Carrauntoohil

Legend doesn't show but Furey is unleashed on the Mountain.

Racing is something that comes together after weeks, months even years of hard training. The miles and miles that you clock up and climb form a platform for which you are able to throw everything you have at a race. The stronger you get in training the faster you can race. You can't race week in, week out. To win a race you have to want it, every race dilutes the "want" slightly so if racing week in week out you have to be very focused on what direction you want to go in. The last thing you want is for a big race to come around you don't have as much to throw at it. You have to want to race. You have to be gagging for it to really want to race. Ever fiber in your body has to want to push itself to its limit for the win.

For an epic like Carrauntoohil I expected to end up at the base, on the ground spewing up my guts. Crying with the sheer amount of pain, hurt and suffering I had just inflicted on my body. Sadly it was not to be.

Bouncing out the road from Killarney with Peter and Turlough headed into the reeks. Jeaze did they look steep. I began to water at the mouth just thinking of descending them at speed. As we got closer they got bigger, and steeper! Wicklow has nothing on these monsterous peaks.

Climbers Inn we picked up Adrian and contuined on our way to the end of the road and the start of the kerry way. Regestration done with, got abuse from Dan to the horror of other people around - they weren't aware that we actually know each other. This put me in a great mood for what lay ahead.

Now after seeing the weather on fiday night I was expecting a complete white out, lashing rain, apocaliptic conditions, sadly this was not to be the case. It was a "perfect" day for mountain running. Not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of wind. Incrediable views. I was gutted. I wanted a white out so peoples heads would drop at the thought of slogging it up to the highest peak in the country - while i'd be happy out, regardless of the weather.

After a short enough warm up we all gathered on the start line. Vivan gave the instruction on what to expect and the rules of engagement. On the descent, once you cross the fence, its your call where to go.

With a 3,2,1 we were gone. I set off at a pace I hoped to maintain. I ended up at the front with the 75 other runners sitting on my shoulder. I was waiting for someone to make a break for it. No one went. I found the pace easy as we climbed the zig zags. I was running well within myself knowing I had about 50mins of a solid climb ahead. I stuck to the track and followed it up. Some people further down the line were taking short cuts as they saw where the track led. Turlough jumped up and joined the lead pack. We crossed the first fence. I took my time, wanting a back log to form and to get people to break stride. I jumped down and kept my pace where I wanted it. From here people began to up the pace but I still sat at the front. Not wanting to get boxed in. Up and up. Darren cut the corner and was on my shoulder. I kept it cool and sat it. On the last zig I took a double take a runners got up my inside. I dropped back to 6th in behind peter, brian, darren, jason and jason.

We crossed the 2nd fence and we were onto open mountain. We made a bee line for the top. Climbing and jumping over the peak hags. The thought came to mind that this is going to be a very painful climb. Over to my right I saw Darren flying it. My mind snapped back to a convo before "just follow the fence up". I made a break for the fence and sat in behind him. The running was much better along this stretch. Darren was leading the charge up the mountain closely followed by Brian, Peter and myself. There was maybe 10 runners clear of the rest of the field. As we climbed higher I realised that at worse it was looking like i'd get 1 King of the Mountains point. Happy days.

As the fence did a sharp left then right, Brain jumped it and contuined to climb, Darren, Peter and myself went down and around, staying on the inside of the fence where the running was good. Happy days. The plan of sitting behind Peter was working pretty nicely. I knew if I was with him on Caher I'd be up in the running to get a top 5 at least.

After the fence corner the climb just became about putting one foot in front of the other. A battle of attricitan formed behind Peter and Darren with Tim, Adrian and myself chopping and changing places as we all struggled to keep running. Noone wanted to give an inch on the climb.

Over to my left I saw Peter and Jason make strong progress on what appeared to be firmer ground. I went left and climbed up the reentrant. They were motoring. I tried to hang onto them but there pace was ever so slightly too high for my liking. I looked right and I saw they guys by the fence picking up the pace. I was furious at myself, I should have stuck by my guns. I made my way back to the fence and contuined to climb. Fighting back needlessly the ground that I had lost. I did that once more, heading over towards Peter and Jason and back to the fence. I wanted the fastest ground to just get up. I had to have lost time chopping and changing.

As we climbed higher, the pack took a left over a small hill, Darren stuck to the fence and climbed up a small rocky crag. Having known he had recced it previously I decided to follow him. It got up back in contact with the other runners. At this stage, Brian had a big lead, followed by Jason Q and then the group of 8 was strung out with less than 1min between the 3rd and 10th runner.

I was at the back of the group as we climbed. When we hit the first flat section I opened up the pace, knowing that the top of Caher was close. I had to be close to Peter if I wanted to be in the mix when we started to descend. As the ground raised up, I put the boot in and got a gap on Tim and Adrian. This was where I was going to make a break for the summit.

