Humbert Sprint & HIM, Mayo, 23-24 July 2011

MayoRoadRunner

Hi folks,

Just to let you all know that we are open for registration 9am Tuesday March 1st! I know a few Boardsies have this already penciled in their calendar so hope the training is going good for you if you have!

As well as holding a Half Iron distance race (The Humbert Challenge - Sunday 24th July) we will be staging a Sprint distance race the day before (The Humbert Sprint - Saturday 23rd July). The sprint would be an excellent introduction to triathlon as the swim takes place in beautiful sheltered Callow Lake and would be ideal for friends/family/partners of those competing in the longer race the day after.

For anyone who has not heard of the race before you can read some great feedback etc from last years race from some of our esteemed Boardsies!:)

HIM race begins with a nice flat lake swim in stunning Callow Lake followed by a hilly first half and flat second half 90km bike. The run route is currently up for discussion so site and route map will be updated once finalized as will Sprint route once finalized.

Details can be found at www.swinfordtrisports.com. Site will be updated over the coming weeks including maps for sprint race etc.

In short we are a local race that the whole community gets behind and you will be taken good care of whether you are a sub 4.30 HIM or an 8.30 HIM.

Would greatly appreciate people spreading the word on this especially those of you who took part in last years race and were impressed with the quality of the event. Many thanks, MRR

tyler71

Looking forward to this. Although I didn't intend to push it on them, a few friends of mine have said they're going to sign up for this for their first HIM, mostly I think because the swim conditions are pretty much guaranteed (unlike the Lost Sheep).
Personally I'd like to attack the Windy Gap this year rather than just struggle up it like last time. Glad to hear the run course is being considered, although there's nothing wrong with the 2nd half of the run on the main road, it's very much a long road that has no turn and not as enjoyable as the first half.

MayoRoadRunner

tyler71 wrote: »

Looking forward to this. Although I didn't intend to push it on them, a few friends of mine have said they're going to sign up for this for their first HIM, mostly I think because the swim conditions are pretty much guaranteed (unlike the Lost Sheep).
Personally I'd like to attack the Windy Gap this year rather than just struggle up it like last time. Glad to hear the run course is being considered, although there's nothing wrong with the 2nd half of the run on the main road, it's very much a long road that has no turn and not as enjoyable as the first half.

Good stuff Tyler, yes agree re the Run route. Would be nice to have the second half on country roads similar to the first half. Will be trying out a few alternatives over the next few weeks to see if this can be done.
Fair play for wanting to attack the Windy Gap! Personally I think the time to be gained by attacking it versus taking it steady is negligable and you may regret red lining up it later in the race. All personal though and its a great climb for training on!

tyler71

I was redlining as it was last year! Probably hit my highest heart rate of the year passing the cross. What I really meant was I want to work on my climbing so that I'll be looking forward to the challenge of the climb rather than dreading it. Given that the Windy Gap is the 'Marquee moment' for the race I want to come away feeling I've given it a good shot - because given my (lack of) running ability it will literally be all downhill from there on.

woody1

is it just me or is 120 quid a lot for a team entry in the sprint ! looked it up as its local to me and i would be interested but it seems like a lot

nomadic

Looking forward to it again this year. Great race. It'd be nice to have the run avoiding the busy road but its not the end of the world if not.

Hows the new bike working out for you MayoRoadRunner?

catweazle

I would say Mayoroadrunner and Nomadic will be in the running to win it this year. I am looking forward to it myself.

I am glad the run is being looked at, I am getting to really like either an out and back route or a 2 lap route. Its grand for a big half marathon to have the one long 13 mile drag as there are loads of people but when its a 1/2 Ironman there's nowhere near the same amount of entrants which makes it very lonely when there may not be a sinner in sight at my pace so its nice to see guys like Marrey, Geraghty on their way home and tip them a well done or see someone coming back not too far ahead that looks likes they are in a worse state then me, gives you some motivation to keep going in the hope that you might catch them. The first part of the run last year was lovely as well.

jjbsligo

Bring it on! Excellent race last year. We will be returning this year, with a much larger crew.

