place likely to be in bits? When it says running through bog are we talking sh1te up to your shins or just very mucky ground?
Depends on the weather before hand , it will be messy but shouldn't be a mud bath , there are several dodgy patchs but they only last for a couple of KM at a time. It will be cut up a bit and transition will be a mess if its anything like last year.

5) Clothing
I see a rain top is on the required kit list. Can anyone recommend the best place (not too pricey) to get one!? Am I better buying online or through a sports shop?
Cheap and cheerfull as long as it is waterproof and windproof , remember you ahve to carry it so it should fold up very flat. watch out for Aldi or Lidl outdoor wear.
6) Kayaking
How do you get on/off a 2-man kayak without sticking your feet in the water and having your socks soaked for the next hour? Or is that part of adventure racing?
You dont and by that stage the cold water could be a relief !!

7) Course
Is the course on the day very obvious? With a big event like the marathon you can't go wrong, but with only 3,000 people spread over 65km starting up to 4 hours apart I assume you might find yourself fairly alone in parts?
Yes , as your in the 8:30 wave there will be a couple of thousand people on various stages of the course . You could drive the course before hand or drop up for a look !! One small change this year which I havent seen yet but otherwise it will be straigh forward

Hope this helps.

toomuchdetail

Trotter wrote: »

Just to add to the newbie questions, I've never done a mixed event like this so would I be better off wearing cycling shorts all through the event, or buying a triathlon suit?

Trotter , would recommend Triathlon shorts, dont do the suits myself (very unflattering to the larger guy), could pick up a pair for anything from €25 upwards , a suit could cost you €100 , got one is Aldi for €18.99 !!

Bugsy2000

Went up CP yesterday for the first time this year. Happy enough, 45m up & 19m down. But jaysus my thighs are not good today.

Myself & my mate left the top of CP together, I took the long way down via the zig zag route to see what it was like (last year I took the more direct route, straight down through the furze) & my mate went straight down. By the time we had got to the branching point I had opened up a 2 or 3 minute lead but I found going down the zig zag section very hard for running on. A lot of jagged rocks sticking up so you have to be very careful underfoot. My mate was catching up on me by going the other route until he got his foot stuck in a rabbit hole and went over on his ankle. (Turned out he chipped a bone - Gael Force up in the air)

So dilemmas, dilemmas. Take the straight faster route where you can't see where you are putting your foot a lot of the time due to the furze or take the longer, slower route where you can see what you're at.

For me, take the risk, its a race - whats a broken bone or two?

One other thing to note. When you hit the first steep rocky section on the top half I found it very cut up compared to previous years I've been up there. Very very loose. Every step I took I was only gaining a half step due to the downward slide. I thought it was due to the amount of people using the mountain but a few locals I spoke to said the snow & ice really cut it up this winter. It'll be interesting to see how this years splits compare to last years for CP.

Took a drive through the bog road too. It'll be ok with a bit of cop on. Fairly rough with some big potholes that the car even struggled with but no-one is going to be speeding through this section on road bikes so once you keep your head up you should be ok.

The countdown is less than 10 weeks now. Won't feel it now.

Wonkagirl

Hi b
that's a brilliant time on CP well done! glad you reminded us it's only 10 wks away, holy ****, i kept thinking it's ages away- better hit the ground running!

have heard from others that the shale (or whatever it's called) is a lot looser these days. it'll be looser for everyone on the day i guess, but it'll be a bit annoying for those of us wanting to beat last yrs time

as for the charity angle- GFW have chosen charity partner ' big brother big sister'. you can, of course, raise money for whoever you like. easiest way is to set up a mycharity account for your chosen charity, email it to all your friends and they sponsor you online.. i did that last yr and raised 1k for an orphanage in nepal. absolutely agree that it's a great thing to do. not sure i'll be doing it this yr tho as i kinda hit a lot of people last yr with a few different fundraising events.

ronanmac

I did the cycling/Croagh Patrick leg of Gaelforce on Sunday, and although it's probably not much longer than last year's route, the new bike section approaching the Reek seems to add a fair bit extra work to the day. The road is rough, but not too rough (I was using a road bike with 23mm tyres with no extra puncture protection). There's a lot of extra work ploughing your way through the loose stones etc. It didn't help, of course, that I came off the bike on this section after clipping the back tyre of the guy in front of me, a result of some over-zealous drafting!

The stone on the right hand side of the track, near the top of the mountain, is definitely looser, with less bedded rock to get a grip on your way up. As ever, the ascent wasn't easy, but the descent was "hell for leather" fun coming down on the loose shale. I stuck with the zig zag path, both on the way up and down, and reckon I'll do so on the day. The devil you know...

