HARDMAN's only Olympic distance race, over the sand and hills of the Ballinskelligs coastline. For me this was the ninth and final event in the HARDMAN calendar!
Olympic is a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle & 10km run.
I originally booked this race for 2022, but was so depleted after kayaking the Shannon Source to Sea that I couldn't go. That year a horrendous storm made the swim impossible, and the remainder unenjoyable at best. Arriving in 2023 to a heatwave made me think it was all meant to be. I registered and set up my transition area, hearing stories of how this carpark was an ankle deep river last year!
The heatwave was actually very intense, so after walking the beach to look at the swim route and finish line, I hid in the shade of a lifeguard hut with other like minded people. Eventually Alan Ryan called us over for our race briefing. I put the wetsuit on as late as I could, a little more sunscreen, and then headed for the water. The swim was a 1.5km loop around big orange buoys. No waves, no jellyfish, and soothing to be in the cold water. This was probably one of the most enjoyable swims I've done.
The tide had come in a lot when we got back to the beach. We had started between two traffic cones which were now fully submerged. I ran past loads of cheering spectators, into the transition area for a terrible attempt at cleaning the sand off my feet. Very quickly I was away on the bike, drinking water and celebrating another successful swim. Something I couldn't have imagined doing three years before.
The cycle was two laps of a 20km loop. I could see Coomanaspic hill in the distance and was thankful it didn't include that (possibly the hardest cycle I've ever done), but it was still a slog at times with lots of rolling hills. A nice breeze turned to a bad headwind so I wasn't expecting any speed records. I just tucked down low and pushed onward, eventually rolling through my second lap and back into the transition area.
Only a 10km out-and-back run to go, starting with 1km on the beach. Running on sand can be tough, especially with the tide in. You had to get wet in places, so I was thankful to move onto a trail and then road after. On the road I found a nice rhythm, which was slowed by intense heat, but I felt good around the turning point and on the slight descent of the return. The beach was far wetter now and I didn't even try to avoid the water in places, going as fast as I could for the final sprint under the finish line.
3hrs 24mins 28s
A brilliant race, especially with that weather, and which marks my completion of all the HARDMAN events. I was already soaked so I got straight into the ocean to cool off, watching the others finish from the water. There was so much support and the music made a lovely atmosphere. It was a great novelty to have the whole race centred on a beach, even if the sand in my socks was annoying. It's a very fun race that's easy to recommend.
Finish Time
Time | Distance | |
Swim | 39mins 17s | 1500m |
T1 | 2mins 27s | - |
Bike | 1hr 43mins 39s | 40km |
T2 | 1min 10s | - |
Run | 58mins 02s | 10km |
Total | 3hrs 24mins 38s | - |
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