I will be entering as part of a relay team, however will do the swim and run leg - Callow lake is epic to train / race in.

nomadic

catweazle wrote: »

I would say Mayoroadrunner and Nomadic will be in the running to win it this year. I am looking forward to it myself.

I am glad the run is being looked at, I am getting to really like either an out and back route or a 2 lap route. Its grand for a big half marathon to have the one long 13 mile drag as there are loads of people but when its a 1/2 Ironman there's nowhere near the same amount of entrants which makes it very lonely when there may not be a sinner in sight at my pace so its nice to see guys like Marrey, Geraghty on their way home and tip them a well done or see someone coming back not too far ahead that looks likes they are in a worse state then me, gives you some motivation to keep going in the hope that you might catch them. The first part of the run last year was lovely as well.

Having the run finishing at callow would be good as well. It would add a bit of atmosphere around transition for the day.

LOL at winning it though. You can see i'm already scoping out Mayoroadrunner's bike training progress;). I reckon he could be the one to beat.

MayoRoadRunner

tyler71 wrote: »

I was redlining as it was last year! Probably hit my highest heart rate of the year passing the cross.

Same as! But to be honest I would have been redlining it if I had got off the bike and pushed it up!

MayoRoadRunner

woody1 wrote: »

is it just me or is 120 quid a lot for a team entry in the sprint ! looked it up as its local to me and i would be interested but it seems like a lot

Hi Woody, take your point but unfortunately the costs involved for a relay team are very similar to 3 individual entries (e.g relay team entry will get 3 t-shirts, 3 hot meals etc). We were really just allowing sprint entries for locals that want to take some part in the weekend but who may not be confident in the water for example.

Would you consider entering the Sprint as an individual? If swimming is'nt your thing and your local then why not come along to our club swim sessions - Mondays in Castlebar and Sundays in Ballina. Still have 6 months and few of the lads from the club started from scratch this time lat year and then swam 1.9km in July so it can be done! More than welcome to join up with us.

MayoRoadRunner

nomadic wrote: »

Looking forward to it again this year. Great race. It'd be nice to have the run avoiding the busy road but its not the end of the world if not.

Hows the new bike working out for you MayoRoadRunner?

Bike is still without wheels! Did'nt want to take it out on the roads given the weather but hoping to take the plunge on a set of wheels once weather improves.

Hows the bike going yourself? Flying it no doubt!

catweazle wrote: »

I would say Mayoroadrunner and Nomadic will be in the running to win it this year. I am looking forward to it myself.

I am glad the run is being looked at, I am getting to really like either an out and back route or a 2 lap route. Its grand for a big half marathon to have the one long 13 mile drag as there are loads of people but when its a 1/2 Ironman there's nowhere near the same amount of entrants which makes it very lonely when there may not be a sinner in sight at my pace so its nice to see guys like Marrey, Geraghty on their way home and tip them a well done or see someone coming back not too far ahead that looks likes they are in a worse state then me, gives you some motivation to keep going in the hope that you might catch them. The first part of the run last year was lovely as well.

Ha Catweazle, your a terrible tipster! Not a chance in hell could I mix it up with the lead guys. Would'nt rule Nomadic out though. Met him on the run last year taking a p##s in a bush if I remember correctly:D
Yes like the out and back format myself. Think the last one I raced in that format was Loughrea which was top notch. Will be looking at it over the coming weeks and will report back.

nomadic wrote: »

Having the run finishing at callow would be good as well. It would add a bit of atmosphere around transition for the day.

LOL at winning it though. You can see i'm already scoping out Mayoroadrunner's bike training progress;). I reckon he could be the one to beat.

LOL - pint of beer that you finish ahead of me Nomadic!

nomadic

MayoRoadRunner wrote: »

Bike is still without wheels! Did'nt want to take it out on the roads given the weather but hoping to take the plunge on a set of wheels once weather improves.

Hows the bike going yourself? Flying it no doubt!

