Fitness
Fitness
These are 10 of the best running races in Ireland for this year
Looking for extra motivation to keep your fitness on track? We’ve got you covered! Find your perfect challenge this year and hit the ground running!
The 12th edition of the Wings for Life World Run will take place on Sunday, May 4, 2025. For registration updates, complete global results and unforgettable highlights: visit www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com and download the new Wings for Life World Run App for iOS or Android.
Signing up for a race is a great way to keep your motivation up – and your fitness regime on track. Having something to work towards beats aimlessly running on the gym treadmill or pounding the pavements. A running race can also be a great way of exploring new places, taking you through some beautiful landscapes and wild terrain.
To give you a little extra inspiration, we’ve picked out Ireland’s best running events for this year. So whether you're an expert runner or new to the racing game, we've got you covered.
Road Running Races
01
Connemarathon
17 April, 2025
Runners at Connemarathon
© Andreas Riemenschneider.
With half, full and ultra-marathon options available, this is one of Ireland’s most popular running races. Every year sees more than 3,000 entrants from 30 countries run through the dramatic landscape of Connemara. Starting and finishing in Maam Cross, the course winds its way past bogs, hills, lakes and the Twelve Pin Mountains.
Runners in the mood for a challenge will be happy to know the revamped ultra course, with its additional 10 mile section, returns this year. The 39.3 mile long ultra-marathon kicks off in Recess at 9am, while the full and half marathon will follow two hours later in Lough Inagh and Leenane respectively. We'll see you at the finish line – or more specifically, the afterparty in Galway.
02
Wings for Life World Run
04 May, 2025
Wings For Life World Run in Italy
© Damiano Levati for Wings for Life World Run
The beauty of the Wings for Life World Run – a global race which sees participants chased down by a catcher car in the name of raising money for spinal cord research – is that even those who can't make it down to a flagship race are able to compete anywhere they like thanks to the app and its digital catcher car. Indeed, be it in the Wicklow Mountains or pounding the streets of Galway, you and friends can enjoy your fill of the action close to home.
Simply visit Wingsforlifeworldrun.com and download the new Wings for Life World Run App for iOS or Android. If you're bad with dates it might help to remember that 2025's event is happening on May the Fourth, AKA Star Wars Day. Sign up soon so you don't miss out – that'd be a Wookiee mistake.
03
Belfast City Marathon
04 May, 2025
Belfast City Marathon
© Belfast City Marathon
Attracting newcomers and seasoned veterans (competitors have recently been able to earn both domestic and international ranking points) alike, the Belfast Marathon is always worth pencilling in the diary no matter how busy your spring is looking.
Kicking things off at the Stormont Estate, competitors venture right across the city from east to west, finishing in Ormeau Park. If you’ve missed out on entry, there's always the Belfast Half Marathon later this year (21 September) which is sure to draw quite a crowd as well. Just be sure to follow some of these marathon training tips and you’ll be in for a memorable time.
04
Portumna Forest Marathon
07 June, 2025
Choose your adventure: 10k? 21k? 42k? Or 50k?
© Sinéad Cochrane/Flickr Creative Commons
Set in thick woodland, this event is described by organisers as “a spiritual experience” that tests the body and soothes the mind in equal measure. Covering an area of 450 hectares, the forest – located near a town called Portumna, which means “landing place of the oak tree” – is home to fallow deer, red squirrels, Scots Pine and Norway spruce. There are four route distances to choose from – 10km, 21km, 42km, 50km – which are based around 5km loops. Overnight camping is not allowed, but there are plenty of scenic spots your loved ones can cheer you on from come race day.
05
Achill Half Marathon and 10K
05 July, 2025
With its towering sea cliffs and pristine beaches, it’s easy to see why the island of Achill attracts so many athletes from around the world for its annual half marathon and 10km race. Starting and finishing in Keel, the full course meanders for 13.1 miles through the island’s spectacular scenery, with vast mountain, bog and coastal trails ensuring a varied route. The Atlantic Ocean will be your constant companion as you run around the island.
06
Run in the Dark
TBC [Possibly November 2025]
A perfect running event for night owls
© Run in the Dark
Enjoy a night run with a difference alongside thousands of other runners across the globe as Run in the Dark returns (with any luck) this November. Large-scale chip timed events have previously been held in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Belfast, while smaller pop-up runs have also taken place across 50 European cities. Participants typically choose from a 10km or 5km route and receive a flashing armband for their safety. These special night runs are designed to raise money to help cure paralysis, so it's a win-win really. Note: as yet there’s no information on which places in Ireland will be hosting in 2025, nor an official date, but something tells us we won’t be left in the dark for long...
Trail Running Races
07
Forth Mountain Trail Run
22 March, 2025
Hailed as "undoubtedly the most scenic race in the southeast" by its organisers, Forth Mountain Trail Run, located just outside Wexford Town, will be a real test for the legs and the mind. Put in the effort on those steep hills and the majestic views spanning north Wexford will make you forget all about that early alarm clock. Together with a packed field of competitors you'll traverse 13km of the Three Rocks Trail on Forth Mountain, which are comprised of well-maintained gravel trail and short sections of forestry road.
08
Bray 10km Cliff Run
01 April, 2025
How about a sunset run along the clifftops? A super accessible run for race newbies, this 10km route starts at the Belmont Estate with a run towards the fringes of a mountain requiring a 2km climb. Once you've drank in those magnificent views of the Irish Sea, you’ll descend via what the organisers refer to as ‘heather paths, trails and ancient woodland’, returning to finish the loop at Belmont Demesne. In the past it’s been known for runners to finish with a sprint across the beach before the celebratory fist-pumps at Bray Promenade's bandstand.
09
Mourne Mountain Marathon
20-21 September, 2025
Competitors at Mourne Mountain Marathon
© Mark Pruzina/Mourne Mountain Marathon
Ireland’s only two-day endurance and navigation event returns to the beautiful mountains of Mourne in Northern Ireland. Attracting hikers and ultra-runners of varying abilities, it requires competitors to find their own way through the beautiful Co Down countryside using a map and camp under open skies. You’re also expected to be self-sufficient, carrying all your own gear, food, and water for the duration of the event. If regular races have started to feel slightly samey, now could be the time to take it up a gear at Mourne.
10
Maurice Mullins Ultra
09 March, 2025
A test for even the most expert runners, this 50k course (the same as 2023’s edition) is a way to experience the ruggedly beautiful Wicklow Way like never before. Prepare to sweat – there is 1940m of ascent along the way – but at least the epic scenery should help distract you as you trace this famous long-distance trail from Glencullen to Ballinastoe. For a softer option, there is a 25.1km course that follows the latter half of the 51km out and back course.
The 12th edition of the Wings for Life World Run will take place on Sunday, May 4, 2025. Visit Wingsforlifeworldrun.com and download the new Wings for Life World Run App for iOS or Android.
