Ep 47 Wicklow Way Relay review: winning captain David Power of Rathfarnham WSAF, and the view from the organisers
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
Thirty-five teams, eight legs and 104 km: the Wicklow Way Relay returned with sunshine, drama and some controversy. René Borg gives the organisers' view, from GPS trackers to tough disqualification rules. Then David Power, captain of the winning Rathfarnham WSAF team, tells how his team won back the title from four-time champions TT Racers, sealed by a storming last leg in the fastest time of the whole field.
Eoin congratulates the juniors who earned places on the Irish team for the WMRA under-18 international cup in Italy, and thanks new Patreon supporters.
René describes the joy of a team event returning after the pandemic. GPS trackers improve safety and speed up the results, but they only work if carried properly, so the pen-and-paper sheets at every handover still matter. A TT Racers runner fell and struggled in the heat, and was helped to the finish, but the rules meant the team was disqualified. An inquiry cleared East Cork using their GPS file, while another team was disqualified for an honest mistake on the old line of leg 6. The third-placed team even offered to hand back their place. René says the current zero-tolerance rule can be too harsh for a social event, and proposes a workshop with captains to review it. He also covers a record all-women's team, the gender rules, an ageing field, the old orienteering clubs, and the hope of a strong Wicklow team in future.