Sure there's no need to do any bike training yet. I'd leave it a month or 3.:D

My biking is going ok.

woody1

mayoroadrunner
re the swimming after 30 odd years of being petrified of water not helped by the excuse for a swimming lesson given in secondary school ie all against the edge and jump in ive actually started lessons in ballina just last week and there going okay but i dont see myself making that kind of progression but you never know thanks for the offer il keep it in mind depending on what stage im at by the end of these lessons

yeah i appreciate the costs involved but 40 quid per head is still a lot for 10-15 minutes in the water 40 on the bike or 20 odd running if you get my drift ( plus t shirt etc ) im not saying that anyones trying to make a huge profit here or anything just that it seems a bit high is all im sure youl get plenty of entries particularly from locals would still like to do it in some form might relay the longer one instead

MayoRoadRunner

woody1 wrote: »

mayoroadrunner
re the swimming after 30 odd years of being petrified of water not helped by the excuse for a swimming lesson given in secondary school ie all against the edge and jump in ive actually started lessons in ballina just last week and there going okay but i dont see myself making that kind of progression but you never know thanks for the offer il keep it in mind depending on what stage im at by the end of these lessons

yeah i appreciate the costs involved but 40 quid per head is still a lot for 10-15 minutes in the water 40 on the bike or 20 odd running if you get my drift ( plus t shirt etc ) im not saying that anyones trying to make a huge profit here or anything just that it seems a bit high is all im sure youl get plenty of entries particularly from locals would still like to do it in some form might relay the longer one instead

Hi woody, best of luck with the swimming lessons. You will be amazed at how fast progression is with swimming. Need to be in the pool 3 times a week to see quick progression. Good luck with it.

Trust me 40 euro a head barely covers the cost of the relay team. We are not in this for profit (& to be honest we could make more money selling cakes at a farmers market!). All we want to do is promote sport in the area, promote tourism in the area and create a strong sense of community around the races which we had last year. If we can do all that and cover our costs then we're happy:)

Hope to see you there with wet suit on and rearing to go!:D

woody1

cool well il be there in some capacity if not as a competitor then il be supporting those that are doing it

MayoRoadRunner

Hi Folks,

We are now open for entries through our website www.swinfordtrisports.com.

Great to see so many of you have signed up already! Expecting entries to fill up very fast so my advise would be to sign up soon to avoid disappointment!

Many thanks,
MRR

big mce

Hi All,

Has anyone managed to enter this, I'm just seeing a page saying details will be up soon.

http://www.swinfordtrisports.com/entry.html

Thanks.

big mce

Its OK now!

MayoRoadRunner

big mce wrote: »

Its OK now!

If anyone has an issues with entry page try hitting F5. It will refresh page and should sort issue out.

Thanks!

pdiddyw

Just a question on the run for the Sunday for the HIM..
Which route do you enter into Swinford from the bypass when your coming towards the end of the race?..
And which part of the half marathon is the trickiest in terms of hills?
Thanks

MayoRoadRunner

pdiddyw wrote: »

Just a question on the run for the Sunday for the HIM..
Which route do you enter into Swinford from the bypass when your coming towards the end of the race?..
And which part of the half marathon is the trickiest in terms of hills?
Thanks

Hi pdiddyw, the new run route will be very similar to last year. Your enter Swinford on the old castlebar road and finish under the Church.

I should have an exact map of both the run route and the bike route in the next week (will run it with the Garmin on).

The steepest hill on the run comes about 1km into the run. Its short and sharp but once you get to the top there is a lovely gradual decline for the guts of 2 miles. There is another long drag of a hill about 10 miles in and another very short sharp one at about 11 miles. However I would'nt regard the run route as slow or difficult as its generally on rolling terrain. I guess its the swim and bike prior to it that makes it hard going for most.

We're almost full for relay entries and would expect them to sell out this evening or tomorrow. Entries filling up really well for the Half Iron as well so if you know of anyone thinking of taking part please ask them to sign up within the next few days to avoid disappointment. thanks, MRR

pdiddyw

Thanks for that MMR, running Achill on July 2nd so should be decent prep for this event , will keep an eye out for the map.
Thanks

MayoRoadRunner

Hi folks,

Half Iron Bike Route can be viewed here.
The actual distance measured for the Bike Route is 88km. First Bike aid station will be at 23km. The second bike aid station will be most likely at c. 60km.

