Our 2012 Events:
NEWS:- 2012 National Adv Race Series List Here - Flyer Here
There are 11 events in both Expert and Sport sections in 2012 with separate points awarded for each and men's and women's races assessed seperately with 100 points for 1st, 99 for 2nd, etc
Your best 5 results will count so the more races you do the better chance you have to improve your series ranking and allow your worst results to be disgarded 
The most recent 2012 National Series Race was the Connemara Adventure Challenge on 12th May - Race Report Below
National Series Points Tables will be updated shortly with all latest results
Next National Series race is the Connemara Rough Diamond on 2nd June
Connemara Adventure Challenge Race Report
With the rain staying away for most and a helpful tail wind on the second section of the bike leg and on the kayaks, records tumbled in the race with the first 5 men across the line well inside the course record set last year by 2011 National Series Expert Champion Padriag Marrey.
From the off Diarmuid Collins set a fast pace but having arrived at the start line with a heavily bandaged ankle he was not in the same form as had seen him challenge for victory the last two years. Kerry's Jerry O Sullivan soon took over the lead and only local Brendan Conway could keep pace with him ahead of Collins and the surpise packet of the race, Galway's Gearoid Hynes, a bit further back ahead of Paul Mahon.
O' Sullivan and Conway maintaned their lead on the field with Collins in third and Mahon overtaking Hynes on the descent to the bike transition.
On the bike leg the main race drama unfolded with Conway crashing and he was unable to continue after a shoulder injury made kayaking impossible. This left O' Sullivan in a good lead which he built on and he was never to be headed again.
By the end of the off-road section Collins had been caught by the chasing pack of Hynes, Mahon and 2010 winner Chris Caulfield. After a spell working as a pack, Caulfield broke clear and on arrival at Kilary gaps were evident between himself Hynes, Mahon and Collins. On run to the kayaks however Hynes caught Caulfield and Collins similarly caught Mahon and these formed into two pairs in single boats for the kayak leg.
O' Sullivan was in an unassailable lead coming onto the final run and he went on to set a new course record in a superb time of 1h 59' 19" as Hynes moved into a clear 2nd with the fastest final run split of the day - no mean feat for a former basketballer and cyclist who was on his stag weekend and had been for a "few" the night before :-)! We no doubt will see a lot more of him at other national series races later this year. Collins overtook Caulfield early in the final run leg but struggled to build a gap and in the end just survived to take 3rd ahead of Caulfield in 4th and Mahon who was first in 5th overall.
In the Ladies race the pre-race favourite Collette Sweeney was never in any danger once she started the bike leg as she went on to record a good win in 2h 23' 26". As expected Kathleen Barry proved her nearest challenger and led out the first mountain run leg but Sweeney took a 2 minute lead onto the water and with a stong paddling partner she built a good lead of 9 minutes on the water and maintained this lead on the final run leg to take her maiden victory ahead of Kathleen Barry with Misty Price coming through from the 2nd wave on the final results to place 3rd ahead of Hilary Jenkinson in 4th who had the consolation of taking the vets prize and Claire Quinn placing 5th.
Connemara Adventure Challenge Race Formguide
Whilst the 2011 race winner Padraig Marrey is absent as he finalises his preparations for his 10th national An Post Rás later this month, the quality of the field is evidenced by the presence of the next 4 home from last year.
Galway’s Diarmuid Collins was 2nd here the last two years and if he gets a trouble free race he could be the one to top the podium but recent form suggests that he will be strongly challenged in particular by Kerry’s Jerry O Sullivan (3rd here in 2011) who has shown good early season race form whilst Collins has concentrated on his favourite running discipline up to recently.
Mayo will be well represented by 2010 winner Chris Caulfield, in form Brendan Conway and John Lenehan amongst others, all of whom will be hoping to challenge for the podium but this race should favour the stronger runners.
The choice of bike for the mixed terrain bike section may make it an interesting race up front with punctures possibly effecting the results as in previous years. Others hoping to challenge for top 5 finishes are likely to be Ciaran Smith and vets Paul Mahon and 2010 3rd Brian Keogh.
In the ladies local vet 2011 winner Collette Sweeney is probably the slight favourite in a field that could well spring some surprises with Kathleen Barry and Hilary Jenkinson other experienced performers that could go well along with Tara Reale.
Monster MAC 2012 Race Report 
With entries for this year’s race reaching double the 2011 entry and the weather staying dry if a little cool for the day it made for a great day racing in the Boggeragh mountains close to Millstreet.
The Men’s Expert course saw Adrian Hennessy, who was a close up 3rd here last year, take a small lead in the first run over Rónáin O Shea and Stephen Tabb. He extended this lead throughout the day with the fastest splits on every stage except the final kayak /run one (2nd fastest by 3 secs) to take an impressive win in 3:08:39.
Behind him some drama was unfolding as both Noel O’Leary and O Shea punctured and it was triathlete Aidan O Gorman who had a strong bike leg to reach the transition to mountain run in second ahead of local hero Brian Murphy and Tabb in 4th.
On the testing mountain run Murphy showed the benefit of local knowledge and practice since last year and he overtook O Gorman with Tabb a close 4th getting on the bikes for the final cycle stage.
On the run to home Murphy consolidated his 2nd place and O Gorman similarly in 3rd ahead of Tabb in 4th whilst behind them O Leary needed the fastest kayak split of the day (5’27”) to shake off O’ Shea and take 5th with Ciaran Dillane taking the vets prize in 10th position overall.
In the Ladies Expert race, National Series Sport Champion Marie Boyle was the formguide favourite but the strong running Fiona Devane showed she was in good form leading the first run ahead of Boyle and Eibhlin Cleary with a gap of a further 4 minutes to the chasing group of Niki Cranley, Grainne Read and Susan Godwin.
On the first bike leg Boyle moved into a lead of a minute over Devane with Cleary staying in 3rd just ahead of the strong biking Read.
On the tough mountain run stage Devane again showed her running prowess and turned her deficit into a 2 minute lead on return to the transition area with Cleary extending her lead in 3rd place over Read and Cranley.
The final bike leg was to prove decisive however with Boyle regaining the lead only to unluckily puncture allowing Devane to re-take the lead and the victory after the short kayak stage in just under 4 hours and 19th place overall. Boyle was still well clear in second ahead of Read who came through with another strong bike leg to take 3rd ahead of Cleary in 4th with Yasmin Kenny coming through on the final bike leg to take 5th ahead of Cranley in 6th.
In the men’s Sport event the pre-race favourite Derrick Evans showed his class from the outset and proceeded to post the fastest run and bike splits of the day.
On the opening run only Ger O Sullivan could kept up the strong pace and was only just behind Evans leaving transition with David Delaney a further minute behind ahead of a chasing pack consisting of Jason Moore, Garreth Casey, Joe O Leary, Patrick Fitzgerald, Patrick Dirrane and John O Mahoney.
On the long climb to the intermediate bike checkpoint Evans extended his lead over O Sullivan in 2nd with Dirrane moving into 3rd ahead of Delaney with O Leary and Fitzgerald locked together in 5th and 6th.
On the second bike and final kayak legs the top 3 maintained their positions whilst Delaney was overtaken by O Leary and Fitzgerald with O Leary sprinting clear on the final kayak leg to take 4th ahead of Fitzgerald in 5th who had the compensation of taking the vet prize.
The Ladies Sport competition proved a closer contest with Bernie Condron leading out on the first run ahead of Christine Hyde, Esme O Flynn and Sarah Gallagin. On the bike however Gallagin showed great strength to take her into a clear lead ahead of Condron, Hyde and O Flynn and these positions were held to the line with Gallagin taking her maiden victory ahead of Condronin 2nd, Hyde 3rd and O’ Flynn 4th with Siobhan O Sullivan making 5th place her own throughout the day and taking the vet prize.
A great days racing in Munster with huge local support in evidence throughout .
Next up in the National Series is the Connemara Adventure Challenge on 12th May where over 800 are expected to battle for sports series points.
Monster MAC 2012 Formguide
With entries for this year’s race reaching double the 2011 entry it looks like we are in for some great racing in Millstreet this weekend.
The Men’s Expert course sees some big guns ready to sling it out again just 2 weeks after going to WAR in Glendalough. 2nd placed Adrian Hennessy,who was a close up 3rd here last year, would seem to be the one they all have to beat though Noel O’Leary and Rónáin O Shea who were in 3rd and 4th that day will hope to get closer as will local hero Brian Murphy who was 4th here in 2011 after fading from podium contention on the second mountain run stage.
