Quest Glendalough - 2019

Quest Glendalough followed two weeks after GaelForce Dublin. I had signed up to do the sport distance having previously completed the expert in 2015. The race starts with a cycle up a famous Irish climb called ‘The Shay Elliot’. This is a long steep drag and as we hit the start of it and the ground pitched up, I settled into a steady rhythm. Others pushed hard on the first climb and some paid the price blowing up before it really got difficult. My experience with the route gave me an edge and I passed a lot of cyclists before entering the transition for the first run. Unfortunately, the run didn’t go to plan. I felt tired from the start. I was slow on the way up the hill and slow on the way down. Back on the bike however, I felt good again and arrived into the final run in a confident mood. That changed when I hit the final run. It is not that I was slow, I was just not where I should be. I finished unsure whether it was the proximity to GaelForce Dublin or a heavy block of training that left me feeling underwhelmed by my performance.