Entry through the organiser
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
Running Leenane / Maam Cross? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
Back to your race planner
Connemarathon
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Start
- 11:0011:00 AM
- Distance
- 42.2 km26.2 mi
- Marathon · Half marathon, from the race name, not from a published programme
- Entry fee
- €75
- For the 2027 race
- Time limit
- 6 h 30 min
The course
All three Connemarathon distances are run entirely on road, are marked in miles, and finish at Maam Cross; the organiser warns that there are hills.
- All road, marked in miles, with hillsEvery distance is 100% road, mile-marked, finishing at Maam Cross, with hills in the second half.
- The start is reached by race bus onlyLast marathon bus leaves Galway at 9:00am for the 11:00am start; no car parking at any start.
- A finish limit of six and a half hours6.5 hours for the full and half, 8.5 for the ultra; the finish area is broken down from 5:30pm.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryAll road, marked in miles, with hillsEvery distance is 100% road, mile-marked, finishing at Maam Cross, with hills in the second half.
The marathon starts at Lough Inagh and takes in the half marathon course, which starts in Leenane, before the finish at Maam Cross. The organiser describes a stunning start by the lake and a tough second half, and the half marathon as having two tough hills.
All three distances are 100% on road, so trail shoes are not recommended, and every distance is marked in miles.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsThe start is reached by race bus onlyLast marathon bus leaves Galway at 9:00am for the 11:00am start; no car parking at any start.
The three distances start in different places and all finish at Maam Cross, so the organiser runs buses from Galway, Oughterard, Clifden and Delphi Resort. For the 11:00am marathon the last bus leaves Galway at 9:00am (loading from 8:30am), Oughterard at 9:30am and Clifden at 9:45am; the Delphi Resort bus leaves at 9:15am. Runners are told to arrive at least 15 minutes before departure.
The bus is included in the entry fee for runners who chose a pick-up point. Return buses run from Maam Cross throughout the afternoon with no timetable: a bus leaves when it is full.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsA finish limit of six and a half hours6.5 hours for the full and half, 8.5 for the ultra; the finish area is broken down from 5:30pm.
The organiser gives maximum finish times of 8.5 hours for the ultra, 6.5 hours for the full and 6.5 hours for the half. The finish area is broken down from 5:30pm: a runner making good forward progress whose estimated finish is around then is allowed to continue, and a runner well detached from the one in front, or injured, is asked to take a lift to the finish.
Walkers are welcome in the half marathon but not in the full or ultra, because of time constraints.
Sourced
Race weekend
Before race week 2 key dates
-
13 Mar 2027
Last day to defer an entry to 2028 Deferral is by email to the organiser. It is not possible after this date. -
13 Mar 2027
Last day to switch race distance Upgrades go through the entry confirmation; a move down in distance is by email.
Sunday 25 April Race day
-
09:009:00 AM
Last marathon bus leaves Galway Cathedral car park, Galway. Buses load from 8:30am; arrive at least 15 minutes before departure. Last buses from Oughterard 9:30am and Clifden 9:45am; the Delphi Resort bus leaves at 9:15am. -
11:0011:00 AM
Marathon start Lough Inagh. The full marathon starts by the lake and finishes at Maam Cross. Runners reach the start by race bus from Galway, Oughterard, Clifden or Delphi Resort, and there is no parking at the start. -
Time not published
Marathon finish limit Maximum finish time of 6.5 hours for the full marathon (and for the half). Runners making good forward progress near the 5:30pm breakdown of the finish area are allowed to continue. 6:30 limit: 9:14/km for 42.195 km6:30 limit: 14:52/mi for 26.2 mi
Other races and side events (2)
-
09:009:00 AM
Ultra marathon start Recess. The ultra starts two hours before the marathon and the half marathon. -
11:0011:00 AM
Half marathon start Leenane. The half marathon runs from Leenane to Maam Cross. Walkers are welcome in the half, at the back of the field, with no earlier start.
Times as published by the organiser, in Leenane / Maam Cross time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Leenane / Maam Cross time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
5 gels for Leenane / Maam Cross, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7mile 4.4
- km 14.1mile 8.7
- km 21.1mile 13.1
- km 28.1mile 17.5
- km 35.2mile 21.8
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Questions about the Connemarathon
- When is the Connemarathon 2027?
- Sunday 25 April 2027. The start is at 11:00.
- How do I enter the Connemarathon?
- Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: €75 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
- What is the time limit at the Connemarathon?
- Runners have 6 h 30 min to finish.
- Where does the Connemarathon start?
- Start: Lough Inagh.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Connemarathon.
