Connemara International Marathon

Course Map

Route based on 2026 course — may differ from the 2027 race.

Course Details

Course type

Point-To-Point

Elevation gain

369m

Elevation loss

352m

Highest point

99m

Lowest point

7m

Net drop

-17m

Start

Lough Inagh

Cutoff time

6h 30m

About this Race

The Connemarathon is a point-to-point journey of extraordinary scope through the raw mountain wilderness of Connemara, starting in isolation by the dark glacial waters of Lough Inagh — one of the most remote and cinematic start lines of any road marathon in the world — and finishing 26.2 miles later at the crossroads of Maam Cross. The early miles track south along the Inagh Valley with the Twelve Bens on one side and the Maumturk Mountains on the other, before the course swings north-west to rise and fall across open bogland above Killary Harbour, Ireland's only true fjord, and descend into the sleepy village of Leenane at the water's edge. This is where the half marathon field joins the course, and from Leenane the real test begins: a total elevation gain of 362 metres is accumulated almost entirely through the back half of the race, with two notorious climbs that punch through the rolling Maam Turk foothills before the final descent into the finish area. The entire course is on tarmac road — not trail — but the terrain's exposure to Atlantic wind, the relentless rolling profile, and the psychological weight of running through such vast, empty landscape make this one of the most demanding road marathons in Ireland despite its smooth surface. The event has grown from 73 runners in its inaugural 2001 edition to a sellout field of over 3,200 across all distances, and it draws a large international crowd — particularly from France — who treat the race as a destination pilgrimage as much as a sporting event. Entry is open through general sale with no ballot required, though places sell out consistently, and all entrants must be at least 18 years old. Bus transport from Galway, Oughterard, Clifden, and Delphi Resort to the isolated start at Lough Inagh is included in the entry fee and mandatory, as parking at the start is not possible. It suits experienced road runners who are chasing one of Ireland's great scenic experiences and who are prepared for a course where the weather — which has ranged from glorious sunshine to harsh, bitterly cold conditions — can shift the difficulty dramatically in either direction.

Mostly due to significant climbing (369m), tough late hills.

How we calculate difficulty →

Race History

The Connemarathon was founded in 2001 by Ray O'Connor, a Galway city native and obsessive endurance runner who at the time of inception had already completed well over a hundred marathons across the world and who is the founder and chairperson of Marathon Club Ireland. The event grew out of O'Connor's direct personal experience of running Connemara's roads for training — his conviction, shaped by thousands of kilometres of running through the landscape, that the region offered a course of natural drama and emotional depth that no existing marathon was capturing or sharing with a wider audience. The first edition in 2001 attracted just 70 runners, a number that has since grown to a capped sellout of over 3,200 across three distances, with demand routinely outstripping supply — O'Connor has noted he could have sold at least 7,000 entries at peak. The event is organised through O'Connor's event management company and run on the core philosophy that it is "organised by runners and walkers, for runners and walkers," a principle that distinguishes it from commercially produced city marathons and that shapes everything from the bus logistics to the post-race atmosphere. The course runs through the heart of Connemara — Ireland's largest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking region), a landscape of historic cultural significance to the Irish language and to the identity of the west of Ireland — and the warmth of the Connemara community along the route is consistently cited by international participants, who have come from as many as 30 countries, as inseparable from the event's extraordinary reputation.

You might also like