Others that might surprise these obvious contenders include Kerry based orienteer Brendan O Brien who is probably favourite to take the vet’s prize, triathlete Aiden O’Gorman, Paul Hyde, John O Shea and Raymond Griffin.
In the ladies Expert race, WAR Glendalough winner and National Series Sport Champion Marie Boyle is the formguide favourite with the improving Eibhlin Cleary again providing opposition along with Fiona Devane, Yasmin Kenny, Grainne Read and Frances Shanahan who makes the move into the Expert race after a good 2nd in Sport here in 2011.
The Sport races generally are harder to call with many promising new recruits to these adventure events but the standout favourite would seem to be Derrick Evans on the back of his close up 2nd in WAR Glendalough Sport race recently but Sean Healy and John O Mahoney who were 3rd and 4th here in 2011 will no doubt have ambitions to win this year. Others like Ian Lewis, Garreth Casey, Jason Moore, Adrian Burns, Noel O Sullivan and the two leading vet contenders Patrick Dirrane and David Delaney will also be looking for top 5 finishes.
In the ladies Sport section it is again hard to call but Esme O Flynn is the likely favourite if she can reproduce the form that saw her finish 2nd in last year’s Westport Sea2Summit.
2012 National Adventure Race Series Points Table
| Men's Sport 2012 Points Table | Women's Sport 2012 Points Table |
| Men's Expert 2102 Points Table | Women's Expert 2012 Points Table |
WAR – Glendalough – 2012 Race Report
With the 2 hot men's favourites in the Expert race electing not to participate and freakish snow/ sleet/ hail and sunshine providing epic weather conditions on race day it was left to the Munster men to show that they have not left their winning form behind on the tough Series opener in Glendalough.
From the off the pace was fast with west Cork man Tim O Donaghue coming off the Spinc run with a gap of 2 minutes ahead of Adrian Mc Moreland, Adrian Hennessy and Diarmuid Collins with Noel O Leary and Ronain O Shea a further minuite behind.
Hennessy made up ground on the bike leg to Lough Dan with Mc Moreland and O Shea also posting impressive splits whilst on the water O Leary posted the fast split of the leading quintet with best expert kayak split of the day coming from eventual 11th placed vet winner Noel Donohue as Mc Moreland and O Shea both lost valuable time on the water. On the cycle up to the Lough Tay transition Hennessy caught up with the leader O Donaghue but on the long Djouce run he could not keep with his relentless pace and on the on the remaining legs O Donaghue pulled away to take the win by a final margin of 5 minutes ahead of Limerick's Hennessy. Behind the leading pair, Dingle AR's O' Leary kept a good pace throughout to take 3rd whilst O Shea finished strongly to take 4th ahead of Mc Moreland in 5th.
In the ladies race the pre-race favourite, 2011 National Series Sport champion Marie Boyle, made the trip from Connemara worthwhile taking an all the way victory by 3 minutes ahead of the steady and improving Martina Nolan (Who modestly declared herself an intermediate and so started in wave 3!). Eibhlin Cleary continued her early season good form with a solid third place finish ahead of vet category winner Hilary Jenkinson in 4th and Niamh Mc Donald was just behind in 5th.
The Sport race was a close fought affair with one of the leading contenders being wrongly assigned to wave 4 where he started as the others all did battle in wave 5 but the results showed a steady and impressive performance from the fast running 2011 WAR Powerscourt winner Eanna Cunnane to take the win ahead of Derrick Evans who got the best of an epic all the way battle with Richie Mac Liam to take second and third. Ex international paddler Simon Von Lonkhuyzen posted the fasted kayak split of all the races ( 14' 40") to take him into 4th ahead of Stephen O Kane in 5th whilst 11th places Patrick Dirranne too the top vet honours.
In the ladies sport event the leading trio of Louise Cullen, Pam Coleman and Elizabeth Carolan posted near identical times on the opening run but it was Carolan who had the speediest transitions and cycling legs to pull out an impressive 5 minuite wining margin by the end ahead of local Cullen. Nicola Crean came through late in the race with strong kayak and final run legs to take 3rd ahead of the well known fast walking Pam Coleman who took the Vet category whilst behind these Lorraine Crean took a great 5th place on her comeback race just a couple of months after giving birth
National Series Points will be available HERE shortly
The National Series now moves southward for the Monster Mac on 28th April in Millstreet Co Cork where a field of about 350 is expected to take part so it should be a good point bagging opportunity for the Series.
WAR - Glendalough 2012 - Formguide
The 2012 National Adventure Race Series kicks off this Saturday 14th April in the beautiful Glendalough area of Co Wicklow.
With some of the regular stars of the series missing due to a combination of injury and commitments to forthcoming national championships in Duathlon and the Rás it is left to the local favourite and 2011 winner Noelie Kavanagh to head the men’s field and he is certainly expected to make a bold early bid for glory as he did successfully last year.
His main opposition on the day is likely to come from Castlebar based Tom O Dowd who will lack a little in local course knowledge but should be in top shape currently.
Other likely to pose strong top five challenges are Adrian Hennessy, Diarmuid Collins, Adian Mc Moreland, Chris Caulfield, Torben Dahl and Eoghan Carton whilst last minuite entrant Kevin Murphy could well make the top 5 and is expected win the vets title.
In the ladies race, 2011 National Sport Series winner Marie Boyle makes the expected move into the Expert category and she is the favourite to take the win.
Others vying for the podium should include fellow vet Hilary Jenkinson, Eiblin Cleary and Yasmin Kenny.
The men’s Sport race sees a renewal of the last WAR race in Powerscourt top 3 with Eanna Cunnane, Richie Mac Liam and Simon Von Lonkhyzen likely to again figure for top honours though the sport races often have new talent emerging to challenge the established contenders.
The ladies race looks like a fairly open contest with Roundwood resident Lorraine Creane in the field just 2 months after giving birth. She would prove popular winner though several other like Diane Cooper and Elisabeth Carolan are expected to be in the reckoning too.
It should be a great race before the National Series moves onto Munster on the 28th April where the Monster Mac takes place in the Boggeragh Mountains near Milstreet Co Cork.
2011 National AR Points Series - Final Table of Points
Final Table of Men's Expert Points Here - 2011 Champion is Padraig Marrey
Final Table of Women's Expert Points Here - 2011 Champion is Emma Donlon
Final Table of Men's Sport Points - 2011 Champion is Noel Brady
Final Table of Women's Sport Points - 2011 Champion is Marie Boyle
Putting these achievements into context, over 2,400 individuals registering top 100 scores in the 2011 Series:
Breakdown As Follows:-
Men's Expert: - 686;
Men's Sport:- 876;
Women's Expert - 277
Women's Sport - 621;
Westport Sea 2 Summit Race Report:
On a perfect weather day for racing the Westport Sea2Summit Supreme event produced a tight finish with 2010 Spirit winner Andrew Murray just holding on to take his inaugural Expert Series event win in an impressive time of 3h 39". Murray led from the outset with Shawn Stewart, Edward Sweeney and Brendan Conway his closest challengers after the first run into T1 with Adian Mc Moreland a bit further back in 5th. Murray held onto a slim lead on the bike leg to the base of Croagh Patrick with Conway moving into second ahead of Keith Ruddy and Gerard Corcoran who had the fastest time on this leg.
On the mountain Murray made significant gains on the field with the fastest times both up and down with Stewart the only one to come close to matching him on the ascent and similarly Paul Feeney on the descent but Murray then increased his lead further on the hard climp up the Mauum hills to hold a lead of over 6 minutes on Stewart with McMoreland more than a minute further back at the top of the climb. On the race back to home the stamina issues that have been in evidence before in Gaelforce when he has led in the early stages only to drop out of contention, crept back into view as Murray's return leg time was only 17th fastest for the day with Stewart also slowing a little and allowing Mc Moreland to catch him for second by the final transition at Westport quay. The relatively short run leg back into town was again to prove more challenging than it might appear on paper with Murray suffering badly with cramps and being chased down the whole way by Mc Moreland who made up over 5 mins on this leg but Murray held on grimly to take the win by less than a minute at the finish line. Behind him Stewart also had a nightmare final leg losing over 7 mins to Mc Moreland and allowing Keith Ruddy and Gerard Corcoran to come through to take 3rd and 4th respectively .
