Today I took part in my first mountain trail run. It was called Run the Line. There was a 26K and a 13K option. I took part in the 13K option and ran with my Sister Ruth. I won’t do it justice by trying to describe the event. I’ll keep it brief. We started with a long climb, and managed to run uphill for almost 2K before we reached an extremely difficult and steep climb for almost 2K, it was hard going, surface was jagged, muddy and dangerous so care was taken to stay in single file and you could only go as fast as the person in front of you as a solid line of participants hiked their way as fast as possible to the top. At the top I looked back to see a line of people hiking up. At this stage we were up in cloud and it was very foggy and once again we were able to run across a trail which was a mix of mud, bog, marsh and rock. Then a steep downhill stretch where we were jumping across ditches, rocks, uneven ground, puddles, streams and more mud as we ran as carefully as we could. As we came down through the cloud we were awarded by an amazing view of Dublin City and the coastline beyond. When we got to the bottom of the valley it was time to climb again. We ran through forests, woodland and open mountain trails always awarded by the most beautiful scenery. The climbs were tough, proper difficult hiking terrain which was impossible to run. But we ran all but the steepest climbs. Ruth and I ran the last 3K almost all either flat or downhill which was a welcome relief and finished in 1 hour and 38 minutes. It’s was an incredible run and hiking mix. I’m proud that I could take part and finish my first mountain race and it won’t be the last. There was no medal at the finish line but a camping mug instead. The tag line was medals are for mugs.😀
The atmosphere at the event was amazing and it was extremely well organized by the Dublin/Wicklow Mountain Rescue Service. I’ll be back next year.
Damien
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damienair
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A fantastic run up those trails and hills for you and your sister Ruth, hard run but very awarding, pity there was no medal but at least you got a camping mug instead.
There was a trail run a few weeks ago near to where I live, all the runners got at the finishing line was a bottle of water and a banana, nice photo of you and your sister. 😊 🏃🏾
The camping mug was the medal. As medals are for mugs.😀 Thank you very much. After the finish there were loads of refreshments, Tea, Coffee, Soup, Muffins and biscuits. It was the best event I have ever taken part in.
Wonderfully evocative account of what sounds like a very memorable day.
As a teenager I remember walking up Scafell in the Lake District and being passed by fell runners on the way up, who then passed me on the way down long before I reached the summit. I was so impressed. Trail runners appeared like an alien species to me.
Thank you so much. Trail runners are pretty hardcore. Must admit though that it was so cool not to be concerned about pace, as you were concentrating hard on where your feet were landing. Everyone was running together and very supportive. It was a real adventure.
Thank you so much Sandie. I’ll definitely be signing up to do it again next year. It was cold, but dry today. I could imagine it being pretty grim if it was raining plus there would be no amazing views.
Well I have one word for you Damien, and that is hardcore! 💪
Really well done, that run sounds brutal. And there’s you planning on a return trip too! Awesome work - is Oisin interested in joining you on the trails one day too? 🏃♂️🏃♂️
Thank you Cheeky. No I couldn’t imagine Oisin taking part in this one for many years. Although I did buy him a small T-Shirt, Buff and Hat from the event so as we can be matching at our next parkrun next week. It will look like he was a finisher, cheating I know. The atmosphere at the event was electric. My legs and feet feel sore and tired today.
Wow! Much respect to both of you! 👍👏👏 That sounds like a tough but fantastic run - wonderful post. Funnily enough I looked at the photo before reading your post and didn't even notice you had mugs instead of medals(!🙄🙄) - you both look really happy!🙂
Thank you Sandra. It was tough, I am very sore today. But it was a great event with 1,000 people taking part. Brilliant atmosphere and very well organized.
Thank you. It was really tough but also an amazing experience. My feet, legs, bum, and back muscles are still sore 2 days later. Great strength training.😃
Thank you. I was training up to 10K and was worried that I had not done enough. But I was fine. The hiking sections as tough as they were, were a welcome relief from the running.
Thank you. It was lovely running with my little Sis. We stuck together and both really enjoyed the day. It was a great sense of achievement. 3 years ago I could not run 1K, and thanks to C25K, parkrun and running becoming an important part of my life I could run and trek across a mountain.
It was tough but once you took your time at the tricky spots it was fine. All the other runners were very supportive and were there to help if help was needed. The tricky downhill spots were harder than the uphill sections.
Thank you. It was amazing and was great to do it together. My other Sisters husband is a volunteer in the Dublin/Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team. Hoping to do it again next year with my 2 Sisters and my Brother and make a family weekend out of it.
Sounds absolutely brilliant damienair ...and you look like a true professional in the pic with your lovely Sister....and I LOVE the medals, they are MASSIVE!!!! You have got some stamina to do something like this...massive kudos to you and Ruth 😊
Ah thank you so much. It was really enjoyable. Tough but enjoyable. I was doing a lot of 10K and 7K distances leading up to it which helped with stamina. Today is the first day since that I’m not sore. I’m in the Netherlands today with work and brought my running gear. I’m going to try to fit in a 5K run this evening.
I don’t mind at all. I finished C25k over 2 years ago. First year post graduation I was running on and off. But was struggling. This year since January I have been running every week and doing parkrun most Saturday mornings. I have lost 2 stone in weight and knocked 8-10 minutes off my 5k time at parkrun. I’ve also been running 7-10K regularly. I am loving running this year. Looking forward to parkrun on Saturday.
Thank you, that's so interesting to read your running story. I hope you continue to enjoy your running for many, many years ... I'm just getting into it, but it's becoming quite an addiction! Just graduated, in a period of consolidation and aiming to Parkrun in the new year 🏃♀️.
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