Liam, Ray and Bridget-Anne - Streets of Galway 2004

Connemarathon 2007 - Preparations Already Being Made

Many runners in the West of Ireland look forward from year to year to the Connemara Marathon races held each year in the spring. One of the hallmarks of these races has been their ability to evolve over time, adapting each year to changed circumstances and the shifting needs of participants. In this brief interview race director Ray O'Connor, a long-time member of Athenry AC, gives us an update on the work already going on behind the scenes in order to get ready for next year's event. The race website at www.Connemarathon.com is constantly being updated with information on the event and also hosts useful forms relevant to the event.

"With next year's Connemara Marathon races six months distant, it might seem premature to wonder how preparations are going for next years race, but I suspect there's a lot of quiet work going on behind the scenes. Can you give us an update on what preparations are being made for next year's races?"

Ray: The Connemarathon is very much a 12 month / 365 days a year job. Starting the day after the marathon - the clean-up begins. Not just the physical cleaning but also the tidying up of loose ends. There are so many items to be ticked off that it really does take all of April and well into May before we can start to think about the following year. The first real decision we have to make is setting the date, and to this end, this year I sought to try to avoid either the time change, Easter Sunday or Mother's Day - Luckiy April 1st 2007 doesn't clash with any of them, and we've put up with the 'brilliant' wise cracks about us being foolish to pick that day. So it looks like we'll have a clear run of it for the first time, with no distractions. We hold a lot of meetings in Race HQ (Proactive Ltd) throughout the year with interested parties, many of which have already taken place and firm arrangements have already been made.

"Entries have been open for quite a while now. How many people have already signed up for Connemara 2007 and would you expect the race to sell-out early as in previous years?"

Ray: In 2002 I hoped to get around 50 - 70 turned up.

In 2003 I predicted to increase to 350 - 650 showed.

In 2004 I raised the bar to a 1,000 limit - we had a 1,000 sell out.

For 2005 I hoped simply to do the same again - a sell out of 1,650 booked.

And as you all know 2006 sold out very early with 2,350 enthusiastic entries.

The plan for 2007 was to push it another bit so we have settled on the magic figure of 3,000 - I suspect we'll fill.

This time last year we had 181 online bookings. Today we have 460 (oops there goes another - 461)

This time last year we had 14 postal entries. Today we have 52.

So our total entry at this time last year was 195 whereas today we have 512. Notice a trend?

I have no idea when we'll actually sell out but I do suspect it will be before February but maybe not before Christmas. We are not limiting the amount of Irish participants as we did last year, so the full entry quota is up for grabs. We're currently looking at 32% overseas entries already.

"Last year the races were sponsored by Failte Ireland. Will the same sponsor be back for next year's event? What does having such a high profile sponsor mean to the Connemarathon?"

Ray: We're traveling to Dublin on Tuesday next to talk to Fáilte Ireland. They haven't been able to talk to us since the 2006 event because of the Ryder Cup. I am expecting a positive response from them as they did get quite a bit of national and international coverage. It is fantastic for a young event like the Connemarathon to have such a high profile sponsor as it gives us credibility which I always put before money and I thought the finish line looked very professional with their branding team this year. Saying this we are always on the lookout for sponsors.

"After only a few short years these races have become an integral part of the road racing scene in the West of Ireland. What do you believe the event offers to local runners?"

Ray: I'd like to think that the locals see the race as their own in a way. Here we have a very high profile athletic event attracting high profile runners, international media and a huge amount of interest from all over the world, right on our doorstep. I'm extremely proud of what I and my team have achieved in such a short time and I hope that the local runners feel a sense of pride in the event too, as it showcases their environment, their home place and their way of life.

"With the closure of Peacockes Hotel in Maam Cross during 2005, last year's event was acomodated in a tented village. Is it clear to you yet if the same arrangement will apply for next year or do you hope to be back into the hotel?"

Ray: Tented village or a scene from Mash? I think the tented village was aspirational whereas what we actually got were 'tents'. Our negotiations with the defence forces went from 'we'll do everything' to '....and you have to pick up the tents yourself'. They were great to give us the tents but we were under pressure to actually get them up. The mart wouldn't give us access to their site until 3.00pm on Saturday giving us just four hours of daylight to erect the 'tented village'. Some people were disappointed with what was on offer but the vast majority were sympathetic to our plight. To explain a bit further, when Peacockes announced their closure in November 2005 we were absolutely assured that it would be open again by January 2006, so there was absolutely nothing to worry about. January came and went and we were further assured that it would be sold in February and we could negotiate with the new owners. Before we knew it we were in discussions with marquee providers who simply couldn't cater for our demands in time. We were forced to take what we could get.

Peacockes is unlikely to be open by April 2007 so we are investigating two options. Both involve bussing people from Oughterard straight to race start. And when you finish your race you will be bussed straight back to Oughterard again for refreshments. There will be limited changing facilities in the Mart area but our main objective is to get finishers out of the area asap and into Oughterard to enjoy their hospitality. We are in negotiations with Clifden to provide a similar service for those wishing to make that their main stay area. I think this will work out even better than any previous year.

"Do you look forward to each year's race from one year to the next or does it take a few months of recovery for the excitement to rebuild again before the next race takes place?

Ray: I'm an adrenaline junkie and this event provides my drug in plenty! It does take time to come off the high of race day but I don't really have time to look around as I have another very busy adrenaline pumping businss in Proactive that doesn't get any of my attention in March. TG I have a super managing director to keep things ticking over there.

"As well as being a race director in Connemara you've been clocking up quite a few marathons yourself as a runner. How has you quest to complete 100 marathons been progressing during 2006?"

Ray: My first marathon in New York 2000 was a real eye opener and an amazing introduction to the sport I'd soon become addicted to. I gave up smoking thirty fags a day to train for New York and that was all the motivation I needed. I suppose the writing was already firmly on the wall as I booked my second marathon, London 2001, before completing my first. I just knew instantly that this was for me, even though I wasn't any good at running, completing New York 2000 in 5:15 and London in 4:59 but I was on the road to 100 before I knew it. Next Sunday, I travel to Amsterdam in search of my 25th medal so I am a quarter of the way there. I intend to do twelve marathons next year and hope to celebrate my 100th in around 2012. I'll be forty-three by then and running for thirteen years, and another dream will be fulfilled in 2009 - my name is down to do the Marathon Des Sables - 'the toughest race on earth' they say, but I'm not sure if 'they' have seen my 'Hell of the West' on a cold, windy, wet day.

Many thanks to Ray for taking the time to answer our questions.