Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Ö TILL Ö Race Report 2010
Almost two years have passed since first stumbling across a website that offered some sketchy details about a race that was very much still in its infancy, the race was called the Ö TILL Ö (pronounced uh–till-uh). According to the website, the race was described as ‘ a unique race in a unique environment. Teams of two race together from island to island (Ö till Ö). The teams swim between the islands and run on them. The total distance is 64 kilometres of which 10 km are swimming and 54 km are running’.
This was a challenge that I couldn’t resist and since it was a team event, I had to find a race partner. There really never was a doubt as to who would make the journey with me – I had to find someone who could swim and run and also have the same streak of stubbornness as myself. I casually sent an email to my brother Declan with a link to the race website, a few minutes later I got the response I knew I would get. One word said it all. ‘Savage’. When I read his one word response, I knew that we were on our way. It was October 2008 and I sent an email to the race organisers asking if we could enter for the 2009 race and the response was that he would guarantee an entry for us.
A few weeks before Christmas, my wife Eileen gave me some brilliant news – we would be expecting our second baby in July! Ö TILL Ö would have to wait for now. There was an almost nerdish countdown to February 1st, the day to enter for Ö TILL Ö 2010. Entry form filled out and confirmation of entry received, now all that was left to do was prepare for the race.
In the beginning training was very fragmented, a few days here and there, some swimming at lunch or after work. This pattern continued until March when we both joined the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown. We tried to swim Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings before work and then to get a couple of runs in during the week or at weekends. With two little children at home, it was difficult to get out as much as I probably should have but my wife Eileen was brilliant, training times were never an issue, she always told me to do what I needed to do. In fact, I think that she might have even enjoyed me being out of the house for so long! As time passed by, week by week and month by month, we were gradually getting fitter and with a couple of open water swims thrown into the mix, we gained the much needed experience of swimming in open water. Throughout all of the training, we never doubted that we would finish this race, however after we did a 3.8km Ironman swim in Dunmore East, both of us realised that it was a turning point in our preparation. We knew that our swim training was paying off and that it was time to get the run in order. We used a number of venues to train for our long runs, Fairyhouse Racecourse, Phoenix Park, Carton House Maynooth, The Royal Canal and St. Patricks College Maynooth.
From reading about the race and also watching video clips on YouTube, we had to decide on what equipment would be the most suitable for race day. Previous entrants to Ö TILL Ö had used fins on their feet, hand paddles, back packs, water hydration packs, bum bags, snorkels and full size swimming diving masks. Some mandatory equipment that you must carry throughout the race includes a waterproof map holder, compass, two whistles, pressure bandages, first aid, GPS transmitter and a mobile phone. Our job now was to find the best way possible to carry this equipment plus any specific nutrition we would need.
Evenings were spent going through websites about water hydration systems, light weight back packs and compass sets. In the end, we decided that after trying out a few different systems that we would go with what we knew best. A simple bum bag to carry the mandatory gear, a compass from a Christmas cracker, a plastic zip seal bag for the maps and two kid size Tipperary water (250ml) bottles in case of emergency - so much for the hours of research!
Donabate strand was the location for our simulation training. In reality this meant jumping into the sea, swimming for 15 – 30 minutes, get out and go straight into a run for between 15 and 45 minutes. This lasted up to five hours and was repeated each Sunday a month before the race. We had quite a few strange glances from the locals and also the families playing on the beach. You can be certain there were plenty of children asking their parents ‘Why are those men running in and out of the sea?’ or ‘Why are those men swimming with their shoes on?’
We now had all our equipment finalised for the race – both of us would wear our triathlon wetsuits to keep the body warm as the water temperature is forecasted to be about 10C-12C and air temperature about 15C. I had chosen Inov8 x-talon 212 as footwear, fancy words for a lightweight shoe with a grippy sole, but I guess the marketing people might prefer the fancy terminology. Declan would wear the Vibram Five Finger KSO Treks – these are shoes designed to offer the same feeling as barefoot running except with protection on the sole against stone bruising and rough terrain. Correct footwear is crucial for Ö TILL Ö since we would be on our feet for about 13 hours and also would be swimming with them.
