Howth

Howth 5km Mountain race

Trail/Mountain running has been something I have watched closely for the past year, becoming more and more engrossed in the world of trail running each and every day.
A fast ascent of a mountain pushing hard all the way up is what I now prefer to hiking up for hours, from watching athletes such as Anton Krupicka and Kilian Jornet my love for the discipline has grown.

Kilian Jornet, one of the greatest trail runners of all time

So recently I enrolled in the IMRA a mountain running association in Ireland, and looking at the calendar my first race was in howth a 5km race.
I spent the next few weeks training hard long runs mountain runs coupled with the other sports I'm playing.
As the first race of the season drew nearer I was feeling fit and ready for a crack at trail running.
Considering I had spent the best part of last year in different mountain ranges I was well prepared, being in Colorado I think had helped.
The night before the race I stayed in Dublin barely able to sleep a wink, I was anxiously nervous my gear was laid out and I was ready for the next morning.
The next morning I woke early and had a good breakfast before making my way out to howth, registration for the race closed at half 11 so I had plenty of time.
Having got my number (248) I set of to warm up and to get a feel for the course, the first km was very narrow and a bottleneck was sure to be the outcome.
At 11:55 everyone was lined up and ready following a minutes silence the countdown started my breath became slower my heart started to race and all my legs wanted to do was explode forward, GO the sound of watches beeping into action deep breaths and feet hitting concrete for the first steps where what greeted the word.
I stupidly got caught back in the bottleneck as the race kicked off and spent the majority of the first ascent trying to pick my way up along the throng of people in front of me, by the time we reached the final part of wooded area I was up in the top 10 and feeling confident, the climb towards the mast and around for a second loop began, my legs ground upwards on the steepest section of the course where running was not possible, and once I crested this section the track opened out before me and I loosened my legs taking into a strong stride, by the time we came around for the second loop of the course I had passed 2 others and was pushing towards the front.
Around the same loop but coming back down towards the finish line I was focusing on catching the next man ahead of me but at the same time another had started to breath down my neck, we crashed down through the forest together his breath becoming closer and closer we dodged trees and leapt gaps all the way down towards the final stretch to the finish line.
I opened up leaving him behind giving everything I had left and crossing the finish line.
I finished 8th in the race, the season had started many more races lie ahead

Coming towards the finish line

Top of the Rockies

Mt Elbert 14,440 feet (4,401 m) Highest point in the Rockies of North America

A spur of the moment decision led to me lying in a car at the base of Mount Elbert preparing to summit the highest point of the rockies of North America.
I had thought that it would be later on in the summer before I would manage to get out to it, the mountain was hours away.
But the day before myself and a friend of mine had been talking about the mountain and how it would be amazing to reach its summit but that we would have to leave it till later in the summer, later on that evening we were again chatting about the mountain when we decided to take off that night.
I got my gear packed and headed to the shop to grab myself all the food id need for the climb, once I got back Triona and Dillon landed in we finished packing and hit the road.
we drove right through the night and landed at the base of Mount Elbert in the early hours of the morning.
We decided to get a few hours sleep before tackling the mountain and so we hit the hay for a few hours cramped and excited.
At 6 o clock we got ready to set off, climbers shaking the haze of sleep off began to emerge from their vehicles to get prepared. By half 6 we were ready and set to go.
The weather was brilliant as it had been throughout my time in Colorado, we made our way onto the forest trail and made our zig-zag way up the mountain passing over rivers and streams as they rushed down the trail past us.
Having walked for over an hour the trees began to thin out and a slight wind began to blow down the mountain, eventually the trees lower down on the mountain gave way to open hillside with the summit looming above.

We had been walking for a few hours at this stage so we stopped for some water and something to eat.
We drove on up across the switchbacks along the side of the mountain. There was a lot of people making there way up along the mountain and on such a fine day you could understand why, having pierced above the tree line the rockie mountains opened up around us from Mount Massive opposite Elbert to the many the peaks that where to be seen. The view was brilliant we continued on up towards the peak and where closing in on the top by midday.
Mt Elbert has two false peaks on top and made the end of the climb deceiving, when you thought you had made it to the top another peak reared its head up and you had to continue on climbing.
I reached the top by 12 o clock with Trina and Dillon following close behind we sat on top for some time taking in the views of the rocky mountains, sitting at the highest point for miles and miles was a great feeling.
We stayed on top for a long time before eventually making a quick descent, much of which we ran, down towards the car.
By 3 o clock we were back in the car sweaty, hungry and tired and we hit the road back to Denver the highest point in the rockies and Colorado reached.

Me (right) and Dillon at the summit of Mt Elbert