"Gaelforce West 2018" by guest author Ann Horan

Guest Author, Ann Horan, continues her Adventure Racing Season in Mayo, for Gaelforce West 2018. How did she fare?

Operation Moonshot

Gaelforce West has been around a long time. When people ask "What kind of racing do you do?" rather than getting into a long, complicated explanation I usually just reply with "Have you heard of Gaelforce West?" Most people have. The beauty of the event is that all competitors do the exact same route and this route doesn’t change year on year. I did Gaelforce West in 2017 and finished 5th lady. I got to the finish line absolutely buzzing. I wasn’t sure why I was so happy as my time of 5:01 wasn’t anything to write home about. I think I’d made quite a few rookie errors, learned a lot and was absolutely sure that I’d be returning the following year to dip under the 5 hours and knock a serious chunk off my time.

My first time doing Gaelforce West I didn’t really have any goals other than the usual "Go as hard as you can and just enjoy it." This year was different. I had two goals. The first was to knock at least 10 minutes off my previous year’s time. I had to look at the start list to set my second goal. The news broke on Thursday on the Dublin multi-sport WhatsApp group that the start list had been released. I clicked on the link supplied by Greg Dillon and scanned Wave 1 for female names. Looking at the list I could see that five of last year’s top six had returned to do battle. I often find myself racing for second or third place behind the likes of Moire O'Sullivan or Laura O'Driscoll, but today I shot a text to Luke McMullen saying "There’s nobody I'm afraid of on that list. I think if I race well and all goes to plan I'm good enough to win this." Luke replied back saying that he was in much better form than he'd been in for Quest Wales and that he'd also be travelling down to Westport to win the race. No pressure!

I was giving Barry Cronin a lift as his wife, Clara, and their four month old were gone to Kerry to visit friends for the weekend and he was car less. On Friday evening I picked him up in Rathfarnham, managed to squeeze two bikes into my Toyota Corolla (one in the back, one in the boot) and then we hit the road West. After a quick registration we joined the rest of the Dublin multi-sport crew in an Italian restaurant. Then it was back to the B&B for an early night. I was sharing a room with Orwell clubmate Brianne Mulvihill. who I'd convinced to come down. Brianne is a strong triathlete but this was her first introduction to adventure racing. I knew we'd be neck and neck all the way round. We'd be of similar ability on the bike, she would run faster over the tarmac road sections and I'd make up ground on the rough stuff.

Out of the Frying Pan

Every time I have to set my alarm for "ridiculous o'clock" I vow that this is the last time I’m getting up in the middle of the night to do a race. My alarm jolted me awake at 4.45am. I'd everything laid out and ready to go so preparations were quick and efficient. After a km downhill walk to Westport town centre we were on the bus for 6am. It's a long enough journey out to the start line so I got chatting to the lad beside me. He was a primary teacher too so we'd something in common. I couldn't help noticing that he blessed himself at least four times at various stages of the journey. I wondered if this was something I needed to add to my pre-race rituals. We got off the bus, warmed up on the run down and got a lovely group photo under the start line gantry.

Into the Fire

The horn blew and we were off. I remembered from the previous year that the toughest part of the whole race for me had been the initial long 14km road run. This year I felt the same but the sun that was beating down was adding to my discomfort. My ultra running friend Gavin Byrne had kindly given me a loan of a squishy flask bottle, so at least I'd had the sense to bring water in my back pocket this time round. I started up the front of the field but a few girls passed me on the run. When Brianne passed me I had to restrain myself from accelerating to match her pace. I let her go. It was going to be a long day.

I got to the kayak section in 5th place and was given a single kayak. I've practised kayaking a lot since last year but unfortunately haven't really seen the fruits of my labour. I enjoy kayaking but haven't quite worked out why I'm not getting faster. There was no back support on the kayak and my lower back ached for the entire crossing. I got passed by two doubles. I finished the kayak and climbed up the bank to start the 2km boggy section. My head wanted to use my mountain running skills to glide gracefully over the bog but my legs felt like jelly and refused to comply. I started off walking and used the opportunity to eat some jelly babies from my back pocket. Eventually I got going again, first a shuffle and then a slow run.

The Hunted

I was relieved to get to my bike and looked forward to catching some of the girls who had passed me earlier. I caught up with a Mallow competitor and we worked well together taking turns on the front. Together we caught up with Brianne. I said "Let's work together Brianne" but she said she had bad cramps. When we got to a steep hill Brianne passed by and shot up the hill. I cursed Isaac Newton but let her go and hoped it wouldn't be the last time I'd see her before the finish. I remembered the previous year I'd lost concentration on this bike section and lost time by taking it too easy. This year I worked harder whilst trying to block out the cramping pains that had started in both my adductors. By the time we got on to the rough bog road I'd caught up with Brianne again. She took a slight lead on the hill before Croagh Patrick which meant she was leaving transition as I was entering. This time I was careful to remember exactly where I left my bike. Last year when I came down from Croagh Patrick I lost a huge chunk of time running around transition in a complete panic shouting "I can't find my bike. It's white and wine. It's a Giant!" to anyone that would listen.

I felt good heading for Croagh Patrick and could see Brianne up ahead. I soon realised that I wasn’t making ground on her and she seemed to be pulling away gradually. I just needed to keep her in sight. Keiron Kelly and Luke McMullen passed by on their descent. Luke didn’t look well. His face looked as white as a sheet. I worried about him and really hoped he would make it home safely. Peter O'Farrell was next to pass. He shouted "It's very close Ann. The leader is only three minutes ahead." Barry Cronin passed then and shouted something like "focus on Brianne."