Other teams had been keeping blogs and we were reading these with great interest for any hints or clues on how to improve our own preparations. Confident in the knowledge that we had built up about the course, the conditions, equipment needed and the necessary level of fitness to complete Ö TILL Ö, we left Dublin airport for Stockholm on Friday 4th September. We would have a day to relax and enjoy the sights of the old town of Gamla Stan before getting the ferry to Sandhamn where the race we have been looking forward to for almost two years would begin. The race briefing began and the common theme running through was to keep moving, at all times in order to finish this race you must keep moving. That would become our mantra for the race – ‘Moving- Keep on Moving’. Seeing all the other teams on the evening before the race made it real. We were finally about to take on one of the toughest one day races in the world. This was our first ever venture into a race that most definitely had an international flavour - teams were from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, UK, France, USA, South Africa, Australia, Germany and Ireland. Race briefing over, dinner eaten and back to the room for some rest. We went over the fine details of our plans making sure we were as prepared as we could be. Into the cot and lights out by 9.30pm.. still awake at 10pm.... 11pm and still looking at the ceiling .. next I heard was the alarm going off at 04:00 hours. Up and on with the tunes, Declan had a selection to get us pumped for the day and when I heard some of them I wondered if he realised what race he was about to do! Down for breakfast, a mad scramble affair with people literally stuffing as much food as possible into them, one team seemed to have an entire side of smoked salmon on a plate with another plate of eggs, bread, cereals, yoghurt, and fruit. We went for what we knew best, as big a bowl of Flahavan’s porridge as we could manage and a few slices of fresh bread – nothing that would cause the stomach too much bother.
Start time was due for 05.45am and as a helicopter hovered overhead, all teams were under the starter banner. All of a sudden it was here, the starting pistol was fired into the air and we were away! All teams were instructed to stay behind a quad bike until they reached the first swim which was about a mile away. Foolishly we presumed that it would be a nice comfortable pace to get familiar with the terrain and so that you would at least make it to the first swim! Like the clappers they were gone – after about 600m, two groups had formed – we were leading the second group which were about 50m adrift of the lead pack. On arrival at the water edge it seemed like pandemonium! Teams were putting on fins, hand paddles, getting their backpacks sorted while we literally pulled up the goggles, threw some water over our faces, looked at each other and simply said, “Lets GO!”. During this first swim it was very encouraging to feel that the water was not as cold as predicted, it was about 14C and in our minds it was just like Donabate! Getting to grips with a sensible rhythm was the key to maintaining comfortable breathing and so keep our heart rates down. We did not want to overheat early or else it would be disaster. Onto the first island, Vindalso, a short 700m hop and then a quick 300m splash across to Skarp-Rumaro where we had 3km over land.
It is difficult to describe exactly what the run sections were like but if we tell you that it took almost 10 minutes to cover the 700m and more than 25 minutes to cover the 3km, you might get an idea of what it was like. We crossed over solid rock, loose stones and crevices covered with moss, swamp, through rushes, forest trail, woodland without trail, sand paths and the occasional cliff face to scale – all the time looking for small strands of ribbon that hung from the branches of trees or simply left over grass every 50m or so. On at least three occasions we had to double back on ourselves and retrace our steps to look for our markers. This was the pattern that continued for five hours until we reached the first cut-off. Any teams that did not make the cut off by 12.00pm would not be allowed continue. The next cut-off was 14.30pm and we made this with about an hour to spare. Still on track we got as much energy drink into us at the feed stations along with the odd sausage roll and a few packets of jelly beans for good measure! Moving... Keep on Moving, our mantra was keeping us going.
