Sav: TODAY WAS THE DAY! Meaghan’s Mooathon!! We woke up early and Meaghan was all nerves as she got ready. I grabbed some breakfast and we caught a cab into town. By the way it was the B&B/cab company owner’s daughter who picked us up in her family vehicle and drove us for free! just small town stuff right? We got Meaghan checked in for the race and she was off! I’ll let her dive into the details of the people standing around…

Meaghan: Yes, as Savanna said I was all nerves. I didn’t sleep well at all because I kept having bad dreams about the run (mostly involving forgetting shoes, music, etc. and also being too late to start). Sadly I didn’t get to have the B&B breakfast because they only start serving at 8:45 and I needed to eat much earlier so my stomach could settle before running. So instead of the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon Savanna had, I ate…wait for it…toast! The breakfast of champions! It was extremely windy and rainy when I woke up and I really was not looking forward to the run. The B&B owner came to check on me and laughed when he heard I was running and looked out the window. This did not help my nerves.

Thankfully the rain stopped and it warmed up a little as the morning went on. We got to the bib pick-up and there were lots of cows getting ready. Both of us got a t-shirt and a free “cow gift”. I chose the cow keychain with a shamrock.

People go all out for this thing. Some people were just wearing black and white but lots of people had headbands with ears, tails, makeup, even some full on cow onesies. Savanna has been threatening since I told her about this race that she would paint cow patches on my face for the race (to which I reply that I have freckles and they do the trick), but she forgot the eyeliner! I would have fit right in with some cow patches though.

It was super windy so they brought all the mooers inside to give us a quick rundown. At the end of the instructions, the director asked if there were any questions. Everyone mooed in response! People even had mooing apps open and would just moo randomly. After this we went out to the start line and all took off in a big herd.

I have spoken with a few people in Ireland about this race in Donegal and they’ve all said I chose the hilliest place to run. I figured pffft, Irish hills are nothing compared to home, right? WRONG. It was so hard. The first 5 k were uphill and the rest was basically like running through Miles Canyon with another giant hill thrown in near the end. And it was so windy. That being said, it was such a beautiful run. The last half was along the Great Atlantic Drive. I wanted to stop every 10 feet to take a picture. I only took a picture once, and the lady running behind me stopped and offered to take one of me. I told her to keep going but she insisted, so I have a picture of a very red-faced me with a great view.

 

There were people along the sides of the road cheering us on and kids dressed up as cows waving from their living room windows the whole way. There were a few “milking stations” along the run with jolly Irish volunteers, and even one unofficial “milking station” run by three little kids outside their house. They were adorable handing out water and orange juice with their crooked teeth and faces full of freckles.

Even though it was a struggle, I kept pushing it to the back of my head to just enjoy the view and the fact that I was finally here doing this run that I’ve been thinking about for so long. My blisters may disagree, but I think it was wonderful.

I asked the Lady at the last milking station how much further I had to go, and she said “Three miles! You can run three miles in your sleep, lass!” It was a long 3 miles. I was very happy to finally see the sign coming into town and I booked it the rest of the way. Savanna was huddled by the finish line waiting for me and taking photos. I crossed the finish line and got a medal that moos, of course! After stretching and having some tea and cookies we went to the pub across the street for a pint and food. We shared onion rings, fries and chicken wings. It was delicious. There were other mooathoners in the pub too and I overheard them saying it is the hardest run they’ve ever done, so I’m glad it’s not only me!

Sav: while Meaghan ran I checked out the town. All 500 meters of it. It was actually quite cute and quaint. I went to Trá Beach and read my book for awhile, and then went back to meet Meaghan. It was so fun seeing her run in! I’m so proud she looked so great finishing!! After this we caught a bus down to Donegal Town where we’re staying at a cute little hostel.

M: Savanna managed to get lost. In the hostel. In the bathroom. So there are two doors into the bathroom. All of the sudden there is this panicked call from the bathroom “MEAGHAN IM LOCKED IN WHAT IS HAPPENING I DIDN’T LOCK THE DOOR!” So I come over with the key and pull open the unlocked bathroom door to find Savanna frantically trying to open the other door. In the time it took her to brush her teeth, she managed to forget what door she came through. I almost peed my pants laughing at her.

S: I am literally never going to forget this moment for the REST OF MY LIFE, and even if I could Meaghan wouldn’t let me anyway. After we ate at the most amazing restaurant called The Olde Castle Bar. How incredible was that dinner Meags?

M: Every single bite was amazing. You know when you’re so tired and hungry that your body is just deliriously happy when you eat? Ya. It was like that. Savanna commented that I looked high. We had some wine and shared a shrimp appetizer, then both had lemon sole stuffed with crab and some kind of delicious sauce. I couldn’t have asked for a better dinner. Dessert was amazing too – I had apple pie with fresh cream and Savanna had a ridiculously light white chocolate cheesecake.

S: after this we went home to pass out, which Meaghan did quite quickly!

S&M

P.S. I did not get lost in the bathroom a second time.