Conamara 10k, October 13 2012

ronanmac

Hi folks,
The Conamara 10k is being held for the second year running on October 13 next. It's a really scenic coastal course that starts in Carna village, brings you out over Muighnish Island and is reasonably flat (as Connemara courses go!).

The race is chip-timed, will come with a technical t-shirt and refreshments afterwards in Carna Bay Hotel, and will be started (and raced by) special guest, Catherina McKiernan (Catherina is also doing a chi running workshop in Carna the following day).

We had loads of positive feedback last year, some of it to be seen here.

It costs €20 to enter on runireland.com and there's more information at trisport.ie. The race is being organised by Connemara-based triathlon club, TríSpórt, as both a fundraiser and as a local event to get people involved in sport.

Cheers,
Rónán

tang1

My father and myself plan on doing it hopefully. Hes orginally from down the road in Ros A Mhil and has always wanted to run a race local enough to him before hes unable to do so.

AnthonyHughes

Looks like a really nice route; count me in!

And great logo btw, nice blend of old and new!

ronanmac

Thanks to everyone who took part and who helped with the race, a Spanish winner overall, and a former London marathon winner in the women's race!

Results are available here, and photos will be up here later.

Rónán

eoinín

I enjoyed this race a lot. We were holidaying in Carna for the week before the race so and it was quite exciting to notice the buzz building up as race day approached. It genuinely seemed like wherever we went - in the pubs and shops, everyone in town was talking about the race on Friday and Saturday.

The course was very scenic - I cant imagine I'll be doing too many races that involve running on to two different islands! I found the organisers very helpful and friendly - it seemed to me that you guys were making a real effort to say well done and a few other words to all participants as they finished, which was a nice touch . The reception afterwards was good fun with both the TriSport and Carna Bay Hotel staff making us feel very welcome. Well done to all involved!

Micilin Muc

Here's the race report I put up on my log. A very successful day for TríSpórt!


10k Chonamara Race Report
Where to start with this report?! I had such a blast yesterday!

It started on the drive back from Spiddal to Carna - the Twelve Bens and the Maamturks looked amazing on Saturday so I was in a great mood already arriving at the Carna Bay Hotel. Also it was perfect running conditions. The organising club were local Connemara triathlon club, TríSpórt who had a weekend-long festival of running, including a Chi running workshop with Catherina McKiernan. A large finishing-archway greeted us with Bruce Springsteen blaring 150 were taking part and the registration was easy-peasy with a nice little goodie bag.

Warmup
I did a makey-uppy warmup about 15 minutes beforehand - a few strides building up to around race pace. Immediately I felt like I hadn't the bounce in my stride I had a few weeks ago around the time of the Rathfarnham 5km. After having read a few articles on the bus to Galway on Friday about mental strength in races, I knew not to let this bother me.

Just before the Race Director's (boardsie Ronanmac) instructions, I made my way back to the start line and hung around very close to the front. At home I had looked at last year's results and spoke to Rónán about his expectations for winning time so I judged that I should be close to the front and lined up in around the third line.

The Race
Once the gun went everyone around me went out about the same pace as the expected leaders, meaning I went out too fast too Not the first time me or anybody has made or will make that mistake! The first 250m were at 3:15min/km pace. It was very exciting though to be so close to the leaders for so long (for about 500m), especially with Catherina McKiernan running too. The first km split was 3:46min/km - way too fast! Just before the 1km mark I was on my own with about 14 people ahead of me in different groups.

I passed out a few people in the second km despite slowing down unintentionally. Crossing over the bridge to the island Mweenish got a little bit tough because of the headwind. Second km in 4:02min/km, still a bit too fast for me.

In the third km I slowed again, to 4:18min/km and here I was passed by the second local TríSpórt runner, Brian. I kept him and the second lady, Niamh in my sights all the way over the small hills to the 5km turnaround - the fourth and fifth splits in 4:24 and 4:29. I picked up a small bottle of water at the turnaround water station.

I saw Brian and Niamh running close together and figured it might be worth my while catching up and using them to shelter from the wind. I decided to take the initiative and go up front and see if they stayed with me but Brian was happy to just have me run beside him. It stayed like this over the next few kms - 6th, 7th & 8th splits in 4:07, 4:13, 4:18. I don't think Niamh stayed right with us for very long but must have been very close.

From the 7th km onwards I felt very good and I knew I was going to get a good finishing time. Brian and I stayed side by side all the way and every time I felt like pushing on he stayed right with me, just like a GAA player marking his man! The 9th km was slower because of a hill and for a second I thought we would catch the next guy up when he stopped to walk, but never happened.

Coming down to the village again I knew I had a kick in me and I kept putting it off until I felt Brian couldn't keep up. Turning the corner into the last 200m I kept upping the pace and he kept coming at me with the spectators cheering us both on for the sprint finish (mostly him ). With about 20m to go, elbow to elbow, he just got ahead of me and finally beat me by 1 second

10km in 42:09, 17th place.

Garmin Link

It was such a satisfying race, despite being outrun in the final sprint and not getting the time I was hoping for. I guess it was because I pushed myself to the very limit and left nothing on the course (except for a mouthful of vomit after the line!) The PB was big - 3 minutes off my unofficial time and 4 minutes off the official one from the Great Ireland Run in April.

The organisation was excellent. The course was well-laid out, marked and marshalled, and the Carna locals out supporting too. Lapsed boardsie MarySamsonite provided me with a clean tshirt after I puked on my race tshirt meaning I could hang around the hotel a while longer!

PS A highlight of the race was seeing Catherina McKiernan running towards me just before the turnaround. She has a very impressive style, especially in the power in her arms. I finished 12 places behind her

HelenAnne

I loved it too! Eoinín & I were down in Connemara for the week before the race and we had an amazing time & some lovely runs around the area. I got a horrible cold the day before the race and felt very sorry for myself; I had to go into the Carna Bay Hotel for a hot whiskey to cure me and it was really exciting because lots of the staff were talking about the race.

Two of our friends came down on Friday evening for the race, and the four of us had a great day. I felt I ran pretty well (for me!). Everyone looked very fit & fast so I started relatively far back, but to my surprise, after a few km I seemed to be most surrounded by men; I seemed to pass quite a lot of women in the first 2-3k or so. I caught up with and then passed my friend Keith on the hill up to water station, and could see Eoinín just a few people ahead of me. His flourescent socks were a great beacon. I loved that it was an out and back so I could see all leaders coming down the hill as I was going up - Catherina McKiernan looked great - what a lovely runner! I also saw the second woman, local runner Niamh Ní Chuig, and she seemed to be running well too. I really enjoyed the scenery, running from island to island, and felt happy enough on the little uphills as we'd run around the area a bit during the week (and I kept reminding myself of the hills on my mountain run the week before to put these ones in perspective!). I loved the downhills and felt I made up a bit of time on them. I was running with a man in blue with a knee strap for the last k or so. We both started to race for the line from about the GAA pitch. I really tried to keep the pace up, but he got to the line before me. It was great to have someone to spur me on for the last bit & we had a chat after.
It was a great day, great organisation, lovely food after, lovely t-shirts and v friendly people & loads of support from the locals. I was surprised to discover I was 'an 3ú bean', and was really delighted. I was 10 minutes behind Catherina McKiernan (45.36), but it's still very exciting to be in the same results listing with her! Thanks again to all the organisers, and well done to them & to all the runners. I was especially impressed with the women who ran pushing a wheelchair as that must have been tough on an undulating course, though it looked like all three of them were really enjoying it.
We'll be back next year!