The Mile Failte 1200 will test you to the limit both mentally and  physically.

The thought of stopping during the race came up a few times. It was the amazing beauty of the South-West of Ireland that kept me going.

We didn’t know if we were blessed or cursed with the amazing sunshine. It delivered the must amazing views but at the same time the heat was hard to deal with at times.

This was my first multiday event organised by Audax and to tell you the truth I really wasn’t expected the level of organisation and support from the organisers. From the moment I arrived on the Friday, right through to when it was all over, the MF1200 crew really couldn’t do enough for you. Everything ran like clockwork.

I tried to get as much pictures as I could of my experience of the MF1200 but I really had to restrain myself from stopping every five mins to take another photo. It really is a beautiful part of the world.

The day before

I arrived on the Friday at 15.45. Registration was open at 15.00 so I was expecting to be one of the first people to arrive. To my surprise, about half of the riders where already here.

The place was busy with people signing in, collecting their brevet cards and been shown to their room. Outside, everyone was going through their bikes and kit making sure everything was as it should be. There was a real buzz in the air.

The rooms weren’t over packed. There were five bunk beds in my room but only five people in the room so I could use the other bed on the bunk for my kit.

There was a detailed race briefing at 16.00 which highlighted all the hazards for each day.  Controls and coarse profiles were also discussed followed by a Q&A.

There was also a notice board that you walked past every morning with reminders of all we needed to know for that day.

After that there was a pasta part. I didn’t know anyone here before the event but everyone was so easy to talk to. There were two other guys in the same boat as me but must of the guys here had done races like this many times. I was eager to learn whatever I could from them  before the start.

There was a repeat briefing at 18.00. This was for guys that came in later.

For me, not much happened after that. I rechecked that I had everything and chatted to a few more people. There were a few guys heading down to the pub for a pint or two but I decided against it.

Day 1

I didn’t really sleep great . I got about five hours but I woke every hour in between.

Down in the hostil kitchen by 05.00, the MF1200 crew had put on a full irish breakfast for everyone. A great start to the day.

By 05.50 everyone was out the front and ready to go but we weren’t released until 06.00 sharp. I felt anxious as I waited but everyone was in high spirits. After a brief speech from the head organiser we were sent on our way. The wait was over.

The first 80km went by so fast.  This was mainly due to the fact that there was a ferry to catch. Before we started I had decided to go for the 09.30 ferry. This would be lots of time for me to get there with fairly little effort. However, I pushed a little harder than I should have and found myself in a fast rolling group.

It looked like we were all trying for the 08.30 ferry but for some reason it all slowed down. This meant we got to the dock and had to wait 30min, so I pushed harder than I should have for no reason. I hoped this wouldn’t come back to haunt me in the coming days.

There was another mass start when we got off the ferry as we had all bunched up again. The pace was surprisingly high. I quickly found out why. Our first control was in Kilrush which was only 5 km from the ferry. When I got there the que to your brevet card stamped was very long. This wasn’t an issue for me as there was lots of food to get through. It really surprised me how much there was eat. Lasagna, pasta, sandwiches and fruit, and as much as you wanted.

By the time I was finished eating, the brevet card que had died down.

From here, it was an enjoyable cycle north through Co. Clare via Cooraclare, Lahinch and Lisdoonvarna before entering the burren.

The Burren is one of the must spectacular places if ever cycled through. The sunshine really made it. I tried to take photos to give you an idea of the beauty of the place but pictures just can’t capture it fully. If you ever get a chance to cycle through the burren then do it.

As we left the burren we came to our second control of the day. It was in the iconic Fr. Teds house. This was a bit of a let down as far as food goes. I got a cup of coffee but when I went to get food there was only a small scone left. I was lucky to get it. Others that came in behind me didn’t get anything. It was a good job that I had a few bars with me.

From here we made our way south to our third control, Cratloe. This was a nice cycle through some nice irish countryside. The locals didn’t appreciate our presence on the road. I think we got beeped at and heckle at least four times. Some people just don’t like bikes on the road

Anyway, we managed to navigate the crazys in the cars to make it the Cratloe at 244km. Again,there was a great spread of food.

As we were leaving I seen the first dnf. It wasn’t nice to see this early on. I’d say it was the heat that got to him. It was hard to keep hydrated on such a hot day. The mf1200 crew tried to encourage him but his mind looked made up.

On we went to Glin at 305km. After getting past Limerick we headed west and into a strong breeze that was really slowing us down. There was three of us in the group and we decided to rotate so the we each done 1 km at the front before rotating and so on. We did this for over 40km and by the time we got to Glin I was pretty empty.

