IMRA Season 2018

chickey2

I really enjoyed my first IMRA race today at Ticknock. I was just thinking how well marked it was when I missed that sharp right into the forest! Luckily someone behind me shouted before I'd gone too far. I loved that downhill section through the forest, no mud!
Will definitely be back for more.

DubOnHoliday

Photos are up on IMRA fb

MonkstownHoop

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

Photos are up on IMRA fb

Great pics, cheers!

seamusk84

Yeah the marking was superb at Ticknock yesterday. I actually remember back in 2012 a whole load of us went wrong on that sharp right into the forest! We ran straight ahead right to the bottom.
Didn't make that mistake yesterday but a good few in front of me did so I yelled out "wrong way" to let them know!
Think I finished around 25th...losing way too many places on the downhills. Off to sportsdirect today for a new pair of speedcross 4's!
Bring on mullaghmeen next Sunday, this time I'll be prepared for those downhills

Supernintento Chalmers

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

Photos are up on IMRA fb

Pity the results wouldn't appear as quickly :rolleyes:

Djoucer

Supernintento Chalmers wrote: »

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

Photos are up on IMRA fb

Pity the results wouldn't appear as quickly :rolleyes:

Volunteer so and see if you can do it quicker.

Baby75

fantastic morning at Carrigbyrne Hill so well organised and marshalled course was really to follow and had a few steep snappy hills on a plus side the cake and coffee in the sun when we finished was fab as well

Supernintento Chalmers

Djoucer wrote: »

Volunteer so and see if you can do it quicker.

I volunteer at the local Park Run, the results come out within hours of the race, same as with most Park Runs around the country. Park Runs which don't have an entry fee or the assistance of chip timing.

Djoucer

Whoop de doo. Park runs don't take half the effort to organise as an IMRA race.

You're not likely to have a runner go missing around a 5km jog around the park. Nor does it require hours to mark and de mark it, get permissions from land owners, arrange prizes (we have prizes as it's a race). Collect all the race gear, hand over all the race gear to next volunteer (IMRA have a different course each week.)

All of which takes days/weeks to organise.

So quit moaning about race results not being up. It's likely those who organised the race gave up
their whole Saturday so you could run around. Better things to do with the rest of their weekend than sift over results. You're literally moaning about a volunteer.

Supernintento Chalmers

Djoucer wrote: »

Whoop de doo. Park runs don't take half the effort to organise as an IMRA race.

You're not likely to have a runner go missing around a 5km jog around the park. Nor does it require hours to mark and de mark it, get permissions from land owners, arrange prizes (we have prizes as it's a race). Collect all the race gear, hand over all the race gear to next volunteer (IMRA have a different course each week.)

All of which takes days/weeks to organise.

So quit moaning about race results not being up. It's likely those who organised the race gave up
their whole Saturday so you could run around. Better things to do with the rest of their weekend than sift over results. You're literally moaning about a volunteer.

Jeez. Take it easy pal. No need to get so defensive

Hurrache

It's an unfortunate aspect of life I've seen creeping into a variety of events I've been involved with over the years, IMRA is becoming a victim of its own popularity and I believe it's a generational issue.

It's the need for immediate satisfaction and entitlement which results in posts like the one rolling their eyes because the results aren't available a day after the race despite the race director previously apologising for the delay and issue with the results. Had they been involved, or volunteered, years ago they'd realise the process involved and wouldn't be a stranger to or have an issue with sometimes waiting days for results.

There's a certain rudeness and unjustifiable demand of volunteer race organisers and volunteers creeping in, and there's no place for such things.

And not to denigrate the work that goes into Park Run, there's no comparison between the two when it comes to organising and volunteering, apples and oranges.

DubOnHoliday

Some guy made the lovely comment that all the race photos of him where brutal. No more pics of that guy.

Hurrache

DubOnHoliday wrote: »

Some guy made the lovely comment that all the race photos of him where brutal. No more pics of that guy.

Wow, that's an amazing complaint.

