Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Triathlon · Olympic
Hell of the West 2027
- Race day
- Saturday, 26 June 2027
- Location
- Kilkee, County Clare, Ireland
- Distance
- 55.5 km total
1.5km swim 44km bike 10km run
Hell of the West 2027: Ireland's oldest Olympic-distance triathlon at Kilkee — a Horseshoe Bay swim, 44km against the West Clare wind and a hilly Loop Head run. 40th running.
289 days to go
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Saturday, 26 June 2027
- Venue
- Kilkee, Loop Head peninsula, County Clare
- Distance
- Olympic — 55.5km total
- Start Time
- Not published for 2027 in the sources checked — confirm in the athlete information.
- Draft-Legal Bike
- No — non-drafting
- Cut-Off
- The swim carries a hard 1.05-hour time limit, per the 2026 event info — no overall bike/run cut-off was published beyond that.
Also this weekend
A single Olympic-distance race rather than a range of distances.
Leg 1 of 3
Swim — 1.5km
A 1,500m swim in Kilkee's Horseshoe Bay — a near-enclosed natural harbour protected by the Duggerna Reef, which makes it far more sheltered than an open Atlantic swim on this coast has any right to be.
- Venue
- Horseshoe Bay, Kilkee
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Sea — a sheltered natural bay.
Wetsuit: Not published with a fixed threshold, but the 2026 event info gave a hard 1.05-hour swim time limit and a contingency of a 5km Dunlicky Road run if the swim has to be abandoned — West Clare sea temperatures in late June make a wetsuit standard practice regardless.
Leg 2 of 3
Bike — 44km
A 44km ride out through West Clare. The organiser bills it as a cycle against the winds of West Clare, and that is the honest description: this is an exposed Atlantic peninsula and the wind, not the gradient, is what the race is named for.
- Venue
- The Loop Head peninsula, West Clare
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Road — exposed coastal lanes.
Non-drafting
Leg 3 of 3
Run — 10km
A 10km run described by the organiser as hilly, along the rugged coastline of Loop Head above the cliffs.
- Venue
- The Loop Head coastline
- Elevation gain
- No official figure published — see notes above
- Surface
- Road — hilly coastal.
Transitions
Transition is in Kilkee, beside Horseshoe Bay.
Hell of the West Split Calculator
Hell of the West Split-Time Calculator
Enter your own swim, bike and run pace to project a real finish time.
Projected Finish Time
2:57:00
Racing a different distance? Try the generic split calculator or the swim pace calculator.
Where Hell of the West starts and finishes
Hell of the West starts at Kilkee, Loop Head peninsula, County Clare and finishes at Horseshoe Bay, Kilkee. We haven't been able to place those on a map accurately enough to show one — a pin in the wrong place is worse than no pin.
These are the start and finish points, not the route. Verus doesn't hold course files for this race, and drawing a line between two pins would be a guess you might end up training on. The official course map is the one to use: view it on the organiser's site .
Entry & Ballot
Direct entry summary
Entry through Sportstiming.ie, priced in euro. The race traditionally falls on the last weekend in June, and 2027 marks its 40th running.
Ballot policy
No ballot — entry is direct.
Age requirement
Not published in the sources checked — confirm with the organiser.
Charity Places
No formal charity-place scheme is published.
Race Day Info & Checklist
On the day
- Running since 1985, and 2027 is the 40th edition — the oldest triathlon of its kind in Ireland.
- Traditionally held on the last weekend in June.
- The swim is in Horseshoe Bay, a natural harbour sheltered by the Duggerna Reef, which is why an Atlantic-coast swim here is viable at all.
- The name refers to the wind rather than the terrain: West Clare is fully exposed and the bike leg is where the race is won or lost.
- Registration is Friday evening or Saturday morning at the Recovery Tent by the Bandstand. Swim waves went off at 9:20 (women/relay) and 9:35 (men) in 2026, with a 1.05-hour swim time limit — cut a buoy and the rescue boat pulls you from the water.
- There's no bike penalty box — infringements are deducted from your overall time instead, appealable after the race. A strict no-overtaking zone through Carrigaholt village (100m either side of the bridge) is an automatic disqualification for dangerous cycling if breached.
- Run water stations are at 3.5km and 6.5km. In 2026 there was no formal prize-giving ceremony — podium finishers went straight to the podium beside the recovery tent, with age-group prizes available at the Bandstand once results were verified.
- Free showers are available post-race at nearby Kilkee Waterworld.
Checklist
- A wetsuit for a late-June West Clare sea swim
- A bike setup that handles a headwind — deep sections are a liability on this coast, not an advantage
- Run shoes for a hilly coastal 10K
- Full weather cover: Loop Head is exposed on three sides
- Euro rather than sterling if you are travelling from the UK
Transport, Spectating & Where to Stay
Transport
There is no rail service to Kilkee. Ennis is the nearest station, around 35 miles away, and Shannon Airport is roughly an hour by road and served from several UK airports.
Not published for this event. Kilkee is a small seaside town — check the athlete information for race-weekend parking.
Managed sections on the Loop Head peninsula roads for the bike and run legs.
Spectator guide
Horseshoe Bay covers the swim, transition and the finish, and the bay is a natural amphitheatre — one of the best places in Irish triathlon to watch a swim from.
Kilkee is small and walkable. The Loop Head bike loop covers exposed peninsula lanes and is harder to follow.
Where to stay
Kilkee
+ At the venue, on the bay, walking distance to everything. A Victorian seaside resort with more accommodation than its size suggests.
– Fills for race weekend, and late June is peak season on the Clare coast.
Kilrush and West Clare
+ A short drive inland with more options and better value.
– Not walkable to the venue.
Lahinch and Ennistymon
+ Further up the Clare coast near the Cliffs of Moher, good for making a weekend of it.
– Around an hour from Kilkee, so an early race morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Hell of the West triathlon?
It traditionally falls on the last weekend in June. 2027 marks the 40th running of the race.
What are the Hell of the West distances?
Olympic distance: a 1,500m swim in Horseshoe Bay, a 44km bike through West Clare and a hilly 10km run along the Loop Head coast.
Why is it called the Hell of the West?
The wind. West Clare is an exposed Atlantic peninsula, and the 44km bike leg into it is what gives the race its name and its reputation — the terrain alone would not earn it.
Where is the Hell of the West swim?
Horseshoe Bay at Kilkee, a near-enclosed natural harbour sheltered by the Duggerna Reef — considerably calmer than open Atlantic water on this coast.
How old is the Hell of the West triathlon?
It has run since 1985, making it one of the longest-established triathlons in Ireland. The 2027 edition is the 40th.
How do you get to Kilkee?
There is no rail service. Shannon Airport is around an hour away by road and served from several UK airports; Ennis is the nearest railway station, around 35 miles away.
When were Hell of the West results published?
Results aren't published until after the race — check back here, or the official results source, once the race has taken place.
What is the swim time limit at the Hell of the West?
1.05 hours, per the 2026 event info — cut a buoy and you're pulled from the water by the rescue boat.