In the ladies Supreme contest there was no such drama as Kathleen Barry posted the fastest times for all sections of the race to come home a clear and impressive winner by a margin of over 25 mins in a time of 3h 42' 03". In the battle for the minor placings Nessa Sweeney had an impressive climb up Croagh Patrick to move into second ahead Esme O Flynn, Sharon Cronin and Sophie Bagnall. Bagnall then had a great descent to move into joint 3rd with O Flynn by the base of the mountain. They both then passed Sweeney on the final stages of the Mauum bike climb and extended their advantage to come home only 18 seconds apart with O Flynn in 2nd, Bagnall 3rd, Cronin 4th and Sweeney in 5th.
In the Spirit event the fast running Tommy Gill led from the start and was a clear winner by over 4 mins ahead of Mark Kenny and Patrick Dirrane in 3rd with Eoghan Mc Carthy's fastest bike splits taking him into 4th ahead of Ciaran Smyth in 5th and Liam Heanue in 6th after the fastest run legs both up and down the mountain.
In the ladies Spirit event the recently crowned 2012 Sport series champion Marie Boyle showed her champion form when taking 11th place overall with the fastest ladies legs throughout coming home 5mins clear of Eleanor Griffiths with Deirdre O Mahony coming through late in the race to take 3rd ahead of Helen Gibbs in 4th and Noreen Toole in 5th
SERIES SUMMARY at 1st Nov:
With the Westport Sea2Summit on 12th Nov still to come the top standings are looking fairly clear with some minor place joustling still possible in the final race of the series.
Whilst the entry lists are not yet available it is looking like the men's expert level (Supreme) race should be an opportunity for some new blood to make the podium with several of the expert men 2011 race winners already in their off season whilst in the ladies race the promise of a great race between the 2011 Series champion Emma Donlon and 2010 champion Derval Devaney who has spent this past summer concentrating on the triathlon scene now looks unlikely as Donlon sustained an injury whilst on the winning MSAI team at the 24 Hour Raid adventure race up north recently.
After some very close racing all season in the expert events in particular (7 different winners of the 9 men's races), Connaught have taken a clean sweep of the 2011 Champions list.
Mayo is well represented by Noel Brady and Padraig Marrey who have taken the men's sport and expert titles respectively whilst Galway's Marie Boyle and Roscommon's Emma Donlon have taken the sport and expert women's titles.
To put in context the scale of these achievements it is worth noting the number of individuals registering top 100 scores in the series:
Men's Expert: - 490
Men's Sport:- 876
Women's Expert - 242
Women's Sport - 621
WAR Powerscourt Race Reports:
The weather, venue and course all were stunning as the Wicklow Adventure Race Series wound down with some cracking racing throughout the field.
In the men's expert race, single speed world champ Niall Davis led one of the pre-race favourites Padraig Marrey into T1 in the company of the race's surprise packet James Mc Fadden. Having been long absent with running injuries and having taken up cycling in an effort to regain fitness Mc Fadden then showed why he has Irish Mountain Running team credentials on the short but technical Sugarloaf Run opening up a decent gap on local hope Noelie Kavanagh and Marrey.
Mc Fadden and Marrey were together again arriving at Vartry lakes courtesy of a very strong second bike leg by Marrey. It was on the water however that Marrey made his most significant gain of the day putting time into all of his expert course rivals with a great kayak leg while McFadden, who had not organised a single boat for himself, had to wait for over 4 minutes until Davis arrived and joined him on a double sit on top boat. The pair lost more time to their single kayak equipped rivals and left the lakes in eight and nineth positions whilst local hope Noelie Kavanagh had moved up to second and Peter O Farrell third. Marrey then had an excellent bike leg to maintain his lead but Mc Fadden and Davis both had stunning climbs to Sally Gap to move into second and third respectively on arrival at T3.
Whilst the Biking.ie man Davis and Kavanagh dropped from contention on the Maulin Run it was left to the experienced Marrey to keep the ship steady to lead off the mountain and all the way to the finish in Powerscourt. Mc Fadden closed the gap to 2 mins at the finish coming in second ahead of Peter O Farrell and Adrian Hennessy who both came through on the Maulin run leg to take 3rd and 4th respectively ahead of Aidan Mc Moreland in 5th with John Mc Gregor taking the vets title.
The 3 leading ladies based on known form coming into the race were Emma Donlon, Mary Mulchrone and Catherine Devitt. These 3 were locked together on the opening bike leg into T1. Donlon opened up a gap on the Sugarloaf which she never relinguished to the finish despite the best efforts of Mulchrone who closed the gap at one stage to 33 seconds by virtue of a great kayak leg. Donlon pulled away again on the climb to Sally Gap and held the gap on the Maulin run to defeat her great rival by less than 2 mins at the finish. Devitt had a good race for her first outing in an expert distance event and finished strongly to be only a minute behind Mulchrone with Hilary Jenkinson taking the vets title as 4th placed woman overall.
These results mean that both Marrey and Donlon are now National Adventure Race Expert Series Champs for 2011 
In the Sport Race the National Series champion elect Noel Brady and John Lenehan who could still technically beat him were both in the strong field but in the end the two Mayomen had to play second fiddle to Dublin rivals. On the first bike climb to T1 Garreth Murphy led initially but was passed by Richie Mac Liam, Declan Kelly and Eanna Cunnane with Brady just behind Murphy in fifth. On the slopes of the Sugarloaf Cunnane and Mac Liam lead out whilst behind some fine running from Christopher Fenlon took him up the field to 3rd but ahead Cunnane and Mac Liam stretched out a good lead on the field and were locked together the whole way to the Kayak Stage at Vartry lakes as Kelly dropped away on the iconic mountain to be in 5th coming back to the bikes with Brian Driver just ahead in 4th. On the bike leg out to the lakes those with TT bikes were to the fore and the powerful Simon Von
Lonkhuyzen and Brady posted the quickest two times of the day to move up the field. On the water ex international paddler Von Lonkhuyzenshowed his class with the fastest time of the day to move into 3rd overall with local Gerry Kavanagh second fastest.Up ahead Cunnane and Mac Liam had already set sail for home with Cunnane's experience probably helping as he eeked out a lead on the return cycle to Powerscourt to come home just over a minute ahead of Mac Liam with Von Lonkhuyzen 3rd, Kelly 4th and Driver 5th whilst Brady took the vets title and the National Series Sports title by virtue of other results to date.
In the ladies event Marie Boyle did not travel for Connemara having wrapped up the National Series already so it was left up to local cyclist Linda Haugh to lead the field from the off and she maintained this lead until passed at the summit of the Sugarloaf by mountain runner Laura Flynn. Despite Flynn pulling out a good lead on the descent, Haugh had caught her by Vartry lakes and the pair were still locked together coming out of the final transition. Predictably Haugh pulled away on the return bike leg to take a maiden win by just over 4 minutes ahead of Flynn and Tracie Ryan who had a great second half of the race to move from 5th at Sugarloaf summit to 3rd place ahead of Sophie Bagnall and Elisabeth Carolan with Corina Naughton repeating her Achill ROAR win in the vets.
WAR Powerscourt – Formguide:
This Saturday’s expert race looks like it will be a cracker with a virtual who’s who of the 2011 National Series of Races taking to the start line in both men’s and women’s contests.
Gaelforce winner Peter O Farrell is back after his recent foray onto the hills at the World Masters hillrunning champs whilst regular sparring buddies Padraig Marrey and Niall Somers again renew rivalry just two weeks after Somers’ win in the Achill Roar where Marrey may have being feeling the effects of his half ironman exertions 6 days previously. Add into the mix local Noelie Kavanagh who had a convincing win over all of these lads in WAR Glendalough in April but might not be in quite as devestating form still, and recently crowned single speed MTB World Champion Niall Davis and you have a recipe for a super race up front. As an additional incentive, if Marrey can manage to finish ahead of Somers then he should take the National Series title whilst Somers will need to win here and also at the Sea 2 Summit in November to take the series and then only after a countback on head to head results.
Others looking to get up there amongst the top five seeds are Adrian Hennessy, Anthony Frazier, Aidan Mc Moreland, Zoran Skrba, Dan Morough and mountain biker James Mc Cluskey whilst in the vets the two most likely to fight it out for the title are probably Richard Nunan and Ciaran Smith.
