I planned to run the route solo, meeting a support person to resupply me with water and food at about six points on route.
I arrived in Dublin after a 3am start from Sheffield and set off at about 13:30 it was a hot day. I met my support after about three hours who found me in a very dehydrated state. After that we arranged to meet at least every two hours to help with fuelling and hydration. Running got much easier as it cooled down into the evening. The route isn't always easy to follow as the signage can sometimes be vague and it isn't clear in places which side of the canal to run on. One long section was under construction. The trail is mostly tarmac or hardpack with some pleasant sections on grass, depending on which side of the canal you find yourself on. I found the latter half of the night hard and had to stop for naps of 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 10 minutes respectively. A combination of the heat and the effort meant I stopped eating about six hours in only getting a trickle of carbs in after that but maintained a steady pace until about 95kms from where I walked in to the finish. My car support (Nikki Dacre) tended to run out from each stop and meet me so every 12 km or so I ran a couple of kilometres with her. She logged a total of 40km in those out and backs. The route is fun, the canal always beautiful and it feels like a proper journey.