Athlone ¾ Marathon, Sun 2nd Oct 2011 11am

Izoard · 02-10-2011 7:20pm

menoscemo wrote: »

Nope, both wrong. They were going at LSR pace as per what was advertised by the organisers. i.e 90-95% of Marathon pace.

+1

This was exactly what we did.

We finished with a small group, but many of the sub-4 for Dublin were feeling strong, so they pushed on for a quicker time.

Izoard · 02-10-2011 7:23pm

The Hammer wrote: »

The major issue for me is - I registered in March this year - so almost 8 months ago - go in this morning for my small t-shirt (at 9am) and was told "sorry - we have no small left" - how can this be? There was a list with people's t-shirt size - and as people came to collect they were crossed off the list.

So I have to wear around a "Large" - which is like a tarpaulin - so I won't be wearing it around - and I liked last year's so much.

So my question is - how early do you need to register and how early do you need to come to collect numbers to get the correct t-shirt size? I was too tired and sore to go back and search at the end.

At the briefing it was announced that there were no small t-shirts (the delivery didn't arrive), but that they would be sent out in due course?

dernipper · 02-10-2011 7:32pm

4 stars (good)

I thought at the race briefing it was announced that there was a supply issues with small t shirts but that there were taking names and will be sending small t shirts to all those who asked but didn't get one

The Hammer · 02-10-2011 7:35pm

dernipper wrote: »

I thought at the race briefing it was announced that there was a supply issues with small t shirts but that there were taking names and will be sending small t shirts to all those who asked but didn't get one

That is great - missed that wee bit of the race briefing - superb race in every other respect - will look forward to my small t-shirt :-) I will post the large one back in due course.

dernipper · 02-10-2011 7:59pm

4 stars (good)

You might want to drop the organisers an email though as I would imagine you are recorded as having received s tshiry,,, no harm to be on the safe side, agree it really us a great race, atmosphere is brilliant, Everyone just chatting away about how their respective training is going etc, pacers (3:30) did a great job

Quote=The Hammer;74715395]

dernipper wrote: »

I thought at the race briefing it was announced that there was a supply issues with small t shirts but that there were taking names and will be sending small t shirts to all those who asked but didn't get one

That is great - missed that wee bit of the race briefing - superb race in every other respect - will look forward to my small t-shirt :-) I will post the large one back in due course.[/Quote]

subscriber · 02-10-2011 8:01pm

3 stars (average)

can someone explain to me the story with the pacers?? did they post the target times for the marathon on their balloons or how did it work? Again, y were 4.00 hr balloons crossing the finish at 3.08?? Makes no sense to me, would it not have made more sense to post target times for the 19 miler on their balloons?

DublinDilbert · 02-10-2011 8:02pm

Very impressed with today, really well run race, couldn't really fault it.

Came accros the finish line in 2:39, so happy enough with that. The last hill was a real slog, didn't find the others too bad.

Slogger Jogger · 02-10-2011 8:08pm

4 stars (good)

subscriber wrote: »

can someone explain to me the story with the pacers?? did they post the target times for the marathon on their balloons or how did it work? Again, y were 4.00 hr balloons crossing the finish at 3.08?? Makes no sense to me, would it not have made more sense to post target times for the 19 miler on their balloons?

Speaking as someone who ran with the 3 hr pacer who kept the pace pretty much... A 3 hr Dublin marathon time translated to a 2.25 3/4 marathon time taking into account that we weren't going to race it all out pace-wise. A sub 3 marathon pace is c. 4:15. Our pace today was in the mid 4:20s. That strategy I expect was mirrored for the other pacers. A pity there wasn't a 3:15 target pacer as I expect they would have had good demand.

The pacers has signs on their backs as well as the pacing balloons.

DigiJem · 02-10-2011 8:11pm

3 stars (average)

A well organised and marshaled event. Very well stocked water stations with bottled water, fruit, sweets and fruitcake. Seemed to be a lot more runners than last year. There was a problem with water when I finished, about 20 people trying to get a drink out of an almost empty container. Sorted within 5 minutes though, 2 more containers were delivered. A tough run but a great training session for Dublin.

fruitbats · 02-10-2011 8:32pm

4 stars (good)

Well done to the two organisers, the best race that I’ve ever done. The race was really well organised, marshalled (where they being paid to cheer us on!!), atmosphere was great, Nearly faultless the only suggestions for improvements possibly could be gels and isotonic drinks at the water stations. Again i’d say stuff like that would be easier to deliver if the race was sponsored. Never the less the great race.

