Lakes Sky Ultra 55km (6th) http://results.opentracking.co.uk/event/lsu2021
Seven Sisters Skyline 55km (5th) https://live.primaltracking.com/2021sevensisters/
Wicklow Way Race 130km (3rd) https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/2087
Dorset Ultra Plus 80km (4th) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_iU53RCQbJg1QwLShkDjprzAtGxKEJOV6faL9thGw9Q/edit#gid=0
2021 is long gone by now and I took most of the year off blogging, due to many busy factors, but to summarise I hope 2022 will be full of posts and more great memories. The small goals of Lavaredo Ultra Dolomiti and UTMB 170km await. Lets talk on this later!
The first adventure for 2021 involved a campervan trip to the Lake district in the UK. The Lake district famous for its technical mountainous terrain, spiky ridges and rolling trails. It certainly turned out to be a tough one. The heat was intense in stages and the real technical scrambling along boulder ridges was saved for the later third of the race. After approximately 35km, including some good climbs and some nice runnable bits, we hit these epic ridges in the heat of the day. Swirrels Edge and Striding ridge were the two main obstacles between this race and the finish line. This was probably one of the most technical races, outside of the Alps that I ever ran, with fantastic variation in terrain. I spent time lying in streams and leaning against boulders as the fatigue and the heat took it’s toll but finished the race strong in the end, pipped by the 5th place runner after he took a substantial shortcut, only a mile or two from the finish. The Lake District is a place of trail running heaven. We camped with our dog Millie for the few days and explored the area hiking up a few classic hills, once the legs allowed again. We even fitted in a nice mountain in Scotland on the way back to the ferry. A super trip. This was Deirdre’s first Ultra and she finished on the ladies podium. Very impressive.
The second trip of the year took me back to my old haunt in Donegal and the Seven Sisters Skyline 55km. I wasn’t sure how ready I was for this one, with a few niggles and tired legs 4 weeks after the UK. This proved the case as I ran out with the front pack but before half way, and Muckish mountain my thighs were cramping continuosly. The body saying no to this one. I dug deeper than I had in a while to turn at half way and drag myself home. I ran the second half of the race as fast as the first, cramping on every single climb all the way home. I could run down and on the flats, so this helped keep my position. The day turned nasty enough and the ground was wet at times. All in all I was happy to be running comfortably with the cramping an unusual task to deal with. After a DNF in 2020 this was an improvement but I feel I still have an axe to grind with this one. It may take many attempts!
The third race of 2021 involved a return to one of the old enemies. The Wicklow Way Race, 130 kilomotres from South to North this year, starting in Clonegal in Carlow and finishing in Marley Park in Dublin. The pace was set by the eventual winner from the start. Robert would go on to keep his steady pace all the way. I was really happy with my pacing, running the first marathon in just over 4 hours and the second hitting 80km in about 8.5hours, so pretty steady. I slowed considerably in the last 30km but enjoyed some painful hours with Adam as we shared the spoils of 3rd place. Adam and I had ran together for the majority of the race, discovering cold coffee in a can is amazing!!
The experience of this Wicklow Way was somewhat different to the North to South versions I finished in the past. This one turned out to be about 40 minutes quicker but the fact that over 12 hours of the race was in darkness made it mentally very tricky. I like running at night but this was a long night. It took its toll on everyone, with fueling and tiredness a big factor. I actually felt reasonably fresh for 130km, outside of a sore knee which had been niggling since about 90km. I was delighted with a joint place on the podium in a race I had finished 18th first time around and 8th at the second attempt. Keep working and keep going back and it pays off!
The final bit of craic in 2021 involved a second trip to England and a run down memory lane at the Dorset Ultra Plus. I finished 11th in this race in 2018 and was enjoying the look of the new course for 2021. A coastal course with some real steep climbs, coming thick and fast. I hit the front of the race from the start with a bunch of decent looking runners. The day was breezy but the sunshine was super. 4 or 5 of us seemed to take the lead and spread out a little as we did 2 loops of about 10km each before heading off along the coast to attempt two bigger loops of about 16km each. I ran into a guy called Dave Phillips not long after the second loop and we ran together for a good while, before he kicked on a bit on the big loop. As I came around to complete my first big loop I encountered some skewy signage and was sent in the wrong path. I climbed a big hill and realised after about 1km that there were no markers. I turned around and on the decent I met the first lady who had been sent the same way as me. Back on course I began to feel a bit spent. About 55km into the race at this point and I was slowing a little. I finished my second loop and started to run the last 15km of the race along the coast. This section was more runnable and less hilly than the 65 previous kilometres. As I finished my last decent into Swanage village we were guided along the prom and down onto a beach. As I stepped on the prom a guy passed me and took off. My mist descended and I kicked into gear to pass him on the beach with 200 metres to go. I was happy with 5th place overall, having hoped for a top five pre-race. An extra ultra I hadn’t expected for the year in the bag! I was delighted to hear that my running buddie from earlier in the race had pushed on for the win and the first lady had got a place on the podium in 3rd.
2021 gave me a lot of thought on where I am with these ultras and how on a few occasions I had been just outside a podium place. Time to up the game a little in 2022, train more and harder and get the training plan down around work and a good life balance. 2022 could be a big one and a fun one. My luck in the UTMB draw has set it all up and I heard today that Killian Jornet is back to UTMB this year, having heard I was on the start list. We all have to face our fears !!!
Lonan O'Farrell 