Tollymore Trail Ultramarathon 2024

When he’s not busy being one of the best runners of all time, Killian Jornet occasionally writes books.

And, occasionally, I buy and read them.

In his book, ‘Above the Clouds,’ where Killian recounts his attempt to summit Everest twice in a single week, (because why not?) he begins the second chapter with the following,

“There are people who train to compete, and there are those who compete to train. I belong the second group. The goal of competing can provide a source of motivation, but it isn’t necessary for the training - far from it.“

This is a notion I’ve really embraced within my own running over the last year or so…. My goals now are never for a specific time or race position, but to use the race situation to test my physical, technical and mental limits, and use the experience to inform the months of training that will follow.

Ideally, instead of a medal and another t shirt, I would much prefer to be greeted at a finish line with a folder of data, breaking down the details of the effort that preceded the greeting, complete with diagrams and charts.

Knowledge and personal insight are the real prizes on offer to me rather than podiums and personal bests and, in my experience, they make running much more enjoyable and rewarding. 

Saturday 9th November - 7:10am

A cool, mild morning greeted us in the car park of Tollymore Forest. The trees were covered by a gentle, muted light and a pale grey sky stretched endlessly above. The remains of a soft drizzle hung in the air, coating everything in a thin veil of moisture. 

The forest was still, standing silently before us, as if nature itself was enjoying a deep breath before the  commotion that would soon follow. The only disturbance offered was the coming and going of ultra runners, collecting race packs and rolling through their pre race rituals.

As I stated at the top of the programme, the main prize on offer at every race is knowledge and insight, and the 2024 Tollymore Trail Ultramarathon was no different. The specifics I hoped to find in the forest revolved around running poles. I had neglected to bring them on my recent adventures along the Wicklow EcoTrail and, while I did finish the race regardless, they were very sorely missed at times. 

Given that my first race of 2025 is a similar animal to Wicklow, the difference being an increase in difficulty, this race provided a timely opportunity for me to get to ask a lot of questions of my running poles in a race environment;

How well do they store in my vest? 

Can I retrieve them from my back easily? 

Are they heavy to carry when not in use? 

How well can I run with them?

This race also marked the first time that I would not face an ultramarathon alone. Two of my Portadown club mates would also toe the line, both having ran their first ultras earlier this year. Whilst my preference for setting off on my lonesome is now well documented, it was a pleasant change to have a sense of camaraderie and a shared determination to quell one’s pre-race nerves and frankly I was more enthused at how Rory and Joanne would fair than I was about how my day would go.

The race and course format was fairly simple. One loop of the forest equated to a half marathon, marathon runners would then run two and those of us running the ultra, three. Consisting almost entirely of gravel trails, the course has two significant inclines which while tough, are proceeded by equally significant downhill sections. Winding down through the forest, the race route then brings runners back out onto the road just inside the park entrance, offering the chance for a fast final kilometre on firm ground. 

Having completed the half and marathon editions of this race in previous years, I felt fairly familiar with the course and its difficulties. The hills are much less daunting when you know to expect them and can plan accordingly. 

The whistle sounded and we were off. 

Charging into the forest, we quickly found our pace place among the crowd and settled into a steady rhythm. With our race vests carefully stocked with everything we needed for the first lap, we knew we would lose minimal time at the aid stations provided on course as we began our first ascent.

It’s always fascinating to me how often you find yourself exchanging positions with the same runners throughout a race. Each runner’s strengths and weaknesses shape their strategy - some excel on the climbs but approach the descents with caution, while others falter uphill only to regain ground with a more effortless speed on the way down. 

For the record, I fall in the second category.

My running poles were proving to be highly effective, lightweight and effortless to carry, they became and extension of my stride. I found my rhythm and form with them easily, allowing me to negate some of my aforementioned struggles going up-hill.

Back and forth, we traded positions with the same familiar faces before emerging from the forest and returning along the road to the start line in around 2 hours and 15 minutes. The organisers offer ultra runners a bag drop area where they can replenish their supplies. 

Being greeted by some of our club mates who’d kindly came down to spectate for a while, we refilled our vests with snacks and water and set off for round 2.

