Grand day out in the North (of Ireland)

Just thought I’d write a note to all you Ultra distance monkeys out there about a great race I did in N.Ireland on the weekend. It’s called the Causeway coast Ultra and, predictably follows the coastline around the Giant’s Causeway. It’s 40 miles and only mildly undulating with a couple of interesting sections where sea paddling is likely!

We set off in near perfect condititons, cool, calm and dry, and the weather only got better (for sun bathing if not running). The course was well marked and well marshalled with spectacular views and great trails (although a bit too many long beach and road sections for my liking). I set off at a comfortable pace, and for a bit of fun, I thought I’d get to the front for the first beach section ‘just to say I’d been winning’.

It turned out that I quite enjoyed being 1st, and as I felt comfortable enough to ‘keep it up for 5 hours or so’, I did, and remained in the lead for the whole race!

It’s organised by a company called 26 extreme, who also organise the mourne way ultra, amongst others, which looks interesting too. 

If anyone fancies doing it next year I can highly recommend it. More information can be found at 
http://www.26extreme.com/productdetails/1451/causeway-coast-marathon.aspx

There’s a great scene in Northern Ireland, and it’s not as far away as you might think (just a couple of hours on the ferry from Troon). Plenty more to explore.