Tralee International marathon 16-03-13

BeepBeep67

While searching around for spring marathon options I came across a new entry to Irish Marathon scene: http://www.traleemarathon.com/ Anyone know the area well - Thomas maybe?
Course here: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/92571133/

TFBubendorfer

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

While searching around for spring marathon options I came across a new entry to Irish Marathon scene: http://www.traleemarathon.com/ Anyone know the area well - Thomas maybe?
Course here: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/92571133/

North Kerry - not my area

As far as I know the route will go from Tralee to Ardfert, then towards the coast, Tralee golf club and back via Blennerville. There are no major hills but it won't be flat (flat courses are not an option in that area). Let's hope it won't be windy, though!

There's plenty of buzz about this race. I think it's going to be a good one.

BeepBeep67

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

North Kerry - not my area

As far as I know the route will go from Tralee to Ardfert, then towards the coast, Tralee golf club and back via Blennerville. There are no major hills but it won't be flat (flat courses are not an option in that area). Let's hope it won't be windy, though!

There's plenty of buzz about this race. I think it's going to be a good one.

Seems to be a good few entered already

irfrm

Tough enough drag at start of race for first couple of miles out towards Ardfert,but should be ok after that. Will be on my list of races for next year.

jcsmum

This is on my radar too.

Stazza

I've been banging out my long easy runs (18-20 miles at 7 min pace) on the route and I can assure you that this a very tough course. The gentle pull out to Ardfert is nothing compared to the numerous 'long steep bumps' that plague the first 14 miles of this course (somehow, they don't appear on the course map), which will destroy any hopes of a good time. Then there's the 1 mile climb up into Spa around the 17 mile mark and the final 1.5 mile climb in the Kerries at the 20 mile mark. This is an energy sapping course.

The course is scenic and will suit those who fancy a plod around some nice scenery. But if you're planning on a half way decent time, forget it. If you're going to be up near the front of this race, I'd suggest you run a very conservative first 15 miles - if you don't, you will suffer.

On the plus side, the wind blows/blasts in off the ocean and this will help from miles 15 through 26, especially if you've held back until the 15 mile point. The roads are decent enough but watch the cambers - they're sharp in some parts. The course should be relatively quiet in terms of traffic. From the 22 mile mark to the finish there's a good run home: about a mile downhill followed by 3 flat miles.

I think the organisers are doing a sterling job and I'm sure the event will be a success. If you're going to do this marathon, be sure and to do plenty of miles at mp over rolling hills,:D

Krusty_Clown

Stazza wrote: »

I've been banging out my long easy runs (18-20 miles at 7 min pace) on the route

That's some running. I remember your impressive log from earlier this year. How goes the plan for the 2014 marathon?
<sorry for the off-topic post>

Stazza

Thanks Krusty. I'm surprised you remember my log:); it wasn't too impressive back then as I was just starting out. Happy to say things are going very well. Been dropping out 100 mpw for the last 12 weeks. Just starting on the strength work now (hill sprints, Canova type circuits, and one Horwill multi-paced session a week). Hopefully, in January, I'll be ready to start putting in some serious work with a view to running some decent 5k and 10 k times in the spring/summer. If that goes well, I'll be jumping into my Stazza/Canova marathon training plan, with a view to running in Cork/Dublin 2014. So yeah, happy with the training and the fact that I've managed to stay injury free - scrambles to touch wood.

To bring it back on the topic - although I'm happy to talk about me:D -I don't wish to sound negative, but the course is tough; training for a marathon involves a lot of work and people should have a fair idea of what to expect, so that they don't end up being disappointed. If you're after a scenic and subtley challenging course, then Tralee's for you.

opus

Stazza wrote: »

I've been banging out my long easy runs (18-20 miles at 7 min pace) on the route and I can assure you that this a very tough course. The gentle pull out to Ardfert is nothing compared to the numerous 'long steep bumps' that plague the first 14 miles of this course (somehow, they don't appear on the course map), which will destroy any hopes of a good time. Then there's the 1 mile climb up into Spa around the 17 mile mark and the final 1.5 mile climb in the Kerries at the 20 mile mark. This is an energy sapping course.

