Ep 26 Safety on Ireland's trails and mountains with Simon Kelly and René Borg
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
After a sad week on Ireland's hills, with the death of runner Gillian Ryan in the Comeragh Mountains and wildfires in the Mournes and Killarney National Park, this episode is all about staying safe on the trails and mountains. René Borg covers being physically ready for long mountain days, and Simon Kelly goes through route planning, kit and the skills that help get you home safely.
Eoin opens with good news from the roads: Aoife Cooke won the Cheshire Elite Marathon in 2:28:36 to secure the Olympic standard for Tokyo. René says serious accidents in the hills are rare, but runners should take sensible steps to reduce the risk. Come back to long mountain runs gradually, and train your body to run on low fuel through plenty of easy zone 1 and 2 running, so a missed snack doesn't become a crash. Forget road pace on the trails, and build up to steep, technical descents step by step.
Simon explains how to plan a route with maps, GPX files and realistic time estimates. A mountain route can take twice as long as the same distance on the road, and a 12km horseshoe in the Reeks can take even elite runners close to three hours. He recommends proper trail shoes with a rock plate, bright clothing that makes you easy to spot, buffs and light layers, carrying food and water even when you don't expect to need them, and fuelling regularly on long runs.