Becomes the Hunter

I tried my best but the heat was bothering me and the many walkers blocking the pathway were making me feel irritable. When I got closer to the summit I started to recognise many of the descending faces. Close to the summit I was surprised to see Elizabeth Wheeler so close to me starting her descent with Brianne on her tail. I got to the top and dibbed in. Now was the time to play my trump card. I took off down Croagh Patrick at speed and silently hoped the huge amount of time I'd spent in the mountains over the past year at the expense of any road or speed sessions would finally pay off. I passed Brianne quickly and set about creating a huge time gap.

Elizabeth was still nowhere in sight when I got back to my bike. I knew I was a lot stronger on the bike as I’d made 7/8 minutes on her on the first bike leg. I could smell victory and knew if I rode hard I’d have a very good chance of winning Gaelforce West.

Falls Prey

I had been extremely cautious last year and had walked the bike a lot. However this year to win the race I knew I’d have to put my fears aside and only dismount when absolutely necessary over the rough sections. I felt good and was about 7km from the finish. I was riding down a section of loosely packed small rocks. I’m not sure exactly what happened next. I must have been uncomfortable with the speed I was picking up, pressed the front brake by accident and maybe hit a rock simultaneously. It happened very quickly. My cheek hit the ground hard. There was blood and my face was stinging with pain. Time to worry about that later. I grabbed my bike to continue the chase. I picked up the handlebars and the wheel came flying off. My bike was now in two pieces. Half the front fork was still attached to my front wheel and the other to my bike.

Harsh reality hits. I’m not going to win Gaelforce West. I’ll probably be left with a permanent facial scar and how much is my bike going to cost to fix? A few men pass me by. They are kind and stop to ask me if they can help. I tell them that there’s absolutely nothing they can do as I contemplate my next move. I slowly start to walk to the finish line with a part of my bike in each hand. More men stop to offer help. My roommate for the weekend, Brianne passes by. She asks if I'm ok. I say "No. Look at my face!". She interprets this to mean that I've punctured and am feeling sad. She doesn't look at my face. Instead she keeps her eyes firmly fixated on the rough ground in front of her whilst tightly gripping the handlebars and soldiers on to take her second place podium spot. More men stop as I keep repeating "Just keep going. There's nothing you can do. Don't ruin your own race." A man from "Go Tri Adventure" stops and insistently says "Seriously is there ANYTHING at all I can do to help you. I'm only doing this for fun." This amuses me as I question my own sanity. I realise that's exactly why I do these races too. For fun. Where did it all go wrong?

I get to the bottom of the road and the marshals tell me I need to be seen by First-Aid. I know I'm being stubborn and unreasonable but I beg them to take my bike and let me run the last 6km to the finish. They give up arguing with me and I start running in the direction of Westport. As I'm running along the third place female, Go Tri Adventure’s Keira Webb stops her bike and tries to help me. I tell her that she's coming 3rd and to keep going. She eventually leaves. I start to walk and then a car comes along. Two girls ask me if I'm ok and offer me a lift. I gratefully accept having decided I'd rather a DNF than a mediocre time that would be worse than my previous years.

Alcohol... in Wipe and Pint Formats

When I get back to the finish line my first priority is to get a print out of my times to the bottom of Croagh Patrick. I need to know that I've improved. I have to salvage something from the day. All the Dublin gang are sitting on the grass looking very happy. They've all finished in the top 40 and are delighted. Luke won the race after a close battle in the final two kilometres. He is delighted but his attention is focused on my bleeding face as I relay my war story. I can feel my face swelling so Barry Cronin brings me over to the ambulance.

I've met Barry at the finish line after winning races and I've met him after lady luck has not been on his side. He expresses a similar level of emotion under both circumstances. He doesn't get excited. Today he informs me that he's had two punctures and finished 8th. Barry is happy enough to hang out at the "pity party" in the ambulance. The lady attending to my injuries reassures me that my cuts are superficial and will heal quickly. She tells me I'll have a black eye and gives me an ice pack for my face. She tells Barry that if I start coming out with anything strange or seem confused I'm to go straight to A&E. On an entirely unrelated topic I ask her if I can go drinking later. She says "You can but don't do the dog on it."

Fast Forward to Madden's bar 10 hours later, the prize giving is done and dusted and Dublin Multi-sport are about to leave for a late night bar. I've a full drink in my hand. Barry says "Come on we're all going. Knock that back quickly." I remind him about the ambulance and the dog. He looks confused.

I'm still not sure if I was very lucky or very unlucky on Saturday. If I got to turn back the clock and do it all again would I have done anything much differently? Probably not. Sometimes you get a choice you can settle for second place or take a gamble and go for broke.

2017 Splits Versus 2018

Year	14k Run	1km Kayak	4km Run	32km Cycle	C.P (up) Shoulder	C.P(up) Top	C.P (d) Shoulder	C.P (d) Base
2017	1:16:45	09:32  2 per	25:07	1:33:08	20:40	17:27	10:34	11:13
2018	1:12:06	11:18  single	24:24	1:25:32	19:17	18:07	09:28	10:04
Split	-04:39	+1:46	-0:33	-7:36	-1:23	+0:40	-1:06	-1:09

As can be seen from the above table all my times have improved apart from the kayak (It was a double last year as opposed to a single this year. Singles are slower) and the top part of Croagh Patrick (where Ciara Brady caught up with me in 2017) I was on course to knock nearly 20 minutes off my time from last year.

All my limbs are intact, I've a winter bike and I'll be back training this week. Roll on the Moxie in two weeks!

Read more race reports by guest author Ann Horan.