In the ladies the top pair from Gaelforce and Achill ROAR, Emma Donlon and Mary Mulchrone, again renew rivalry with the added incentive that if either of these are the winner then they will also take the 2011 National Series title on countback of head to head contests. Donlon had a clear win at Gaelforce but Mulchrone emphatically reversed that in Achill due in no part to her biking experience and skill which could come in handy this Saturday too if blustery after Sally Gap and on the descent toTA3 so this one is also very hard to call. This however may not be just a duel up front as might generally be expected as Catherine Devitt is also in the field. She has has some notable success this year in shorter events such as WAR Glendalough and has both good running and biking credentials and might cause an upset if she has the stamina and correct pacing strategy as will be required for this 3hr + contest. The ladies vet favourite is probably the experienced Hilary Jenkinson but the strong running Muriel Haire could come close if her descending skills both on foot and on bike have improved since her outing in WAR Glendalough whilst Mary Collins is another experience performer that should go well from wave 2
In the sport the usual suspects are there in the men's race with the nearly elected National Adventure Race Series Sports Champion Noel Brady the obvious favourite. Eanna Cunnane seems the one most likely to threaten Brady as could John Lenehan (Who technically could still win the series) and Simon Von Lonkhausen all of who have beaten Brady at various events this year. This route will suit the strong biking Brady so Cunnane will have to create a decent gap on the Sugarloaf run if he is to stay ahead whilst the kayaking leg may not be suficiently long for West Wicklow Roar winner and ex international paddler Von Lonkhausen to create the gap needed to keep Brady and Cunnane at bay on the final bike leg to the finish at Powerscourt. With vet Brady a likely top 3 finisher Patrick Dirrane seems most likely to take the title as he did behind Brady at the Achill Roar 2 weeks ago tho Garreth Murphy might be one to challenge.
The ladies Sport race looks likely to be won by the ex international hill runner Laura Flynn unless some of the newcommers such as triathlete Orla Mooney or another, who's form is scant to this formguide anyway, can show something special on the day whilst Corina Naughton could well repeat her vet win in Achill Roar.
With a super setting in Powerscourt House estate, a challenging and memorable course and this year's strongest line up at the front it promises to be a great day's racing throughout the field
2011 Achill ROAR Race Report:
With very strong winds forcing cancellation of the swim/ kayak section and the expert route modified to avoid the exposed cliff edge and summit ridge of Minaun mountain for the Experts, the third running of the Achill ROAR proved a stern test of resolve for all competitors with particularly tricky cycling conditions.
In the expert race 2010 Achill ROAR winner Padraig Marrey and 2011 West Wicklow ROAR winner Niall Somers who ran Marrey close here last year again did battle for the top honours. With conditions proving tough for all competitors the level of competition was as high as the winds blowing in from the Atlantic. Somers went clear on the opening run and with fastest splits in all sections of the race proved a worthy winner 3 minuites ahead of Marrey who lost nothing in defeat given his recent racing schedule. An epic battle for third saw places change throughout the race. A possible star in the making Brendan Conway was second after the run but dropped away to finish 5th in the end having been passed first by Adrian Hennessy and then Chris Caulfield who had a storming last bike leg in particular to pip Hennessy in the closing stages to take third place ahead of Hennessy and Conway with John Mc Enri taking the vets title
In the ladies expert race the anticipated top two did battle with Emma Donlon leading Mary Mulchrone by just over a minute after the run. In the testing cycling conditions the experienced Mulchrone revelled and soon took over the lead and went on to an impressive 10th place overall winning by over 5 minutes from Donlon and the super vet Joan Flanagan having a great race to take third ahead of Paula Keoghan with Betty Walsh taking the vets prize.
In the Sports race the pre-race favourite Noel Brady performed well but on the day the fast running newcomer to the AR scene Kieron Cosgrove from Cavan led from the start to post an impressive win ahead of the strong biking Brady and youngster Dean Gillespie in third with Patrick Dirrane taking the vets title.
Ladies sport favourite Marie Boyle had no such trouble and recorded an emphatic win in 11th place overall. Laura English and Ann Marie Egan had a battle royal for second with English just taking it by a single second by virtue of a great final bike and sprint for the line leg and Corina Naughton taking the vets title.
As the competitors retired for the now legendary post race party the statisticians reported that Noel Brady and Marie Boyle have now wrapped up the MSAI National Points Sports Titles after consistent top performances all season.
In the Expert categories the title destinations are nicely poised for the penultimate race in the series, WAR Powerscourt on 24th Sept. If Padraig Marrey wins or at least finishes ahead of last year’s Series winner Niall Somers then the title is his but a win for Somers would leave him with a great chance to retain the title though he would need a win in the final race of the series, the Westport Sea 2 Summit, to complete his late season comeback and snatch the title from Marrey's grasp.
The ladies Series title is even more finely balanced with Mary Mulchrone and Emma Donlon each with 399 points so if both race and either of them win in Powerscourt then they will take the title on head to head countback.
With two weeks to recover from Achill Marrey should be well recovered and ripe for battle as will his partner Mulchrone who is coming right back into form at the right stage of the season though Somers and Donlon will have advantage of superior local route knowledge which could prove vital.
Updated Points Series Standings given above
Achill ROAR Formguide:
After the excitement of the Gaelforce West 3 weeks ago County Mayo plays host to the Achill ROAR this coming weekend.
In the expert race Gaelforce winner Peter O Farrell is the obvious favourite but he looks set to be challenged strongly by 2010 Achill ROAR winner Padraig Marrey and 2011 Niall Somers who ran Marrey close here last year and who held on gamely for a deserved win over Marrey in this year’s West Wicklow Roar.
O’Farrell is in good form since GF with a strong showing in Warriors Run and IMRA events and is the man to beat. Marrey seems back in form having qualified for the 70.3 worlds in Las Vegas with his 3rd Age Group finish in ½ IM in Galway last Sunday. That race may leave him a bit lacking in sharpness coming as it does at the end of a hard season but Marrey is a battle hardened sort who will want to finish his season on a high and repeat his win here last year. Somers is likely to be suited by this course and will be anxious to make amends for his fifth place at Gaelforce and could go close providing he has recovered from an ankle injury sustained on the holy mountain. Adrian Hennessy who won in Dingle and had several top 3 series placings early in the season could be another to go well but has not been seen on the racecourse lately so could be lacking a little in race fitness whilst Chris Caulfield and Brendan Conway should also challenge for a top 5 finish. Other likely top ten finishers are current Nat Series leader Eoghan Carton, Ciaran Smith and Brian Mc Kechnie.
Mayo’s Noel Gibbons is in great form recently but will have to be on top of his game to keep 2010 Achill Roar 4th John McEnri at bay for the vets title and both of them will be highly placed overall.
In the ladies race the current top two ladies in the country will again do battle with Mary Mulchrone looking to go one better than when second to Emma Donlon in Gaelforce. Whilst Mulchrone is showing definite signs of a return to the form that saw her record several series wins earlier in the season, Donlon probably still has enough of an edge in the key running discipline to confirm their recent Gaelforce placings. Betty Walsh looks most likely of the others to chase them home and is favourite for the vets title providing her recent leg injury does not flare up but former mountain runner Joan Flanagan will be there to take advantage if Walsh is off form and Catherine Halpin could possibly round off the top 5 ladies.
In the sport race the men’s and women’s Nat Series leaders Noel Brady and Marie Boyle are the ones they all have to beat as they continue to defy their vet status. Regular rivals Brendan Scullion and John Lenehan will line up against Brady but last year’s second Dean Gillespie could be the one to pose the greatest challenge and newcomer Nic Wright could also pose a big threat. Monster Mac winner Zanya Dahl could go close if she has recovered from a recent injury and newcomers to the AR scene Julie Carbery and Crona Brady look like they have the class to challenge for podium positions if they handle the off road running aspect of this event.
All in it promises to be a great day racing and for most night of celebrating this now legendary post race party venue with all sorts of Heroes and Villians likely to be about.
Current SeriesSummary at 23rd Aug 2011:-
With Gaelforcewest just finished the table below is now updated with the latest expert results.
By virtue of his consistent finishing Eoghan Carton has now taken over the lead from the absent Adrian Hennessy but in second place Padraig Marrey now looks the favourite for the title. With Marrey likely to finish his long season at the Achill ROAR it is still possible for the likes of Hennessy, Gary Crossan, Mike O Brien and Niall Somers to overtake him in the overall standings but a win at Achill will leave the rest with a virtually impossible task to dislodge him from the top spot.
In the ladies points series as predicted Roisin Hickey has taken over the lead but the big two Emma Donlon and Mary Mulchrone look set to repeat their Gaelforce rivalry again at Achill Roar, WAR Powerscourt and possibly Sea2Summit to see who will take the title. With only one point seperating them it should be a battle to the wire well worth watching.
