None April 17th will see the start of WAR: Wicklow Adventure Race. Almost a thousand competitors will be running up mountains, cycling over mountain passes and canoeing across Wicklow’s lakes.
WAR: Wicklow Adventure Race will start at Glendalough’s Upper Lake, where competitors will run up the Spink mountain and back down the Glenealo valley. After this competitors will cycle to Lough Dan for the canoe section. From Lough Dan it’s on to Ballinastoe Woods, through which competitors will run on their way up Djouce mountain. The descent off Djouce will be on the Wicklow Way and will allow competitors to take in the iconic views over Lough Tay. The final leg of WAR is a cycle up over the Sally Gap, down passed the Glenmacnass Waterfall and back to Glendalough.
WAR is being run by Belpark Triathlon Club and 53Degrees North. The event’s organiser Brian Crinion said “we were looking to create an event for those people looking for adventure”.
The 73kms of WAR are broken down into 18km of mountain running, 53km of cycling and 2km of canoeing. While some of the elite competitors will be home in a little over three hours, for most people finishing will be the target.
There is a WAR-Sport option for those looking for a more manageable challenge. WAR-Sport avoids the Djouce mountain run and Sally Gap cycle.
Adventure racing is a rapidly growing sport in Ireland and with a flurry of new year’s resolutions, there’s four hundred competitors already paid up, so it is expected that WAR will sell out shortly.
Full details about WAR: Wicklow Adventure Race can be found at www.wicklowadventurerace.com
