Mourne Way Marathon/Half/Ultra/10K/Walk 2011

[twentyclicks]

http://mournewaymarathon.com/

June 11th.  There are five different events:

• 52 mile ultra
• 26 mile marathon
• 13 mile half-marathon
• 10K run
• 26 mile challenge walk

I was filling my new wall-planner today, and when on their site checking the date I ended up entering the ultra - it was only £5 more so I'll give it a go.  9.5 hrs will be the target.  I'll probably walk-run the route in the next few months to get some beta.


Ulsterwalker has a great writeup on the marathon last year: http://ulsterwalker.blogspot.com/2010/06/mourne-way-marathon-2010.html

[LandyLiam]

funnily enough i've been marking the new calendar today and that event got put on mine too, i'm planning  to do the 7 7s and the MMM this year so i reckon i'll be ready for the half marathon by June

[LennyJ1]

I was thinking of doing the 26 mile walk.

The Mourne way was on my to do list this year anyway.

[LandyLiam]

aha, a walk, i missed that one and thought they were all runners, i'll assess my fitness level, saneness and desire for pain nearer the time and pick which one suits best. Are there usually places left at at closing date or should i be booking sooner rather than later?

[darren]

I was thinking of doing the 26 mile walk.

The Mourne way was on my to do list this year anyway.

this one id love to do.
have not done a walk like this for over 15 yrs.

[twentyclicks]

aha, a walk, i missed that one and thought they were all runners, i'll assess my fitness level, saneness and desire for pain nearer the time and pick which one suits best. Are there usually places left at at closing date or should i be booking sooner rather than later?

Not sure.  Last year entries were:

Ultra - 52
Marathon - 121
Half - 142
10K - 70
Walk - 38

Entries close on the 6th June - by the looks of it you'll be ok getting a place nearer the time.
Last year's results are available online which give an idea for anyone thinking of taking part.

[suspectmonkey]

Hmm... half sounds tempting.  Really need a goal to get me running again!

Respect for tackling the Ultra, that's some challenge!

[twentyclicks]

Granted, I'm a mentalist, or maybe a masochist.  It'll be race nutrition and race psychology on the day.... I truely believe that if you can do a 10K you can run pretty much anything - the technique and sustained cardio state are already reached, it's just a matter of repeating until the fuel or will run-out.

There are factors like posture fatigue or repetitive strain that can come into play (the sore bit that always surprises me after a longer run is my bicep tendons - holding your arm bent in the same position).  Posture fatigue is when the smaller control muscles tire and your technique suffers.  I'll try to combat these with general strength training, variation on the day, and awareness on the day of when I'm letting it all slip.  Hopefully, being on a trail will add to the variation.

Part of me wants to try the WHW race someday, but who knows 

[MG1]

I was looking take on one of the races last year but didn't bother. I might put myself down for the half marathon.

Craig why don't you go all out and give this a blast

http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/

[darren]

im sure ill do one of them.
not sure which though.

are u fit enough G.

[MG1]

No where near mate but i'll give it ago

[twentyclicks]

Craig why don't you go all out and give this a blast

http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/

Yeah, I've known about that one for years: it just doesn't appeal to me in any way.  I'm really not one for the heat, or running any distance for more than one day.

Climbing a Karakoram peak, cycling to Mongolia, skiing Antarctica... way more fun 

[darren]

No where near mate but i'll give it ago

perhaps we should go running together mate.
build our fitness levels up.
im serious mate.

[LandyLiam]

anyone entered any of these yet? closing date is very soon, i'm tempted but its pricey

Entry Fees:
Mourne Way Ultra Marathon - 52 miles:   £50.00   
Mourne Way Marathon - 26 miles:   £45.00   
Mourne Way Half Marathon - 13 miles:   £35.00   
Mourne Way - 10K:  £20.00:   
Mourne Way Challenge Walk - 26 miles:   £45.00

[twentyclicks]

It's very soon, and I'm writing this up late and somewhat under the influence. Training was going so well, but I seem to have a bad concept of 'taper'....

as my mate Dave says, "it is what it is", or to use Paul Crik's full triumvirate mantra, "This is it, F**k it, it is what it is"... bring it on! I'm more worried about the training run in 6.5 hrs