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I have just completed my first adventure race!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
On Saturday I did my first adventure race, it was Gael Force 6 in County Mayo (Ireland), it was over 65km (called a sprint in the adventure race world) covering mountain, bog, forest, fjord, road and track and involved running, kayaking and cycling. It felt like a long days skiing but without lifts! Two days on and my thighs are still in bits! Would definitely recommend it to anyone, see more at www.gaelforcewest.ie. Anyone else here done one?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Peter Ross wrote:
.......Would definitely recommend it to anyone......

Yeh, right rolling eyes

BTW, well done, that's a helluva achievement Cool
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
"Anyone else here done one? "
Eh, no - that would kill me. But well done you, that must make you feel so good ! Madeye-Smiley
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spyderjon, Thanks!

To be honest it wasn't that bad! I hadn't done much specific training, I cycle to work every day (approx 45 mins round trip) so that helps and I play football competitively but haven't done many long stamina testing runs lately. Everything was going relatively fine until I hit Croagh Patrick which is about 750m high and was about 50km into the race. My legs seemed to instantly turn to lead and were on the verge of spasm. It's a difficult enough hike as there is alot of loose rock and it's steep at the top. Coming down was very slippy for me as my runners aren't very grippy but I got home eventually in just under 5 hours (the winner was 3 hours 25 mins, I think he had a rocket attached to him). It was good fun and is really the sort of thing anyone could do as you can go at your own pace and hike all the on foot stages. Maybe next year I'll try for the Arlberg Adler title which is a combination of a ski race, a mountain run and a mountain bike race over the course of the summer arounf St Anton.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Peter Ross, Well done! yes, done a few shorties, and going for Jersey Challenge (pretty tame) at the end of September. My next step is to get a navigational element into the racing. Would you consider the Gael Force 12? Definitely looks a good one to try though, will suggest it to my team mate for next year. He's keen on the Kiwi Coast 2 Coast in 2009 - but I'm not so sure! Shocked
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Martin Nicholas, I am not sure about Gael Force 12, that looks hardcore although this is my first race so you never know but I don't think my body would have allowed me to do that duration of exercise three days in a row! I haven't seen the stats for kms covered in Gael Force 12 but I saw some of the competitors on Sunday afternoon and they looked pretty tired. Gosh, your team mate is planning well ahead thinking of an event 2 years away, I only entered Gael Force 6 last week!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Peter Ross, Have you done any other of these multi sport events - triathlon for instance? What about the marathon?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Martin Nicholas, No! I don't really like road running, I think the marathon would be too much like hard work and no fun, involving too much training but maybe that's just my point of view. I haven't done a triathlon yet but would consider it although would need to improve my swimming. I met quite a few triathletes that did Gael Force 6.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Quote:

would need to improve my swimming

Thats why I gave up Triathlon, its OK being last out of the water because I tend to overtake for the rest of the race, but I despise the 30 minutes of near drowning feeling and the vertigo on gettiong out. Give it a try though - they are a good crowd (if a bit flash with the kit!)
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Martin Nicholas, At least my fiance was a former Australian state level swimmer so I could get lots of tips but I think I would really need something like a triathlon swim to focus myself to improve. 'a bit flash with the kit' do you mean their bikes?

As an aside have you ever done cross country skiing?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Peter Ross, Flash kit - bikes, shoes, wetsuit....

Never done XC skiing, but have a hankering to go somewhere flat and snowy to try one day, somewhere where I won't be tempted to switch straight back to downhill skiing.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Peter Ross wrote:
Croagh Patrick ... very slippy for me as my runners aren't very grippy

Isn't it traditional not to have any footwear?

Well done - what was the rest of the route?

I did 35km mountain biking and 1.2 mile swimming on successive days in Greece two weeks ago. Not techncally racing, but pretty much treated as such. I was first on the bike and last swimming!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
This is me in the Helly Hansen series 2 years ago, soon after this I fell off, becoming completely submerged in a bog and was brown all over for the rest of the race! rolling eyes
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I didn't realise that we had a male model on the forum wink snowHead
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
laundryman, It is traditional to go up barefoot on the last Sunday in July when approx 30,000 go up but most people use footwear. But I was in a race so unless the officials said it was prohibited to have footwear I was definitely keeping my runners on!!!

The rest of the race was a 12km hill run from a beach on the Atlantic in Connemara to Killary Harbour, a 10 minute kayak across the harbour, a 4 km bog and road run to bike pick up at Delphi, approx 35km on road hill cycle to base of Croagh Patrick, up and down the mountain and a 12km mainly downhill road and track cycle home with a short forest run with obstacles just before the finish. The website www.gaelforcewest.ie has all course maps and video and pictures from last year.

Actually on the subject of mtbs some guys ride down Croagh Patrick, I wouldn't fancy it myself and then I say a youtube video of the same riders riding on the Cliffs of Moher just inches from a few hundred metre drop, lunatics.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Peter Ross, thanks. Killary Harbour and the area around Delphi / Doo Lough Pass are beautiful. I've cycled that part of your route, but thence round the coast to Westport. Mind you, I don't suppose you take in the scenery with all that punishment!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
That sounds like great fun! Think i may give one a go!
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I did an introductory adventure racing weekend last year (http://www.trailplus.com/adventure_camps.cfm) which was a lot of fun and a relatively gentle way to start.
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Peter Ross, Well done, might have to consider doing something like this, sounds fun. And after reading this thread it inspired me to get back out on the bike, so just got back in after a 20 mile blast this evening.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:

I didn't realise that we had a male model on the forum

We don't - have you seen the paunch hiding behind that number bib? (Eric, as the kids call it, is smaller than it used to be however)

A good website for adventiure racing from beginner to international elite level is Sleepmonsters
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