The next important time scale for us for the 4.00pm cut-off on the island of Kymmendo, just before a short 300m swim to the island of Orno. We were going now for over nine hours and we checked in at 3.15pm. At this check point we saw a number of teams who did not make the first two cut-offs along with a few teams that had to stop for either injuries or other reasons. While we were keeping each other going all along the route, something clicked with me when I saw these teams. The only image in my mind was Eileen and my two children Mae and Charlie. This was mentally very difficult for me. I started to crack. Tears had filled my eyes and I wasn’t able to swallow the energy drinks or take the gels. Declan came over to me and really got me back on track along with a member from the race crew. After two or three minutes I was alright and Declan lined up three cups of energy drink – down in three gulps the three of them and we were away again. We were straight into a short 300m swim and during this swim I got a lot stronger and was ready for the biggest challenge of the day. The run along the island of Orno, 17km with another check point at 11km. This would be the final checkpoint. We had 90 minutes to cover the 11km. No problem on an ordinary day, but this was an extraordinary day and an extraordinary course. Off we go and we managed a good pace, the only problem was that it was through forest and the terrain was not good. None of the course had distance markers and so it was very difficult to know how much you had covered or how much you had to go. After about 15 minutes we got onto a good trail and were able to get our race pace going again. A few nice gentle hills to sap the remaining energy out of the legs went by followed by some long straights through meadows. Moving.. Keep on Moving we kept saying anytime the pace dropped, time was ticking by 4.30pm .. 4.40pm.. still no sign of the checkpoint .. Declan pushed on and I couldn’t stay with him. We were catching a team in front of us. I could see Declan pass this team and push on again. He was about 100m ahead and I was struggling big time. Head down, small steps and get the arms going again. Push, push, I couldn’t let Declan down at this stage, not after what we have come through so far. Then I saw the checkpoint and Declan had made it. 4.52pm and I was almost there. One last effort and I made it. We checked in and were greeted by another five teams who had made it there also and who were all physically shattered but mentally overwhelmed at making the final cut-off! Another team, the San Diego Lifeguards came over the brow of the hill with two minutes to go and then just as the cut-off was being removed, team number 72 came thundering down the hill to make it with 20 seconds to go! They were in. Everybody was thrilled for each other. Now all that was left was about 11km of running and about 1km of swimming. Away we went walking at first and then shuffling and then more walking for the remaining 6km of Orno. A few short islands and a couple of short swims followed and then the sun had started to relax for the day. We still had a little bit more to do. The last swim was greeted with a thank you to the sea for keeping us safe and also for delivering us to our final run. Just 2500m remained - if we had to we would carry each other over the line. Nothing was going to stop us from making the finishing line. The San Diego Lifeguards passed us with about 1km to go and we applauded their guts. A few minutes later team number 72, the team that just made the last checkpoint came and passed us - all we wanted was to see the finish line! Then we could hear the sounds coming from the finish and all of a sudden we could hear our crew – Eileen, Kate and Carmel were there to meet us! Only a short hill to go. Up the hill we ran and across the line. We made it - this great race made us crack and beat us up and made us feel pain in ways we never knew before. It has taught us what we can achieve when we really want it badly enough. We both had some dark moments on the course but we pulled each other through and we can now say that we are proud finishers of Ö TILL Ö. Over 84 teams entered and just 51 managed to make it to the finish. We were 50th team to finish in 14 hours 31 minutes! We met some terrific people, Team Diversify, we wish you all the best in this race next year, and you were so close. To everyone who helped us reach our goal we say thank you. To everyone who sponsored us for our charity, St Josephs Centre for the visually impaired, thank you for your more than generous contributions.
Details on the race along with some photos and video can be found on www.otillo.se
This was a challenge that I couldn’t resist and since it was a team event, I had to find a race partner. There really never was a doubt as to who would make the journey with me – I had to find someone who could swim and run and also have the same streak of stubbornness as myself. I casually sent an email to my brother Declan with a link to the race website, a few minutes later I got the response I knew I would get. One word said it all. ‘Savage’. When I read his one word response, I knew that we were on our way. It was October 2008 and I sent an email to the race organisers asking if we could enter for the 2009 race and the response was that he would guarantee an entry for us.
A few weeks before Christmas, my wife Eileen gave me some brilliant news – we would be expecting our second baby in July! Ö TILL Ö would have to wait for now. There was an almost nerdish countdown to February 1st, the day to enter for Ö TILL Ö 2010. Entry form filled out and confirmation of entry received, now all that was left to do was prepare for the race.
