‘Knock ME Down’ Adventure Challenge – September 10th 2016
THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL
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The Knock ME Down Adventure Challenge takes place on Saturday September 10th 2016. It involves Cycling, Running, (or walking) and Kayaking. As multi-sport events go, this is well suited to anybody with a reasonable level of fitness. The entire course is on roads and forestry tracks so getting lost will not be an issue. The start and finish of the challenge is at the GAA field in the village of Newcastle, not too far from the towns of Clonmel and Cahir, Co. Tipperary. You can find an outline of the course below.
Sign-In on the morning of the event will be 30 minutes prior to the starting time slot you choose. Starting time slots are available in 15 minute intervals from 11am to 12.15pm. There are changing and shower facilities available at the GAA grounds.
The breakdown of the event is as follows:
• 15km Cycle from Newcastle to Kilballyboy Wood car park/picnic site on Vee Road outside Clogheen
• 2.5km run/walk from Kilballyboy Wood to Bay Lough
• 0.5km kayak around Bay Lough
• 2.5km run/walk from Bay Lough to Kilballyboy Wood car park (different return route)
• 15km Cycle back to Newcastle
Here’s the route:
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Get Ready, Get SET……….GO!
Full Event Description:
At 11am the first 15 competitors will be set off on their bikes. At 11.15 the next 15 will begin the challenge, and so on until all competitors are on their way. Time slots are available on a first booked, first served basis – when a time slot is fully booked it will become unavailable on the system. You must have appropriate footwear for the event and a proper cycling helmet must be worn for the cycling section. The type of bike used is up to you. With all cycling on tarred surfaces, a racing bike will probably be the fastest, while a mountain bike with off-road tyres probably being the slowest! It’s your choice but it must be road worthy at the very least!
The Bike Part
After the first 15km cycle you will be at your first time point which is located in the Kilballyboy Wood car park/ picnic area along the Vee road outside Clogheen. There will be bike stands set up here where you simply hang your bike by the saddle on a bar and off you go on your scenic 2.5k run to Bay Lough lake. Don’t worry about your bike, there will be plenty of marshals at this location to keep them safe (and there will be a service vehicle available should you have any mechanical difficulties.)
Up At The Lake…..
The 15 minute interval starting time slots are to avoid a time delay waiting for Kayaks at the Bay Lough section. All Kayaks and associated safety equipment will be provided by the Knockmealdown Active team. Everybody will get a single ‘sit on’ Kayak to paddle around the lake. There will be floating markers placed around the lake which you will have to stay inside. Local folklore dictates that the lake is bottomless. You may also need to keep a lookout for a lady called ‘Petticoat Loose’ who, if the stories are to be believed, will come up out of the lake and pull you under……. So best keep as close as you can to the edge, just in case! If anyone gets in trouble out there we have a Cahir River Rescue team on standby so there is really nothing to worry about. If you really don’t fancy the Kayak section you can skip it entirely. On doing this you will get the slowest Kayak time on the day, with another 10 mins added to cancel out any advantage you may gain with all that extra energy saved! The Kayak section should take, on average, about 7 mins to complete.
What Goes Up………
As you get out of your Kayak… with your hands crying out for a break, its time to get back onto the tracks and start your run/walk back down to the Kilballyboy Wood car park. It’s a different track down so keep following the signs and follow instructions from the friendly marshals.
Home Straight
Once you get back to the Bike Park at Kilballyboy Wood, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you now have a 1.5km descent towards Clogheen to look forward to before you cycle the remaining 13.5km of a generally flat road back to Newcastle. A cool-down massage will be available for all competitors, along with shower facilities and changing rooms. So you’ll have no excuses when heading to the local community hall,
Here you can claim your Knock ME Down Challenge goodie bag, enjoy a well earned BBQ and maybe sample a refreshing beer from our event sponsors, the ‘Eight Degrees’ brewing company, while you await results.
