Frank Duffy 10 miler swords 2018

Bluesquare

Hi All,

Anybody have a notion what this course is like ? Is it an extension of the old tenk route?

Thanks
BS

Hard Worker

Bluesquare wrote: »

Hi All,

Anybody have a notion what this course is like ? Is it an extension of the old tenk route?

Thanks
BS

It is an extension of the 10K route.
http://sseairtricitydublinmarathon.ie/race/frank-duffy-10-mile/

The Black Oil

That link mentions parking in the Pavillions. They OK with that, or are ye likely to get clamped for going away and not using the shopping centre?

Bluesquare

The Black Oil wrote: »

That link mentions parking in the Pavillions. They OK with that, or are ye likely to get clamped for going away and not using the shopping centre?

They had special parts of the centre they directed the runners to when the tenk was held there . Easy peasy. You did have to pay though as far as I remember .

Unthought Known

Bluesquare wrote: »

They had special parts of the centre they directed the runners to when the tenk was held there . Easy peasy. You did have to pay though as far as I remember .

I'm not sure we did pay last year did we? I thought we were directed into a section where they had someone manning the gates, keeping them open when we left.

aquinn

Unthought Known wrote: »

I'm not sure we did pay last year did we? I thought we were directed into a section where they had someone manning the gates, keeping them open when we left.

I think everyone gets two hours free parking there anyway?

Goose76

contemplating signing up for this - it would be my first ever 10 mile - the longest I've run so far is 13k. Obviously would build up beyond this over the weeks coming up to the race.

Would this be a good first 10 miler does anyone think? I've a fairly hectic August lined up so don't want to overstretch myself but still want a challenge!

andrew1977

Goose76 wrote: »

contemplating signing up for this - it would be my first ever 10 mile - the longest I've run so far is 13k. Obviously would build up beyond this over the weeks coming up to the race.

Would this be a good first 10 miler does anyone think? I've a fairly hectic August lined up so don't want to overstretch myself but still want a challenge!

Not a bother to you , sign up and belt away at it, you only have 3km to add to your already 13k distance you can do, bit more training and buzz and energy of race day will push you on no problem for the 10 miles .

Good luck with it, the SSE race series are great race.

Pink11

Anyone know if any shuttle buses from Malahide dart or public transport will be operating for this? Once again, I'll be relying on public transport if I was to do this one.

Alorra

Hi
Is there a link to the elevation for this one? Cannot seem to see it on the website.

Wondering what sort of hills are on the course.


Thanks

Dealerz2.0

Alorra wrote: »

Hi
Is there a link to the elevation for this one? Cannot seem to see it on the website.

Wondering what sort of hills are on the course.


Thanks

Ive ran about 90% of the route about 6 times at this stage as part of my long runs at the weekend, honestly there are no hills worth mentioning. I will say that the country back roads can potentially be in bad condition, unless fingal coco have redone them recently , so that’s all I’d be wary of.

HelenAnne

Dealerz2.0 wrote: »

Ive ran about 90% of the route about 6 times at this stage as part of my long runs at the weekend, honestly there are no hills worth mentioning. I will say that the country back roads can potentially be in bad condition, unless fingal coco have redone them recently , so that’s all I’d be wary of.

When you say 'country back roads', are there farms? Any chance of dogs running out at us? (That happened to me a couple of times in a recent Blackwater 10k & I really didn't like it, to the extent that I'm not going to do that race again).

Dealerz2.0

HelenAnne wrote: »

When you say 'country back roads', are there farms? Any chance of dogs running out at us? (That happened to me a couple of times in a recent Blackwater 10k & I really didn't like it, to the extent that I'm not going to do that race again).

No dog has run out at me- if that’s any help. It is a farmimg area.

ooter

Pink11 wrote: »

Anyone know if any shuttle buses from Malahide dart or public transport will be operating for this? Once again, I'll be relying on public transport if I was to do this one.

Public transport (bus) is not a problem for getting in to swords but from my experience it's a nightmare to get out of.
Would love to do this but with it being all Ireland final day I'd need to get back in to town asap, don't think I'll take the risk.