The Achill Roar race on 10th September is the next event counting for both Sports and Expert points as will both the WAR Powerscourt races in Wicklow on Sept 24th.
Gaelforce Race Report:-
As predicted the battleof the big guns in Gaelforce did not disappoint with the first three men and the first two women all breaking the existing records set over the recently extended course in 2010.
Up front in the men's race Martin Bradshaw led off at an, in retrospect, lunatic pace followed by Micheál Forde and Eamon Mc Andrew but all 3 were to fade quickly from contention before the crux of Croagh Patrick was reached. Behind them defending Champion Padraig Marrey, Bruce Duncan, Peter Crommie and Tom O Dowd happily kept each other's company whilst 3 time champion Peter O Farrell started very slowly but was only just over a minute behind this group starting the kayak leg at Killary. O' Dowd and Duncan set fastest times on the kayak but O'Farrell was back in touch with Marrey by the Delphi bike leg start and they set off working together to reel back O' Dowd, Duncan and Somers who also worked together until O' Dowd broke clear on the Sheffry climb and set sail for home in a brave early move. On arrival at the base of Croagh Patrick's climb O' Dowd still had a good lead over Somers, Marrey and O'Farrell and Duncan. As has often been the case it was on the steep ascent that O' Farrell made his move taking over the lead from O' Dowd by the summit whilst on the descent Marrey set the fastest time of the day (9' 37") to close the gap on O' Farrell and O' Dowd with Duncan's similar blistering descent ( 9' 39") also keeping him in 4th by the start of the final bike leg as Somers faded somewhat from contention after an ankle injury ascending the reek. O' Farrell clearly had kept something in reserve with the fastest final leg of the day ahead of the known strong bikers O' Dowd and Marrey who were locked together at the end of the cycle into the quay at Westport.
O' Farrell crossed the line in a super time of 3h 34' 33" ahead of O' Dowd who broke clear of Marrey in the final 800m run to take second with Marrey improving his 2010 winning time by 8 seconds finishing third. Duncan kept on steadily to take 4th whilst Somers will have learned lots from his first time Gaelforce experience in finishing fifth. David Sands had a great steady paced race to take sixth and was clearly delighted to take the coveted veterans win ahead of tenth placed Noel Gibbons.
In the ladies race it was a two woman race from the start with Emma Donlon using her running strength to take a good lead on the first run and despite the valiant efforts of two time champion Mary Mulchrone she was never headed. On this occasion Mulchrone set fastest times on kayak, mountain descent and final bike legs but had to give best overall to Donlon who showed great improvement (By 27') from her second placing of last year. Her time of 4h 09' 22" is a great new record with Mulchrone also bettering the old record set for this course in 2010. A great battle for third saw Anne Marie Egan take third place ahead of local lass Collette Sweeney who had the consolation of taking the vets title ahead of fifth placed Hilary Jenkinson.
Congrats to all 2253 who completed this event and hopefully we will see you at the Achill ROAR on 10th Sept
GAELFORCE WEST FORMGUIDE:- Updated as Entries Now Are Closed!
MSAI's formguide has all the latest news based on available information, curent form and expceted soft goign with some tail winds and of course a possibility of a bitta rain :-)
In the Men's race the defending champion and local favourite Padraig Marrey will undoubtably defend his title fiercely but with a hard season behind him he will need to be at the top of his game to keep the challengers at bay. English guest elite full time adventure racer Bruce Duncan comes with a tall reputation and is in good form so he is expected to give all the home contingent plenty of opposition but he too has had several hard events and this race might prove too short for his undoubted abilities over longer distances. he is being given a great chance with expert advice on the route for his preperation though compared to some of the wily veterans he will need all the knowledge he can glean in his big race preparations. Three time winner and twice second Peter O Farrell has recovered well from a poor season start at WAR Glendalough and comes here having trained and raced very well recently. He should be fresher than most of his opponents and will have intimate course knowledge which could prove useful so will again take all the beating. Tom O Dowd who finished strongly here last year to take third is also racing well after a slow season start and again should be in the reckoning for the podium. Micheál Forde had a great ascent of the Reek last year to take him into fifth and if his cycling has improved to a comparable level then he is another that will challenge. The presence of Andy Murray on the start line should ensure a fast first run - He was in first at the start of the kayak stage and in second at Delphi but after a poor cycle leg he dropped out before the reek. If he has worked on his biking and has a more balanced race he certainly has the speed to figure. The man I think will challenge them all strongly on his first Gaelforce is West Wicklow Roar winner Niall Somers who has had some focussed training abroad recently and has had this race as his season goal for some time. With strength on and off the bike it will be interesting to see if the experienced hands like Marrey, O'Farrell and Duncan can manage to keep him at bay. Other outsiders for the podium who should make the top ten include Somers' training partner Anthony Frazier, local Noel Gibbons, Martin Bradshaw, Adian Mc Moreland, Jerry O Sullivan and Eanna Cunnane who has been competing successfully in sport events recently plus notherner Peter Cromie who is usually spotted doing the mule work on MSAI's adventure race teams in longer events like the Ballyhoura Beast and Cooley Raid and is my "unknown outsider" tip for a top 5 finish.
Gibbons is probably favourite in the vets competition ahead of usual contenders Paul Mahon, Noel Brady, Kevin Murphy and David Sands who has been is good form lately too.
It promises to be a facinating race with close and fierce racing assured - May The Best Man Win!
In the ladies race it seem to be much more straightforward contest in the absence of reigning champion Derval Devaney who has not fully recovered from a recent bike crash that left her with a severe head gash and other crash related injuries. Former champion Mary Mulcrone is a fierce competitor who knows the course and distance well but like her partner Marrey is also on the recovery trail after a hard season with wins at Rough Diamond, West Wicklow Roar and WAR Glenmalure in addition to her successful completion of the 24hour Reeks Challenge. WAR Glendalough and Monster Mac winner Emma Donlon is herself on the recovery trail after a mid season fall on Djouce was followed by another 3 weeks ago whilst descending Snowdon. The latest fall left her with 3 broken toes and unable to run since but her previous form and undoubted abilities are such that she is taken as favourite to confirm her recent Race 2 Glory form ahead of Mulchrone. Strong cyclist Marie Boyle who has had some great success in sport events is likely to round off the top 3 and take the top vet placing in the process as last year's winner Betty Walsh also misses the event with injury with other top 5 contenders likely to be Roisin Hickey and Collette Sweeney with vets Mary walsh, hilary Jenkinson and Kathleen Barry also likely to figure in the top ten.
CURRENT SERIES SUMMARY at 20th July 2011:-
After the last event for the sport series (Race 2 Glory) we have new leaders in both men's and women's competitions.
In the men's Noel Brady has jumped into the lead and with several races to go he now looks favourite to take the title though Eanna Cunnane and Simon Van Lonkhuyzen could still win if they were to compete in all 3 remaining Sport events.
In the women's Marie Boyle has now taken over at the top of the leaderboard with a big lead and is favourite now to take the title but is still in danger from Catherine Devitt should she compete in all 3 remaining events.
In the expert Adrian Hennessy currently leads the men's and is likely to lose his lead as he misses Gaelforce. Eoghan Carton or Noel O Leary seem likely to take over the top spot but behind them Padraig Marrey in particular but also Mike O Brien and Gary Crossan have strong claims in the series. The fancied outsider though with only one win currently but who could come with a late season challenge in the remaining 4 races is Niall Somers so promises to be an interesting Series season finale.
In the women's expert standings Susie Mitchell currently leads and it seems likely that lose her lead after Gaelforce where she will not compete. Roisin Hickey should take over the lead but behind them Mary Mulchrone and Emma Donlon with 2 wins each seem likely to fight out the series providing they complete at least 3 of the remaining 4 expert races.
Race 2 Glory Report:
The Race to Glory event held last Saturday was a relatively non-technical route to somewhat favour the stronger runners and in the absence of Mike O Brien and Tom O Dowd the in form Ruaidhri Geraghty used his strong running and equally strong biking to dominate with fast times in all 3 stages. He came home almost 5 mins clear of the equally strong running and much improved Aiden Mc Moreland (6th in Gaelforce North recently) whilst a minuite further back in 3rd was a below par Padriag Marrey who no doubt will take a bit of time out to recharge the batteries before the defence of his Gaelforce West Crown in 5 weeks time. Chris Caulfield was a further minute behind in 4th and 5th placed Decky Madden took the vet's title.