The course is scenic and will suit those who fancy a plod around some nice scenery. But if you're planning on a half way decent time, forget it. If you're going to be up near the front of this race, I'd suggest you run a very conservative first 15 miles - if you don't, you will suffer.

On the plus side, the wind blows/blasts in off the ocean and this will help from miles 15 through 26, especially if you've held back until the 15 mile point. The roads are decent enough but watch the cambers - they're sharp in some parts. The course should be relatively quiet in terms of traffic. From the 22 mile mark to the finish there's a good run home: about a mile downhill followed by 3 flat miles.

I think the organisers are doing a sterling job and I'm sure the event will be a success. If you're going to do this marathon, be sure and to do plenty of miles at mp over rolling hills,:D

Sounds right up my street as it's one of the Spring marathons I'm planning to run in prep for Comrades next June. That & the fact I'm from the Kingdom originally have sealed the deal

belcarra

Stazza - Would you have a garmin profile (or similar) available from one of your training runs so that we can compare it to other courses?

Impressive stuff with your 100mpw training by the way!

Shane12

Hi

I am going to do this as my first marathon, was going to do Paris but due to unforseen circumstances that is now ruled out.

Stazza

belcarra wrote: »

Stazza - Would you have a garmin profile (or similar) available from one of your training runs so that we can compare it to other courses?

Impressive stuff with your 100mpw training by the way!

I have some of my runs stored on my Garmin so I can check and see what's what. I don't know how to upload my Garmin to other sites?(I'm old and a Luddite) - so, if somebody can explain how to post the runs I will do so.

jcsmum

Stazza wrote: »

I've been banging out my long easy runs (18-20 miles at 7 min pace) on the route and I can assure you that this a very tough course. The gentle pull out to Ardfert is nothing compared to the numerous 'long steep bumps' that plague the first 14 miles of this course (somehow, they don't appear on the course map), which will destroy any hopes of a good time. Then there's the 1 mile climb up into Spa around the 17 mile mark and the final 1.5 mile climb in the Kerries at the 20 mile mark. This is an energy sapping course.

The course is scenic and will suit those who fancy a plod around some nice scenery. But if you're planning on a half way decent time, forget it. If you're going to be up near the front of this race, I'd suggest you run a very conservative first 15 miles - if you don't, you will suffer.

On the plus side, the wind blows/blasts in off the ocean and this will help from miles 15 through 26, especially if you've held back until the 15 mile point. The roads are decent enough but watch the cambers - they're sharp in some parts. The course should be relatively quiet in terms of traffic. From the 22 mile mark to the finish there's a good run home: about a mile downhill followed by 3 flat miles.

I think the organisers are doing a sterling job and I'm sure the event will be a success. If you're going to do this marathon, be sure and to do plenty of miles at mp over rolling hills,:D

Thanks for the heads up. Not one for me so I'm afraid.

belcarra

Stazza wrote: »

I have some of my runs stored on my Garmin so I can check and see what's what. I don't know how to upload my Garmin to other sites?(I'm old and a Luddite) - so, if somebody can explain how to post the runs I will do so.

You will first need to have your Garmin profile settings enabled to allow 'Public' viewing of your runs rather than just 'private' I think...

Then, if you open the most appropriate training run in your browser and just copy the web address, then just paste it in here to the text field then that should do it.
No real need for any fancy formatting!

Cheers!

Stazza

Had a check of my Garmin, which I rarely use. I've got a 15 miler on there with miles 1-7 and 18-20 from the course. This weekend, I'll run from mile 1 to 22 and post the route. Apart from the gentle rise of the opening mile, this will take in all the climbs.

Stazza

The elevation map on the site now shows all of the hills on the course. No need for me to drop out a cheeky little 22 miler - phew. Don't be put off by the opening 4 miles or so: you hardly notice the pull out to Ardfert. It's the rollers between 8 and 15 that break up your rhythm. But like I said before, once you get over the first 15 miles the run in isn't too bad - just 2 hills. Prepare properly and run a conservative first 15 and you should have an excellent experience on a scenic course. Good luck.