Murraythree · 02-10-2011 8:51pm

4 stars (good)

Really enjoyed this event. A real confidence booster for Dublin. Best part of the day was the craic with the two lads pacing sub 4- blue balloon. They did a mighty job and were so encouraging. Glad I got the opportunity to thank one of them afterwards.

dernipper · 02-10-2011 8:51pm

4 stars (good)

Have a look here at the pacing table on the FAQ page http://www.athlone3quarter.com/faq.php

Basically think of this as more of an organised Long Training Run than a race, what you had was pacers who were running at the correct TRAINING pace per miles for those hoping for the various times On the day of the marathon. If you think that the school of thought is that you dont run in training at your required planned maraton time or at least not 20 miles at it. So if you look at 3:30 pacers today, in a marathon the pace per mile would be around the 8 min per mile mark. Today for the first 1/4 they ran at 8:50 ish and then the last 2/4's at 8:24 ish so close but not PMP leaving you fresh for the marathon itself,,,, if that makes sense?

spanx · 02-10-2011 9:06pm

3 stars (average)

dernipper wrote: »

,,,, if that makes sense?

It does make sense, cheers.
I saw the table beforehand but still didn't get it (duh!).

Izoard · 02-10-2011 9:17pm

Murraythree wrote: »

Really enjoyed this event. A real confidence booster for Dublin. Best part of the day was the craic with the two lads pacing sub 4- blue balloon. They did a mighty job and were so encouraging. Glad I got the opportunity to thank one of them afterwards.

Cheers - it was great to lead that group. We didn't have many at the end - most pushed on from the training pace as they were feeling strong.

RAL3 · 02-10-2011 9:23pm

Really enjoyed this today, a really well organised event with a great athmosphere - a credit to the organisers and marshalls who all had an encouraging word along the way.
I did this last year and was telling anybody who would listen that it was a great indicator in terms of where you were at in terms of DCM preparation.

For myself, after having 2 fairly crappy training weeks ( combination of being abroad & not feeling great on home runs) I was hoping to push it a bit by going with the 3hr pacers for the duration and basically seeing how I got on. This was an over reach as I'm aiming for 3 10 in DCM but I needed to see where I'm at at a few weeks before the event, hence the push.

Anyway, started of with Slogger Jogger and Pronator(who was pacing - hope I got name right) but felt the first 2 miles too hot so dropped bank to a more comfortable pace of 7:38 or so and let them off.
Tipped away for a while and, to cut a long story short, was able to catch up with the 3 HR pacers at about the 14 mile mark as Pronantor was sticking the pacing dictat which was great for lads like me who were trying to catch up(no sign of second pacer - think he reverted to 2:45 pacing ).
After catching up it made it so much easier to carry on, between the encouragement from Pronator and the annoying easy way it was for Slogger Jogger to chat!

Finished up well but quote of the day belongs to SJ when going up the hill at mile 18;

'if there is tarmac on the road - it can't be classified as a hill!'

Jaysus, these IMRA lads.................

Thanks to Pronantor for a great pacing job - much appreciated.

Murraythree · 02-10-2011 9:24pm

4 stars (good)

Izoard wrote: »

Cheers - it was great to lead that group. We didn't have many at the end - most pushed on from the training pace as they were feeling strong.

Very nice to have meet you. Thanks for the advance notification on that last hill!! We pushed on for last four miles alright. Feeling strong??? Just delighted to have it behind us. Thanks again for job very well done.

Aimman · 02-10-2011 9:24pm

4 stars (good)

subscriber wrote: »

can someone explain to me the story with the pacers?? did they post the target times for the marathon on their balloons or how did it work? Again, y were 4.00 hr balloons crossing the finish at 3.08?? Makes no sense to me, would it not have made more sense to post target times for the 19 miler on their balloons?

Myself and Izoard were the 4:00 pacers, but it was geared towards anyone training to run 4:00 in Dublin. As Slogger Jogger and Dernipper said, it's like an organised training run, with pacers to help people complete their last (in most training schedules) LSR at the right training pace. No-one would be expected to run this race at their race pace too close to Dublin, and along the way we seen people walking after 10M who must have been pushing themselves hard in what is probably their most milage intensive week and paid for it. We were explaining to people before the start and as we went along, the nature of the pacing and would average out at about 9:38 pace overall and finishing just under 3:10, while being a bit more cautious in the first 8 miles to get the hills out of the way without too much effort and bring up the pace a bit more when the flat and downhill sections came. The last hill was a bit of a challenge, but we rallied up the runners after the top to take advantage of the last couple of downhill sections before the finish to push ahead and finish strong.