Going over Caher I reckoned there was ~30sec in it between Peter/Darren and myself. I went to huttle myself off of Caher but I looked up, above where my 6th step should go and took in the view. I looked left and right and realised how high up we were. There was a sheer drop to the left and right. I suddenly felt very vunerable in my shorts and singlet. A fall here would be costly, as in my legs or neck. I paniced. From the fast reckless descender, suddenly I felt very fragile.

I slowed right down, making sure of every step. My talons were suddenly very inadaquite for the rocky track. I tried to pick up the pace but it was no dice. Adrian went by me, there was nothing I could do. Fear had me rooted to the spot. I was walking. The drop looked amazing. Yet it awoken a fear inside of me. I became a stammering mess. Adrian went by... I tried in vain to keep up, Tim flew by. There was nothing I could do. I got a taste of what it must feel like to be a road runner on his first mountain descent with luanitics hurtling by, not a care in the world as I was forced to pick every stride. There even came a point where I sat down and lowered myself onto the lower ledge and walked a few metres before I picked up the pace to a light jog.

When I eventually got across, I was shaken at how I had reacted. I upped the pace but my body felt weird. Adrenline rocked my system, I tried to close the gap I had allowed to open. The final climb to the summit. Brian Furey came hurtling down the mountain. Followed by Jason. I climbed as fast as my legs would carry me up. On nearing the summit I glance around me and took in the view, it looked stunning. On reaching the summit I yell out "we should do more of this stuff WOOOOH" before I turned tail and threw my body off the rocky outcrop high above Kerry. I picked and danced my way down through the upper rocky scree. On hitting the grass section I opened and began to close the gap on Aidrain and Tim. As I began to pick up the pace I heard Donnica shout encouragement (he was late for the start, climbed hard and had almost caught me - currently training for the Race Around Ireland look here) I could see Darren far in the distance. I knew it was unlikely I'd catch him, but I always love a challenge.

On reaching the narrow ridge, I picked my way across carefully. Knowing only too well that I was dropping seconds with every metre. I was focusing on the 5 metres in front of me, ignoring what was to the left and right. On reaching the climb back to Caher my legs were empty. I dug deep and forced my body to keep climbing. I'm still not entirely sure how I got my lifeless legs to operate going up Caher but eventually I summited it for a second time.

The final section was to maintain leg strenght and just keep turning them over. I descended Caher alone. Chasing my shadow down the mixture of grass and lose rock. On reaching the flat section I was worried of taking the right direction. I used common sense and went down... Far in front I could see Adrian and Tim. Well out of striking distance.

But luckly god loves a trier. I decided that I wouldn't catch them but I'd see how close I could get to them. It became my own personal time trail. A boggy rocky descent. I began to turn the legs over and got into a flow. My route picking wasn't ideal but the gap was getting smaller. Jumping off small crags and running through bog, it felt like an orienteering course. I got cragged out a couple of times and I kept wondering if someone was gaining on me. I passed a lone hiker - the look I recieved was one of questioning my sanity, a look I've grown very acustomed to running around the mountains of wicklow.

As I neared the fence my legs began to struggle in the peak hags. A vision of battling through the hell on route to Conavala stood clearly in my mind. As I neared the fence Paul says to make a bee line for the shed (after questioning why I'm so far off the pace), having nothing to lose I go straight down. Down through burn gorse, rocks and long grass. I began to pick up speed. Assuming they guys were gone I was just falling, not accelerating.

I glanced up to see where the shed was and I saw Tim. My casual fall turned into a maddening burst of acceleration. I wanted to catch him. I lunged for the track. In the corner of my eye I though I saw Adrian but I wasn't certain. The gap was closing between Tim and myself. I cut the zig zags. Heading straight for the second fence. My passive descending was now long gone.

Tim dropped off the final earth bank 100m in front of me. I gave chase, vaulting the fence and striding out down the final grassy slope. Seeing him go around the boulder I knew the gap was too big. I took my foot off the gas and began to decellerate.

To my left I saw Mike coming down the zig zags. He had followed the trail the entire way. From deceleration to flat out aceleration I made a burst for the line. I don't think he saw me as he never reacted. He got around the boulder, I was on his shoulder. Vivan yells "its to the post". I lunge for the post, not caring if I take a tumble or not. Due to my acceleration I ended up out the gate. Happy with the buzz of mountain running, disappointed with the result. 61up 33 down.

Comparing splits, I leaked 2 mins going across the ridge towards the summit so I can assume I lost 4mins (at least) in the 2km stretch of mountain. That would have brought me up to battling for 2nd position and I would have been 7th to the summit. The stats are sickening to look at but I know where I stand.

Thinking, planning, speculating. ~50min up; ~25mins down....

No point racing in your comfort zone....

(I'll lash up some photos, maps etc later)