The silhouette of Croagh Patrick dominated the Western skyline as I pulled into Westport on Friday evening just before 5. With the setting sun illuminating a wild red sky the mountain cut a steep and imposing peak in the surrounding landscape. At 764m it is by no means the highest mountain in the country but, for myself and the other 2700 odd participants in the 10th running of The Sea 2 Summit Adventure Race, the impending battle to get up and down ‘The Reek’ as fast as possible would be the highlight of the challenge.

 

The business of race registration, prepping and racking bikes, sorting out gear and food was all tended to and everyone dispersed to get a bit of sleep. 

It is often difficult to sleep well the night before a race and for me at least this was no exception, but just before 8am I gathered with the other racers in the longer of the two race categories for a race briefing. Plenty of familiar faces and Ellen Vitting and Joe Cosgrove from Trim AC both lined up in the ‘Supreme’ race. Ellen required a win to take the overall National Series title. It was interesting to see her and Laura O’Driscoll chatting away happily. These two are head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the women in the series and fierce rivals on the course. That rivalry does not continue after the race, the adventure racing community is a very tight and friendly one.  Myself and Joe got ready for the start and made a plan to meet for a pint after the race. Another very important aspect of racing......

 

The race starts in the town centre and heads for the quays via the Greenway, a 4km run to get warmed up. I was light on running training and kept a steady pace. At transition it’s a quick jump onto the bike and on the road to Croagh Patrick just 8km away. Cycling straight into a strong Westerly headwind I tried to grab a wheel and draft as much as possible. The pace was a bit slower than I’d like but there was no point burning into the wind either, the 8km including the two transitions took 19 minutes. 

The summit of Croagh Patrick is about 3.5km from the carpark. The supreme route goes the summit and the shorter route called the Spirit to the shoulder. Both are daunting. A slip or fall could be serious and mishaps aside burning leg muscles are a certainty. I met Joe again on the ascent to the shoulder and we were both hiking steadily up. For all bar a very few it is a case of walk most, run bits and try not to stop.

Conditions were good and clear with no rain. The strong wind increased the chill factor up high. It was one of the few occasions I’ve had a clear view of Clew bay from the mountain. Pity it wasn’t a sightseeing trip.

 

When I was on the cone the race leaders started trickling down, Laura was ahead of Ellen by just over two minutes. Ellen is a great descender but the race would most likely be decided on the second bike stage. 

 

I reached the summit in 50 minutes touched the wall of the Oratory and began to descend. On the descent i passed Bernard Smyth competing hard in the Spirit Race. The spirit leaders are incredible athletes, lean and wiry. I reckon about half my weight and twice as fast! Bernard was first of a great troop of Team UC members nearly 20 strong. I also got a shout from Trim AC’s Owen Creevey who was on the long course too.

In just under 28 minutes I was safely back in the carpark, descent complete, and out on the bike again.

 

The supreme route turns left and the spirit turns right. The left turn met the headwind again for 4 or 5 km before turning inland in search of a few drags and climbs. The Maum Hill Climb being the toughest but manageable. A nice fast descent and I pushed on nicely for the last 20km back to Westport. 

The last leg is a 4km run from the quays along the shoreline and back up the greenway to the town centre and the finish line. The path was littered with participants shuffling along and occasional yelps as cramp bites. Transitioning from the bike to running is tough and personally my feet were numb and felt like lead. It took me 22 minutes to get to the finish. The finish line was packed and well set up. I was delighted to finish in 3.41. 

Ellen was second after a great battle and second in the national series, Bernard was third in the sport national series with Niamh Cleary also second in the women’s sport series, incredible season long performances for athletes training in areas without a mountain in sight. 

 

This was the final race of the adventure racing season and Westport being such a great town it would be rude not to celebrate and share stories of the race. Many really impressive performances, personal bests and the occasional mishap came to light.

 

The combined Team UC, Trim AC, Tri an Mhí contingent partied hard into the night. Sore legs, sore heads and a fine medal the momentos of a savage weekend.