November 2009, Hans Baart was surfing the internet and by coincidence he found the web pages of the WRR. He discussed it with Pieter and the idea to go to Ireland was born. Within a few weeks we had 12 participants. To make this trip as cheap as possible we had to book the flights and accommodation immediately. Hans arranged this all and as always he did a wonderful job. The only thing that could go wrong was another race date then we expected. So we were very glad the race date didn’t change! Unfortunately Hans’ health didn’t corporate so he had to decide not to run. Also Jan decided not to run because of a knee injury. On Thursday 10th we arrived on Dublin Airport. Jean was there to welcome us. We appreciated that very much. Thank you Jean! The cars and the hostel that Hans had arranged were very convenient. Friday morning we went to find out where we could find the start of leg 1. With the help of the GPS-navigation this was no problem. A few of us wanted to run the first “hill”, the rest went for a walk. We all reached the top and then we all knew the WWR is not for softies.

Hereunder the race report of the individual participants, but first some statistics:
Team Hollandia 1: 4 male, 1 female; average age: 48; race result: 15th in 9h24’20”.
Team Hollandia 2: 5 male, 2 female, average age: 50; race result: 18th in 10h02’25”.

Race report Leg 1:
Pieter (H1). Because I had to run leg 5 too I didn’t want to start to fast (a nasty habit of me). Ruud told me, he also wanted to start carefully so I decided to run together with him. That was a very good decision. I enjoyed his company and we had enough breath to enjoy and talk over all we saw on our path. The first climb didn’t break me but I was glad to see the top. The most difficult part was running down on a narrow “track” with rocks everywhere but not on the spots you needed them. On this track I damaged my knee. At this time I had an important question: are there special courses to learn running tracks like this or do all the other runners have something I haven’t? The second mountain was not too hard and we could speed up a little. Again we had to pass a difficult part where you would expect to see Capricorns, not (Dutch) runners. Completely satisfied I handed over to Gerbrand.

Ruud (H2)
I was very unsure whether or not I could participate running the WWR. Four weeks ago I tore my calf muscle. Last week I barely ran but cycled instead. In good spirits, together with Pieter, we attacked the first stage. Uphill and downhill was no problem for my vulnerable calf. The hardest part was a lenght of asphalt road for about 1.5 km. My calf was real painfull, but it was not further damaged! We came as victorious at the handover. What a warm welcome: A loud cheer and applause from the other teams. Twenty minutes past eight, and already finished my part of the relay. The rest of the day just relax and enjoy the beautiful weather, fantastic scenery and encounters with the other teams. I'll definitely come back another year, for another leg to run. Until next time!

Race report Leg 2:
Gerbrand (H1)

Herman (H2)
Together with Gerbrand (team Hollandia 1) I started to run this part of the WWR. The first part was a piece of ordinary road, but soon we came into the natural environment. Soon we were overtaken by a very quick long haired Irish runner. Because this guy went so quick at the first stage of the leg I thought we will catch up later. But he was really very good and we did not see him again. However, , in the long climb with beautiful views on the sea we passed 6 other runners. Downhill the roles were reversed and other runners passed me. On the climb to the highest top I ran completely alone. The views were wonderful and I enjoyed it very much. I found the path with the wooden bars that ended with a magnificent view on a lake very special. It is a pity I could not make a movie of it. On a spot where the forest path ended I handed over to Mila. I am a very experienced runner many marathons all over the world and cross country. This experience, despite many years of experience with athletics, cross country and marathon, was entirely new and a wonderful experience.
A part that along a high Summit was, above all, do only with no-one for you. And very special was the path on the wooden bars that have ended up at the top of a beautiful Lake. The prospect on the go with the fine weather was overwhelming. Unfortunately, these images could not capture. The Bill of Exchange with the following sprinter Mila was a place where the forest path to proceed to a road with again a good prospect of the Lake.

