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Marathon Details - Connemara International Marathon

International Marathons > Ireland > Connemara > Connemara International Marathon

Connemara International Marathon

Connemara International Marathon & Ultra, Half Marathon

Connemara, Ireland

April 27, 2025

http://www.connemarathon.com

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Race Details

Starting at Lough Inagh, travelling north past Killary Harbour and onto the halfway point at Leenaun where the leader is met by the sixty strong field of half marathoners. The race skips in and out of the Gaeltacht areas of north Connemara before entering the challenging Maam Valley.

Contact Information

Name:	Ray O'Connor
Address:
Phone Number:
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (33)

Course 4.9

Organization 4.5

Spectators 3.4

Write a review

Number of comments: 33 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]

P. S. from the Netherlands (4/27/2018) "Beautiful environment - race for athletes" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Beautiful environment in Connemara. The hills weren't that difficult, in fact I liked the hilly trail. All roads were asphalt, there was plenty space to run. There is a half marathon, full and the ultra. The atmosphere was great. I stayed at Peacock's in Maam Cross (the nearest place to the start) and just less than 100 meters from the finish. Just Ideal.
A. H. from Gloucestershire (4/29/2017) "Great Alternative Marathon" (about: 2017) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ran this as my first marathon as I wanted to do something different than follow the crowds to London. Great course through some of the most spectacular scenery Ireland has to offer, we were very lucky with the weather and had perfect conditions this year (I've heard the horror stories about the wind and hail in 2016). Not many spectators but I enjoyed battling the course myself with my own willpower keeping me going. Don't run this marathon if you hate hills as there are two major climbs at mile 13 and mile 22 plus a lot of smaller sometimes steeper 'testers'. Great medal. Highly recommended
Norm Lonergan from Ajax, Canada (5/30/2016) "Great Marathon!" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Very tough marathon in a very beautiful part of the world. Weather did not cooperate but what are you gonna do. True runners run for sure! Not many spectators but I didn't care. Met some great people before and after! Feel free to contact me. Feel like I have to run it again to redeem myself. Lol. Seriously!
n. c. from France (5/11/2016) "Beautiful scenery but extremely badly organised." (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Beautiful scenery but extremely badly organised.
M. O. from Northern Ireland (4/11/2016) "A battle of the elements but awesome" (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I knew it would be a challenge with all those hills and the fact it was my first marathon but I wasn't expecting 25-45 mph winds which were never at our backs and driving rain, sleet and even hail!! However the cold and weather made the scenery even more dramatic and spectacular. Tip: you are bussed to the start and will have quite a wait - bring an old jumper to stay warm! Clifden is more convenient than Galway to stay. There aren't really any spectators on the route but any that are there deserve a medal!!
I. S. from Berlin (4/12/2015) "Perfect day in Connemara" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Wow!A great day comes to its end. I honestly must say that this 59th marathon was so great and unforgettable! Thanks a lot to the organization team and all of the volunteers, they all did a great job! A perfect alternative to city marathons, too.
O. S. from Stockholm, Sweden (4/8/2014) "I'm hooked on the ultra!" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A fantastic experience! This was my first ultra and it must be the best ultra to start with. In which other ultra-marathon can you feel so exhilerated - even when walking, even knowing that you've hit the wall you promised yourself not to? Maybe for an experienced ultra-runner there are a few, but for me, this was - yeah, I can't think of more superlatives. And the marshalls seemed to be aware that support is just as important for the last runners (I was among them) as it is for the quickies! Wonderful! And the sheep! I'm sure they were egging me on, laconically saying, 'MA-A-A-A-A-A-A-D, you're all MA-A-A-A-A-A-A-AD!!!'
Darragh O Sullivan from Cork, Ireland (4/3/2012) "Make A Molehill Out of A Mountain!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Connemara International Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This marathon is about as far removed from the big city marathons as you can get when it comes to spectators- and in my opinion, that is part of its charm. In the rugged isolation of Connemara in the West of Ireland, the sheer majesty and beauty of the mountains and valleys more than make up for the lack of spectators on the route-words just can't do it justice! The run itself is brilliantly organised and can't fault it in the slightest and the marshals really knew their stuff. Buses ferry runners to and from the start and finish areas from towns in the area and an after party is organised later that evening. If your running the Ultra you are allowed to have 3 items left at 3 points along the 39.3mile route- eg sports bars, drinks food. At mile 22 (mile35 for the ultra) you begin a 2 mile climb up a hill that is known as 'The Hell of the West'. Once you get to the top, just off the road on the left hand side, there is a plaque dedicated to the memory of a runner who died on that spot while running the half marathon in 2006 to raise funds for his local charity. I would recommend the Connemarathon without hesitation-be it the half, the full or the ultra and certainly hope to return to the Hell of the West in the future.
G. D. from Laois, Ireland (1/7/2011) "Amazing scenery, great organization, tough course" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you want to sample the scenic beauty of the rural West of Ireland, then don't miss this run. Absolutely stunning if the weather is good, which it was in 2010. The organization was excellent and the support along the way (while scarce) was great. The course is tough and caution (pace wise) is advised in the first half as the second half is much tougher. Finish it off with a night in Galway or Clifden and you will be back for more.
P. D. from Hull, England (7/24/2010) "Amazing scenery!" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This course is remote, so this race is great for those who don't need a lot of spectator support. Considering the location, the organization is terrific. Runners and bags are all efficiently transported. The hills are tough, but it's well worth the effort for the scenery. And this year it was even sunny!

