Connemara Ultra, Marathon & Half Marathon - 11th April

On Friday 9th April, 13 Bourton Roadrunners set off on a trip to the Emerald Isle to witness a small piece of history … sitting down to dinner at the first restaurant they arrived at! This was just what the doctor ordered after a 3 hour coach journey, although we did have to wait for the Walmsley's who chose the more sensible option of hiring a car for the onward journey, but without a map, Dennis found himself doing a few laps of Galway town centre before finding the hotel!

Tummy's full, we made our way to registration to pick up race numbers and limited edition t-shirts specially designed for the big occasion. Then it was time for a drink in the bar, or five in Neil and Ian's case! Saturday was to be a leisurely day for most of the party, except for poor old Steve. After missing out on marathons earlier in the year, he realised he would have to run the director's invitational marathon which has been a tradition since the event started for anyone wishing to experience a back to back or perhaps just get acquainted with the scenic course the day before!

In fairly warm but windy conditions a small field of hardened marathon runners set off with Steve quickly taking the lead and settling down into his familiar 7:30 minute-mile pace. However, within minutes, he had company from his good friend Geordie George from the 2008 10-in-10. With the field well strung out, Steve & George stayed together until halfway and the first real climb which locals call "The Devil's Sister". From here, Steve started to forge ahead and a gap developed. At this point Den and Tony arrived on the scene to check out the course and handed both Steve and George a welcome drink. With words of encouragement from Den for George to keep up, he replied "he's a machine, man" to which Den replied, "but machines can break down". However, Steve's engine had only recently been serviced at the Honeypot a few days before and despite running into a headwind for the whole of the last 13 miles, he crossed the line to finish 1st in a time of 3:19:04.

Another carbo loading trip followed on Saturday night and a few more drinks for Neil and Ian! Then the big day arrived, the Ultra where Den was expecting to do well after working his little socks off in heavy training since Christmas. Steve, Ian and John were doing the marathon, while BJ, Lynn, Pauline, Susan and Teresa were doing the half. Crucially making up the Bourton team, Neil and Tony had arranged hire bikes, together with Lucy and Lynn H in the hire car, they would provide invaluable support on the course for us all.

For those that aren't aware, the three events are designed to follow the respective distances along the same 39.3 mile loop with the starts appropriately marked after 13.1 miles for the marathon and after 26.2 miles for the half marathon. Crucially, all races finish on the same finish line and with the staggered start, we knew we wouldn't be waiting too long for everyone to arrive home. Den was up early to get his bus out with the other Ultra runners for the 9am start. Steve, John, Ian, Neil and Tony caught the marathon bus and were fortunate to see the front runners of the Ultra as they passed by Maam Cross, the Ultra start and finish location. Den was looking very comfortable running in a small group just off the pace of the lead runner as we all banged on the rear bus window to cheer him on.

The girls enjoyed a frivolous trip on their bus to the start of the half and then made the most of the conditions by topping up their sun tans before the their start at 12pm. At 10:15am the marathon runners lined up on the right hand side of the road, the left side reserved for the elite ultra runners to be cheered through the 13.1 mile point. We waited anxiously for the first ultra runner to arrive and he was flying, then came the 2nd placed runner closely followed by Den who went through in 1:21, 2 minutes behind the race leader. The marathon then started with Ian taking the initiative running at sub 3:20 pace, Steve and John running steadier and staying together for about 8 miles before Steve decided to press on to see if he could catch Ian.

Bourton Ladies before Connemara Half 2010

As the half marathon runners were starting to line up, the Bourton ladies stayed down on the main road to cheer Den through as he passed the 26.2 mile point in 2 hours 43 minutes, lying in 2nd place but now 4 minutes behind the race leader. At the same time, no-body noticed poor old Lucy taking a wrong turn and trying to drive through all the half marathon runners lining up on their start line. Fortunately, there were no casualties! and she quickly realised, made a quick turn and was back on route making sure Den got his drinks. The half marathon then started with "The Devil's Sister" upon them immediately, many end up walking within minutes. However its no problem for those who regularly run the "steeps" and "drainpipe" and all the Bourton ladies flew-up with considerable ease as they start to move through the field, BJ leading the way.