Peterx

Supernintento Chalmers wrote: »

Pity the results wouldn't appear as quickly :rolleyes:

I think the laptop unfortunately decided on doing a big update right before the start. these things happen. The main thing is getting a race and we got that.

I remain amazed that anyone could have missed the turn into the forest.
It had at least 8 tape streamers and a big line of do not cross tape across the track. The course was essentially over marked (when compared to the guidelines) - but this was in recognition of the challenges involved in having a marked race in such a busy amenity area.

It is and it isn't a good comparison when comparing IMRA to Parkrun.
Both are run by volunteers but IMRA does charge an entrance fee.

The fee is relatively small as the work is done by unpaid volunteers but it is still a fee and that does come with certain expectations.
The expectations can appear unrealistic when you know the reason the race organiser wasn't back at the pub announcing the prizes was that she was waiting on all the runners to to return to the finish.
Parkrun's system is beautiful in that regard, tail runners and a course that is very difficult to get lost on. Tail runners wouldn't work for IMRA as lads can miss a turn literally anywhere, on any course, no matter how well marked.

And as you have found out, other IMRA members are very protective of their kin

Peterx

As to the race itself well it was mighty.
The weather was excellent, dry and cold and not too windy and right from the start there was a hard but nearly manageable pace set by Conor O'Keefe. I say nearly as I couldn't manage to actually match it and had to settle in for the steady slog up to the high point. I had also mentally settled in to the race to be first ould lad and maybe this contributed to my not being able for Conor's pace as Mikey was both a fellow ould lad and beside me.
Onto the lovely downhill and the absolute joy of finding out I was descending OK for a change and was now matching the pace up front.
I nipped ahead of young Luke Maher on the downhill( MTB gravity enduro section) of the hillrun and was closing up to Conor but sadly for me the going became slightly less technical and Conor started stretching away again. Luke showed great leg turnover, a gift from a cross country season don't you know, and easily ran past me and then repeated the trick and passed Conor too.
The winner, Luke Maher, still in secondary school. I felt really old then

His mother Miriam had been battling with the aforementioned cursed laptop before the start, as a running volunteer - so got no warm up. From my point of view it was an excellently organised race and I know my finishing time.
Thanks to Maike and Mike and team.
I have the DOMS today. Need to train more!

DubOnHoliday

Peterx wrote: »

As to the race itself well it was mighty.
.......
I have the DOMS today. Need to train more!

You had a terrific race, well done!

james quinn

Great race, my ascending needs a huge amount of work as even do it was only a few km i thought i would never get to the 4km mark which meant all down to the finish and some really enjoyable fast sections. In fairness to the organizers its a thankless job. Putting on an amazing race in my opinion and it was made clear at the brief no results would be up until today.

Roll on next week, any comparison between ticknock and mullaghmeen?

Slogger Jogger

Thanks RQ for moving thread to the main A/R/T.

A most enjoyable event. I am happy too not to see the results as all the fast guys like Peterx emerged from hill running hibernation, for a welcome return, to show us how its done. Whatever about the young lad winning, Emma Donlon had a fine run too, showing the rest of us how to climb. I myself found it a bit of a slog, only getting into the running in the final part for a delightful downhill.

seamusk84

james quinn wrote: »

Great race, my ascending needs a huge amount of work as even do it was only a few km i thought i would never get to the 4km mark which meant all down to the finish and some really enjoyable fast sections. In fairness to the organizers its a thankless job. Putting on an amazing race in my opinion and it was made clear at the brief no results would be up until today.

Roll on next week, any comparison between ticknock and mullaghmeen?

Mullaghmeen is a much tougher and longer race, it's actually excellent. The uphills are tougher and it's very technical underfoot through the forests. Wait until you hit the wall at the back of the course!

Can't wait personally, I need to break back into the top 10% and I'm going to throw everything I have at it!

james quinn

seamusk84 wrote: »

Mullaghmeen is a much tougher and longer race, it's actually excellent. The uphills are tougher and it's very technical underfoot through the forests. Wait until you hit the wall at the back of the course!

