IMRA season 2010

Here's a new thread to replace our 2009 one. Its a place for discussing hillrunning, races, training, equipment, shoes, banter: so long as it goes up and down, and makes you mucky, this is the place for it! I'll put in a few links for new runners who might be curious about hill running, feel free to post more relevant info below so that we can direct newcomers to the first page of this thread throughout 2010.

What is hill running? Irish Mountain Running Association for all the information you need about races, dates, maps, carpooling, results, etc.

Do I need special gear? In general, the only specific gear you need is hill running shoes, which will provide extra traction for the different terrain. Most hill shoes have less cushioning and support than road shoes, and are more durable. Some good shoes are discussed here, here, here and where to buy them

Other gear you may need, depending on the difficulty of the race, may be waterproof clothing, map and compass, mobile phone.

How do I enter? IMRA membership is €10 per calendar year, and then €7 per race. You can register your details, (gender, age grouping, club affiliation), before each race, once that is done, you are in the system, and will be included in the results (with lots of neat graphs and charts so you can track your progress throughout the years races, and that of your rivals!).

Do I have to be in a club? No, you may leave the club section blank if you wish. There is also an inter-county rivalry, so you can enter your county (of birth or residence, especially if that contributes to a bigger geographical spread than Dublin and Wicklow!). However, the inter-club rivalry is a big part of the races, and gives runners down the field a chance to "score". If you are not a member of another running club, you can put down "Boards AC", and be a part of the Boards team who run the IMRA races. (You do not need to join the official Boards AC team to run IMRA races, just frequent this forum, turn up and run, although you must join them if you want to run for Boards AC in AAI-run events).

Besides the above, carpooling helps to lessen parking problems in often remote locations, turning up early (+1hour) before the race start helps with registration queues, and most of all volunteering often helps keeps prices down and organization efficient. Through these pages, we have ran a couple of very well received map-reading course's, with more planned in 2010. The ever-popular Wicklow Way Relay had its first team comprised of Boards runners, and we are aiming for at least two teams this coming year. We had a great time talking about, and running in, IMRA races in 2009, thanks to everyone, from all clubs and none, who helped make it such a huge thread! Onwards and upwards in 2010!