In the ladies race in the absence of Derval Devaney and with the effects of her Reeks World 24 hour record of only 2 weeks ago slowing Mary Mulchrone it was left to Emma Donlon to take an emphatic win by nearly 9 mins ahead of Mulchrone with Marie Boyle taking the vet's title in 3rd ahead of Collette Sweeney and Kathleen Barry. With Donlon showing all the signs of taking her cycling performances to similar high levels to her well known running speed she now is probably favourite to topple former champion Mulchrone and reigning champion Devaney at Gaelforce West in 5 weeks time though by then it is likely that a well rejuvingated Mulchrone and Westport based Devaney will have other ideas. It is shaping up to be another great race 
Race2Glory Formguide:
All roads lead to Mayo where the next Sport event in the series is the Race 2 Glory on 16th July
On a course designed by Padriag Marrey it expected to be one of the more challenging Sport event routes in the Series and is set in an area that is likely to be new territory for most participants.
The men's contest seems to be shaping up for a bit of muscle flexing of several of the Galeforce West contenders with the obvious favourite Padraig Marrey likely to be challenged by the strong running Ruaidhri Geraghty and possibly Tom O Dowd though the Monster Mac winner Mike O Brien might well be best suited to this less technical course and could be the one to trouble Marrey most particularly if he has not fully recovered since his participation in the successful Reeks World Record Challenge outing 2 weeks ago. Noel Brady looks most likely to win the vets title whilst others like Chris Caulfield, Noel Gibbons, Brendan Conway and John Lenehan will be looking to achieve top six placings.
In the ladies Mary Mulchrone has had a great season to date with recent wins in West Wicklow ROAR, Connemara Rough Diamond and WAR Glenmalure but having had to battle hard in the Reeks World Record Challenge she may be hard pressed by Westport based Derval Devaney and Roscommon's Emma Donlon who had been flying early in the season but has struggled to shake off a leg injury since her Monster Mac victory in late April. Marie Boyle looks certain to take the vets title but will probably not have enough cycling in this event to take advantage of her cycling strength to win here.
Sport Points Series Table will be updated with these Results shortly
WAR Glenmalure Race Report:
In the Expert event the late defection of defending champion Niall Somers left the way clear for Padraig Marrey to make it two wins in a row with a good win over the fastest runner of the day Gary Crossan and Ciaran Smith in 3rd whilst unlucky 5th placed Kevin Murphy took the vets title despite having to run the final 3km of the cycle route after breaking a chain when in 2nd.
In the ladies the pre race favourite Mary Mulchrone Mayo also continued her winning ways breaking clear on the first bike leg to take the win over Paula Prendergast and Dairine Frawley.
In the Sports men, Eanna Cunnane made no mistakes this time out and came home a clear winner ahead of Covey Wheelers clubmen Noel Brady and the ever improving John Lenehan (2nd in final results) whilst pre race favourite Marie Boyle came through half way through the cycle leg to take the win ahead of longtime leader Suzanne Sheedy and Tracie Ryan.
The points series table has now been updated with all recent results and the table shows Adrian Hennessy and Susie Mitchell still leading the Expert series rankings and Brendan Scullion and Grainne O Keeffe leading the Sport series but rankings can certainly change as more athletes complete further events. Behind behind the leaders several top athletes are well placed to take over at the top in the near future if events go their way - Check out the links below for your ranking.
Top 5 results count so if you have a low scoring one then you might be able to drop it with a good result in a future event!
MSAI's WAR Glenmalure Formguide: -
This coming Saturday sees the second running of the WAR Glenmalure event in Wicklow with the WAR Full and Sport races counting toward the Expert and Sport Series Points respectively.
Whilst overall numbers maybe low and spread between the two races this will of course give great chance of good point scoring for those looking to increase their series ranking as both leaders in the Expert Rankings can't take part this weekend.
In the Men's Expert Race recent Connemara Rough Diamond Expert winner Padriag Marrey will be looking to reverse placings with the recent West Wicklow ROAR winner Niall Somers who is also defending the WAR Glenmalure title he won here in 2010 with a hard fought win over Aaron O Donaghue, Kevin Keane and Robbie Bryson. One man that is sure to lead the field at a good pace up the first run in Donegal's Gary Crossan the recent Gaelforce North winner who has a sub 2 20 marathon to his credit a few years back and is also a former mountain running international but it remains to be seen if his biking will be strong enough to hold off the former pair who are both strong up and down the hills on the bike.
It promises to be a facinating battle between the young all rounder Somers, the raw biking power and experience of Marrey and the strong running Crossan all of whom are in good form with recent race wins to their credit.
In the ladies expert section Mayo's Mary Mulchrone who is on a roll after recent West Wicklow ROAR and Connemara Rough Diamond victories will be opposed by 2010 Gaelforce West winner Derval Devaney so it will be interesting to see can Mulchrone defeat Devaney as she did in 2009 Gaelforce West before an injury kept her out of many races in 2010 with others who will be looking to challenge for podium placings include Mags Fitsgerald and Rose Grffin.
The heavy weights are also coming to the famous Glen in the shadow of Leinster's highest mountain Lugnaquilla for the sports section with recent emphatic Rough Diamond sport class winner Noel Brady being opposed again by Galway's youngster Brendan Scullion who currently leads the series, the consistent John Lenehan, Wicklow's Declan Kelly and the strong running Eanna Cunnane who could well grab his first series win whilst in the ladies the favourite has to be Marie Boyle who recently had a runaway success in the Connemara Rough Diamond sports event and has her sights set firmly on the Nat Points title and who's main opposition is likely to come from Suzanne Sheedy.
Dingle Race Report:
The news from Dingle is of a first series win for the regular Series podium finisher Adrian Hennessy of Kilfinane AC ahead of Tralee based Polish triathlete Milosz Wojcik with the slippy descent off Mount Brandon after recent wet weather deciding the race in Hennessy's favour whilst behind MSAI's Paul Mahon took control of 3rd (and first vet) with a good mountain descent ahead of Waterford triathlete David Powers and Eoghan Carton in 5th whilst close behind in 6th was heavyweight rower and 2008 Olympian Sean Casey from Killarney.
Kerry lass Fiona Devane showed great improvement from 4th last year to take a decisive win ahead of Kilkenny Tri club's Roisin Hickey and Susie Mitchell with Pauline Brady first vet in 4th overall just ahead of Hilary Jenkinson.
Dingle Adv Race Results Here
MSAI News at 9th June: This w/e the MSAI points series heads southward to Kerry for the second running of the Dingle Adventure Race. Almost 400 are entered in this single "Expert" category event which takes in the iconic bike section up and down the Conor Pass before the exposed run/ climb up Mount Brandon followed by the Tourist Path descent and long road run section 
to the outskirts of Dingle town and the kayak leg and sprint to the finish
MSAI's Dingle Formguide:-
Whilst the entry list has yet to be published, last years top 3 lads ( Diarmuid Collins, Paul Mahon and Adrian Hennessy) will all be back again and new challengers in the form of Kerryman Jerry O' Sullivan and Eoghan Carton are sure to make it an interesting race up front whilst Susie Mitchell looks likely to get another podium finish in the ladies race.
The shortening of the road run and lengthening of the bike section will do last year's winner and most people's favourite Collins no favours and he will be hard pressed by Adrian Hennessy and Jerry O Sullivan who have both recent series podium finishes to their credit. If Collins' biking is not up to scratch even though he is certainly likely to be top ranked runner along with O' Sullivan, Hennessy's all round ability could serve him well and he may possibly last home safely from a likely leading position on the summit of Mount Brandon. The vets title is likely to be fought out between Mahon and last year's long time leader Kevin Murphy who's climbing abilty both on and off the bike suits this race.
Gaelforce North Race Report:
The first running of the Gaelforce North event saw lots of local participation and the pre-race favourite from Letterkenny Gary Crossan did not disappoint the local supporters with a blistering first run and ascent of Errigal coupled with steady biking to finish in 3h 31' 03" over 5 mins clear of Mayo's Chris Caulfield who pulled clear of his nearest challengers with an impressive last bike leg to come home a further 5 mins clear of army man Eoghan Carton whilst the Mayo based Englishman David Sands faded in the final leg after a puncture when challenging Caulfield for 2nd and ended up fourth overall after completing the last 6km on a flat but was still a comfortable winner of the vet's title.
In the ladies race Mayo's Betty Walsh had a great race throughout and dismissed the close challenge of her nearest rival Julie Murphy with impressive final run legs both up and down Errigal and on the final bike stage to the finish to come home 15 min clear in the end in 16th place overall ahead of Murphy with Aoife O Sullivan in third.
