GCH's Seamus Coyne travelled to Achill for the half-marathon last Saturday July 5th. Here is his report...

I had always planned to run Achill as my second ever half-marathon following on from the Connemarathon-half earlier on this year. However, as the weeks and days counted down to the race, it became clear that I would be travelling and running on my own as the crew that had joined me in Connemara weren't so enthusiastic to put in the hard miles this time around. Best laid plans to camp on Keel beach for the weekend of the race also had to be shelved due to the vagaries of an Irish summer, but with my entry secured in a sold-out field of 1200, there was nothing for it other than to set the alarm clock in Galway for 05:15h on the morning of the race (Saturday 5th July - so no Independence Day celebrations for me!) and set off on the long trek north to Ireland's largest island.

If anything, I arrived in Achill much too early (an extra hour in bed wouldn't have gone amiss) and had a lot of time to kill after registration. Luckily I had brought a book and together with that, some breakfast and a quick snooze, the time soon ticked on to warm-up and race-mode. A friend had travelled from Sligo to spectate and encourage (cheers Eoghan!) and after a few words with some familiar faces from around the Galway running scene and a physio friend of my brother who was working at the event, I was ready to go.

Luckily, the rain held off from the gun and though we weren't blessed (or maybe that should be cursed?) with the heat of the midday sun due to the cold and blustery overcast conditions, it was probably near enough to ideal running conditions despite the strong winds. Off we went on the road out of Keel back eastwards towards Achill Sound, and with the long drawn out incline over the first 4 miles, it was all I could do to keep to an 8 minute/mile pace. A sharp turn left to the north brought the same inclines and believe it or not, seemingly the same wind blowing directly into our faces. The field was well scattered at this point and I found myself running in a long ribbon of runners, doing just enough to hold my position in the field.

Just beyond the half-way point brought another turn left westwards and the beginning of the long up and down drag back to Keel beach. Spectators were well scattered along the route and were definitely a great source of encouragement at this point. The two fantastic blue-flag beaches at Dugort were soon passed on our right-hand side (if only we had time to stop and admire them together with the fantastic mountain scenery) and thankfully we were now hitting some flats and some sharp declines which enabled the pace to be picked up a small bit and some 7 minute/miles to be strung together. With some speed training under my belt (thanks to Ian and the rest of the GCH crew!) I was able to switch on the after-burners for the last two miles, even speeding around the last couple of corners when I sensed that the finish-line was nearby, and was thus able to trim a scarcely believable 5.5 minutes off my Connemarathon time.

The tradition of charging straight into the cold refreshing Atlantic was not honoured on this occasion as most competitors were rapidly cooling down in the still blustery and cold conditions. Reluctant to drive back to Galway immediately for fear of cramp however, I spent some time in the race tented village, sampled the beach BBQ, re-hydrated and then decided against both a rub-down and a shower due to long queues. Tiredness was beginning to set in now, but I was still back in Galway by 4pm to complete a very enjoyable day overall.

Would I recommend the Achill half-marathon? Certainly, if you are prepared to factor in the attritional course (certainly on a par with the Connemarathon in terms of difficulty in my opinion), but it is very scenic for all that. The locals seem to take great pride in the event and are very welcoming and supportive along the route. The event itself is well organised, and while the entry-fee is steep (€60 + a not very well advertised 10% booking-fee if you registered on-line this year), the funds generated do go to a very worthy cause in the Silent Masses charity. Next year's race is already scheduled for Saturday, 4th July 2009!

More details available at: http://www.achillmarathon.com

Route: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/ireland/achill/492677816
(click on "Show Elevation" for route profile)

Note – the map may take a couple of seconds to render fully over the above link.