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Gaelforce Dublin

Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland

Tallaght, County Dublin, Ireland

Sat 23rd March 2019

Organiser's Description

An adventure race in Ireland's capital city - a must do to get your adventure year off to a flying start. The route takes you from the city limits to the South county Dublin countryside, and back on terrain which includes tracks, trails, sealed roads and a shimmering reservoir. Choose from a 49k or 29k adventure race of cycling, kayaking and running. (Distances are approximate)
What's Included

Event technical T-shirt

Race medal upon completion

Use of kayaks, paddles and buoyancy aids

Use of individual electronic timing chips

Post-event food

Event Goodies

Afterparty

Location

Tallaght stadium, South Dublin, Ireland

Course Details - 49Km

1. Running/walking: 15km approx

2. Cycling: 33km approx

3. Kayaking: 1.5km max

STAGE 1 RUN - Short run around Sean Walsh Park to the first bike transition

STAGE 2 CYCLING - Sealed roads followed by dirt road and a 4km uphill on Coilte forest gravel track. This cycle stage also includes 2 steep descents. You will need to be comfortable cycling off road uphill and downhill to manage this cycle.

STAGE 3 KAYAKING ON RESERVOIR (1.5KM) - From the bike drop there is a short run up the hill to the top reservoir where you will start the kayak stage. The boats are tandem sit-on-top kayaks.

STAGE 4 KIPPURE MOUNTAIN RUN/WALK (13KM) - A marked route is followed up and down Kippure Mountain. You will run alongside the reservoir then on the road until you reach the track for the mountain. This track is very uneven so watch your footing. The route takes you roughly 2 km up the hill before you turn around to return to the bike drop.

STAGE 5 CYCLING (16.5KM) - The first section of the cycle includes the same road you ran out on so it is gravel, take care with your tyres. There is then probably one of the hardest climbs of the race as you head uphill for almost 2km. This is followed by a severe descent. Then you are heading back to Tallaght and the stadium where you began.

RUN TO FINISH - The final run of glory to finish.

Course Details - 29Km

1. Running/walking: 11km approx

2. Cycling: 17.5km approx

3. Kayaking: 750m max

STAGE 1 RUN (1KM) - Short run around Sean Walsh park to the bike transition

STAGE 2 CYCLING (9KM) - Sealed road leads you to a steep uphill and then onto a dirt road. At the end of the dirt track you return to sealed roads and down a steep windy road to the reservoir. You drop your bike at the end of the first lake.

STAGE 2 KAYAKING ON RESERVOIR (750M) - From the bike drop there is a short run up the hill to the top reservoir where you will start the kayak stage. The boats are tandem sit-on-top kayaks.

STAGE 4 KIPPURE MOUNTAIN RUN/WALK (10KM) - A marked route is followed up and down Kippure Mountain. You will run alongside the reservoir then on the road until you reach the track for the mountain. This track is very uneven so watch your footing. The route takes you roughly 2 km up the hill before you turn around to return to the bike drop.

STAGE 5 CYCLING (8.5KM) - The first section of the cycle is on the same road you cycled in on. Following the road alongside the reservoir you will eventually join the R114 and the final spin back to Tallaght stadium.

RUN TO FINISH - The final run of glory to finish.

Race Start Times

49KM

Wave 1: 09:30

Wave 2: 09:45


29KM

Wave 1: 10:30

Registration

Location: Tallaght stadium

Friday 22 March

Reg open 17:00 - 20:00 for both distances


Saturday 23 March:

GFD 49km 07:30 - 09:30

GFD 29km 08:30 - 10:00

Faqs

1. WHAT BIKE SHOULD I USE?

Like all our Adventure races Gaelforce Dublin combines a selection of tarmac and gravel roads. If you look at the following photos then they will give you a good idea of the varying types of terrain that you will encounter on the race. For reference I cycled the route on my cyclocross bike with slick continental gator skin tyres and managed to cycle the entire route without much difficulty. The danger with this approach is that you are more likely to get a puncture so you will need to know how to change it. However the payoff is that you are a lot faster on tarmac sections due to less rolling resistance. The second option is to go with a mountain bike and sacrifice speed on tarmac for stability on off road tracks. The race route is roughly 75% on tarmac, 20% on forest road and 5% grass/ dirt track.


2. WHAT TYPE OF SHOES SHOULD I WEAR?

In terms of what footwear to use remember that this race is taking place in February so you will get wet runners and socks. The initial 2k of the run is on gravel road and tarmac before you hit Kippure mountain. The trail going up the mountain is very uneven and slippy in the wet and the last kilometer is on open mountain. With this in mind I would recommend that you use a trail running shoe with a bit of grip in it as opposed to a normal road running trainer. Something that grips well on mud and offers you some support around your ankle. There are a number of different brands out there, the ones that I use personally are www.icebug.com , www.inov-8.co.uk ,or www.salamon.com

3. WATER - DO I NEED TO CARRY IT WITH ME?

However a lot of it comes down to how you train and how your body reacts to this. If you are used to training without taking on board a lot of water then keep going with this however if you normally train with water then take it with you. There will be water stations at the transitions throughout the race however you do need to bring your own water vessel with you (bottle, platypus etc). Make sure that you leave full water bottles with your bike at the start of the race.


4. WEATHER - MAKE SURE YOU DRESS APPROPRIATELY!

One of the unique challenges of this race is that it will take part in February in Ireland. This is traditionally a time of the year when you are happily wrapped up in your couch watching the weather rather than being out in it. February in Dublin is one of the colder months of the year and it will probably be wet. Make sure you wear adequate clothing to keep you warm and dry during the race and have a change of clothes available for after the race.

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Location

Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland

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