Setting off for our second circuit of the forest, I took solace in the fact that this was a 3 lap race and not 4, because it meant that we would cross the halfway line, half way through this lap… 

“Funnily enough!” I hear you say! 

But the halfway point of a race is always a pivotal moment, a juncture that can either invigorate a tired runner or dishearten them. The knowledge that we would embark on the third lap with more distance behind us than ahead was a comforting thought, far more encouraging than the prospect of stopping at the bag drop to regroup and then having to tackle the second half of the race from a standing start. Such are the mental games one must employ during a run of ambitious distance to ensure themselves that everything will be okay…

Early into the second lap, our trio dwindled down to two as Rory fell behind, hindered by a niggling injury that he decided to rear its head. As Joanne and I pressed further into the forest with no sign of him rejoining us, we surmised that he had likely withdrawn from the race.

We held a steady pace that was pretty consistent with that of the first loop throughout our second, and found renewed encouragement as we realised we had closed the gap on the tail end of the marathon group, who had set off on their adventure shortly before we completed our first lap.

Reaching the highest point of the loop for the second time, I was starting to fatigue. Preparation for this race had been a light touch at best due to one life event or another, leaving me to hopefully rely on the extensive block of training I’d banked for the Wicklow race about 6 weeks prior. I was pleased to reap the benefits of my running poles as much on the descents as I had running up-hill, as they helped prevent my tired body from losing form and crashing into my already faltering feet. 

Our suspicions on Rory’s fate were confirmed when we reached the bag drop for the second time and have him greet us there.

Our Rory is an exceptional runner, with several impressive performances still to be delivered this year. I was heartened to see him prioritise these future opportunities and withdraw from this race to protect his potential.

With the toughest part of the race behind us, Joanne and I embarked on our final lap. The ache in our legs which had once been a mere whisper was now beginning to speak with more insistence as we pushed through the runnable but equally punishing first 5 kilometres that preceded the respite offered by that first significant climb. Having caught the tail end of the marathon, we had now reeled in the 10k runners too, and we were encouraged by the fact we managed to hold pace with them along the trail’s narrow river-side sections.

It would be remiss of me not to offer a few words at this stage on Mrs McCauley…

A former 400 metre runner now running along side me in a race (*checks calculator*) 150 times longer than her initially preferred distance. 

Over the last 4 months, Joanne and I have spent quite a lot of time running together as she prepared for her first ultramarathon and I prepared for Wicklow, over that time we have had many conversations, some of them sensible and many of them not.

Training extensively with someone cultivates a deep, unspoken understanding between you as runners. You’ll come to instinctively know when to offer words of encouragement to lift their spirits and when to just let the silence speak, running side by side in quiet solidarity, each lending a shoulder to the mental struggle you know you’re both carrying.

Though I often cherish the solitude that often comes with the most demanding stretches of an ultramarathon, I was grateful to have her there on that last lap to bring a sense of lightness to the journey and make those final miles a little less heavy.

As we emerged from the forest for the final time, a gentle rain greeted us as we shuffled along the entrance road that ushered us over the finish line.

We finished the Tollymore Trail Ultramarathon in a time of 7:23:32, according to my watch, that is. I haven’t checked the finally results and at this stage I probably won’t… What I needed from this race was never going to be found on the leaderboard. 

Overall, I’m pleased with how the day went.

I’m pleased with my poles and how well they worked. 

I’m pleased for Joanne who continues to improve at the ultra level. 

And I’m pleased that when things didn’t go his way, Rory made the right call even though it can’t have been easy.

A pleasing day for PRC all round - and that’s before you also consider our folks who ran the marathon and half marathon respectively.

This was the final “big” race of the year for me and, despite being the shortest ultra I’ve ran this year, its the one that’s given me the most confidence going forward… Lots of work to be done over the winter months.

As I stare at the keyboard in search of some final words, the only closing thoughts I can offer are that it’s important to view even important races as a small part of the big picture. Whether it goes to plan or not, it's highly unlikely for most of us that our next race will be our last race. 

So learn what you can and keep moving forward.

And go read what Killian Jornet has to say about running… It seems like might know a thing or two worth knowing.