What is the best race on Ireland's west coast?

The Connemarathon at the end of April is the one visitors most often travel for — point-to-point through the Inagh valley with the Hell of the West climb at the finish. The Dingle Marathon in September is the other.

Why does wind matter so much on the Irish west coast?

There is nothing between it and Newfoundland. The prevailing south-westerly arrives with the full Atlantic fetch behind it, and on exposed coastal road it affects your time more than gradient does. The Hell of the West triathlon is named for the wind, not the terrain.

What is the Burren like to run on?

Limestone pavement cut with deep fissures called grikes. The Clare Burren Marathon Challenge is billed as an adventure marathon rather than a road race, and the footing demands attention for the whole distance.

Do you need a car for west-coast Irish races?

Yes. The rail network reaches Galway, Killarney, Tralee and Sligo and no further. Connemara, the Burren, Dingle, Beara and Achill are all car-only.

Which airport is best for the Irish west coast?

Shannon for Clare and north Kerry, Kerry Airport for Killarney and Dingle, Knock for Mayo. All save several hours over flying to Dublin and driving west.

What is the longest race in Ireland?

The Kerry Way Ultra's 200km circuit of the Ring of Kerry from Killarney, held on the first weekend of September, with 101km and 58km options alongside it.

Running the Wild Atlantic Way: Connemara, Kerry, Clare and Donegal

The west coast of Ireland is where the races worth flying for are, and it is also where the standard advice about running in Ireland stops applying. This is not the temperate, forgiving country the Dublin climate record describes. It is the same temperatures with an Atlantic on top of them.

The wind, first, because everything else is secondary

There is nothing between the west coast of Ireland and Newfoundland. The prevailing south-westerly arrives with the full fetch of the Atlantic behind it, and on an exposed coastal road it is the single biggest determinant of how a race goes — far more than gradient, and far more than rain.

The Hell of the West triathlon in Kilkee is named for the wind on its bike leg through West Clare, not for its terrain. That is the honest framing for the whole coast.

How to race it

On any out-and-back on this coast, check the wind direction before you set a target. Going out with a tailwind on the Dingle or Loop Head roads feels wonderful and is a trap — you will pay for every second of it on the way home, at a point in the race where you can least afford to.

Connemara

The most-travelled-for running landscape in Ireland. Bog, lough and quartzite mountain — the Twelve Bens and the Maumturks — with almost no habitation. The Connemarathon at the end of April runs point-to-point through the Inagh valley between those two ranges, from Lough Inagh to Maam Cross, and finishes with a sustained climb the locals call the Hell of the West.

Three distances share the day: an ultra of 39.3 miles from Recess at 09:00, and the marathon and half at 11:00 from Lough Inagh and Leenane respectively, all finishing at Maam Cross. Leenane sits on Killary Harbour, the only fjord in Ireland, which is worth the trip on its own.

The Connemara 100 runs the same country in August as a crewed hundred-mile road race — one of the older ultras in Ireland, and one where you supply your own support vehicle and team.

The Burren, County Clare

Nowhere else in Ireland looks like this. The Burren is a limestone karst plateau — bare grey pavement cut with deep fissures called grikes, with Arctic and Mediterranean plants growing side by side in them. The Clare Burren Marathon Challenge in May crosses it on green roads and boreens.

It is billed as an adventure marathon rather than a road race, and correctly: the footing demands attention for the entire distance, and a grike will take an ankle if you stop paying it.

Kerry: Dingle, the Reeks and Beara

Kerry has the highest ground in Ireland and the most concentrated running in the west.

The Dingle Marathon in September runs the Slea Head road around the peninsula, at the far south-western tip of the country with the Blasket Islands offshore. A half and an ultra run alongside it. It sells out.
The Kerry Way Ultra circles the Ring of Kerry from Killarney on the first weekend of September — 200km, with 101km and 58km options, and a UTMB Index race at all three distances.
Hardman Killarney in August is billed as Ireland's only full-distance triathlon, with a swim in the Lakes of Killarney and 180km through the MacGillycuddy's Reeks.
The Lost Sheep at Kenmare crosses three mountain passes — Lauragh, Healy and Caha — in 83km of bike leg, which is why it has the reputation it does.

The Beara peninsula, south of Kenmare, is the emptiest of the three great south-western peninsulas and carries the Beara Way Ultra: 130km with 4,000m of climb, and explicitly a race for experienced ultra runners rather than a step-up.

Mayo and Donegal

Further north the coast gets emptier still. Achill Island in Mayo is the largest island in Ireland and one of the most exposed places to run anywhere in these islands — the Achill half marathon on the Atlantic Drive sells out every year. Westport, under Croagh Patrick on Clew Bay, is the best small-town base in the west and runs its own half in April.

Donegal is the least-visited running country in Ireland and among the best, with the Donegal Quadrathon carrying a marathon and half in August. There are six parkruns in the county if you want something free on a Saturday.

Practical

You will need a car. The rail network reaches Galway, Killarney, Tralee and Sligo and stops well short of everything described here. Accommodation in Connemara, on Beara and on Achill is genuinely scarce and races fill what exists — book at the same time you enter, not afterwards.

If you are flying from the UK, Shannon serves Clare and north Kerry, Kerry Airport serves Killarney and Dingle, and Knock serves Mayo. All three save several hours over landing in Dublin and driving west.