Connemara Rough Diamond Race Report:
In Connemara it was business as usual for the Mayo pairing of Padraig Marrey and Mary Mulchrone in the expert race with impressive victories. Marrey had 6 mins to spare at the end despite a puncture on the final bike leg over Carlow's Paul Mahon who held onto his second place from the end of the first hill run section to finish a minute clear of the chasing trio of Noel Gibbons, Kenny Curran and Donal Kelly who finished within 30 sec of each other and 10 mins clear of the next finisher.
Last week's ROAR winner Mulchrone had over 17 mins to spare with her impressive 7th overall finish with Carlow taking another second place when Susie Mitchell finished second with Mayo's Kathleen Barry in third assuring Mayo of the County title ahead of Carlow.
In the Sport race the evergreen Noel Brady posted three blistering bike legs to finish 6 mins clear of Brendan Murphy with young local Brendan Scullion a further minute behind in third.
In the ladies it was a similar story with former international cyclist Marie Boyle finishing in 6th overall and she took ladies victory with a winning margin of 15 mins over second placed Michelle Traynor with Sinead Oakes in third.
Gaelforce North Formguide:
In the Donegal event the consistent Chris Caulfield will be opposed by others with less AR experience but possibly stronger claims given Caulfield's recent return from an outing in the Apex adv race in Switzerland.
Young Eoghan Carton had a good result when 4th in the West Wicklow Roar last weekend aided by a very strong kayak leg but will not get the same advantage from the paddling section here.
Martin Rea is a top class ultra runner who is having his first outing at this type of event and has very strong claims along with Letterkenny's Gary Crossan who is a former mountain running international and top marathon runner of a few years back whilst his cycling is also to be respected. These pair certainly have the pedigree and class to make the podium first time out and the strong running Laurance Colleran is another that could challenge if his biking is up to speed.
With the mighty Errigal in themiddle of the race it promises to be a cracker up front.
The vets title looks likely to head west in the hands of the improved David Sands if he can get his pacing right and in the ladies competition Newport's Betty Walsh looks to be the girl they all have to beat after several podium placings in 2010 events.
Rought Diamond Formguide:
The Expert race is likely to be dominated by the Mayo pairing of Padraig Marrey and Mary Mulchrone who are worthy race favourites after their 2nd and 1st respectively last weekend in the West Wicklow Roar whilst local man James Keavney, mountain runner Sean Whelan and last year's second Andy Carroll are other likely to challenge for the podium along with last year's winner Paul Mahon who seems favourite to take the vet title. In the ladies Suzanne Kenny will challenge Mulchrone hard if back to the form that saw her win the Achill Roar in 2009 and others likely to go well are the Carlow pairing of Susie Mitchell and veteran Hilary Jenkinson.
The Sport race is likely to be a closely contested affair with National Series Points on offer and top points scorers to date such as Noel Brady, and Brendan Scullion renewing recent rivalries.
An interesting sideline competition is the inclusion of a 4 person County team element to the races and it will be interesting to see who can challenge the expected Mayo dominance with Marrey and Mulchrone joined by Noel Gibbons and Cathy Barry with Carlow and Wicklow the most likely challengers in the Expert race and Limerick, Galway, Tipperary and Cork in the Sport category - AR is obviously different to the GAA scene in terms of heavyweights 
.
Last weekend saw second running of the West Wicklow ROAR event which was also a featured race in the National Adventure Race Points Series for both sports and expert categories. Next event counting towards Expert points this comming weekend is Gaelforce North whilst the Sport series points will be on offer at the shorter version of the Connemara Rough Diamond race.
West Wicklow ROAR Report:
In the expert race the extended 3km kayak leg led to a good advantage for the skilled paddlers and two of the per-race favourites , Mike O Brien and Derval Devaney failed continue after this stage both suffering in the challenging conditions.
In the end the long time leader Adrian Hennessy had to give way to Niall Somers who hung on in the last bike leg from the strong biking Padraig Marrey whilst in the ladies section Mary Mulchrone led from start to finish to win from Hazel Thompson who just pipped locally based Catherine Halpinion the final few km of the race.
In the sport race it was a two horse race in the end with the international paddler Simon Van Lonkhuyzen just hanging on from the strong cycling Noel Brady who was well clear of Stephen Magee in third whilst Catherine Devitt had a great race to complete the WAR / Roar sport double in fifth place overall - Results given below:-
Preliminary Expert West Wicklow ROAR Results Here
Preliminary Sport West Wicklow ROAR Results Here
MSAI's West Wicklow ROAR Formguide:-
The race for points in the sport section has started to take shape with several sometimes “experts” dropping to the sport in search of the points.
In the mens race the fast running Eanna Cunnane will have to contend the strong biking Super Vet Noel Brady and the all rounder John Lenehan whilst they will be chased hard by the strong junior cyclist from Connemara, Brendan Scullion.
In the ladies the Monster Mac sports winner Zanya Dahl from Dublin is the current form favourite with Lucy Kelly, Elisabeth Carolan, Suzanne Rath and Joanne Cullen likely to also to be in contention for podium spots.
The Expert race promises to be a classic up front with Mayo’s Padraig Marrey the favourite whilst other in the picture should be the Rathfarnham AC duo of Peter O'Farrell and Niall Somers (Narrow second here last year) who have being showing winning form of late on the hills, Limerick's Adrian Hennessy (3rd in both WAR Glendalough and Monster Mac) and particularly Mike O Brien the recent Monster Mac winner and triathletes Anthony Frazer and Eric Clinton, any of whom are likely to take full advantage if the favourite shows any signs of weakness!
Derval Devaney is the ladies expert favourite but will challenged strongly by Mary Mulchrone providing she has recovered from a recent running injury, both of these being past Gaelforce winners. Newcomer to this grade Catherine Devitt who had a fine win against a strong sports field in WAR Glendalough is also a likely podium contender.
The Connemara Adventure Challenge on 7th May was the last race in the Sport section of the series - RESULTS HERE
Overall Series Points to include this race for this have now been updated
Latest Women's Sport Rankings HERE
Latest Mens Sport Rankings HERE
Connemara Adventure Challenge Race Report:-
It was probably the higest class field ever for a Sport event as many of the top placings were taken by those usually seen competing in the Expert sections of National Adv Race Series events.
In the Men's section Army man Diarmuid Collins set a frantic pace from the off, determined to improve on his close second of last year when a puncture surely cost him victory. He was kept company by Kerryman Gerry O Sullivan whilst pre-race favourite Padraid Marrey was not far behind after the mountain run section ahead of Paul Mahon and last year's winner Chris Caulfield. On the bike section Marrey took the chance many other did not by selecting a road bike and he safely powered through this section to establish a lead of over 3 minutes ahead of O'Sullivan with Collins now in third and mahon dropping out of contention after two punctures.
Marrey maintained his lead whilst O' Sullivan lost over a minute and second place to Collins in the kayak section and despite losing some time to the chasing duo on the final run to the finish Marrey had a comfortable victory of almost 2 minutes over Collins with O'Sullivan a minute behind in third and Caulfield a further 2 mins behind in fourth with sixth placed Noel Brady taking the Vets title.
In the ladies the Gaelforce form of 2010 was again to prove the best guide with Derval Devaney leading from the start ahead of former international cyclist Marie Boyle and Michelle Ryan. Despite an impressive cycle by Boyle when catching and passing Devaney on the bike leg and maintaining a narrow advantage over the kayak section, Devany's blistering last run left her with over 3 mins to spare over the vet Boyle who was 2 mins ahead of another vet Betty Walsh in third and Ryan a further minute behind in fourth.
National Series Points have now been updated after the MonsterMAC event - Links to each category table are as follows:
Latest Men's Expert Rankings Here
Latest Women's Expert Rankings Here
MONSTERMAC Report and Provisional Results Now Available HERE
National Adventure Race Points Update coming shortly!
Monster MAC Report:
On a day when the sun shone and the weather was well matched by the warmth of the local welcome as evidenced by the friendly and encouraging local marshals and public support, the Monster of Munster was met and conquored by many hardy souls.
In the Expert version the fast running Mike O Brien from Limerick Tri Club led from the start and despite being reeled in on the bike and mountain run descents by Kilfinane A.C's Adrian Henessy and the close attentions of strong biking Bristol native and now Cork resident Robert Wormald, O'Brien's superior climbing ability proved the key to his success in a tremendous time of 3h 04' 59", just a minute ahead of Wormald with Hennessy less than a minute further behind in third. Local fireman Brian Murphy was well up with the leaders on the initial two stages but the testing 10km mountain run took it's toll and he faded a little in the end to finish fourth and 1st Vet was former Irish and European kickboxing champion Richard Nunan from Cork. In the ladies race another former kickboxer Roscommon's Emma Donlon was in a class of her own with a superb 10th overall position in a time of 3h 34' 34" ahead of Carlow's Susie Mitchell and local lass Pauline Brady in third and 1st Vet.
