2019 AXA Raheny 5

Zebra3

Very enjoyable race.

Wasn't feeling great going into and I felt it out there.

Wind was a killer in the park.

Got a nice surge of pace with about half a km left.

healy1835

The car at the start didn't help things alright, also slightly after that two runners had a big enough fall, looked nasty enough. Hope they were ok.....

28064212

28064212 wrote: »

How is the section in the park shorter than last year (see RayCun's link), but there doesn't seem to be any extra added anywhere else?

Murph_D wrote: »

I doubt if that map is to scale. The St. Anne's 180 turn is probably a bit further up the Avenue in reality.

Turns out it was the exact same course as last year, the park bit is slightly inaccurate in the new map Great event from Raheny, as always

tomwaits48

The first mile is a complete mess, starting a race like that in a narrow housing estate just doesn’t work. Needs a rethink imo.

Everything else to a high standard.

corcaigh07

Love Raheny 5 but some tweaks are definitely required. Too many slower runners starting at the front and vice versa.

Line people up to a predicted time would help along with a second wave. Also, the walkers start far too close to the start of the runners. They become a significant hazard close to the end.

At least the goody bag is back on form 😀, that’s one thing fixed from last year!

PauloMN

Did the race today, really like it once I get going, unfortunately for me that was 4km into the race as I arrived late and was waaaaay back from the start. I spent the first half of the race trying to get to where I should have been and I was up and down paths, verges, dodging through people, kerbs, cones, parked cars etc.. My fault for not being there early enough I know, but the race was a write off really from a time point of view and I got caught out last year as well. Think that's my last one as the sheer number of people at the start in such a tight area is off-putting, not worth travelling for. My gun time was 3.5 minutes more than my chip time!

Personally I think a wave start is absolutely and utterly essential for this race given the start area and the number of runners.

Sacksian

First time doing the Raheny 5 today; really super race and, even with the wind, it's a fast course. Organisation was phenomenal - kudos to Raheny Shamrock!

Pink11

Super Race. Well done againRaheny, great set up! Felt for the volunteers in the bag drop especially - it was so busy but they were brilliant and kept the line moving and were so polite to every single runner. Great club spirit guys.

The goodie bag is unreal!

Missed the last 2 years due to injury. It was alot busier today, was NOT expecting the congestion to be this bad. I started way too far back, first 2 miles were very messy - dodging around the usual race problems - people running in lines of 2/3 chatting away, people with headphones unaware of their surroundings, way too many walkers and slow runners taking off to near the start line. Oh and swerving around the car in the first mile was very hairy!

One solution - please bring in waves and the walkers need to set off alot sooner.

BUT my speed training is starting to pay off as I knocked over 2 mins off my 5 mile time. Very happy bunny this evening (but can't help but wonder what I could have achieved if I had a clear run :pac:)

Pink11

Wottle wrote: »

Super race, conditions were fine. Didn't meet anyone
Lots of short cuts taken by a few as well.

Overall great race

Really? I didn't notice. I don't know the course too well but how did people cheat? Where were the short cuts?

Wottle

Pink11 wrote: »

Wottle wrote: »

Super race, conditions were fine. Didn't meet anyone
Lots of short cuts taken by a few as well.

Overall great race

Really? I didn't notice. I don't know the course too well but how did people cheat? Where were the short cuts?

Maybe I'm over stating a little but not running on the road, going up on the path and cutting yards off, running wrong side of cones (out on roads, before park).
I'm also assuming the course is measured on the roads and not paths (apart from one junction where the steward told us to go up on path).

Lazare

No complaints from me Raheny.

Even got to shake The Claw's hand.

Wottle

And I didn't use the word cheat, I'm sure most just didn't know any better.

Pink11

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Wottle wrote: »

Maybe I'm over stating a little but not running on the road, going up on the path and cutting yards off, running wrong side of cones (out on roads, before park).
I'm also assuming the course is measured on the roads and not paths (apart from one junction where the steward told us to go up on path).

Oh I getcha.I was thinking people ran cross country across the park or something ha. I saw some of that on the paths especially in that first mile and half, I just assumed it was people trying to get some space.

My watch said I did 5.2 miles today - about right with all the weaving.

28064212

Wottle wrote: »

Maybe I'm over stating a little but not running on the road, going up on the path and cutting yards off, running wrong side of cones (out on roads, before park).
I'm also assuming the course is measured on the roads and not paths (apart from one junction where the steward told us to go up on path).

Yeah, one particular place was the third-last corner, lot of people were hopping the footpath and gaining half a metre. Worked out fine for me though, cause I was f*cked if I was going to be beaten by a cutter :P

Lazare

Here's a little Twitter thread I wrote about why Raheny 5 means so much to me, and how something accidental but beautiful happened today...


https://twitter.com/Lazare76/status/1089608223156592641?s=19

John_Rambo

I really hope you heard the shouts of encouragement Conor.

Lazare

John_Rambo wrote: »

I really hope you heard the shouts of encouragement Conor.

I did John.

Was for another Conor though

John_Rambo

Lazare wrote: »

I did John.

Was for another Conor though

I saw that earlier on, made me laugh. We stuck with the cold and shouted all the racers on!!

Lazare

John_Rambo wrote: »

I saw that earlier on, made me laugh. We stuck with the cold and shouted all the racers on!!

Fair play to you. The Raheny crowd are truly special, such a great buzz from them. I hollered back as much as I could.