Race report Leg 3:
Emma (H1)
I did leg 3 and really enjoyed it, I had a very good advantage over you all having walked and run it on several occasions. Before so I was able to concentrate on doing a good time which was 45/47 minutes if I remember correctly. Certainly better than I had done previously. Leg 3 is the easiest and shortest of all the legs which enables one to actually enjoy the magical scenery of the Wicklow hills and on this particular and unusual day in Ireland a lovely sunny one too with the birds singing us on our way. It was great to meet you all at the end of the race and to share a pint also to find we had done so well. I salute you all for taking on such marathon in not the easiest terrain in a strange country.
Thank you so much for including me on your team and my running top is out on the Wicklow hills on a very regular basis as I am now training for the Dublin City Marathon in October.
Best wishes to you all and if you ever need a running mate wherever give me a shout.
Emma x

Milla (H2)
Hi there,
My name is Mila Tristán Jover. Last Saturday I participated in the Wicklow Way Run. I ran leg 3 for the Dutch team Hollandia 2. Before the start I was really nervous. I felt nocuous and had a severe head- and stomachache. Everything went through my mind. Did I train enough (in Holland we pitifully don’t have hills in our neighborhood), would I get lost (an ant has a better orientation as I do!!!), would I fall and perhaps break a leg (when I look around too much, I forget that I am running and could skip my own legs), would I be strong enough to go running uphill (my body really wants to but my longs protest when they have to work a little bit harder), but most important………. would I disappoint my teammates because I’m not fast enough (I’m not competitive-minded and I’m just not as fast and strong as they are)???? So you see, it was very, very busy in my head.
Then, before the start I overheard somebody say that, “whatever you do……..don’t look to the ground, because if you miss a sign, than you would get lost completely”!!! So you can imagine now, with my fabulous orientation skills, that I was starting to get really scared because I always look down to the ground when I’m running (in case I slip over a stone or something else that doesn’t belong there). Then I decided to close my eyes and tried not to hear anything anymore. That was much better, I can tell you.
And at last, the moment came that I had to start. Luckily my teammates had already told me which way I had to start, otherwise I think I would go the wrong direction straight away.
The first hill was no problem. Downhill was something else. I thought I had to go downhill with little steps. But the speed was getting enormous, my arms and legs went faster and faster. I almost lost my own body in that speed. So I started laughing, because I thought it would look hilarious and ridiculous for an outsider . Or would the outsider think that I already had a sunstitch in my head? I laughed so hard, that I started to get teary eyes, so I had to get a grip of myself and start getting SERIOUS in case I missed an important Wicklow Way Sign!!! So with a lot of concentration I managed to make larger steps downhill……………that was much, much better.
I was glad when I saw the first sign. Pfffff………….that went well. Then my mind was doing a lot of thinking again. The night before the run I studied very hard which way I had to go, where the lake had to be etc. Well during the run I started to hesitate a lot. I learned that the lake should be on my right hand, and I just didn’t see it!!! I saw a lake on my left hand. Was this the same lake of the description??? Where did I go wrong???? Aaaaarrrrgggg. Did I miss a sign??? Oooo my God!!!! So I tried to read the description, but I was so panicky at that moment, that I just saw letters on that piece of paper. No words, no lines…………just a lot of letters…………….all combined to make words and text. It seemed at that moment that I lost the alphabet and the capacity to understand those words. How difficult could it be??? So I decided to go on, and thank God………………..I saw a sign!!!!!
