A report on the Great St. Patrick´s Day Wellie Race up the Alps.

This report is ´somewhat less than timely´ - and is written with a nod to journalists who write good articles in a timely fashion and who do this every day! ´Hut ab´ as they say in this neck of the woods!

So dear blog readers (all 3 million of you - give or take 2,900010 or so), finally to satisfy  your curiosity  about the wellie race, see here now, for your  perusal and joy: 
A report on the Great St. Patrick´s Day Wellie Race up the Alps.

Well as the boys in Powely Vale can tell you, wellie races don´t take off on their own.  Much prep work was done by the Kretz family themselves in the days leading up to der big day..

A downstairs room was cleared sorted and cleaned by Ann and daughters Mary and Martina....










Someone seems to be taking care of the family crystal.    She looks like she´s done this before too!

On account of the Wellie Race up the Alps being a more elegant class of a wellie race that some others we know - the workers were treated to some classical music as they washed and prepped their wellies.

It did not look too good the day before, but we prayed and were optimistic that the weather would improve;  that the clouds would clear, and the wind would subside.

... Well it did n´t.  They did n´t. And it did n´t

See below; this is what we woke up to the morning of der Big Gummistiefel Race.


























And then it got worse...  Visibility was down to two lengths - of a baby´s wellie.

Above is sign that greeted the few hardy runners that braved the weather.  Indeed we found out later some people just walked on by thinking it was all a big joke.  As if anyone could joke about a wellie race!  I ask you!  The flags were hoisted (right) - and to everyone´s amazement, stayed hoisted! 

  

Mary Kretz, hardy girl that she is, bravely faced the weather and dug out a way to the race starting point for all runners.




The farm tabby took advantage of the free way.

But as cats are wont to, she  assumed the way was cleared just for her.  And just toddled away paying no heed to the freezing humans about her.







And so to the race itself: 
Well the St. Patrick´s Day Wellie Race up the Swiss Alps was no Swiss Role let me tell you! (As reporter Jimmy Rhatigen from the Kilkenny Journal was the first to say.  And in so doing making journalistic history be offering a quotable quote for decades to come.)

It happened again -5 degrees.  Blizzards.  Low to very low visibility.  But we ran.  And, we all made it home.  Alive.   Neither did we have an incident of frostbite, lung problems (well at least no permanent or life threatening lung problems that I was informed about anyway), or other annoying effects of running around in wellies in temperatures of less than – 5 degrees.

Numbers were down this year as it was too dangerous to drive to the Kretz Dairy farm in Moos, near St. Gallen for DER Wellie Race.   – God bless sur´ wasn´t it too dangerous to be out in that weather running in wellie boots, but we did it anyway!

And their off!.....

Eldest participant 70 plus whatever you are having yourself.

 

The youngest 2 yrs.

Participants this year were of Irish, Italian, German and Swiss stock.  And fair dues, the most not having been at all familiar with wellie racing before our first race in 2012, the gusto to which they took to this ancient (?)  and noble(???)  sport is truly commendable.   – 5 degrees or no.

There was discussions that the over 70´s and under 5´s should be able to run in warm boots for medical reasons.  

But of course that was ´verboten´.  I mean a wellie race is not a wellie race if you are not wearing wellies – right!  I regret to say we did have one boy-o who got to the starting line in footwear other than wellies, and worse he reached the finishing line before his suspect footwear was discovered.    Let me just say ´the matter´ was dealt with in a way that I suspect Mr. Warm Boots won´t be doing that again!

The pictures above are the best record we have of the 2018 Great St. Patrick´s Day Wellie Race up the Alps.  Not for want of trying, but visibility was as already said, only twice the length of a baby´s wellie, so the runners were there and gone before someone could click the camera.  In addition, due to the harsh weather conditions, some cameras did not´click´at all.

After the Gummisteifelrennen:  
We (quickly) retired indoors, where thanks to Ann and her daughters Mary and Martina, hot soup, wienerli (sausages), tea and lovely buns and cakes awaited participants and their groupies.   And let me tell you, that great fare was eaten heartily.    






At the behest of one of the participants; in view of the on-going thawing out of the racers and groupies alike, that Irish coffee should replace Irish dancing.  That was agreed upon – At least for those who were legally allowed to imbibe.

Prizes were then presented ´liberally´; the reason being  one young teenager, Celine, suggested that she wanted to collect the prize with all the other runners in her category, because,  she felt everyone won that day just for running.  We all agreed with her.  … The wisdom of youth.  

  








All the young participants won a board game and sweets - AND of course a balloon.  

The over 18´s won an elegant Irish coffee glass with sweeties too – and let me say they all enthusiastically tried out their new Irish coffee glasses for same on the day!



For the rest of the afternoon, laughter and chat could be heard, no doubt even by those precious cows across the yard in the barn.  - We are not sure how much of that was to do with the aforementioned imbibed Irish coffee e.t.c. however.

Your fellah in the photograph below getting a prize from Ann Broggy-Kretz - he was the first man home, asked me what was the political or religious background of the wellie race.  I explained it all started in Powley, Castlecomer by accident some 40 years ago when a few lads set off to run off the ´Christmas  excess´  as they say.  They not being lads to wear fancy running shoes, and it not being the kind of weather for same anyway, they set off in their wellies.   And so began this great and noble tradition.   He was fierce disappointed to learn that wellies in Ireland were neither a religious nor a political issue.

Every participant was presented with the coveted 2018 wellie race badge.  