That was the second time today that I pushed too hard.

The 75km back to Killarney wasn’t going to be easy. We were straight into the hills from Glin. By the time we got to Abbeyfeale we had two hills done and it was time to wrap up and put the lights on. It had gotten really cold and I was glad of the extra layers that I had carried around with me all day.

When leaving Abbeyfeale we had a 15km of nearly constant climbing. There was also a 5km detour around Castleisland.

I didn’t mind too much as we where nearly there and I was on schedule.

We made it back to hq by 00.20. Again we filled up with food and the mf1200 crew were tending to my every need. I was showered and in bed by 01.00 hoping for a 4.5hr sleep.

So far so good

Day 2

I didn’t sleep as well as I though I would.  After  three hours I woke and no matter how I tried I just couldn’t go back to sleep.

By 06.00 we were ready to go. It was hard to get going again.

Todays route took us east into Co. Cork. By 08.00, we were already flagging a bit so we stopping for a breakfast role in the first shop we could see. The sun was already high in the sky and we were feeling the heat. This was going to be a tough day.

We eventually made it to Bandon (474km) for our first control of the day. I was going well up until this point but the tiredness hit me on the way to our second control.

When we finally made it to Skibbereen (529km) I was finding hard to stay awake on the bike. My mood had dropped and I found it exhausting to ride in a group. So I decided to let the guys go ahead of me while I tried to get an hours sleep. I was glad to get out of the sun as it was beating down.

I woke after 20min feeling much better. My mood had completely lifted and it felt fresh to be cycling by myself.

On I went toToormore where we had to take a photo to prove we where there.

We turned north to over the mountain and followed the coast around the next peninsula to our next manned control in Kilcrohane. There was a camper van at the side of the road that consisted of the control. Lots of bars and fruit here.

It was coming evening time now but the sun was still beating down. And to make things worse we had a very steep climb over the goats road to get to the over side of the peninsula. It was here that I got my first niggle on my left knee. Nothing serious but it was the start of something worse to come.

On we pushed through Bantry before turning into the Bere peninsula. When coming into Glengarrif you are met by some of the most beautiful scenes in the world. This was one of my highlights in the entire 1200km journey. Definately a place to return to appreciate more.

I didn’t have time to linger as the sun was beginning to set and I still had an awful long way to go.

I eventually made it to castletownbere (668km). It was 23.00 and I was feeling tired again. There was another 90km back to Killarney. I had to change plan.

I decided to have my sleep here. It would mean having a longer last day but there was only 125km planned for that day so I felt this was a good option.

There was plenty of beds in Castletownbere so I filled my belly with chicken jalfrezzi and bread then was asleep by 23.30. I set my alarm for 04.00 but I woke at 02.00 feeling completely refreshed and looking forward to my next stage of the journey.

Setting off at 02.30 it was pitch dark but was surprisingly warm. There were a few gentle climbs over remote mountain roads to get to the other side of the peninsula. It was so peaceful. Then came the dawn.

I have been cycling for some years now and seen some amazing things but the sights I seen that morning were awe-inspiring. I could have spent hours taking picture but unfortunately I had a race to complete.

To make things better, there were no cars on the road. I don’t think a single car passed me on the entire spin back to Killarney.

I made it back by 07.00 feeling motivated to carry on see more of this amazing country.

Below are just some of the amazing scenes from that morning.

My mind was taken off the 10km of climbing from Kenmare to Molls Gap by the beauty of the sunrise.

The decent from Moll’s gap to killarney was fun and fast as there was still no cars on the road. A very enjoyable decent.

Day 3

After a quick refuel, shower and sixty minute nap, it was 09.30 before I got going again. I actually felt pretty good as I climbed back up to Molls gap. I felt stronger than day 2 but all that was about to change.

As I got to the top of Molls gap my knee pain came back but this time it was a little more painful. This made me realise I was pushing too hard and that I needed to back off if I was to finish the race.

It was a nice easy spin with mostly downhill to Sneem so I was able to give my knee a bit of a rest.

Our next control was in Waterville (841km). There was a bit of a nasty climb before we got there but there was also a nice downhill which helped us get there. The sun seemed to be even stronger today.

Below are some photos I took along the way. Again, a very beautiful area.

It was a long spin to our next control in castlemaine (913km). I was beginning to become mentally and physically tired now. The heat was beating down on me and I was alone again.

I remember coming near Cahersiveen when the first doubt of finishing came into my mind. I stopped at the first shop I could see and got an ice-cream and spent 10min gathering my thoughts.

It was a great lift. There must have been something in the ice-cream because I was flying again when I got going.