There was a good selection of food at the water stations, but I didnt take advantage of it, looked yummy though. I'd have liked a bit of fruit cake at the finish, but there was none left. I reckon Ultraman1 shoved most of it in his pockets, cos I found crumbs on the back seat of my car.:D

ultraman1 · 02-10-2011 9:27pm

3 stars (average)

Aimman wrote: »

cos I found crumbs on the back seat of my car.:D

dey were snotz....

Aimman · 02-10-2011 9:30pm

4 stars (good)

Murraythree wrote: »

Really enjoyed this event. A real confidence booster for Dublin. Best part of the day was the craic with the two lads pacing sub 4- blue balloon. They did a mighty job and were so encouraging. Glad I got the opportunity to thank one of them afterwards.

Glad you enjoyed it MurrayThree, Myself and Iozard had a great time doing it. But I was a bit disappointed that no one took up my offer of a singsong after 15 miles.

Best of luck for Dublin.

AngelaRI · 02-10-2011 9:57pm

Awesome race!! Well organised, amazing scenery, and perfect weather! Even had hot water in the showers afterwards - and for a back-of-the-packer like me, that's a real treat!!
I can't wait to run this one again next year!!
Thank you to the organisers - you guys did a most fantastic job with this event!!!

dernipper · 02-10-2011 9:58pm

4 stars (good)

Had to laugh at 'take advantage of the last downhill sections' they were torture on my quads after pushing hard up the hills to that point but could not face another hill and needed them to 'free wheel' home !

Aimman wrote: »

subscriber wrote: »

can someone explain to me the story with the pacers?? did they post the target times for the marathon on their balloons or how did it work? Again, y were 4.00 hr balloons crossing the finish at 3.08?? Makes no sense to me, would it not have made more sense to post target times for the 19 miler on their balloons?

Myself and Izoard were the 4:00 pacers, but it was geared towards anyone training to run 4:00 in Dublin. As Slogger Jogger and Dernipper said, it's like an organised training run, with pacers to help people complete their last (in most training schedules) LSR at the right training pace. No-one would be expected to run this race at their race pace too close to Dublin, and along the way we seen people walking after 10M who must have been pushing themselves hard in what is probably their most milage intensive week and paid for it. We were explaining to people before the start and as we went along, the nature of the pacing and would average out at about 9:38 pace overall and finishing just under 3:10, while being a bit more cautious in the first 8 miles to get the hills out of the way without too much effort and bring up the pace a bit more when the flat and downhill sections came. The last hill was a bit of a challenge, but we rallied up the runners after the top to take advantage of the last couple of downhill sections before the finish to push ahead and finish strong.

There was a good selection of food at the water stations, but I didnt take advantage of it, looked yummy though. I'd have liked a bit of fruit cake at the finish, but there was none left. I reckon Ultraman1 shoved most of it in his pockets, cos I found crumbs on the back seat of my car.:D

Slogger Jogger · 02-10-2011 10:44pm

4 stars (good)

What hills are you talking about lads?

Aimman · 02-10-2011 10:45pm

4 stars (good)

dernipper wrote: »

Had to laugh at 'take advantage of the last downhill sections' they were torture on my quads after pushing hard up the hills to that point but could not face another hill and needed them to 'free wheel' home !

Take advantage, free wheel, tumble down, its all the same. After the hills, they all work

Aimman · 02-10-2011 10:45pm

4 stars (good)

Slogger Jogger wrote: »

What hills are you talking about lads?

The ones that weren't on your short cut

02-10-2011 11:06pm

Somewhat disappointed with the race (or rather, my times, not the race, which was great

). Was suffering from a cold all week, which didn't help, but once I got into my stride, wasn't too worried about it. Ran pretty well up to 16 miles, the last rest stop. Had to make a quick halt at the rest stop to take on some extra watermelon (great on-the-run snack, it's like edible water!). Was just ahead of the 4-hour pacers at this stage. Went to start running again and just... couldn't

. Legs just wouldn't respond any more. Ended up walking a significant part from there.