Pink11

ooter wrote: »

Public transport (bus) is not a problem for getting in to swords but from my experience it's a nightmare to get out of.
Would love to do this but with it being all Ireland final day I'd need to get back in to town asap, don't think I'll take the risk.

Yeah came to that conclusion myself (All Ireland day). Think I'll just do my LSR by myself that week!

The Black Oil

Plus, it's a Sunday. Fewer buses, in general.

Dealerz2.0

I ran the 10 mile route this morning- a lot, to be fair to fingal co co, has been re surfaced, however there are still some sections of potholes/uneven surfaces on the back roads part of the route something to be aware of.

The Black Oil

Got my race number in the post today.

The Black Oil

https://www.facebook.com/dublinmarathon/videos/vb.291874688184/278384812958595/

Course video is up.

juke

Is there likely to be any pacers on the day, does anyone know?

Singer

juke wrote: »

Is there likely to be any pacers on the day, does anyone know?

I speak entirely non-authoritatively, but historically there has only been pacers for the half and full. The information for the races on the website reckon this is still the case. Time to bribe a friend to run it at marathon pace or something

Huzzah!

juke wrote: »

Is there likely to be any pacers on the day, does anyone know?

What time were you thinking of targeting?

juke

Huzzah! wrote: »

What time were you thinking of targeting?

:pac:

Was just building up to posting on your log!

Not sure, never done a 10 mile. Based off my last 5k, Hansons' calculator says 6.46.

Singer

The worst thing about the Fingal 10k transmogrifying into the Frank Duffy 10 Miler is of course that the previous posts I made on boards with course information no longer apply. Given that the start line is like a few hundred metres from my gaff, I felt obliged to do a recce and write it up. I made a half-arsed and doomed attempt at running the course a few months ago but took a wrong turn somewhere and cut the course, but today I actually ran the entire thing, aided by warning signs about the race and mile markers graffitied onto the road!

The first couple of miles or so

The start is in the same location as the start of the Fingal 10k, slap bang in the middle of Swords Main St., somewhere around Clarke's Centra and The Hawthorn Hotel The Fourty Four. Expect the usual semi-organised melee, if you are going for sub-40 or so you probably need to be in the area early-ish to get a good starting place. The first change to the course comes very quickly, and is not entirely a positive change - instead of going up the Main St. / Dublin Road until the Pinnock Hill roundabout, the course turns quickly to the left towards the Pavillions at the Garda Station. This cuts out a bit of a drag, though the open straight 1km at the start was good at sorting out positions. After the left the course bends around the roundabout Pavillions and resumes the old Fingal 10k course on the Swords bypass. The bypass is nothing to write home about, it's a boring bypass but it's wide enough and things open up pretty well on it. The main thing to keep in mind here is to race the race line, which is as mostly close to the left hand side as possible. The surface can be a little wonky due to drains, kerbs etc. but just stick to the left (unless I'm running there at the time). It's slightly downhill here until the third and final roundabout you'll encounter at Fingallians, and then it's more of the same up towards the turn-off into the countryside. I swear that this is a slight uphill drag, but Strava reckons otherwise - maybe it feels like it as the bypass can be a little exposed, so tuck in behind some big fecker and keep the pace ticking over.

The countryside


At 2.3 miles the course turns left into country roads that are well protected on both sides by ditches and trees. Things get a little lumpy here, there are some minor bumps and drags but nothing serious. The surface here is pretty ok. The road does a left turn and brings you to a T junction with a right turn and a drag to get up. Here the course diverges from the Fingal 10k - instead of turning down towards Balheary church at around the half-way point of the 10k, you head straight past the turn, continuing north and further into the country side. After the 3 mile mark there's the first water station. Along here has good tree cover and the surface is grand, though there were some large puddles from the rain around here so if it was raining you may have to choose to go around or through the puddles. Slight downhill here according to Strava.

Things change a little with a turn to the left at around 4.6 miles, the road quality is a lot worse and there's no real cover from the elements, just the odd tree. If it's warm or windy or wet things might get tough here. Also, it's uphill for the next two miles! Again, nothing severe, 50 ft climb though with a few small ups and downs. Just over half a mile later the course turns to the left again back towards Swords, and the road quality deteriorates a little more here. Things get a bit better around 6 miles or so from the cover perspective with the resumption of tree/ditch lined roads.