Then came my first real uphill stage. The combination of the warmth of the sun, little cooling of the wind and my bad lungs made me think that the hill was going to be endless. So I decided that walking the last part uphill was going to be more pleasurable for me than to keep on running till I dropped at the end. So I walk a little bit, and when I caught my normal breathing again….I started to run again.
And ooooo bullocks………..the next problem appeared on my path. I learned the night before, that I had to go down a really narrow path. But what the heck??? The sign told me “in person” that I had to go up that narrow path. I tried again to read the description. But still I couldn’t understand the words. What kind of language is that???? Why can’t I understand it anymore???? So I decided to tell the description to get stuffed, and from there on I just followed the Wicklow Way Signs. So I went up running en started to walk down prudently..…………. as if I were walking on eggs………….there were a lot of stones you know???? Finely I arrived down without breaking a bone. Again……….thank God for that!!!!
I went on and on. Luckily some clouds decided to pass in front of the sun. Bless them at that moment!!!
Just one more hesitation on the way (finally the last one!!!). I went straight ahead instead of going to the left. The sign wasn’t clear enough for me. I started to hesitate because the grass was still standing up. If people went through it, wouldn’t it be flat on the ground???? A few seconds later, someone came by and made the left turn. And luckily she yelled at me that I had to go that way. Thank God she was there at that moment. Now I knew for certain that I was going the right way.
The last uphill stage was a little bit too much for me. I just couldn’t get my breathing in order. I felt very hot so I decided to walk a little bit again and before I knew I gave myself an enormous big kick in the ass!!!! I don’t think it was very charming to see me running uphill that way. I tried to compensate the loss of time when I was running downhill in the shades of the trees. O man, that was nice!!!! Now I had to cross a bridge. But where the heck was that bridge???? First I thought I went already over it without having noticed it. Then I thought that perhaps there wouldn’t be a bridge because the description I had wasn’t completely correct?? My o my………………how tiresome thinking can be!!!! But there is one advantage about all that thinking …………..time just flies by…………….and………………..there was my bridge…………….JIHAAAAAA…………just a little bit further………………….and then………………….I saw a hand waving. At first I only saw the hand………….and a few seconds later I luckily saw the person attached to that hand. Jean was taking over. JIHAAAAAA!!!!!
So this is my short version how I experienced that day. It’s a pity I didn’t have enough time to really look around while running. Now I still have the feeling I’m not quit done in the Wicklow Way Mountains. I would really like to see them again!!!
I hope you can understand the big line in my story. My writing isn’t perfect……………..but what the heck…………………I’m not perfect either. And you know???? I think that is a good balance.
I enjoyed myself very, very much. It was very difficult to go back home and leave “my” mountains back in Ireland.
A big hug,
Mila Tristán Jover