In the beginning training was very fragmented, a few days here and there, some swimming at lunch or after work. This pattern continued until March when we both joined the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown. We tried to swim Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings before work and then to get a couple of runs in during the week or at weekends. With two little children at home, it was difficult to get out as much as I probably should have but my wife Eileen was brilliant, training times were never an issue, she always told me to do what I needed to do. In fact, I think that she might have even enjoyed me being out of the house for so long! As time passed by, week by week and month by month, we were gradually getting fitter and with a couple of open water swims thrown into the mix, we gained the much needed experience of swimming in open water. Throughout all of the training, we never doubted that we would finish this race, however after we did a 3.8km Ironman swim in Dunmore East, both of us realised that it was a turning point in our preparation. We knew that our swim training was paying off and that it was time to get the run in order. We used a number of venues to train for our long runs, Fairyhouse Racecourse, Phoenix Park, Carton House Maynooth, The Royal Canal and St. Patricks College Maynooth.
From reading about the race and also watching video clips on YouTube, we had to decide on what equipment would be the most suitable for race day. Previous entrants to Ö TILL Ö had used fins on their feet, hand paddles, back packs, water hydration packs, bum bags, snorkels and full size swimming diving masks. Some mandatory equipment that you must carry throughout the race includes a waterproof map holder, compass, two whistles, pressure bandages, first aid, GPS transmitter and a mobile phone. Our job now was to find the best way possible to carry this equipment plus any specific nutrition we would need.
Evenings were spent going through websites about water hydration systems, light weight back packs and compass sets. In the end, we decided that after trying out a few different systems that we would go with what we knew best. A simple bum bag to carry the mandatory gear, a compass from a Christmas cracker, a plastic zip seal bag for the maps and two kid size Tipperary water (250ml) bottles in case of emergency - so much for the hours of research!
Donabate strand was the location for our simulation training. In reality this meant jumping into the sea, swimming for 15 – 30 minutes, get out and go straight into a run for between 15 and 45 minutes. This lasted up to five hours and was repeated each Sunday a month before the race. We had quite a few strange glances from the locals and also the families playing on the beach. You can be certain there were plenty of children asking their parents ‘Why are those men running in and out of the sea?’ or ‘Why are those men swimming with their shoes on?’
We now had all our equipment finalised for the race – both of us would wear our triathlon wetsuits to keep the body warm as the water temperature is forecasted to be about 10C-12C and air temperature about 15C. I had chosen Inov8 x-talon 212 as footwear, fancy words for a lightweight shoe with a grippy sole, but I guess the marketing people might prefer the fancy terminology. Declan would wear the Vibram Five Finger KSO Treks – these are shoes designed to offer the same feeling as barefoot running except with protection on the sole against stone bruising and rough terrain. Correct footwear is crucial for Ö TILL Ö since we would be on our feet for about 13 hours and also would be swimming with them.
Other teams had been keeping blogs and we were reading these with great interest for any hints or clues on how to improve our own preparations. Confident in the knowledge that we had built up about the course, the conditions, equipment needed and the necessary level of fitness to complete Ö TILL Ö, we left Dublin airport for Stockholm on Friday 4th September. We would have a day to relax and enjoy the sights of the old town of Gamla Stan before getting the ferry to Sandhamn where the race we have been looking forward to for almost two years would begin. The race briefing began and the common theme running through was to keep moving, at all times in order to finish this race you must keep moving. That would become our mantra for the race – ‘Moving- Keep on Moving’. Seeing all the other teams on the evening before the race made it real. We were finally about to take on one of the toughest one day races in the world. This was our first ever venture into a race that most definitely had an international flavour - teams were from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, UK, France, USA, South Africa, Australia, Germany and Ireland. Race briefing over, dinner eaten and back to the room for some rest. We went over the fine details of our plans making sure we were as prepared as we could be. Into the cot and lights out by 9.30pm.. still awake at 10pm.... 11pm and still looking at the ceiling .. next I heard was the alarm going off at 04:00 hours. Up and on with the tunes, Declan had a selection to get us pumped for the day and when I heard some of them I wondered if he realised what race he was about to do! Down for breakfast, a mad scramble affair with people literally stuffing as much food as possible into them, one team seemed to have an entire side of smoked salmon on a plate with another plate of eggs, bread, cereals, yoghurt, and fruit. We went for what we knew best, as big a bowl of Flahavan’s porridge as we could manage and a few slices of fresh bread – nothing that would cause the stomach too much bother.