In the sport race the veteran Tom Palmer had a great steady race to take the win in a time of 1h 47' 24"over two minutes clear of Austin Hennessy and Seán Healy with Patrick Fitzgerald taking the Vet's prize with 6th overall. In the ladies race Zanya Dahl showed fantastic form after her injury problems last year and came home a superb 5th overall in a time of 1h 53' 08" ahead of vet Frances Shanahan and Rozelle Owens with Veronica Horan taking the vet's prize.
MSAI's Monster MAC Formguide:-
Sat 30th April is the date for the next National Adventure Race Series event.
It is the first staging of the Monster MAC Adventure Race in the Boggeragh Mountains near Millstreet in Co Cork.
At the sharp end of the Expert race a renewal of their recent WAR tustle is on the cards with Limerick Tri club's Michael O Brien the slight favourite over Kilfinane AC's Adrian Hennessy in the Expert Race. Others likely to figure in the top ten include the consistent Brian Mc Kechnie, Dingle AR organiser Noel O Leary, Cormac Mc Donnell and the dark horses that I think can upset a few AR regulars are triathlete Robert Wormald, if he can handle the off road mountain run section, and local fireman Brian Murphy who has been training consistently on the course and is certainly no slouch on a bike having completed the Rás in the past. Vets likely to battle for the title and also likely top ten finishers are long distance AR specialists Willie Rock and Richard Nunan. The recent WAR winner Emma Donlon looks to be the one to beat of those entered in the Women's race with Carlow's Susie Mitchell looking a likely next best and Pauline Brady a similar strong fancy for a top 5 finish and the ladies vet title.
As ever the Sport version looks wide open with many lesser know participants than the Expert race and a great accessible route for those new to this type of event.
Ciaran O Sullivan and Tom Palmer both look to have good chances in the men's whilst Zanya Dahl, Ann O Regan and Grainne O Keeffe should figure prominently in the women's race but there are likely to be many surprise performances in this race.
The prizes fund (value over €1,500) consists of vouchers for The Edge Shop in Cork and Trophy Tankards from Crannmor Pottery in Kilkenny. These are sure to be well recieved by those finishing in the top 3 overall or top (over 40) vet.
It promises to be a great day's racing in the Boggragh Mountains.
Full Entry List is now on the Monster MAC Site
WAR Glendalough Report:-
The WAR Glendalough race last Saturday is probably the hardest in the series and Wicklow native Noelie Kavanagh produced an outstanding performance despite a puncture at the Sally Gap to come home just 31seconds clear of the pre-race favourite Padraig Marrey from Mayo with the Limerick duo of Mick O Brien in third and early leader Adrian Hennessy in fourth. Cork's Kevin Murphy picked up the vets title finishing 9th overall.
In the ladies WAR race it was much more straightforward for pre-race favourite Emma Donlon from Dublin after some late withdrawals of potential close rivals left her to enjoy an easy win and an impressive 20th position overall with a gap of 21 minutes to second placed Roundwood resident Lorraine Creane and German native Sonja Furhman in third ahead of Army girl Lisa Mc Mahon. Carlow's Hilary Jenkinson was the winner in the vet ladies category with her 7th overall.
In the Sports event there was an exciting tussle throughout with the lead being exchanges several times and at the final transition 17 year old Galway native Brendan Scullion led only to be overtaken by both John Dunne (1st) and Aiden Campbell (2nd) in the last 3.5km run with Michael Grimes the first vet home.
In the ladies race it again proved an exciting tustle between a south Dublin based trio. Catherin Devitt proved strongest on the day ahead of Deirdre O Toole and 2010 winner Laura Flynn with Roundwood taking yet more glory with Louise Cullen repeating her 2010 win in the vet ladies category.
National Points Series tables have now been updated.
Next event in the series in the Monster Mac on 30th April based in the Millstreet Country Park in north Co Cork.
With somewhat shorter courses than WAR (Wining times anticipated are 1h 40 mins for sport and 3hrs for Experts) and a likely turnout of about 250 between both races the points will be easier earned than in WAR so be sure not to miss out on what should be a great event in a largely undiscovered area.
Race reports below and overall preliminary results for the Harlequin Adv Duathlon HERE
See Below for WAR Glendalough FORMGUIDE
There will be 10 events in both the Sport and Expert Sections with seperate points awarded for each and mens and women's races assessed seperately with 100 points for 1st, 99 for 2nd, etc
Your best 5 results will count so the more races you do the better chance you have to improve your series ranking and allow your worst results to be disgarded
First event in the the Sports Series section on Saturday 26th March was the Harlequin Adventure Duathlon.
National underage Duathlon champion Con Doherty had an emphatic win over Anthony Murray and the new vet David Sands giving Mayo a clean sweep on the men's podium whilst in the ladies section former international cyclist (and also a Vet) Marie Boyle from Spiddal had a good win over English lass Helen Gibbs with Foxford's Rachel Moloney taking third.
The next two events in the Series are WAR - Glendalough in Co Wicklow on 16th April and Monster MAC based in Milstreet, Co Cork on 30th April.
Both these events offer both Sport and Expert categories so are sure to be closely contested
WAR - Glendalough was a sell-out success in 2010 and Monster Mac is particularly suitable for 1st timers to this type of event with a 7km trail run and a short kayak section
National Adventure Race Points Series – WAR Glendalough - Formguide
The second sport event and first expert event in this year’s National Points Series is the Wicklow Adventure Race (WAR) which takes place this Saturday 16th April.
Points will be awarded to the first 100 men and women in both WAR Full (Expert) and WAR Sport sections. These will be assembled into a table where your best 5 races of the possible maximum 10 will count toward you 2011 National Adventure Race Points Series ranking.
In the absence through injury of last year’s winner Eoin Keith the expert race looks set to be a repeat of the 2010 Gaelforce showdown between Mayo’s Padraig Marrey and Dublin’s Peter O Farrell where only 9 seconds separated them after 3 ½ hours of hard racing. Marrey is likely to be well suited by this course with not too much technical downhill running and plenty of power biking sections especially from Sally Gap back to Laragh but O Farrell should prove slightly stronger on the runs and will have the benefit of local course knowledge so if he can avoid being dropped on the final bike stage it might well come down to a “sprint” for the line on the final 3.5km run stage. Others likely podium contenders are local hope Noelie Kavanagh, UK based triathlete Niall O Brien who won WAR Glenmalure sport in a canter last September and 2010 Connemara Challenge winner Chris Caulfield.
The ladies race looks set to be a repeat of the battle of West Wicklow Roar with 1st and 2nd Jenny Mc Cauley and Beth Mc Cluskey respectively who are trying to prevent a possible Mayo double with multiple Galeforce winner Mary Mulchrone set to compete hard for the win whilst others likely to figure in the race for the podium are race favourite Emma Donlon who is in flying form already this season, German native Sonja Fuhrmann and well known Roundwood triathlete Lorraine Creane.
In the Sports section the men’s contest looks wide open with any one of a number of dark horses whilst ladies that catch the eye as serious podium possible include last year’s winner Laura Flynn, triathlete Deirdre O Toole and Suzanne Sheedy.
Congratulations to Niall Somers and Derval Devaney - 2010 National AR Points Series Winners
2010 MSAI National AR Points Series: - Men's Series Points Here & Ladies Series Points Here
Congratulations to all those that made the final table by virtue of a top 100 placing on one or more events
| Points awarded to top 100 men and top 100 women in each race | 2010 Men's Standings | 2010 Women's Standings |
| WAR 1 - Wicklow Adventure Race Glendalough - 17th April | WAR 1 Points | WAR 1 Points |
| WWR - West Wicklow Roar - 22nd May | WWR Points | WWR Points |
| GF - Gael Force West - 22nd August | GF Points | GF Points |
| AR - Achill Roar - 11th September | AR Points | AR Points |
| WAR 2 - Wicklow Adventure Race Glenmalure - 26th September | WAR 2 Points | WAR 2 Points |
| 2011 Nat AR Points Series Overall - MENS FINAL POINTS HERE - LADIES FINAL POINTS HERE | ||