Race report Leg 4:
Jim (H1)
I knew this leg started uphill, so tried not to start too fast, but with some runners just before our team at the changing point it seemed like the wish to pass them caused a faster start then predicted before. This broke me up later, mainly because I took the wrong way about three kilometres later. Something later I looked behind but saw no other runners and decided to go on. Because I missed the good road, I could not enjoy the nice area I was running in. But happily I saw the road and the river I had to go to. I went there, knew I had to go to the left, asked a car driver if I was going the right direction to the Wicklow Way now. Happily this was, but it took pretty much time to come there (at the end the extra distance appeared to be 3.5 K). I was disappointed because I run too much, but afterwards I think, this leg was in a nice landscape, mainly the forest in the last 4 kilometres.

Jean (H2)
I was very pleased to be a part of Dutch Team 2 the relay. I met you at the airport, and then at the start of my leg, Leg 4, Oldbridge to Glendalough.
The cyclist arrived and said that the two women who ran Leg 3 were approaching, Team 1 first. Then as she came around the last bend, it turned out to be Team 2 runner- Mila. So I started in a bit of a flurry. I ran steadily for the first few hundred metres, went around the bend- then tall Jim of Team 1 came up behind me, passed me, and ran on, bounding like a gazelle. All I could do was look at him in awe, and continue my steady plod!
I was familiar with the route as I had walked it a week before, also there had been a recent IMRA race in the area. A total of about four runners overtook me during the course of my run- I felt I was holding my own OK. My course took me along the tarred road, then onto a rough road to the forest- all uphill. Through the forest, then there was an open grassy area, downhill through forest, across a road, over the river on a wobbly foot bridge, MORE uphill forest tracks until the final downhill onslaught.
Another girl and I had a great tussle for the final two kilometres- I held her off on the forest track and going down a tricky, narrow, winding path through the trees until it took a sharp turn- there was a WW sign there which confused me and I stopped and she passed me out. I chased here all the way downhill and over the 4 gates/stiles near the bottom which had to be climbed in quick succession, then across the road and into the car park. I had to concede at the little bridge over the river, 50metres from the finish (she was half my age!).
I felt great, but tired, and was elated at my time- 63 minutes. I sat down to rest, and to my amazement Jim arrived a minute or two later- he had taken a wrong turning, so I had a faster time than him! (Sorry, Jim!)
After a few minutes we piled into the car and went to Drumgoff, changeover of legs 5/6. There was a good atmosphere there, lots of runners, sun was shining, and we all (except those who had still to run) had some well earned refreshments. From there we ‘leapfrogged’ to changeover 7/8 at Tinahely and finally on to the finish at Shillelagh, in time to see our teammate finishing the last leg. After lots of chat and ‘post mortems’ we sat down to eat a well deserved meal.
I had to say goodbye then to my Dutch friends as the cars were full- I got a lift back to Dublin with a friend. I think that you all enjoyed the day, and were glad you made the trip to Ireland.
Thanks to you all for having me. Roll on next year!

Jean O’Neill

Race report Leg 5:
Pieter (H1)
What a climb! Not knowing when I should reach the top gave it an extra difficulty. I passed some other runners and that made me a little nervous. Maybe I was running to fast to keep on running the complete leg. There was one piece I found very dangerous just before the long road down. I was not able to run there. Very carefully I climbed down, hoping not to get another injury. One bleeding knee was enough! After all I did a good job and I am still very satisfied with my act.

Geerard (H2)

Race report Leg 6:
Gerbrand (H1)

Bert (H2)
The team captain told me I was lucky I had an injury. Instead of the seventh leg with 21 km, I was allowed to run the sixth one. “An easy one” he said “just 12,7 km with one climb and then all the way down to the Iron Bridge. How lucky can you be?
About 200 meters after the start of my leg I ignored a sign on the left side of the road that directed me into the woods. Fifteen minutes later my mates, who were travelling by car to Iron Bridge, saved my life. They brought me back down so I had to run the same mountain once again and now through the bushes.
There would be only one climb they told me. But it was the longest climb I’ve ever seen. This was a never ending story. I am used to run in the Dutch dunes, but the Wicklow Mountains are a different cup of tea. Each time when I thought to reach the top, I had to make a turn and a next slope path was waiting for me. And don’t think the surface was easy. It was terrible! Sometime too dangerous for words. I was lucky it wasn’t raining that day otherwise I had never reached the top. Even now I had to climb through a kind of river or waterfall using both hands and feet.
During my race I still had to conquer the pain in the muscles of my right leg. ‘Charley’s horse’ they call this in English but it made me feel like a donkey.
After more than an hour I finally had the feeling to go downhill. From that moment on I had to take extra care of my injury. I tried to run slowly, landing on my heel, landing on the tip of my toes, doing everything to avoid contraction in my calf muscle. And then, when I thought this race would never end, I saw the Iron Bridge. This race was a bridge to far for me. I prefer to race in the swaps of the Netherlands!

