Connemara Marathon Race Director, Athenry AC member and all 'round good-egg Ray O'Connor publishes a semi-regular blog on preparations for the big event in April. He's kindly given us permission to reproduce his latest blog entry. The blog itself can be found at http://www.connemarathon.com/connemarathon-route-tested-race-director

Take it away Ray...

***************************************************************************************************************************

So it's 7.55 am in a windy Inagh Valley and I'm building a small pile of rocks.

Mick Rice has run the Connemara Marathon course more than anyone so you'd think he should know where the start is. He was on the blower at 7.30 asking me to mark the start with something, anything, a can, a stick, a piece of paper under a rock. All I could find was rocks, so I built him a little pile of rocks, right at the start of the Marathon. He was running the marathon that day too but I needed a considerable head start. Mick is fast.

I thought to myself if I got everyone to place one stone at the side of the road at the start line then we might end up with a permanent marked start line... but then again that would be just ugly. (please don't contribute to a pile of 500 rocks at the start line on April 6th in the middle of lovely Lough Inagh Valley.). If you are interested in building piles of rocks, head out to mile 24/11, visit Frank's Haines' tree* and leave one there. BTW his mother Elizabeth, brother Richard and sister Rosie are traveling from London with a large group of about 30 to participate in the Connemara Half Marathon and to revisit his tree once again - more on that again, but I'm really pleased they are all coming back again. Lovely family.

Anyway, back to my little run around the Maam Turks. I had very light training coming into this but I had run it so easily in Feb 2007 that I was still really looking forward to it. I was starting out on my own but would meet up with 20 or so others that would be traveling by bus to do various distances with the intention of us all finishing in around 12 noon. My intentions were clear - 8:10 start for a 3:50 finish. Confident!

It was windy but the consolation that it was hitting my back was counteracted by the terror of what lay ahead when I turned into the wind at mile 13. But I flew along convincing myself that the winds would change for the better. The first half marathon went off without incident, except a few little things. I always smile when I pass the "stop and pray" sign outside the church at mile 7. It has to be the funniest reminder that you are doing something out of the ordinary running 26.2 miles. Maybe the priest put it there to pull in a few unsuspecting souls. We actually have, on video somewhere, a clip of a participant running in the door to do exactly what the sign says. Only in Connemara! Killary looked as stunning as always. Reminded me to put out signs this year to tell everyone to look around take in the scenery and also point to photo opportunities. My absolute favourite spot on the marathon course has to be in around mile 9 where you turn a corner and this majestic stone bridge greets you like a postcard. Unbelievable. It always makes me smile.

Just then the bus passed with the others packed in, excited and heading to their various start points. A few faces pressed against the window and all I could think of was I hoped I looked in as good a shape as I felt. This was going great.

Onwards towards Leenaun and I reckoned I could relax through the second half as I had made halfway comfortably in 1:47. Oh, and then I remembered the wind. Oh, and the hills. Oh, Hills. Oh Crap... Shouldn't have gone out so fast. Mile 1 to 2 in the half marathon is known as a 'wake up call', but when you are running the marathon you call it by it's real name - 'The Devil's Mother' and boy it is some mother, but not the loving kind!

I could see Bridget Anne** about half a mile ahead of me and did the maths that if she was running a minute a mile slower than me then I would catch up with her in around mile 5 of the marathon. This was an accurate prediction as I did indeed catch her at my mile 18. She was steady, I was running too fast so we settled into a common pace together. Mile 20 arrived soon afterwards and I started to look for the 'hell of the west'*** When you know this course you can spot if from about mile 21 but I was struggling to see it. I was tiring, slowing, complaining. You know the way, just heading into that time on a run where you start to question why you were born. Well that was me. Bridget Anne stopped for a brandy in Keanes Pub (or so she said afterwards)**** So I was happy to suffer in silence. I figured if I kept it together I would still make it in under the 4 hour mark. How wrong was I?

The photo accompanying this blog was taken at mile 23. It's a real shame (not) that the camera man, Alan, didn't wait around for one minute more. Because just as he and his transport headed off around the corner to the finish at Maam Cross, I found myself at a standstill trying to get sick. I know I'm scaring the crap out of everyone here so I'll qualify this by saying I was severely undertrained for this. So don't worry, it's only a small bump on the road and I went out too fast - alright!!!!!

Anyway. I want to forget the last three miles if you don't mind. Only to say Bridget Anne (and her brandy) quickly caught up with me and encouraged me to Maam Cross. Not a bad time considering. 4:05. But please please don't work out the splits.

Oh how I love this course. It has everything.

Ray

*Frank Haines died at mile 11 of the Connemara Half Marathon 2006. Two days later his family planted a tree there to mark it as a place to visit and be closer to him from time to time.

**Bridget Anne Walsh is joining me in the Marathon Des Sables in 2009. To the experienced runner that's covering a total distance equalling approx 6 marathons in 6 days in the Sahara carrying your own gear. To the laymen out there, like myself, it's just nuts!

***Named by the Connemarathon Community, the 'Hell of the West' is a two mile climb from mile 9 to 11 of the half, mile 22 to 24 of the full and mile 35 to 37 of the ultra marathon. It is not steep, just relentless.

****She said I'm just popping in here for a minute and I might even have a brandy :-D. If you know her - she probably did have a brandy!... and port :-D