Wonkagirl

Trotter wrote: »

Just to add to the newbie questions, I've never done a mixed event like this so would I be better off wearing cycling shorts all through the event, or buying a triathlon suit?

people kinda wore all sorts of everything last yr, so whatever you feel yourself. i wore long cycle shorts- the ones that come below the knee, (which men dont wear generally, so cycling shorts would be the relevant) and a technical top, and a light rain jacket.. which stayed on me for the entire 6 hours, it was a cold day.

i wouldnt necessarily bother forking out for a triathlon suit, they can be expensive, unless youre planning on doing tri's like

invest in a nice pair of trail shoes instead- this has been discussed at length earlier in the thread

spurscormac

Wonkagirl wrote: »

people kinda wore all sorts of everything last yr, so whatever you feel yourself. i wore long cycle shorts- the ones that come below the knee, (which men dont wear generally, so cycling shorts would be the relevant) and a technical top, and a light rain jacket.. which stayed on me for the entire 6 hours, it was a cold day.

i wouldnt necessarily bother forking out for a triathlon suit, they can be expensive, unless youre planning on doing tri's like

invest in a nice pair of trail shoes instead- this has been discussed at length earlier in the thread

Having done Connemara Adv Challenge, I'm gonna use the same approach for Gael Force for clothing.
Wore compression top with cycling jersey over it & lycra running shorts (sprinter type).
Getting my new bike later this week (finally, after over a month waiting) on the bike to work scheme and will decide after a few longer cycles whether or not I need to leave cycling shorts with the bike to give the extra padding. I already have a pair, so no extra expenditure needed.

Will have my new trail runners as previously mentioned on here -really need to get out and try them offroad - but I'm organising my wedding which is next month, so training oportunities are limited at the moment.

Wonkagirl

yeah absolutely, i'll be wearing the same get-up for GF as i did for connemara.. i think this time i'll bring a light extra layer tho, i really was very cold towards the latter stages last yr doing GF. Was in one of the later waves, and it was pissing from the time i started the CP climb

GFW is now officially sold out!

God i'm excited now.

My training is very random- but that's ok isnt it? like this week i'll do bootcamp twice, a hill run one nite, and a spinning class.. next week it might be totally different. but i reckon as long as i'm out of breath in some way shape or form it's ok? it's the long cycles i struggle to fit in, i get fierce bored like

I have a gel saddle for my bike- rather than padded shorts- although if your arse is used to 90min+ cycles then it's fine!

Mr Freeze

Will be wearing the same as connemara too!

Short sleeve Cycling top, and base layer to keep me cool. Unless its a crap day, will go for a warmer base layer.

Trail shoes & Tri shorts.

Got a new way smaller camelbak for the event, with feck all pocket space, enough for my gels & power bars....

Will squeeze a long sleeve cycling top into the camelbak where the water reservoir is.

I might need to get a waterproof jacket too, that folds down tiny to meet the waterproof mandatory requirement, under no circumstances will I be bringing water proof bottoms too.

Made the mistake in all my past adventure races of bringing too much, and then see loads of people at the start with nothing, and no kit check, and me the ejit with a big bag on my back!

Wonkagirl

yeah i agreed CKW- i wont be bringing waterproof bottoms either- I had them at registration last yr, but didnt carry them on the day. nor did i carry the whistle and blanket- i had a few plasters but that was it. we're all adults at the end of the day. they were such ignoramuses last yr though. registration last yr was just so unpleasant, they were complete nazi's about it and downright rude- it put me in bad form and left a bad taste in my mouth.

they might be a bit more pleasant this yr hopefully- it's the same crowd that did connemara, so i have high hopes

GF website now states it's sold out. wonder how many people have registered. 1900 took part on the day last yr wasnt it? i hope they havent made it too much bigger this yr.

Mr Freeze

3200 people this year isn't it...

Thankfully I am in the 2nd wave off this year!

Bugsy2000 wrote: »

Went up CP yesterday for the first time this year. Happy enough, 45m up & 19m down. But jaysus my thighs are not good today.
So dilemmas, dilemmas. Take the straight faster route where you can't see where you are putting your foot a lot of the time due to the furze or take the longer, slower route where you can see what you're at.

For me, take the risk, its a race - whats a broken bone or two?

Whats a broken bone or two, a DNF thats what!:eek:

19 mins is about what I come down in, and have no intention of coming down any faster, I do the zig zag, and have had a few close calls on it, tripping or go over on my ankle, been lucky each time.

If you wanna improve time on the reek section, going up is where to shave the time off, I have it down to 36mins up now on the zig zag to the top, It was 40 last year. I can shave another 1 or 2 mins off that time up too I think...

Wonkagirl

3200:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

christ i'm in 1 of the earlier waves as well tk god. the grassy knolls in the first 12km stint will be like mud pits later on, even if it's not raining

that's a bloody good time on CP CKW, holy crap. I really need to get some hill running in. I did it in 50 mins (up) last yr, would really like to get that under 45. I'm already fitter now that i was doing GF last yr so fingers crossed.

ThisRegard

I'm in one of the later waves, the way I look at it is that the extra couple of hours in bed will more than make up for the muddied up first run

What's the distance from the base to the top of Croagh Patrick, should give me a guess on what time I can do it in until I get a practise run in.

Mr Freeze

Aye was pleased with that time, I was just chasing a fellow boardise elchupanebrey up, he was 2 or 3 mins ahead of me....I tried a new route on the cone, there is a zig zag route worn into the cone now, it was way slower, never again.

I think I heard 3200, maybe I'm wrong, don't quote me!