Meanwhile the men in the marathon were now getting close to halfway with John continuing to maintain a good marathon pace and Steve with Ian in his sights. A pit stop for the loo didn't help Ian but he soon shot up "The Devils Sister" and out of site from Steve again. As for Den, he was now finding the going tough as his quads started to tighten and the gap to the race leader getting bigger. Back to the marathon and Ian was starting to move quickly through the half marathon field with Steve chasing. Poor old Teresa then needed a pit stop at the 6 mile point but was fortunate to see Steve pass by and wave him on as she waited at the portaloo. At the 19 mile point Steve then caught Ian up who was still running okay but starting to feel tired.

The excitement was certainly building for Steve as he then passed Susan who shouted out that he was running his 500th marathon at which point everyone in front looked round and moved slightly to the sides congratulating Steve as he ran through the middle, a nice moment. Den was now getting close to the finish but well behind the race leader who was to record 4:03, breaking Den's course record by 7 minutes. Den eventually finished 2nd in 4:17:44 but was 1st Vet, a fantastic effort considering his final 13.1 miles took 1hr 34min.

By now, Neil and Tony had made their way to the 20 mile point to take photos and cheer us all on, just what we all needed at that point of the race. At the 22 mile point, more of the same cheerleading from Pauline as Steve passed by earned him even more plaudits from the surrounding runners and then as he passed Lynn, the "Hell Of The West" awaited. This the last of the climbs at the 22 mile point and gradually rising for a further 2 miles until reaching its peak. After, it’s a fairly fast but long road to the finish that seems to go on forever. No problem for BJ though who was clearly enjoying the challenging course and running well. However, back down the field, Ian was now finding the going tough up "The Hell Of The West" as not only Teresa passed him but then John who also then passed Teresa.

Second to cross the finish line was BJ who was very pleased with her debut half marathon performance of 1:46:37 (187th), a well judged race that clearly shows she can run faster half marathons in the future. Seven minutes later, Steve came through to cross the line in 3:22:45 (21st), an emotional moment but managing to pose for photos before shedding a few tears. Lynn then crossed the line in 1:58:38 (551st) to easily break the 2 hour barrier, with Pauline battling hard not far behind for 2:00:40 (653rd). Susan came through next with an excellent run in 2:03:15 (761st), a great way to celebrate her 45th birthday. Then came John who although very tired, was chuffed with a hugely respectable 3:35:59 (56th) considering the course and warm conditions. Teresa then followed recording 2:06:04 (949th) after waiting 6 minutes for the portaloo! Then came a very tired Ian in 3:38:58 (66th) who really had to battle hard in the final miles.

All safely home, we collected our bags and enjoyed post race food in the nearby hotel, all part of the Connemara hospitality. With 2053 runners completing the half marathon all the Bourton ladies did brilliant to finish in the top half of the field while the marathon men easily finished in the top 20% with 480 finishing in all.

After safely getting bussed back to the hotel, everyone was looking forward to a bite to eat and a few drinks to celebrate the achievements of the day. First up, a presentation with bubbly and cake in Steve & Teresa's hotel room to toast Steve's 500th marathon and Susan's 45th birthday. Then a meal in the restaurant and more alcohol was to follow. A bit later, Ian, John and the Teague's went in search of night life and further entertainment, although for Neil, he might of wished he'd stayed put when a rather butch lady took offence at a local gay bar giving him a couple of right hooks to the ribs!

On Monday, we all headed home, some with our medals, Den with his trophy, Neil with his T-Shirts and poor old Lilly Anna with her chicken pox!. We all agreed that this was a fantastic weekend which won't be forgotten for a long time. Thank you all for making it special, thank you for the memories .. roll on the next trip!

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