Shane12

Stazza wrote: »

The elevation map on the site now shows all of the hills on the course. No need for me to drop out a cheeky little 22 miler - phew. Don't be put off by the opening 4 miles or so: you hardly notice the pull out to Ardfert. It's the rollers between 8 and 15 that break up your rhythm. But like I said before, once you get over the first 15 miles the run in isn't too bad - just 2 hills. Prepare properly and run a conservative first 15 and you should have an excellent experience on a scenic course. Good luck.

Hi Stazza

Do you have a link to this course.

Stazza

If you go to the Tralee International Marathon site and click on 'course', a whole spiel comes up about the route - there's a small picture/map of the course in amongst this spiel. Click on the map and you'll get a link to the'proper' map, which has an elevation chart under it. The elevation chart was yellow and shaded and didn't reflect the true nature of the course. Now, however, it is blue and spiky and portrays a more accurate description of the the course. Hope this helps.

Krusty_Clown

Route. Tough looking route, indeed. The hills aren't huge, but there are many!

Stazza

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Route. Tough looking route, indeed. The hills aren't huge, but there are many!

Thanks for that Krusty - I need to learn how to do that link thingymabob.

(Off topic: I like your double tempo session - the 2 x 3 miles @ 5:40 pace. Very nice indeed. I think I'll be having some of that.)

Shane12

Thanks for that, just have to discipline myself on the climbs.

TFBubendorfer

That's a comparison of the Dublin and Tralee marathon elevation charts, though the vertical scale is not exactly the same (Dublin on top, Tralee at the bottom). I don't think Tralee will be quite as bad as has been made out earlier, but you clearly have to be able to deal with all those rollers if you want to do well. That's a lot of little hills that will break up your rhythm, as Stazza said.

SliM Dedalus

Completed my first marathon in Dublin with a 4.28 finish after a stop/ start training regime.

While delighted to get over the line, my thoughts have turned to a more dedicated preparation and a sub 4 hour. Looking at this race as the hopeful target - it won't be easy though judging by the elevation chart.

Looking forward to it though!

morann

Guys,

Here is the route mapped using RidewithGPS.

The graph at the bottom can be used to see the gradient changes, just check on 'grades' and check of 'ele'

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1858118

I also have the DCM here:

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1866649

Although Tralee has sharper gradients at a couple of points it seems Dublin is less flat.

Fast27!

I admire all of you, when people gather together to challenge themselves and most important enjoy themselves. The preparation for the Tralee marathon is hard work, I would like to do it myself, but for the beginner I think it is quite a challenge. I’ll see maybe I give it ago. While searching about the marathons I found routes for the spring marathon. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/92571133/, http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/160818316/.

Aislingtherese

I just saw this thread as I was looking through the Athletics forum yesterday following the AONC 2013 thread. Took a look at the website and signed up... Ireland is short on marathons early on in the year and it's great to see something scheduled for March.
Well done to the organisers for seeing a gap in the market. Looking forward to it!

Murph_D

There's a half marathon also, which I'm thinking of doing as part of my training for Cork in June. Any thoughts on the course? Or how this will work logistically - as part of the route is shared with the full marathon it seems Half contestants will need to turn off - could be a bit of a disaster if people make a wrong turn!

TFBubendorfer

murphd77 wrote: »

Any thoughts on the course? Or how this will work logistically - as part of the route is shared with the full marathon it seems Half contestants will need to turn off - could be a bit of a disaster if people make a wrong turn!

The turn off at mile 7 should be okay I reckon, but the second one, around mile 12 (half) / 22 (full) could be a disaster if they don't steward it properly. People will be tired at that point and won't pay full attention; plus, they might not expect another turn-off if they have not checked the course maps in advance.

There is definitely a risk that a few full marathoners will go straight ahead and inadvertently cut 3 miles off the course.

napathy

Anyone know how many people have signed up for the full yet?

vinsanity

We would be launching the free android/iOS runner tracking app - Odikyo (previously known as SeeMeRun) during the Tralee Marathon Expo. We are sponsoring Mile Marker 22. Will see you all at the expo/race..

http://www.facebook.com/odikyo

Good luck.

Zebrano

Does anybody know if there are pacers for the half marathon

TFBubendorfer

Zebrano wrote: »

Does anybody know if there are pacers for the half marathon

No, don't think so. Only 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 4:30 and 5:00 for the full as far as I know.

