First ever women trail series
THE first of its kind in the country, a series of untimed, no pressure trail run/jog events exclusively for women are taking place on Sunday mornings in April on the trails of Sligo.
The routes are fully marked and range from 5km to 6km in distance.
The first event at Hazelwood, occurred on Sunday April 7.
Despite stormy conditions the day before, there was no damage in Hazelwood during the Sunday morning route check, and it didn’t deter the 49 women who were thrilled to find peaceful, calm conditions in the woods for their run and jog.
The route, slightly over 5km, began at Halfmoon Bay on the top trial, leading towards the boat house.
It featured unexpected criss-cross turns to guide women from the top to bottom trails, traversing various trail surfaces from tree roots to a little mud underfoot in places.
After reaching the boat house turnaround point, it followed the bottom trail back to the carpark for the finish.
Speaking about the event Turlough Conway of IMRA said “The Irish Mountain Running Association (IMRA) are delighted to partner with the Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership for the Sligo women’s trail series.
“60 women registered for the event with the vast majority brand new to trail running.
“Even the black arts of Storm Kathleen couldn’t overcome the enchantment of run number one in Hazelwood.
“With Sligo being a pilot location for IMRA for this type of run, the smiling happy faces on show on Sunday after completing the run will surely mean similar events in other parts of the country.
“Well done to Theresa Kilgannon, the Sligo Sport and Recreation team and all IMRA volunteers for making this happen”
Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership has collaborated with the Irish Mountain Running Association to support the pilot of these events.
The aim is to encourage more women to engage in trail running nationwide.
Before creating the series, SSRP conducted a survey among women to gather their input.
The results revealed that over 80% preferred untimed events, and 83% favoured distances ranging from 4 to 8km.
Upcoming events in the series include Slishwood on April 21st and Union Wood on April 28th.
Due to high demand, early booking is recommended as these events are expected to sell out quickly. Participants must create an IMRA account before booking a spot at each event through https://www. imra.ie/leagues/view/id/380/ .
For everyone else interested in trying out trail running, the IMRA West league will resume this summer with 11 events scheduled between May and August.
These events are open to all participants aged 6 years and above. Stay updated on upcoming events at imra.ie or follow IMRA West on Facebook and Instagram.