Half Iron Run Route can be viewed here.
The actual distance measured for the Run Route is 21.2km but I was doing a fair bit of switching sides on the road this evening (avoiding the deadly camber!!) so I would say the distance is closer to the 21km. The five aid stations will be spread out alond the route equidistant from each other.

Anyways I hope you can access the above on Garmin Connect. They have been made public so there should'nt be an issue but if there is please let me know.
MRR:)

catweazle

Nice pace on both sessions, a decent days training.....where are the swim stats

Judging from those splits had you the tailwind on the bike the right way?

MayoRoadRunner

catweazle wrote: »

Nice pace on both sessions, a decent days training.....where are the swim stats

Judging from those splits had you the tailwind on the bike the right way?

Hey Catweazle, the way my swimming is going this year I would'nt embarrass myself by putting up splits!!

Wind was funny on Sunday. Not sure if it was because I was tired after Mulaghmore on Saturday but did not feel like there was much of a tail wind home after Castlebar.

How did Cope go for you?

catweazle

MayoRoadRunner wrote: »

How did Cope go for you?

Good although I am looking forward to a nice sheltered lake swim, I dont like swimming in the sea, I struggle with the swell

pgibbo

catweazle wrote: »

Nice pace on both sessions, a decent days training.....where are the swim stats

Judging from those splits had you the tailwind on the bike the right way?

What sort of PM are you using on the bike MayoRR? Nice bike & run splits in tis and Mullaghmore. You obviously revocered quite well after Mullaghmore :cool:

MayoRoadRunner

catweazle wrote: »

Good although I am looking forward to a nice sheltered lake swim, I dont like swimming in the sea, I struggle with the swell

Nice top 30 finish I see - fair play.

Gang of about 25 of us in Callow last night - great conditions. We're putting out the buoys for the 1.9km route over the weekend so they will be down if your passing by and fancy a dip

MayoRoadRunner

pgibbo wrote: »

What sort of PM are you using on the bike MayoRR? Nice bike & run splits in tis and Mullaghmore. You obviously revocered quite well after Mullaghmore :cool:

Hi pgibbo, you don't miss much! Its a Quarq Cinqo. Got it through LBS. Don't have it long. Great tool for pacing TT's and keeps you honest in training (i.e no fooling yourself as to how hard you are pushing the pedals). Would recommend if your in the market for one.

pdiddyw

Has anyone ran the both the Humbert half marathon and the Achill half marathon? Just wondering how people would compare them?
Ran the Achill HM last wkend and just wondering the half marathon of this challenge compares to it - more or less then same, tougher, easier? I'd imagine there would be less hills on this course?

Thanks

catweazle

Ya I have ran both - if you were running both fresh the Humbert 1/2 would be much easier. There is only one real hill which is right at the start of the Humbert, whereas the Achill 1/2 has a nasty one at the start and then another few ball breakers from the 9-12 mile.

Its a different story running a 1/2 marathon after the quick splash and leisure cycle though

MayoRoadRunner

Folks - we are closing for registration at 9pm tonight so if you know of anyone else who has yet to register can you please ask them to do so today. We won't be allowing late registrations under any circumstances.

Just on the Humbert vs Achill comparison query - I hav'nt ran both but have ran the Humbert Route on several occassions and would not regard it as a difficult route when ran fresh. But as Catweazle says - even the slightest ascent seems a lot steeper after a long swim and long bike.

MayoRoadRunner

Hi All,

Well the weather is looking promising for this weekend so thats one less thing to worry about!!

Race info pack has been sent to all participants but if you have not received it you can access it on our website here.

Registration for the Humbert Challenge Sprint Triathlon will take place between 7pm to 9pm on Friday evening and from 7am to 9.30am on Saturday morning in the Gateway Hotel, Main Street, Swinford. The Sprint Race will start at 11am sharp on Saturday July 23rd.

Registration for the Humbert Challenge Half Iron Triathlon will take place from 6pm to 9pm on Saturday July 23rd in the Gateway Hotel, Main Street, Swinford. The Half Iron race will start at 9am sharp on Sunday July 24th.

I know there was an issue with TI ODL and I am told that TI are working to resolve their web site issues so those that are still trying to secure a ODL can you try the TI website in the afternoon today (they have extended the deadline for ODL registration given their web site issues).

