Connemarathon 1/2 Marathon April 11th 2010

On April 11th Heather and I ran the Connemarathon 1/2 Marathon in the Connemara region of Ireland. This race has a 1/2 marathon, marathon, and an Ultra (39.3 miles) all starting at different spots and finishing at a common finish line in Maam Cross. The Connemara area of Ireland is very desolate, mountainous, yet stunningly beautiful. The course is also very challenging and has a net elevation gain. Before I get to my race report I have to say this was one of the best organized and run events I have ever been to. The race director Ray O'Connor does a fantastic job keeping the whole event organized and running smoothly. I can only imagine the amount of time and energy that is put into this event. Organizing three different race distances, bus transportation, volunteers, post race activities, and all the other details must be a huge undertaking, and everyone involved did a great job!

The night before the race Heather and I stayed in Clifden where we could easily catch the bus to the 1/2 marathon start in the morning. The bus transfer to the start in Leenaun went smoothly and we were at the start about 90 minutes before the 1/2 marathon was to go off. The weather was really nice out, sunny, but getting warm quick, and with a bit of wind. We found a nice place to sit down for a while and relax till it was time to warm up. Soon we were dropping off our bags for transfer to the finish and we were off for a 2 miles warm up. Then it was race time!

After a few words from Ray we were off and running. My initial plan was to just settle in with the lead group and try to figure out what kind of field I was running against. This went out the window when I found myself in the lead and pulling away only 200m into the race. I kind of panicked at first and though maybe I was going out to fast, or that I was really underestimating how hard this course was going to be. So I relaxed a bit and really made sure I was comfortable as we turned away from the bay and started up the first big climb of the race. I passed the first mile in 6:17 and felt really good, and still had a lead. So I just went with it and figured I would worry about those guys behind me when and if they catch me. Still going up hill I passed the 2nd mile in 5:52 and had increased my lead. I finally crested the hill and finally got to do some down hill running. At this point I figured I should press a bit and just try to "disappear" from those behind me, get out of sight and hopefully out of mind. The 3 mile mark passed in 5:16. Then I started hitting the rolling sections of the course. At this point I really felt like I probably had this thing won, as long as I didn't blow up or do anything stupid. It was also at this point I started to relax a bit and take in the scenery which is just incredible. Miles 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 went by in 5:32, 5:48, 5:52, 5:44, and 5:46. All along this section was rolling hills and I was passing some of the marathon and ultra runners that had started much earlier in the day. This was a great help to have people to chase down along the course. Around mile 9 the course starts heading up again for the biggest and longest climb of the race. It was also around this point that I started to worry about getting caught from behind. I was really worried that maybe I had relaxed too much and maybe someone was catching up to me from behind. Of course looking over my shoulder I could see plenty of people behind me, but I could not tell if the were marathoners and ultra folks that I had already passed or 1/2 marathoners catching up to me. So I pressed on up the climb passing miles 9, 10, and 11 in 5:53, 6:25, and 6:37. This climb was brutal and really had me hurting pretty bad. The good news was nobody caught me or passed me and the last 2 miles to the finish were down hill and flat. After cresting the top of the pass I tried to pick it up as much as I could and get to the finish. The downhill 12th mile passed in 5:38 and at this point an official camera car pulled up next to me and I found out that I had pretty large lead and was going to win the race. I was so excited and finished up the 13th mile in 5:49 with a smile on my face. I crossed the line in 1:17:06 (results) good for first place by over 6 minutes and a very nice payday of 500 Euros, plus a very heavy lead crystal vase!

Pictured above are the winners of the 1/2 marathon, ultra, and marathon. Just to give you an idea of how hard this course is, the winner of the marathon was Sergiu Ciobanu, the 2009 Irish National Marathon Champion in 2:22, he ran 2:31 while trying to break the Connemarathon marathon course record. The last half of the marathon course is the 1/2 marathon course, it is the most challenging part.

After the race I was pulled this way and that for pictures, interviews, and awards. I actually missed Heather finishing the race. I found her a few minutes after she finished and received the great news that she had also won!!!! Which made the day as perfect as it could have been. Heather ran a great race in 1:30:59 for a slim 27 second win. I could not have been happier for her.