The only problem with that extra energy was it aggravated my knee again. By the time I got to the Castlemaine control it was pretty sore and getting worse. I tried to sleep at that control but there was GAA practice and I think the coach was Davy Fitzgerald. The shouts of him.

This is when it got really tough for me. It was 40km to Dingle but we had to pass through and to do Slea head before we could use the control. It was after 21.00 when I passed through Dingle and the thought of doing a 40km loop and returning to the same place really bugged me.

Slea head was another Beautiful place however it was getting dark so I wasn’t really interested in looking around. It was also very lumpy. It was either up or down. Progress was slow and it was nearly 23.30 when I got back to Dingle.

I was also in trouble with my knee. Half way round the loop I got a darting pain up my thigh from my knee. I really though it was all over. All I could do was stretch it out and used my right leg to pull up so I wouldn’t have to push down with my left. I cursed those times on the first day and up Molls Gap when I pushed too hard.

I knew this wasn’t sustainable but I just wanted to get back to Dingle where I thought I would have to retire. Along the way my left knee freed up and I was able to use it again.

I tried to sleep for 4 hrs but again I woke after an hour and couldn’t go back to sleep.

Views coming up to Dingle and Slea Head below.

So off I went again at 01.30 on my last day to take in the Conor pass. The was just over 240km to go in total and I had 24hrs to do it. If I could just keep going then I knew I could do it. The end was in sight.

The conor pass was so hard. It is 7km long with a constant gradient of 7.5%. I took it very slow as I didn’t want my knee to go again. I was also using my right legs a lot more to compensate. It took me an hour to get to the top from Dingle. That’s just 10km in 60mins. I tried not to think about it.

I still had 60km to do before I got to our next control in Knocknagosel. It was a nice bit of downhill from Conors pass and then fairly flat the whole way to Tralee,

Just before I got Tralee a wave of tiredness came over me and I knew I had to sleep. So I found a nice grassy bank along the side of the road and lay down and set my alarm for 30min. I quickly fell asleep but 10min later I woke as I was getting cold. I didn’t mind as it done the trick. Off I went again.

It was a long way from Tralee to Knocknagosel for me. It seemed to be uphill all the way.

I made it there for 07.00 and was greeted with a big bowl of stew. Exactly what I needed. I also got another hours sleep as there were beds and I couldn’t resist.

It was 40km back to Killarney but it was a hard climb out of Knocknagosel.

After Castleisland we took some back roads to killarney. They seemed to be a constant up and down the whole way. They probably wouldn’t have been an issue on fresh legs but for me they seemed like mountains.

I made it back to Killarney with 1108km done at 11.00. Just 125km left to go.  A quick feed, wash and nap and I was on the road again by 14.00.

Day 4

I had 12hrs to do the 125km. As long as my knee held out I was sure to finish.

Some of the guys had already finished. I was so jealous.

The sun was at its hottest. The tar on the roads was actually bubbling and you had to be careful were you rode or the tar would slow you down.

The first 15km were very steep. There were three climbs that were over 20%. I walked on these climbs as the steeper the climb got the more it would hurt my knee. From talking to the guys that had finished I knew that the worst of the climbs were in the first 15km. And they were right.

Some rolling hills after that but nothing that annoyed my knee.

I got to my last control in Kanturk (1175km) by 19.00. I was feeling tired and hunger but after filling up for the last time and with 50km left I was eager to finish so didn’t hang around long.

The last 50 km was long. The gradients were fine and my legs wasn’t too sore but the road surface was killing me.  It just killed my speed. I was grateful for the last 15km which was entirely downhill.

When I finally made to the entrance to mf1200 hostil I stopped. It is a very steep rough surface that’s about 200 meters long and I knew it would be a killer on my leg. But I couldn’t walk it. I couldn’t finish it walking.

It was the hardest 200m I have ever done. I remember thinking if the event was just one more kilometer longer then I wouldn’t have finished.

I was greeted by clapping from all the mf1200 crew and other competitors. It was actually quite emotional.

After receiving the medal there was beer and food in the canteen were everyone was swapping stories about their mf1200 adventure.

The day after

I got a good seven hours sleep. When I woke I felt as if I was hung over. This was probably due to dehydration and general fatigue. I suppose it is to be expected.

What I didn’t expect was my two little fingers on each hand had gone numb. I shared this with some of the more experienced riders and apparently this can happen. I damaged some nerves in my hands and it will take a few weeks to heal.

Down in the kitchen, there were some people up getting breakfast comparing stories. Others were busy outside taking their bikes apart and getting them ready for the journey home.

Back to reality.