In view of the treacherous weather, just for turning up, the groupies got a wellie race badge too.  -  See here one groupie proudly showing off her coveted wellie race badge.

And while we cannot claim the ´buckets of Euros´ collected for good causes that the Wellie Race in Castlecomer can claim every New Year´s Day; here in the Alps  ´a few Swiss Francs´ over and above the costs was donated to Concern.

Other folks having fun on the day.

All Swiss wellie racers have a particular affinity with the little princess above; this sweet three year old completed her first wellie race before she was born!  And her Mammy, now mother of four under four won the Woman´s Group this year too.  Alas no photo of this bionic Mammy, she had to go before the prizes were given out.

Check out this photo above of the children´s table.   (Where it must be said, there was much less ´noise and din to be heard´ than there was from other tables.  - Enough said - with them and their Irish coffees instead of Irish dancing!) But I digress.  Take note of Rafael on the extreme right in the picture, well he is a wellie racer to watch.  In the under 12´s he was as quick as the adult males. Including Mr. Warm Boots himself!

Before signing off, I personally offer my thanks to Guido and Ann Kretz for inviting us to their farm to run our wellie race.  No invite from Guido and Ann, no wellie race. That simple.   

And then my thanks again to Ann and daughters Mary and Martina who did a fine job setting up the race course, the party space, AND  providing the nice hot soup, wienerli (sausages), tea and lovely buns and cakes.   So, Swiss Wellie Racing has a lot to be thankful to the Kretz´s family for.  

And Guido´s cows too naturally.  No happy cows, no wellie race either! 

A Report from the Klikenny Reporter on the Preparations for the great St. Patrick´s Day Wellie Race up the Alps.

See below from the Kilkenny Reporter an article on the GREAT  St. Patrick´s Day Wellie Race up the Alps which takes place St. Patrick´s weekend.
 (If there was Noble prizes  for headlines, Jimmy would definitely  to be in the running!)

Rosaleen’s amazing Alpine Adventure is no Swiss Roll

March 1, 2018  Jimmy Rhatigan

With pic Chief organizers, Rosaleen Crotty, Kilkenny City and Ann Broggy Kretz, Clare and St Gallen, Switzerland preparing for a Wellie Race in the Alps

By Jimmy Rhatigan

IF A spectacular mountain challenge in The Alps were a piece of cake it might be called a Swiss Roll.

The Alpine Wellie Race may have a sweet ring to it and may often have been analysed over a coffee and bun, but a Swiss Roll it most certainly is not.

There is very little straight forward about the St Patrick’s Day Wellie Race up in the Alps.

For starters, the Castlecomer Wellie Race’s first cousin is pencilled in for March 18.

And, while tea, cakes and soup are served on a day that can be so cold that it would freeze the backside off a brass monkey, the race is as unpredictable as it is popular for Kilkenny emigrants, their Swiss and German friends.

For instance in 2016, with temperatures below freezing, aim of race organisers was to make sure everyone got home alive.

Last year, the weather was so hot, it was bikinis that were required, not top coats.

The advice this year from chief organiser and race founder, daughter of The Granges Road, Kilkenny City, Rosaleen Crotty is to be prepared for all possibilities.

An overcoat perhaps with a bikini or T-shirt in an inside pocket would be wise.

There are cows to be milked in Moos

Rosaleen, whose dad, the late Tom Crotty, a master baker at the one time high class bakery that was Crotty’s of Parliament Street at the heart of our city, is in training and encouraging others to join her for the Alpine Challenge in less than a month’s time.

The big day may not push Donald Trump off the front pages, nor may it snatch any headlines from the Champions’ League, but it will again grab the hearts and minds of aficionados who have been part and parcel of it for years.

Others have also been persuaded to don their wellies, friends, a few Romans perhaps and countrymen and women, who will join committed rubber boot kids at what is a wonderful but somewhat wacky event, in what we might term the world capital of yodelling.

Wellie women stepped out style last year’s Wellie race in the Alps, the most extensive mountain range in Europe

And wait for it, the address of the Wellie Race location also adds to the amusing side of a fascinating occasion.

The event is held on the Kretz Dairy Farm, Moos, St Gallen, Switzerland.

Dairy farm, Moos, you would hardly be faulted for thinking that we were making it up.

The race is timed for 1pm-ish!

“But,” Rosaleen told The Reporter, “while the start time may be a bit ‘flexible’, the finish is always 5pm as there are cows to be milked.”

And there is always the post race ceili to look forward to.

Friends from Castlecomer Wellie Race, in which Rosaleen participates every New Year’s Day will be in St Gallen in spirit and the Kilkenny woman who is very active in her adopted Switzerland, has sent out a ‘welcome all’ invite.

The latter is meant for anyone who lives in the St Gallen area of Switzerland or near Lake Konstanz in the Swiss, Germany border area.

Ceili dancing after a wonderful Alpine Adventure

She says that anyone with a craving for running up the Alps in their wellies can contact her on her blog, Irish Stew for the Soul.

In the meantime, wellie racing enthusiasts are in the throes of training and doing their morning runs up the Alps.

Before returning to running and jumping, Rosaleen congratulated Castlecomer Wellie Race Committee, all the volunteers there and of course the participants for another great Wellie Race and buckets of money collected for charity on New Year’s Day this year.

“I enjoyed reading all about it, and the wonders of the world ancient and new in the noble publication that is The Kilkenny Reporter,” she said.

“Now back to the push ups: 23 done, 77 to go!”