Ep 45 Wicklow Way Relay special, and getting juniors into mountain running with Miriam Maher
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
René Borg, a former race director of the Wicklow Way Relay and six-time competitor, gives an insider's guide to the 104 km, eight-leg relay often called the Grand National of Irish hill running. Then IMRA Junior Affairs Officer Miriam Maher explains how children and teenagers can get into mountain running, from short courses at nearly every race to international teams.
Eoin thanks new Patreon supporters and rounds up recent results, including René's fourth place in a recent IMRA race.
René covers the build-up relays, the Wicklow Way Relay's history from 23 teams in its first year (won by a team of just two runners, one of them Eoin Keith) to a sell-out field of 35 eight-person teams, and the 7:02 record set in 2011. He explains the team rules: two women and two over-40s to be competitive. He talks through how to pick legs: put less experienced runners on the short, net-downhill leg 3 or the mostly road leg 8, choose a steady endurance runner for long leg 7, and think about whether to keep a fast runner in reserve for the finish. He covers time penalties, parking, and why every runner should recce their own leg by leading, not following. He also describes the buzz of following your team through the day, live GPS tracking, and small handover changes for legs 3 to 5 this year.