by Irene O’Connor
Irene walking on water with what’s left of the legs after the Ultra
Hi all, finally getting around to sending this one, I’ve been asked loads about the experience so here goes, my original plan to do 4 marathons in 4 days was cancelled in Donegal, when I found out this little event was going ahead so I talked myself into it and with a bit of planning and Lucy Darcy volunteering to crew I signed up, we started in Clifden , the route roughly Maam cross, Leenane, Ballyconneely, Roundstone, Clifden a figure of 8 basically I jogged ran, walked and shuffled along from 6am on Saturday morning till 5am sunday, there was 4 check points , my motley crew stayed with me through out keeping me fed .It rained pretty much the whole way changed clothes and shoes 4 times , this was only time I stopped, the scenery was amazing even as it got dark and though the night I still felt pretty much ok , your mind takes over at this point. About 1 am I think Lucy joined me when I needed it most, by now even the sheep had gone asleep, we were joined by many bats, so i ate small snacks frequently throughout the day including pieces of chicken, eggs, ham sandwiches crisps bananas, as well as protein bars, fairy cakes and chocolate. HA! I know longest picnic ever, and yes I put on weight. The middle of the night was peaceful but very dark , hence the head lamp and the car headlights, my crew were brilliant they stayed alert to follow the map and tell me when to turn. By now my legs began to feel sore and I walked more, passed last checkpoint, I was offered a can of Rock Shore by a local teenager off to party was tempted but declined. I pushed on listening to some music and having some banter, my self and Lucy had great crack made up our own songs, Rhinestone Cowboy comes to mind, 
to distract from the pain cave going on , however the anti-inflammatory tabs kicked in and I got an second wind and we approached Clifden where the finish included 3 more laps of the town we left in semi darkness that morning, was a great feeling to cross the finish line, still alert and happy to have raised funds for charity, I felt grateful and proud of my wonderful hubby, and my buddy for making it possible . Well lads that was the start of my hols, can be sure we enjoyed the rest .thanks again sportsworlders.
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