Course Map
Elevation Profile
Route based on 2026 course — may differ from the 2027 race.
Course Details
- Course type
- Loop
- Elevation gain
- 115m
- Elevation loss
- 115m
- Highest point
- 55m
- Lowest point
- 40m
- Net drop
- 0m
- Start
- Main car park
- Cutoff time
- 7h 0m
About this Race
The Portumna Forest Marathon is a multi-loop circuit entirely contained within the 450-hectare Portumna Forest Park on the southern shores of Lough Derg in County Galway, built around a single flat 5K loop of tarmac road and compacted forest path that runners repeat eight times to make up the full marathon distance. The park itself is a dense, cathedral-like plantation of Scots Pine and Norway spruce — and the course never leaves it, meaning every kilometre of the race is run under the same continuous canopy of conifer with the same birdsong, the same filtered light, and the occasional appearance of fallow deer or red squirrel in the trees alongside the route. There are no hills, no significant turns, and no weather exposure in the conventional sense — this is as close to a perfectly sheltered, perfectly flat marathon surface as exists in Ireland. What the event trades in course variety it more than compensates for with atmosphere: the loop format means the finish area, the marshals, and the encouragement of other runners are never far away, and the event carries an almost meditative quality that its organisers and participants openly describe as a spiritual experience — something about the repeated, quietly beautiful circuit that strips away the noise and reduces the effort to its most essential form. Founded by Ray O'Connor, who also founded the Connemarathon, the event has grown from a small domestic gathering to draw participants from across Ireland and from as far as France, Holland, Belgium and the United States, while deliberately staying intimate in character. Entry is through general sale, the event is capped at around 850 participants across all distances, and the marathon has historically sold out well in advance. It suits first-time marathon runners looking for the most forgiving possible terrain, experienced runners targeting a late-season time, and anyone for whom the act of running through a quiet forest in rural Galway is, in itself, sufficient reason to enter.
Course Insight
Stepping across the starting line within Portumna Forest Park, you are immediately enclosed by the dense, towering canopy of the woodland trails. This flat gravel surface acts as a classic pacing trap; the sheltered paths and easy early strides tempt you into a fast pace that can quietly sap the energy you will need later. As the route winds deeper into the nature reserve, it reveals breathtaking lakeside vistas of Lough Derg, but the damp forest floor traps high relative humidity and can expose you to slippery sections over exposed tree roots. The middle miles transition into a battle against the repetitive nature of the multi-loop circuit, where the isolated scenery means spectator zones disappear entirely, requiring immense mental toughness to maintain your cadence. The true defining test of this course is the psychological grind of these repetitive laps, presenting a flat but unchanging terrain that tests your focus precisely when physical fatigue sets in. Splitting off for the final loop finally rewards you with a welcome momentum shift back toward the main avenue, though you must manage your stride carefully to prevent muscle cramping before the finish. Crowds are thickest at the vibrant courtyard finish line near the main castle gates, while encouragement is thinnest along the remote, weather-sheltered back loops of the forest trail.
Difficulty Breakdown
Mostly due to repetitive or complex course layout.
Race History
The Portumna Forest Marathon was founded in 2010 by Sébastien Locteau, a French-born professional endurance coach who had been based in Ireland for many years and had built a reputation as one of the country's leading swimming, triathlon, and distance running coaches. Locteau was, at the time of founding, serving as one of the two official coaches for the Athletic Association of Ireland at the European and World 100km Championships, and the marathon grew directly out of his deep immersion in the Irish endurance running community — a community for whom Portumna Forest Park, with its flat, sheltered, and entirely contained loop, represented something genuinely different from every other event on the calendar. The park itself is managed by Coillte, the state-owned commercial forestry company that maintains over seven percent of Ireland's land area, and the event operates in partnership with Coillte's management of the 450-hectare plantation on the southern shores of Lough Derg. In its early years the race carried AIMS registration, giving it international standing. Race direction eventually passed to Ray O'Connor — the Galway city native who founded the Connemarathon and who is the founder and chairperson of Marathon Club Ireland — who brought his considerable event management experience to an event that had already developed a devoted following. Under O'Connor's stewardship the race has expanded to five distances across the same loop infrastructure, drawing up to 1,000 participants across the full day, with international runners arriving from France, Belgium, Holland and the United States specifically for an event that has built its identity around the idea that the repetitive, serene, nature-enclosed format produces a genuinely different kind of running experience — one the event's own language consistently describes as spiritual — rather than the scenic variety of a landscape course.
Plan Your Trip
Portumna Town for walking distance to the Forest Park start, Loughrea for a wider selection of hotels 20 minutes east, and Ballinasloe for budget accommodation with easy motorway access.
- Nearest airport(s)
- SNN Shannon Airport, NOC Ireland West Airport Knock
- Best area to stay
- Portumna Town for walking distance to the Forest Park start, Loughrea for a wider selection of hotels 20 minutes east, and Ballinasloe for budget accommodation with easy motorway access.
- Getting to the start
- Portumna has no rail connection, so a car is the most practical option; runners should park at the Glenbeigh GAA pitch — sorry, at the Forest Park main car park — and walk to the start, as the course loops back to the same location.