Anyways wishing you all the best of luck on race day. I'll be down at registration for the Sprint and the early part of registration for the half iron so will hopefully see some of you there (ask for Kevin!).

Thanks, MRR:)

pgibbo

Best of luck to everyone this weekend. Looks like it will be a cracking weekend for it! :cool:

MayoRoadRunner

Hi All,
As some of you are aware the TI website is currently down. TI have advised that those that require a One Day License for either race this weekend can obtain same over the phone by calling 01-2764934 before 3.30pm today. TI will then send us on the list of entrants who have paid for their ODL this evening.


Sorry about the short notice on this but as you can understand this is out of our control.


MRR

jjbsligo

2 days to go

Best of luck everyone! Hopefully the weather will be ok.

catweazle

Ha looks like a nice short friday for the boys in the TI office :rolleyes:

Rawhead

Well done to the lads today. Really well run event. The lake was like a sheet of glass and the weather lovely. Would recommend it 100% and am going to aim for the half iron next year.

Good luck to everyone doing the half tomorrow.

MayoRoadRunner

Hi folks,

A big thank you to all who took part in our inaugural Sprint triathlon earlier today. Weather made for perfect racing conditions and we were delighted that so many of you got to see Callow lake in all its glory.

Provisional results can be found here. Will post up final results over the coming days. Photos will also follow shortly - will prob link them on facebook page (The Humbert Challenge).

Thanks again guys & see a gang of you tomorrow for the half iron!

MRR

mayo.mick

Well done to everyone who took part today, a very well orgainized event.

catweazle

Well done to all the crew in Swinford Tri Sports - If there is a better organised race in the country I have yet to do it. Looking forward to next year already

Abhainn

110% concur with catweazle.
While there are a number of dubious tri events around, there are a number of really good ones, though few are a well organised to such detail as this.
The only complaint I heard was no loo paper :rolleyes:. Always include baby wipes on your checklist I say.

A 4:57 for me, sub 5 goal met and 7 min improvement on last year.
Lovely course though the 2nd half of the run was toal energy saping stuff

Well done chaps again even better than 2010

Results:
http://www.redtagtiming.com/

Fitzilicious

Took part in the Sprint on Saturday!
Great race, very well organised & perfect weather!
Post race meal was great, the best i've had!

Well done!

pdiddyw

Congrats to all the marshalls/organisers/volunteers/kids handing out drinks/sponges etc at this event, thought they did a great job of it...Paddy on the mike "the MC" was very good aswell as people where crossing over the line on Sat/Sun was very good as well I thought...Well done to everyone involved....

MayoRoadRunner

Folks,

Thanks a million for the words of support above. I have passed it on to the 'non-boards' guys in the club and they are thrilled to get the positive feedback.
Think everyone touched on it in their comments above but the weekend would not have been such a success were it not for the many local volunteers who gave up their entire weekend to allow the rest of us shuffle around the roads of Mayo! It was a big community effort and it has really paid off. The whole town was patting themselves on the back on Sunday night!
Thanks to you all for supporting the race. We almost doubled our numbers from last year in the half iron and we were delighted with the turnout for the Sprint.
Onwards and upwards from here. Looking forward to next year already!

Some nice photos from the half iron posted here

MRR

jjbsligo

+1 from me on everything mentioned here about this race.

Along with the local support and race course been 100%, the material aspects of this race were top class also - the t-shirts, the medals and the xterra wetsuit mess bags as goody bags, were all top quality.

Thank you to all involved - my first HIM - I am already thinking of nxt yr

elvis jones

Guys/gals how would your rate this race difficulty wise.

I read on the website that its a hard cycle, but how hard.

I want to focus on one race for 2012 and the date and feedback look great for this race.

nomadic

elvis jones wrote: »

I read on the website that its a hard cycle, but how hard.

I probably have rose tinted glasses from last year but the bike isn't hard. It has a steep climb near the start but you lose the altitute over a long stretch which helps keep the speed up. Its rolly for the last half.

elvis jones

Thanks for that........i'm moving towards it with the date, location and feedback:)