Start time was due for 05.45am and as a helicopter hovered overhead, all teams were under the starter banner. All of a sudden it was here, the starting pistol was fired into the air and we were away! All teams were instructed to stay behind a quad bike until they reached the first swim which was about a mile away. Foolishly we presumed that it would be a nice comfortable pace to get familiar with the terrain and so that you would at least make it to the first swim! Like the clappers they were gone – after about 600m, two groups had formed – we were leading the second group which were about 50m adrift of the lead pack. On arrival at the water edge it seemed like pandemonium! Teams were putting on fins, hand paddles, getting their backpacks sorted while we literally pulled up the goggles, threw some water over our faces, looked at each other and simply said, “Lets GO!”. During this first swim it was very encouraging to feel that the water was not as cold as predicted, it was about 14C and in our minds it was just like Donabate! Getting to grips with a sensible rhythm was the key to maintaining comfortable breathing and so keep our heart rates down. We did not want to overheat early or else it would be disaster. Onto the first island, Vindalso, a short 700m hop and then a quick 300m splash across to Skarp-Rumaro where we had 3km over land.
It is difficult to describe exactly what the run sections were like but if we tell you that it took almost 10 minutes to cover the 700m and more than 25 minutes to cover the 3km, you might get an idea of what it was like. We crossed over solid rock, loose stones and crevices covered with moss, swamp, through rushes, forest trail, woodland without trail, sand paths and the occasional cliff face to scale – all the time looking for small strands of ribbon that hung from the branches of trees or simply left over grass every 50m or so. On at least three occasions we had to double back on ourselves and retrace our steps to look for our markers. This was the pattern that continued for five hours until we reached the first cut-off. Any teams that did not make the cut off by 12.00pm would not be allowed continue. The next cut-off was 14.30pm and we made this with about an hour to spare. Still on track we got as much energy drink into us at the feed stations along with the odd sausage roll and a few packets of jelly beans for good measure! Moving... Keep on Moving, our mantra was keeping us going.
The next important time scale for us for the 4.00pm cut-off on the island of Kymmendo, just before a short 300m swim to the island of Orno. We were going now for over nine hours and we checked in at 3.15pm. At this check point we saw a number of teams who did not make the first two cut-offs along with a few teams that had to stop for either injuries or other reasons. While we were keeping each other going all along the route, something clicked with me when I saw these teams. The only image in my mind was Eileen and my two children Mae and Charlie. This was mentally very difficult for me. I started to crack. Tears had filled my eyes and I wasn’t able to swallow the energy drinks or take the gels. Declan came over to me and really got me back on track along with a member from the race crew. After two or three minutes I was alright and Declan lined up three cups of energy drink – down in three gulps the three of them and we were away again. We were straight into a short 300m swim and during this swim I got a lot stronger and was ready for the biggest challenge of the day. The run along the island of Orno, 17km with another check point at 11km. This would be the final checkpoint. We had 90 minutes to cover the 11km. No problem on an ordinary day, but this was an extraordinary day and an extraordinary course. Off we go and we managed a good pace, the only problem was that it was through forest and the terrain was not good. None of the course had distance markers and so it was very difficult to know how much you had covered or how much you had to go. After about 15 minutes we got onto a good trail and were able to get our race pace going again. A few nice gentle hills to sap the remaining energy out of the legs went by followed by some long straights through meadows. Moving.. Keep on Moving we kept saying anytime the pace dropped, time was ticking by 4.30pm .. 4.40pm.. still no sign of the checkpoint .. Declan pushed on and I couldn’t stay with him. We were catching a team in front of us. I could see Declan pass this team and push on again. He was about 100m ahead and I was struggling big time. Head down, small steps and get the arms going again. Push, push, I couldn’t let Declan down at this stage, not after what we have come through so far. Then I saw the checkpoint and Declan had made it. 4.52pm and I was almost there. One last effort and I made it. We checked in and were greeted by another five teams who had made it there also and who were all physically shattered but mentally overwhelmed at making the final cut-off! Another team, the San Diego Lifeguards came over the brow of the hill with two minutes to go and then just as the cut-off was being removed, team number 72 came thundering down the hill to make it with 20 seconds to go! They