Trevster

Hi folks

Just wondering about the Half Marathon course in terms of hills?

TFBubendorfer

Trevster wrote: »

Hi folks

Just wondering about the Half Marathon course in terms of hills?

The course map, including an elevation profile, is on the Tralee marathon website. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/160818316/

ChristyM

Trevster wrote: »

Hi folks

Just wondering about the Half Marathon course in terms of hills?

I have run the half marathon route a few times since Christmas. There is a gradual pull for the first mile, than again around mile 3. Mile 4 is slightly downhill. Then it is fairly flat until around mile 6-7 where there is a good drag for about a mile, straight after that there is a nice downhill for just over a mile. After that it is fairly flat apart from a few short ups and downs. Around mile 11-12 there is a good pull for just under a mile. The last mile or so is downhill. So overall not too bad a course.

Murph_D

Was interested in this race but €50 for the half is ridiculous, especially for a first-time event. Plus it's a "Gathering" event, which makes the whiff of bandwagon even stronger.

Next year, maybe, when there is no "The Gathering" claptrap and if they drop the price.

Trevster

ChristyM wrote: »

I have run the half marathon route a few times since Christmas. There is a gradual pull for the first mile, than again around mile 3. Mile 4 is slightly downhill. Then it is fairly flat until around mile 6-7 where there is a good drag for about a mile, straight after that there is a nice downhill for just over a mile. After that it is fairly flat apart from a few short ups and downs. Around mile 11-12 there is a good pull for just under a mile. The last mile or so is downhill. So overall not too bad a course.

Cheers. I was aware of the elevation profile, but Christy's description was what I was after. I should have been clearer.

Sounds like I'll have to try make up some time on the downhill bits and push just the right amount on the uphills. Fantastic craic!

eliwallach

Signed up for the half. At the expense of Mallow.
Prep for London.

opus

How's everyone set for the run next Sat? Going by the long range forecast on yr.no, looks like it's going to be a chilly one although could easily change yet.

moon2012

opus wrote: »

How's everyone set for the run next Sat? Going by the long range forecast on yr.no, looks like it's going to be a chilly one although could easily change yet.

Getting close now to my first marathon, feeling nervous. That looks like it could be chilly with a nasty NE wind for the final couple of miles along the canal.

TFBubendorfer

I drove the marathon course today. There are a few hills in there alright, especially the one up to the golf course is rather steep.

It's not the fastest course around and on a windy day we are completely exposed. Let's hope for a calm day (the temperature will be fine, so that excuse is gone )

gtothek

Any idea of numbers running? Especially for the Marathon.

belcarra

Time for a target time table/list for this:
Belcarra - 3:3x - Not racing this but will be including some MP miles.

opus

Belcarra - 3:3x - Not racing this but will be including some MP miles.
opus - 3.2x - Training run for Comrades for me.

plumber77

Looking forward to this now. Weather looks like obliging too, probably as good as could be expected for this time of year. Hills will have us warmed up before we know it Hoping to get in under 3.20, course is tough though.

TFBubendorfer

Belcarra - 3:3x - Not racing this but will be including some MP miles.
opus - 3.2x - Training run for Comrades for me.
plumber77 - under 3.20
TFBubendorfer - under 2:55

chavezychavez

Belcarra - 3:3x - Not racing this but will be including some MP miles.
opus - 3.2x - Training run for Comrades for me.
plumber77 - under 3.20
TFBubendorfer - under 2:55
ChavezyChavez - Under 3:30

ultraman1

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

TFBubendorfer - under 2:55

how far under?......no hedging ur bets;)

TFBubendorfer

ultraman1 wrote: »

how far under?......no hedging ur bets;)

On a perfect day I'd say I am in 2:52 shape. It's a hilly course though, so 2:54:59 is a tough target already.

irfrm

Belcarra - 3:3x - Not racing this but will be including some MP miles.
opus - 3.2x - Training run for Comrades for me.
plumber77 - under 3.20
TFBubendorfer - under 2:55
ChavezyChavez - Under 3:30
irfrm- 1:24:59- half for me

opus

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

On a perfect day I'd say I am in 2:52 shape. It's a hilly course though, so 2:54:59 is a tough target already.

That's a nice target to be aiming for, the very best of luck with it!