Clare Burren Marathon Challenge 2026

24 May

Photographing the Burren Marathon has become a tradition for me. This is the 5th time I have photographed this wonderful event.

I was in Ballyvaughan by 8:15am. The first job was group photos: clubs, friends, families lining up before the start, everyone still fresh and in good form.

Runners at the start line of the Clare Burren Marathon Challenge 2026 in Ballyvaughan

As you can see in the photos, we were so lucky with the weather this year, blue skies with a few fluffy clouds.

All three distances, the full marathon, half marathon, the 10k and the walkers, started together at 9am. The gap between the 9am start and the first runners arriving back at the finish line was my chance to sneak into the village and grab a coffee.

Runners on the road through Ballyvaughan during the Clare Burren Marathon Challenge 2026

It was good to see how far people travel for this. Runners came from all over Ireland, and a fair few made the long trip from Europe to be here in Ballyvaughan.

For a small village on the edge of the Burren, that says something about the event.

I was on the finish line on the pier for six hours, that's a long time, but time flies when you have runners crossing the finish line every minute.

I would have liked to get out onto the course to photograph runners on the road and the green trails, but there is not enough time in one day to do both. The finish line is where the photos are anyway, I love capturing the emotions after the finish!

The event was sold out again this year. It is organised by the Ballyvaughan-Fanore Walking Club, which makes it a proper community event, run by local people.