After rookie mistakes at QUEST Glendalough, and horrendous weather at QUEST Kenmare; I was back for the third and longest of all the QUEST expert routes.
An early start meant another stay in my now usual Killarney B&B. It was a chilly October day but mostly dry, queuing at sunrise for our race packs. I wore thermal leggings and a wind top, with extra layers in my bag so nothing could stop me. I chatted with Gavin who was the event photographer again, and before long lined up with the others from Wave 1.
We began by cycling through an empty Killarney, out to Fossa and turned for the Gap of Dunloe. Gloves helped a lot with the bitter cold, and I pushed hard to keep the speed up on the flat sections. There was a lovely morning light as we approached Kate Kearney's cottage and racked our bikes, the sun poking out and clearly wanting to be a lovely day.
The run began with road before turning to a zig zag trail up Strickeen mountain. I hiked quickly, taking long steps which overtook anyone attempting to jog. I think this is my biggest strength in these events, keeping a low heartrate up steep inclines. The top levelled out which allowed us to run, and to appreciate the morning light over Killarney below.
At the summit we scanned our tags and began the descent. This was steep and had great footing so it was very fast, weaving between those still on their way up. The road at the end was a surprisingly tough uphill, but soon I was back on my bike. The hills in the Gap of Dunloe are tough, but the downhills felt well earned.
I loved gliding down into the Black Valley along fun and winding roads. Although the braking does hurt your hands after a while on the big descent. The wind was still painfully cold, but with the sun out and plenty of clothes on I was fine. Recent rains made the rapids along the roadside roar and this section flew by. A tough climb brought us up to Moll's Gap, then back along the newly surfaced main road which was closed for the race. Windy but very fast, and packed with people now that we'd joined the shorter routes.
I felt great racking my bike beside Torc waterfall. It was a nice run to the kayaks and I had a protein bar on the way. The 1km paddle was fast as always, just enough to soak your shoes! Now the true race begins with a final 18.5km run up Mangerton mountian.
A fast return to the waterfall, through a tunnel below the road, then back to my tactical hiking as we started the climb. Up the never-ending steps and inclines, surrounded by people from all routes, until a sign pointed just the experts out to a quiet country road.
Up and up and up. The road became a rocky path which I hiked quickly, through tight brambles and overhanging trees. Then grassy tracks opened up to give more room to overtake, and even levelled out for some running. As we rounded a corner I saw the peak in the distance. The weather had improved a lot and despite the chill it was beautiful.
Not far below the summit we reached The Devil's Punchbowl, a lake high in the mountains. I have no idea why but everyone was scanned and turned here, even though the summit was only 1.2km away. I asked why and was told by the volunteer and other racers that this was always the route. The event website and route map (attached at the bottom) says differently but I turned as everyone did and descended. A shame on such a nice day but I did return to tick off this iconic mountain before long!
The descent was a slog. The rocky sections were hard to run and made overtaking difficult. Back on the Torc waterfall trails there were ten times the crowds showing the popularity of QUEST's shorter routes. It was crazy steep approaching the waterfall and I genuinely think I sprinted past 100 people on route to my bike. I left nothing in my legs as I finished the run.
I was tired now, but the final cycle was pure joy. About 5km on a flat road, allowing me to move fast while still enjoying the moment. I rounded the final bend into the carpark, racked my bike and made the final sprint finish to the cheering of huge crowds.
6hrs 16mins 07s
What a great event! I think pacing is key, and with that lesson learned I'm so happy with how it went. The routes are impressively hilly, but taken tactically are very manageable. The afters were basic but fun, a nice bowl of curry and a photoshoot with the medal. I still had plenty of energy for touristing around Killarney, and overall had a very positive experience ticking off my third QUEST event. Only one to go; QUEST Lough Derg.
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