were in. Everybody was thrilled for each other. Now all that was left was about 11km of running and about 1km of swimming. Away we went walking at first and then shuffling and then more walking for the remaining 6km of Orno. A few short islands and a couple of short swims followed and then the sun had started to relax for the day. We still had a little bit more to do. The last swim was greeted with a thank you to the sea for keeping us safe and also for delivering us to our final run. Just 2500m remained - if we had to we would carry each other over the line. Nothing was going to stop us from making the finishing line. The San Diego Lifeguards passed us with about 1km to go and we applauded their guts. A few minutes later team number 72, the team that just made the last checkpoint came and passed us - all we wanted was to see the finish line! Then we could hear the sounds coming from the finish and all of a sudden we could hear our crew – Eileen, Kate and Carmel were there to meet us! Only a short hill to go. Up the hill we ran and across the line. We made it - this great race made us crack and beat us up and made us feel pain in ways we never knew before. It has taught us what we can achieve when we really want it badly enough. We both had some dark moments on the course but we pulled each other through and we can now say that we are proud finishers of Ö TILL Ö. Over 84 teams entered and just 51 managed to make it to the finish. We were 50th team to finish in 14 hours 31 minutes! We met some terrific people, Team Diversify, we wish you all the best in this race next year, and you were so close. To everyone who helped us reach our goal we say thank you. To everyone who sponsored us for our charity, St Josephs Centre for the visually impaired, thank you for your more than generous contributions.
Details on the race along with some photos and video can be found on www.otillo.se
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Last Morning in the Big Pool
This morning was the last day in the big pool - for the past six months it's been great to be swimming in the same pool as some of best triathletes competing in Ireland - Each morning we would see athletes like Bjorn Ludick doing his swim routines and ask the question - how does he go so quick! Another who we have seen over the past few months include Colm O'Neill (a legend in open water swimming- he is the ONLY person ever to complete the North Channel Ireland - Scotland on his first attempt).
Another morning we had just got changed and were about to get into the pool when we noticed about 40 youngsters sitting poolside - many had USA, Canada, and Australia swim caps... Then we saw on the information screen that the USA junior swim team were in Ireland for a training camp. I can't help but wonder what they must have thought of us two in the same pool! After watching them for a few minutes we very quickly realised that just maybe there could be a young Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe on the team! They were hugely impressive and they were so young. We also realised that if anyone says to you before a triathlon that they swam a little as a child then you need be afraid .. be very afraid!
We have enjoyed swimming in the National Aquatic Centre - it's a great experience and I would encourage anyone to get into a 50m pool, its such a different swimming experience. While it's a great to swim there nothing really can prepare you for the best place to swim of all and that is out in the open water. Out there with no black line down the middle to follow and feeling a wave crash over your head - Pure Class!
We can't wait for Monday.
Another morning we had just got changed and were about to get into the pool when we noticed about 40 youngsters sitting poolside - many had USA, Canada, and Australia swim caps... Then we saw on the information screen that the USA junior swim team were in Ireland for a training camp. I can't help but wonder what they must have thought of us two in the same pool! After watching them for a few minutes we very quickly realised that just maybe there could be a young Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe on the team! They were hugely impressive and they were so young. We also realised that if anyone says to you before a triathlon that they swam a little as a child then you need be afraid .. be very afraid!
We have enjoyed swimming in the National Aquatic Centre - it's a great experience and I would encourage anyone to get into a 50m pool, its such a different swimming experience. While it's a great to swim there nothing really can prepare you for the best place to swim of all and that is out in the open water. Out there with no black line down the middle to follow and feeling a wave crash over your head - Pure Class!
We can't wait for Monday.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Inov8 bag ..
Inov8 say ..
We say ..
We like THIS!
The Race Elite2 is a compact and functional waist pack. Being ergonomically formed and low profile with good secure pockets makes the Race Elite™ 2 ideal for storing accessories and ultra lightweight gear on runs, fast & light walks or travel.
We like THIS!
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