My splits were 1:02, 1:02, 1:20! And all of that extra 18 minutes were in the last 3.6 miles! There was a hill stretching from just after the 14 mile mark to the 15 mile mark that really killed me I think, it was just an incredible slog up it.

Really well-organised race. The only mild disappointment was that there wasn't some sweets at the end as well as fruit and water

. Also would like to run that route in reverse! I think the uphills today were much longer than the downhills. Obviously, we started same height as we finished, but the uphills tended to be long, slow drags which sapped energy, whereas the downhills were quite short and steep, and you nearly had to apply the breaks to stop yourself going too fast. Of course, that could just be my biased perception :pac:

subscriber · 03-10-2011 12:11am

3 stars (average)

any handy ways to finding ur race photo.. no way am i thrawling through 2000 photos to find mine..??

searay · 03-10-2011 9:58am

Aimman wrote: »

Myself and Izoard were the 4:00 pacers, but it was geared towards anyone training to run 4:00 in Dublin. As Slogger Jogger and Dernipper said, it's like an organised training run, with pacers to help people complete their last (in most training schedules) LSR at the right training pace. No-one would be expected to run this race at their race pace too close to Dublin, and along the way we seen people walking after 10M who must have been pushing themselves hard in what is probably their most milage intensive week and paid for it. We were explaining to people before the start and as we went along, the nature of the pacing and would average out at about 9:38 pace overall and finishing just under 3:10, while being a bit more cautious in the first 8 miles to get the hills out of the way without too much effort and bring up the pace a bit more when the flat and downhill sections came. The last hill was a bit of a challenge, but we rallied up the runners after the top to take advantage of the last couple of downhill sections before the finish to push ahead and finish strong.

There was a good selection of food at the water stations, but I didnt take advantage of it, looked yummy though. I'd have liked a bit of fruit cake at the finish, but there was none left. I reckon Ultraman1 shoved most of it in his pockets, cos I found crumbs on the back seat of my car.:D

Hi, I was spectating yesterday and trying to convince myself that I should ignore the voice in my head telling me to try and run the DCM next year.

2 questions on pacing:

When you were pacing, did you drop your pace on the inclines and increase on the descents or was it a steady 9:38 per mile all the way?

I was watching at the first water station where you'd come up a long climb. I reckon the first 10 runners, looked to be at a rate of exertion of about 6 or 7 out of 10, yet many of the main runners in the pack looked to be at 9. Maybe it was just the hill but what level do you think they should be aiming to be at throughout the race?

Well done to all, I know the course and it's tough, if you could handle it, you'll take the DCM in your stride.

Excuseless · 03-10-2011 10:27am

Photos now available HERE

Date for the Diary in 2012 - Sun 30th Sept - 4 weeks Pre DCM

Mr Marenghi · 03-10-2011 10:46am

Great race.

Started off too fast (my own fault) and paid for it from about mile 16 onwards. The hills were a killer, really really tough, especially towards the end at mile 18 or so. I know it was mentioned in the notes and on last years thread that there were hills, but I didn’t expect so many. Some of those smaller ones that aren’t that steep but drag on for ages, they really sap the strength.

But apart from that, a great race. Really well organised. I see people mentioning the food at the water stops – don’t most races have just water and maybe something small like jellies, maybe some bananas ? so I think anything like watermelon etc is an extra that I was definitely happy with. Also the free protein recovery stuff that was in the registration hall. Small touches like that I suppose can only exist at smaller races, but they do make the difference.
Something like a sandwich would have been great at the end but I think that comes down to sponsorhip, don’t Spar sponsor those packs in the race series/marathon and since the hotel is giving car parking/changing facilities, showers etc etc all for free then I don’t think it’s too much to ask people to give something back. Shirt and bottle etc was great and really well marshalled, towards then end the marshals even offered banana segments.

Overall a good race to bring you down to reality before the marathon. I really thought I could hammer hard for 3.15 but deep down I knew I was more of a 3.30 kinda guy the way I’d been training. My PB at DCM210 was 3.43 so to drop 15mins in a year is good, esp when I’ve been lacking some speed sessions.

happygoose · 03-10-2011 10:53am

4 stars (good)

5 stars for this, faultless, really enjoyed this day out, well done to the organisers for getting everything spot on and of course to everyone who ran. Many thanks to Declan who paced home the 3:00 group.

Athlone ¾ Marathon, Sun 2nd Oct 2011 11am

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