Back to civilisation

Just before the 7 mile mark there's another left turn taking you away from the looming Roganstown Hotel and past a few golf courses on the Balheary Road. This is well surfaced, straight and pretty much a slight downhill until the last 400 metres or so. Go for it! At the 8.7 mile mark the course rejoin the Fingal 10k course at Balheary Church. After crossing the Broadmeadow River, we're pretty much in Swords now, passing such notable landmarks as the National Museum's Collection Resource Centre (i.e. a big warehouse) and the old Amdahl factory. The road widens and opens up, and you swing around the end of Balheary Park and then back up to the right towards the centre of Swords. The good, and pretty obvious news, is that the end is pretty close. The Fingal 10k used to turn off North St., over a small bridge and then up the mountain of Watery Lane - a 40ft climb that feels like 4000ft at the later stages of a 10k. However there is no such character building climb at the latter stages of this 10 mile route, just a minor drag over the last few hundred metres. My watch marked 10 miles somewhere around the Applegreen though the map suggests it's a bit further up the street closer to the castle, and it looks like the surrounding park will contain the usual post-race bananas, t-shirts, etc.

Summary

Overall, it's a good course. The surface isn't always perfect but I've experienced a lot worse. The only real problem is the early turn to the left, which even at a smaller race such as the Trim 10 mile can be a problem, though it's so early on in a long enough race that it doesn't really matter unless you fall or something. In racing nomenclature it's probably not "fair" (which I think translates to a complete b0ll0x of a course) but closer to "PB friendly". The country-side extension of the Fingal 10k course isn't particularly interesting, but nobody (other than Britney Spears) comes to Swords for the sights. Cyas on Sunday!

Huzzah!

juke wrote: »

:pac:

Was just building up to posting on your log!

Not sure, never done a 10 mile. Based off my last 5k, Hansons' calculator says 6.46.

Me, too! We can run together, if it suits? I won’t pace you, but can maybe be a bit of company. You can push on if the chatter gets too much or you’re feeling good!

skyblue46

Sub 40 :eek::pac:

I'd love to oblige but I'll be busy that morning.

juke

Huzzah! wrote: »

Me, too! We can run together, if it suits? I won’t pace you, but can maybe be a bit of company. You can push on if the chatter gets too much or you’re feeling good!

Sounds perfect, your steadiness will keep me from having notions and chat would be good.

Applegirl26

Does anyone know where I'd find an elevation map for this race?
Thank you!

kittyclaws

Singer wrote: »

transmogrifying

Red Dwarf fan?!

Rossi7

Applegirl26 wrote: »

Does anyone know where I'd find an elevation map for this race?
Thank you!

Strava

Bluesquare

Great route description Singer !! Have passed it on a lot !! Thanks

sibeen99

Hoping to travel up from Waterford to do this on Sunday. Any idea what traffic is like early in the morning? Should I give myself extra time? Park in the Pavillions as was mentioned earlier in the thread?
I’m not familiar with Swords at all.

skyblue46

sibeen99 wrote: »

Hoping to travel up from Waterford to do this on Sunday. Any idea what traffic is like early in the morning? Should I give myself extra time? Park in the Pavillions as was mentioned earlier in the thread?
I’m not familiar with Swords at all.

You'll have no problem with traffic. Personally I'd park in a housing estate but if you have no knowledge of the area then the Pavilions is probably best.

sibeen99

skyblue46 wrote: »

You'll have no problem with traffic. Personally I'd park in a housing estate but if you have no knowledge of the area then the Pavilions is probably best.

That’s great, thanks for that. One less thing to worry about.

Dealerz2.0

sibeen99 wrote: »

That’s great, thanks for that. One less thing to worry about.

Yeah Pavillions is fine or even woodies at sea town roundabout, taking the donabate m1 exit- google it if you’re unfamiliar. Woodies ( it may be quicker as an exit strategy post race!) is very close to Swords village.

AAD

Im not happy that I’m going to miss this one, number arrived last week then my wife tells me she won’t be back from a couple of nights away until Sunday and not Saturday. Grrrr

sibeen99

Dealerz2.0 wrote: »

Yeah Pavillions is fine or even woodies at sea town roundabout, taking the donabate m1 exit- google it if you’re unfamiliar. Woodies ( it may be quicker as an exit strategy post race!) is very close to Swords village.

