Short Course Race Report by Eileen Rowland
Run the line is an annual event organised by Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue. It is a fundraising event and all the entry fee goes towards the great work that the organisation does. There is also the added comfort (if like the writer you have a poor sense of direction !) of knowing that you are in the most capable of hands should something unexpectedly happen to you out there on the mountains.
Run the Line has two course options, a 13k and a 26k route both taking the runner over mountainous terrain. The races starts from and finishes at Glencullen Adventure Park where plenty of parking is available and a nice coffee shop serving warm soup, burgers, sandwiches and cake exists at the finish line – really useful when you have run through and over the mountains in the month of November !!
Last Saturday was my 7th year participating in the event. In 2012 just over 60 runners took part and year on year it has grown in popularity. This year over 700 runners took part over both courses. It rained all morning making an already challenging route that bit more slippy and difficult which really just adds to the out in the Wilds of Wicklow experience !
Bronwyn Murphy-White and I ran the 13 k course. Starting at Glencullen Adventure park we set off with the early start people who were intent on doing the longer 26k course. The course starts in the field behind the Adverture park and is flat initially, within 1k you are starting the climb up to Fairy Castle. The terrain is mostly trail and some of the path is very narrow and it is near impossible to run part of this section as the crowd backs up, so there is a bit of walking early into the run ! After reaching Fairy Castle there is downhill section of about 2k which is split between fire road and trail road. You are also running along river beds though thankfully water levels were low this weekend. The scenery is spectacular. The timing of the run in November brings with it the beauty of the changing landscape and truly the colours that greet you as you follow the trail are magnificent. There are Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue personnel at all junctions indicating the correct turns and the route itself is well marked with red/white taping. When you are passing the junctions you are greeted with shouts of thanks for running by the marshalls as they stand in the rain ensuring no one gets lost ! I
It is my favourite race of the year – great course, great scenery, great organisation and great satisfaction on completion along with a lovely t-shirt and for the first time year, a medal !
Long Course Report by Noel Lynam
Run The Line consists of a 13km & 26kmrace across the Dublin Mountains. It is organisedas a fund raiser by the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team , a very worthycause. A very well run event with routeclearly marked and with water and jelly stops along the way.
Having listened to Eileen’s exploits in the event over the years and having run my first IMRA event earlier in the year I decided it was time for me to take up the 26km challenge. And just like the rest of my year preparation was hit and miss. There was a good scattering of Sportsworld runners taking part including Martin who was using it as a “leg loosener”, as you do after running 2 marathons in the past 8 weeks!
Base camp was in Glencullen Adventure Park and the route took in areas of the Dublin mountains including Fairy Castle, Cruagh, Tirbadden and Three Rock. A great way to explore the Dublin Mountains and not be too worried about finding your way back.
It is a tough event from start to finish with a cycle of climbing and downhill repeated approx. 4 times. Got my pep talk from Eileen before we set off, she reminded me I could always opt into the 13km route while out on the mountain. I think she was a little concerned for me. You can look at it in more details at https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28571395
A few things I loved about the event, the feeling of being out on the mountains, the mix of terrain, the variety of pace, the comradery of the competitors and the fact that you feel you have nothing more to give when you reach the summit and then gravity takes over, the body recovers and off we go again.
The biggest challenge after the hills is the footing, you have to keep concentration levels high at all times as you pick your route through the landscape, this can be a challenge as the legs get tired.
Luckily the weather was reasonably good, this can be a major factor as you are very exposed. Not the clear morning promised, just mild and damp.
I will admit I wasn’t the most elegant of mountain runners but maybe a bit of practice will help. As I discovered on my earlier IMRA outing some people are like wild goats the way they bound down the mountain, quite a number of SportsWorlders fit into that category.
Overall it was a fantastic event, despite the fact that on the last hill I had to figure out how to get one leg in front of the other (flashbacks to the last few km of the Dublin Marathon) . Great atmosphere, great organisers, great cause. Well worth a go!!
Sportsworld Results
| 13Km Event | |
| Patricia Fitzmaurice | 01:13:59 |
| Nigel Elliott | 01:26:14 |
| Helen Dixon | 01:32:40 |
| Eileen Rowland | 01:49:41 |
| Bronwyn Murphy-White | 01:49:42 |
| 26 Km Event | |
| Eoin Keith | 02:16:37 |
| Naoise Waldron | 02:48:09 |
| Andrea McNamara | 02:54:36 |
| Gerard Keating | 03:03:00 |
| Andrew Lynam | 03:07:42 |
| Noel Lynam | 03:14:06 |
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