I'm ridiculously excited to announce that my new book, Bump, Bike and Baby - Mummy's Gone Adventure Racing is going to be released on 15 March 2018. It charts my journey from happy, carefree mountain runner to reluctant, stay-at-home mother of two. During this time, I entered Ireland's National Adventure Race Series to try and maintain my … Continue reading New Book: Bump, Bike and Baby – Mummy’s Gone Adventure Racing
This was my third time entering Westport Sea2Summit’s Adventure Race. In 2014, I came third. In 2016, I placed second. This year I wondered if, third time around, I could do one better again. My preparation for the race was less than ideal. Sea2Summit takes place in November, right at the very end of the … Continue reading Third Time Lucky at Westport Sea2Summit
I’m very pleased to be part of the blog tour for Steve Chilton’s book Running Hard: the story of a rivalry, which is published in paperback on Thursday 19th October. Nothing can compare to the sight of top-class fell runners in full flight. It is impossible to describe the way they bound mid-race down rock-strewn … Continue reading Running Hard Blog Tour – Book Review
You’d think, after four years of doing events like Quest, that I would find adventure racing easy. Instead, it’s quite the opposite: It seems to get harder with each event. Just look at last weekend when, for the third time, I lined up at one of Ireland’s toughest adventure races, Quest Killarney. I don’t think … Continue reading Head-to-head Battle at Quest Killarney 2017
The Mourne Mountain Marathon hurts. I can still vividly remember the pain from nine years ago, when I last did the two-day race. Entering my forties has, however, made me curious to see whether I could survive it again. So this year I penciled the event into the list of races I wanted to enter. … Continue reading Surviving the 2017 Mourne Mountain Marathon
The Mourne Seven Sevens is not for the faint-hearted. It is a challenge to climb the seven peaks in the Mourne Mountains that are 700 metres or more. With the route starting at sea level in the seaside town of Newcastle, it means covering 29 kilometres of ground and 2,495 metres of climb. The event … Continue reading Racing the Mourne Seven Sevens in 2017
I was six months pregnant with my first child, and feeling tired and fat. I was so depressed that I couldn’t race in my current condition that I started to flick through my phone to see what my mountain running friends were up to. I saw them racing up and down mountains, and traversing entire … Continue reading Why do I adventure race?
We are in an age where limits no longer apply. Runners are going further, faster, for longer, in colder and darker conditions. Races are run over days and weeks, not hours and minutes. Athletes are enduring physical and emotional torment beyond what was ever thought feasible. Steve Birkinshaw is one of those remarkable runners who … Continue reading There is no Map in Hell – Book Review
Great little video of Achill Roar Adventure Race from this year. Brilliant event, definitely recommended for anyone thinking of adventure racing in 2015! http://youtu.be/do6QZKLl59M
“Oh shit”, I thought. The grating noise just didn’t sound good. I looked down. My back wheel was making a really unhealthy sound each time I turned the pedal. This was not what I planned as I left my bike at Kate Kearney’s Cottage the night before the 70km Killarney Adventure Race. I poked and … Continue reading 70km Killarney Adventure Race