MY BAD

Excellent race today. Congrats to the organisers and local community you should be very proud.

ooter

tomwaits48 wrote: »

The first mile is a complete mess, starting a race like that in a narrow housing estate just doesn’t work. Needs a rethink imo.

Everything else to a high standard.

Yeah it's why I don't do it any more, start area is way too narrow. Start time is not ideal either in my opinion.

TarfHead

Today was my 6th time, in 8 years, taking part and I'm wondering if I'll bother again. I think it has become a victim if its own success with too many participants being funnelled along narrow streets.

I also think the goodie bag has declined in standard. Too many products with added 'protein' for my liking.

Not happy to be a grouch, or an old fart who think things were better years ago. Just putting another perspective out there.

Burkie1203

TarfHead wrote: »

Today was my 6th time, in 8 years, taking part and I'm wondering if I'll bother again. I think it has become a victim if its own success with too many participants being funnelled along narrow streets.

I also think the goodie bag has declined in standard. Too many products with added 'protein' for my liking.

Not happy to be a grouch, or an old fart who think things were better years ago. Just putting another perspective out there.

It's the problem with a successful event. The big issue is people who will take 45-60 minutes starting at/near the front. That's where the congestion comes from. It happens at nearly every event. It's pure selfish. Corrals of 30-35, 35-45, 45-55 and people being cooperative removes 75% of the issues.

The first lap was a good idea to spread the field out before we went into that closed off bus lane.

Overall it was a good event. Room to improve but far better then Run In The Dark for example which is just a shambles.


Walkers need to go an hour before the main event and the wheelchair/pushcart need to go about 20 minutes ahead.

bilbot79

Definitely would have done better if I hadn't started near the back.

In the end my watch recorded a distance of 4.93 miles and I was up on the path a bit but that was because the roads were so jammers.

Dodging around people, changing speed etc takes up unnecessary energy. Definitely need waves.

SnitchingBubs

Enjoyed the race today. Glad the rain stayed away. Goodie bag is as good as advertised.

Only issues for me as others have said is the lack of waves and letting the walkers start too late. Going through the park where we had to run down and back and there were group's of walkers on the path walking 2 or 3 abreast.

eoinín

I've put up some photos here, with LOADS more to follow over the next few evenings:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/86489211@N00/albums/72157706236620024

glacial_pace71

Well done to Raheny for organising a great race.

I've ran this 14 times over the best part of two decades. In the days before chip timing there was even more of an anxious stampede to the first 90 degree bend at the starting mile.

However, at today's race that stranded car was just so dangerous but there's nothing the Gardaí could do other than channel people through the chokepoint.

There's a strong case to be made for a wave start, not ideal for a race distance as short as a 5 mile - it barely works well for 10k races - but the chip times self-evidently show people starting 90-180 seconds from where they should be. It somewhat spoils the first mile for a lot of other people with all the weaving necessary.

Given that the road works on the coast have permanently deprived the race of the sea breeze/gale and the climb back up Watermill Road it's now necessary for variations on a mile of race taking place in St Anne's Park. I think there's a case to send it in a loop within the park, e.g. down past the Red Stables, under the arch of the Annie Lee princess-castle-style memorial, onwards onto the path within the perimeter of the park, and back out of the park at the exit point used today. (There's a 10 mile race contained entirely within St Anne's, so there should be some way of finding a 1 to 1 1/2 mile route that doesn't inconvenience little old ladies with dogs on leads etc whilst still avoiding the long up/down the avenue).

It was welcome to see the 73rd Dublin out on stewarding, and plenty of Gardaí on the public roads. Great to see the cat-litter/sawdust stuff being ditched from the goodie bag and proper goodies being included.

It's a friendly place, an enjoyable race, organised by a great club, but it might need wave starts or a restriction on the entrant numbers, as there's a lot of weaving needed for the first mile.

RayCun

healy1835 wrote: »

The car at the start didn't help things alright, also slightly after that two runners had a big enough fall, looked nasty enough. Hope they were ok.....

Don't know about her but he was okay, got up and carried on. Probably cost him a sub 29 though.

Apart from that car in the first km I thought it was the usual great race from Raheny (but a terrible run from me)

Can't really judge what the congestion was like further back. Maybe pacers would be useful to give people an indication of where to start. Signs are just ignored

Burkie1203

RayCun wrote: »

Don't know about her but he was okay, got up and carried on. Probably cost him a sub 29 though.

Apart from that car in the first km I thought it was the usual great race from Raheny (but a terrible run from me)

Can't really judge what the congestion was like further back. Maybe pacers would be useful to give people an indication of where to start. Signs are just ignored

Barrier off the start area

Create funnels for people to enter the corrals

Ask them Their predicted times and direct them into the funnels.

That was my first Raheny run. They have plenty of room there for that size crowd.

It just requires people not being selfish

Huzzah!

RayCun wrote: »

Don't know about her but he was okay, got up and carried on. Probably cost him a sub 29 though.

Apart from that car in the first km I thought it was the usual great race from Raheny (but a terrible run from me)

Can't really judge what the congestion was like further back. Maybe pacers would be useful to give people an indication of where to start. Signs are just ignored

I saw a blonde woman in a yellow and blue singlet around there walking back towards the start. She was upset but was up and walking at least.

I love the atmosphere of this race and think the route/congestion has improved from when I did it last in 2017. I do think something could be done with the start, though, but not sure what.