Race report Leg 7: Anko (H1)
We arrived in Ireland Thursday afternoon so there was no time for a recce of the leg. Instead I memorized the leg description, looked at the maps, tried google earth (not much detail there) and studied the elevation on MapMyRide. I had to do 21.2 km and two climbs, that much was sure. But –coming from a rather flat country- I had no idea how those climbs would feel. I found out soon enough.
After Gerbrand did his final mad descent from leg 6 to arrive at Iron Bridge I took off. When I started, the next runner was close behind me. What should I do; wait so I wouldn’t get lost or run faster to try staying in front of him. I chose the latter (and had to pay for it later). The first climb went well and the descent thereafter was pure joy; especially when I passed the runner of the mountain rescue team who had started before me. Things got worse after that. “Expect rain” people had said, “it’s Ireland”. So I did and found out it was sunny and warm instead. I tried to run in the shade as much as I could but in the second half of the leg most of the terrain is open. The combination of the sun and a (too) fast first climb made the second climb agony; my legs simply wouldn’t move. After a quick peak to see if the runners behind me were near I decided to start walking a particular steep part. This helped a little and gave the energy for the last kilometers (which by the way had a lot of gates in it and no cows or sheep in sight). After reaching the road I thought/hoped the last 1k would be simple. In vain. Like David Walshe of the (winning) Surfing Boards team said “The last km uphill was just torture, especially as I kept seeing people every time I went round a bend but then realized that it still wasn't the handover”. But after sending off Jim for the last leg I felt nothing but satisfaction. 1:41:43, not the best time of the day but not bad for a first time hill runner. This was supposed to be a onetime event for us but to be honest I want to do it again next year again…

For people reading this preparing for leg 7 in 2011 or later: try to do a recce. Although the route is clearly marked I slowed down a number of times to take a good look and stopped twice (and even ran back 50 m once) to figure out which way the marker pointed. So knowing the route will save you time. Another advantage is that you will be able to balance your run better if you know the terrain (if I had known how hard the second half of the route was going to be, I would have done the first half a little bit slower). Climb the gates instead of opening and closing them; it’s faster (found that out the hard way because I couldn’t open one of them and had to climb it). And finally, don’t worry; it is a lot of fun!

Dick (H2)
Almost two hours of running. But if you have to clime the first twenty minutes, try to avoid a horse on the path, jump over several barriers and have to chose the right direction it is a good time for these twenty-one kilometres. But what a marvelous day! Hope to run here again.

Race report Leg 8:
Jim (H1)
I felt pretty good recovered from the running of leg 4 before and started this leg on a nice road mainly used for cattle where we had to climb over some 5 fences. After some kilometres I came on the forest road that ended on the public road. From there on there were some tougher climbs, but all on good roads. At the Dying Cow we left the Wicklow Way and went straight on. At one crossroad after that I doubted a little moment where to go (maybe also because of what happened to me in leg 4), because I thought I some a painted mark on a stone behind some high grass. I stopped running there, but after I had a better look on it I concluded this was no mark to the right and I had to go straight on (which was correct). I finished in a satisfying time for me as a Dutchmen from the lowlands.

Herman (H2)
The beautiful picture above this blog was near the change over of leg 7/8. With my team mates I was more than early at the change over. If you have to wait, time seem to pass by very slow. Well, it gave me the opportunity to prepare myself on the first part with the fences and a sanitary stop. The weather was still very nice and several Irish runners provide me with tips regarding this leg. The atmosphere was very good and relaxed. From my experience with leg 2 my first concern was not to get lost and by doubt to run back to the last sign. After the hand over from Dick I started carefully. I could open the first fences, the rest I had to climb over. After one kilometre I passed the lady whom started just before me. On the path besides the forest I doubted ones and ran back to see if I really had to go straight ahead. After that the path went gradually downwards and I could accelerate very good. After aprox 3 kilometre I reached the road. This road went over hills so I had to go up and down slightly. Now I know that Irish kilometres a longer than Dutch kilometres (at least it felt like that). At the crossing (the pub, Dying Cow, seems to be an ordinary house) somebody gave me the right direction. Here I left the Wicklow Way. This part seems to be endless. At the finish I saw my friends and very tired but satisfied I passed the finish line.
The price giving was already history but lots of athletes and supporters stayed for a nice conversation, drink and food. I want to thank Hans, Pieter and Ruud for all preparations and all others involved with Wicklow Way Run Relay. The good feeling remains.

Jan (by bike):

And last but not least e few words from our Hans himself:

Hello Ireland,

First I want to thank Joe Lalor for everything he did for us. Also I want to thank Emma and Jean for running in our teams and last but not least the volunteers. Our stay in Ireland was perfect, everybody was nice and friendly. It was a great race day.

Thanks,
Hans