That sounds good, would be nice to be back on the road fairly quickly after the race. Thanks!

fletch

My friend lost his number...is there somewhere he can get a replacement on the morning?

Singer

fletch wrote: »

My friend lost his number...is there somewhere he can get a replacement on the morning?

Yep, there's a helpdesk at the race. May have to pay a tenner.

charkee

remember 0930 am start!!

aquinn

Tired now.

Found that tough. Wasn't mad on the road surfaces as legs were tired for it all.

However, thanks to expert pacing and assistance got a new PB. Happy with that. A great finish area. Congested start and glad we were advised of the first left turn.

Thanks for the parking in Woodies tip, that worked out very well.

Another warm one.

Damo 2k9

Didn't like the route at all, surface was shocking IMO. The goody bag again was shocking, what I can only assume was a pair of gloves that cost less than 50 cent to buy and a bottle of lucozade? I know it's not all about the goody bag, but it's nice to get at the same time. Very well organised finish tho.

ThebitterLemon

aquinn wrote: »

Tired now.

Found that tough. Wasn't mad on the road surfaces as legs were tired for it all.

However, thanks to expert pacing and assistance got a new PB. Happy with that. A great finish area. Congested start and glad we were advised of the first left turn.

Thanks for the parking in Woodies tip, that worked out very well.

Another warm one.

Expert pacing? Wasn't Murph pacing you

Well done

TbL

aquinn

ThebitterLemon wrote: »

Expert pacing? Wasn't Murph pacing you

Well done

TbL

That's him!

I also gave him the finger over my shoulder as we approached the finish. I realise now he didn't deserve that. Sorry D, only doing your best for me.

OOnegative

aquinn wrote: »

That's him!

I also gave him the finger over my shoulder as we approached the finish. I realise now he didn't deserve that. Sorry D, only doing your best for me.

No wonder he didn’t rip up his transfer form with that kind of treatment!!!

AlanPat

Really enjoyable morning, some tight squeezes down the back roads. Disappointing goodie bag at the end, compounded by getting a medium t shirt in a large bag.

aquinn

OOnegative wrote: »

No wonder he didn’t rip up his transfer form with that kind of treatment!!!

He promised me 400m and it wasn't!

Huzzah!

Have to say I think the goody bag is grand - 20-odd quid to enter and you get a well organised race, t-shirt, lucozade, bar, gloves and fruit at the finish. The gloves will match our hats from last year

sibeen99

Dealerz2.0 wrote: »

Yeah Pavillions is fine or even woodies at sea town roundabout, taking the donabate m1 exit- google it if you’re unfamiliar. Woodies ( it may be quicker as an exit strategy post race!) is very close to Swords village.

Your advice worked a treat, thank you. Parked by Woodies and was back on the road after the race in no time.
Enjoyed the route, it was very warm. I thought the goody bag was great, wouldn’t expect anything more for €20.
Well done to all involved!

fletch

Thought goodie bag was absolutely fine. T-shirt...a nutty bar, lucozade and then lots of fruit and water available afterwards. Was particularly happy to get a pink lady apple. What more do you expect. Thought the route was lovely...flat and for a Dublin run, scenic.

HelenAnne

I loved the goody bag too! Loved the bar and Lucozade, and I’m delighted with the gloves! The race series always has things that are a bit different from the usual t shirts and medals, like hats, buffs, bags, gloves. I’m delighted with them, you can’t have too many gloves w cross country season coming up, and I love that they have the race series logo on them.
PLUS - t shirts came in xs so they actually fit women, unlike at most races, and the water came in biodegradable cups instead of bottles (or ‘ankle breakers’ as I call bottles at races 😀).
Thanks, race series, well done on all the goodies.
I also loved the course - lovely scenery and varied. I wasn’t racing as I’m ashamed to say I haven’t got my mileage up enough yet to race ten miles. I ran it with my friend, and she was delighted to come in at a minute faster than her A goal. It was a comfortably hard run for me, and a lovely morning. Well
Done all!