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 > ]



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P. S. from the Netherlands (4/27/2018) "Beautiful environment - race for athletes" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Beautiful environment in Connemara. The hills weren't that difficult, in fact I liked the hilly trail. All roads were asphalt, there was plenty space to run. There is a half marathon, full and the ultra. The atmosphere was great. I stayed at Peacock's in Maam Cross (the nearest place to the start) and just less than 100 meters from the finish. Just Ideal.
A. H. from Gloucestershire (4/29/2017) "Great Alternative Marathon" (about: 2017) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Ran this as my first marathon as I wanted to do something different than follow the crowds to London. Great course through some of the most spectacular scenery Ireland has to offer, we were very lucky with the weather and had perfect conditions this year (I've heard the horror stories about the wind and hail in 2016). Not many spectators but I enjoyed battling the course myself with my own willpower keeping me going. Don't run this marathon if you hate hills as there are two major climbs at mile 13 and mile 22 plus a lot of smaller sometimes steeper 'testers'. Great medal. Highly recommended
Norm Lonergan from Ajax, Canada (5/30/2016) "Great Marathon!" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Very tough marathon in a very beautiful part of the world. Weather did not cooperate but what are you gonna do. True runners run for sure! Not many spectators but I didn't care. Met some great people before and after! Feel free to contact me. Feel like I have to run it again to redeem myself. Lol. Seriously!
n. c. from France (5/11/2016) "Beautiful scenery but extremely badly organised." (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 Beautiful scenery but extremely badly organised.
M. O. from Northern Ireland (4/11/2016) "A battle of the elements but awesome" (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I knew it would be a challenge with all those hills and the fact it was my first marathon but I wasn't expecting 25-45 mph winds which were never at our backs and driving rain, sleet and even hail!! However the cold and weather made the scenery even more dramatic and spectacular. Tip: you are bussed to the start and will have quite a wait - bring an old jumper to stay warm! Clifden is more convenient than Galway to stay. There aren't really any spectators on the route but any that are there deserve a medal!!
I. S. from Berlin (4/12/2015) "Perfect day in Connemara" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Wow!A great day comes to its end. I honestly must say that this 59th marathon was so great and unforgettable! Thanks a lot to the organization team and all of the volunteers, they all did a great job! A perfect alternative to city marathons, too.
O. S. from Stockholm, Sweden (4/8/2014) "I'm hooked on the ultra!" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A fantastic experience! This was my first ultra and it must be the best ultra to start with. In which other ultra-marathon can you feel so exhilerated - even when walking, even knowing that you've hit the wall you promised yourself not to? Maybe for an experienced ultra-runner there are a few, but for me, this was - yeah, I can't think of more superlatives. And the marshalls seemed to be aware that support is just as important for the last runners (I was among them) as it is for the quickies! Wonderful! And the sheep! I'm sure they were egging me on, laconically saying, 'MA-A-A-A-A-A-A-D, you're all MA-A-A-A-A-A-A-AD!!!'
Darragh O Sullivan from Cork, Ireland (4/3/2012) "Make A Molehill Out of A Mountain!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Connemara International Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This marathon is about as far removed from the big city marathons as you can get when it comes to spectators- and in my opinion, that is part of its charm. In the rugged isolation of Connemara in the West of Ireland, the sheer majesty and beauty of the mountains and valleys more than make up for the lack of spectators on the route-words just can't do it justice! The run itself is brilliantly organised and can't fault it in the slightest and the marshals really knew their stuff. Buses ferry runners to and from the start and finish areas from towns in the area and an after party is organised later that evening. If your running the Ultra you are allowed to have 3 items left at 3 points along the 39.3mile route- eg sports bars, drinks food. At mile 22 (mile35 for the ultra) you begin a 2 mile climb up a hill that is known as 'The Hell of the West'. Once you get to the top, just off the road on the left hand side, there is a plaque dedicated to the memory of a runner who died on that spot while running the half marathon in 2006 to raise funds for his local charity. I would recommend the Connemarathon without hesitation-be it the half, the full or the ultra and certainly hope to return to the Hell of the West in the future.
G. D. from Laois, Ireland (1/7/2011) "Amazing scenery, great organization, tough course" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you want to sample the scenic beauty of the rural West of Ireland, then don't miss this run. Absolutely stunning if the weather is good, which it was in 2010. The organization was excellent and the support along the way (while scarce) was great. The course is tough and caution (pace wise) is advised in the first half as the second half is much tougher. Finish it off with a night in Galway or Clifden and you will be back for more.
P. D. from Hull, England (7/24/2010) "Amazing scenery!" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Connemara International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This course is remote, so this race is great for those who don't need a lot of spectator support. Considering the location, the organization is terrific. Runners and bags are all efficiently transported. The hills are tough, but it's well worth the effort for the scenery. And this year it was even sunny!

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Marathon Details - Connemara International Marathon