Can't wait personally, I need to break back into the top 10% and I'm going to throw everything I have at it!

hearing that the uphills are tougher isn't what i was hoping for!! Expecting the extra few km to hurt alright. Top 10% / top 20 was my aim last weekend too but just didn't make up enough ground on the decent or looking the other way i lost too much ground and places on the ascent.

Arsenium

Thinking of doing this run as its local to me. I have trained in Mullaghmeen a lot over the years but not recently. What's the policy in relation to participants having to walk chunks of it? I really cant see myself tackling some of the steeper climbs so am fully aware I will end up walking parts of it.

I presume there shouldnt be any issue but just wanted to check.

Slogger Jogger

Arsenium wrote: »

Thinking of doing this run as its local to me. I have trained in Mullaghmeen a lot over the years but not recently. What's the policy in relation to participants having to walk chunks of it? I really cant see myself tackling some of the steeper climbs so am fully aware I will end up walking parts of it.

I presume there shouldnt be any issue but just wanted to check.

Walking steeper bits is perfectly legit strategy and can be faster than trying to jog at times when the gradient ramps up and/or the ground is very rough.

Peterx

Arsenium wrote: »

Thinking of doing this run as its local to me. I have trained in Mullaghmeen a lot over the years but not recently. What's the policy in relation to participants having to walk chunks of it? I really cant see myself tackling some of the steeper climbs so am fully aware I will end up walking parts of it.

I presume there shouldnt be any issue but just wanted to check.

No issue. Walking the climbs is fine. Walking the entire course is not fine, purely from the point of view of how long the organisers would have to wait which would delay the results process in the pub.

The range of finishing times in 2017
( https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/1426 )
was from 49 minutes to 113 minutes

AdpRo

Great race this morning in Mullaghmeen, muck, snow, falls, savage climbs....it had the lot!

jamule

That was great fun. I face planted myself at downhill around 2.7k, ruined my race for me but still great fun. I had to stop twice for a HIA from a marshall. I have my first black eye from running after 40 yrs! I fell 4 times in a row on the downhill bit with the camber around 2.5k. And as for that last foooker of a hill!

Slogger Jogger

Great fun indeed. Never checked the weather forecast so was most surprised to see it getting snowier as we neared Mullaghmeen. First time there and not knowing anything about a route is nice for a change. Snowy, muddy, slippery goodness. Was sliding around like an ice skater at times on uphills, downhills and single track, despite the usually grippy inov-8s which struggled to cope with the unique conditions. A fine spread of food and other refreshments afterwards too. Ace.

seamusk84

Was a great race today in Mullaghmeen alright, well worth the journey. Loved the uphills and the flats on track, was slipping and sliding on the downhills but thoroughly enjoyed it.
Going to miss Trooperstown as have a race in Lusk the same day unfortunately that I'm booked in for. But I'll be back for Maulin!

james quinn

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

Great fun indeed. Never checked the weather forecast so was most surprised to see it getting snowier as we neared Mullaghmeen. First time there and not knowing anything about a route is nice for a change. Snowy, muddy, slippery goodness. Was sliding around like an ice skater at times on uphills, downhills and single track, despite the usually grippy inov-8s which struggled to cope with the unique conditions. A fine spread of food and other refreshments afterwards too. Ace.

Would second what everyone has already said - the route was exceptional, it had everything and 'The Wall' at the end ill say no more!! The Salomons Speedcross didn't fair much better!! Normally traction is super but with yesterdays conditions there was many a slip and slide.

Arsenium

Absolutely loved this yesterday. My God the mud was unreal. The downhill sections were hilarious and the uphill to the cairn was a mud bath also. I thought we had reached the wall until we turned left and realised what they were talking about haha. They werent kidding.

Great fun. Will definitely do it again.

james quinn

So its Trooperstown Hill this Saturday morning. One of the few previous races I did back a few years ago but dont remember specifics. I recollect it as being a constant but gradual climb for the first 7km with about 1km of flat / downhill in the middle until the final last few km all being downhill.

https://www.imra.ie/events/maps/id/1567/

its rated as more difficult than Mullaghmeen but has less climbing and is shorter? Is this due to the technical decent?