Busy Start to September
The first weekend in September was a busy one for Setanta members. We of course had the Club Champs - well done Mick and the AGM on Saturday but there was also the Liffey Descent which Paul Mahon took part in. He even got his picture in the Irish Times. Una May (3Roc) and Marcus Geoghan (Ajax) were other orienteers who took part in this event. On Sunday, Caroline and Kevin ran the Dublin Peaks race in very poor visibility. Caroline was the first lady home and with this was crowned the ladies IMRA Long Distance Champion. Congratulations Caroline! Sunday also saw the start of orienteering of the season with the first of the Fingal Autumn Scatter Series in Ward River Valley.
The Liffey Descent is a canoe race over 28km down the river Liffey. It starts at the K-Club above Straffan Weir and finishes at Islandbridge. The course includes 10 weirs, two sets of rapids and a portage where competitors must carry their boats around the Leixlip dam. To bring the water up to the levels and flow required and to create the rapids, water is released by the ESB from the Poulaphouca Reservoir. The Liffey Descent race was first run in 1960.
The IMRA Long Distance Challenge included the Wicklow Way Ultra in March (51km), the Circuit of Avonbeg in May (25km) and the Dublin Peaks last weekend (36km). The first race is over trails, mostly on the Wicklow Way but the second two are open mountain with a fair bit of navigation required. Caroline was also first lady in each of these individual events.
The Fingal Scatter Series is a set of three events where 20 controls are set out and can be visited in any order. The long course must get any 18, the medium course any 12, and the short cource any 6. Registration starts at 11.00am, with all runners starting on each course at the same time, at 12.00 or soon after that. The two remaining events are Newbridge Demesne, 12th September and Ardgillan Castle Demesne 19th September. As these events are in parks they are great family events or just good for training coming into the new season.
