Brandon Ridge Half-Marathon… Hot Day Out There!

14 July, 2025 - Martin Cooney

By Martin Cooney

Another Butch & Sundance adventure began as Frankie & I met at 7am at our usual meet spot. A blissful sunny day; not a cloud in the sky nor an a**hole on the road all the way to Dingle. Mind you there were a few Sunday drivers just starting out as we passed through Camp- the sort of drivers that make a Tibetan Monk scream in anger. We parked up in the Dingle Mart carpark; where we met Kevin Lenihan, Mairead O’Keeffe and Martin Hennessy but to mention a few. We got changed in running gear, went up to check-in for the race and collect a class T-Shirt to mark our entry for the race. We met the a lot of familiar runners like the West Cork trio of Sean, Micheal & Henry as well as some county Clare lads like Damian Landy, Gearoid Cleary and Seamus O’Grady. The day was already hot at only 10am and due to get hotter. Then onto the bus we got to bring us to the start at Baile Breac carpark at the western side of Mt. Brandon. The bus dropped us off and 1.5km walk into the beginning was a good enough warm-up for most. Once at the start line, Barry Murray (RD) gave us an overview of the course including the fact that there was an 800m ascent over the first 4km; before he set a large crowd of runners off like a flock of sheep let off to graze the open mountain.

I was about halfway back in the crowd as we took off. The pace was slow and steady going on up the rocky road before it opened out into the short grass section. Nobody was doing a Usain Bolt on it as it was too steep, too warm and going to be too far on a day like today. I trotted on up with Sundance (Frankie) doing his thing and leaving only his dust in front of me. I was with Micheal, Sean and Kevin at the start but I inched away in front of them after about 1km so had no-one really to chat to for a while. At about 2km, Dee O’Gorman popped up beside me and we both commented on how beautiful the scenery it was. At this stage, I was hiking rather than jogging. I looked at my watch to see my heart rate. I made a decision that once my heart rate hit a certain number, I would go back to hiking rather than try to waste energy running. I also set myself a goal of staying with Dee as much as I could as she is such a steady runner; really good at uphill and flats and not too shabby on the downhills also! It was tough going to stay with her but the terrain flattened as we curved to the right around the mountain but still gaining elevation. We slowly gain ground to Martin Hennessy and just as we reached the summit where we are directed right, we catch Martin and “Sundance Frankie”.

Off we all went in a south easterly direction down a steep, dry, defined path with had a pickling of rocks and grass amongst it. I descended well and pulled away from the group slightly before being passed by some guy who was either high on life or high on something else. I wonder if he realized it was a Half-Marathon cos he was gone like s**t through a goose! We were on this descending track for about 2km before it started to rise again. As it rose, I seen a runner had stopped. She was getting assistance from “s**t through a goose” guy. I asked them if they needed help. She seemed to have a bad enough cut. Just then Martin and Dee came along, both having more first-aid equipment than I had. I spotted a marshal and trotted up to let him know to contact base regarding this, which already had been transmitted. On I went as the situation seemed to be in control. Just after passing the marshal, I hit a wall of elevation which takes you up along the Brandon Peak ridge with some of the most amazing views you will ever see in your life. It had been a few years since I have been up here so I had forgotten just how much in awe you are of the views on a clear day- spectacular to say the very least! There is a wall of elevation in front of me- 180m over the next 800 metre in distance. I break back to hiking but absolutely everybody around me is hiking. It is too energy sapping to try to jog up this. I catch up with a few runners as we come over the summit of Brandon Peak to a flat, then very narrow area onto the summit of An Gearan. There is a drop to my left of over 500 metres so you don’t want to lose your footing on this part as it will probably be your last time doing it. I glance back after crossing the narrow path to see if I can see Micheal, Frankie, Dee or Martin but not in my sights at this point. I am starting to doubt myself a bit and think that I may be going too fast as never ahead of these runners at this stage. However; I am feeling okay in this heat and my heart rate is where I am hoping it will be.

Just as I leave the summit of An Gearan, I meet First-Aid Officer for the day, Nick Hogan who is making his way back to attend to the female runner who had the bad cut. I explained how far back she was before Nick told me to hop the fence, keep it to my right and follow it all the way to the saddle, where I would meet another marshal. Off I went down the marshy, soft, peaty ground which was spongy underfoot. The ground flattened for a while before getting steep again as the wire started to veer us left. As I followed this, I passed a female runner as I tip-toed over the rocks on this narrow, cambered path, which turned a sharp right before taking us over to the saddle. The saddle sits at about 400 metres above sea-level. I meet Carol Finn and another volunteer and decide to take on some water here rather than at the next water station at the Connor Pass. It is hot here with no real breeze at this location due to the hills all around. I am hoping that this may suffice to get me all the way to the finish but I most definitely need to have enough to get to the next water refill. I am passed by a few runners including the female runner which I had just passed while I am stopped. So I take off in pursuit knowing that there is a horrible climb in front of us all. Over the next kilometre, there is another 200 metres of ascent on soft peat ground, which I know will drain the legs on the best runner. It takes 17 minutes for this one kilometre, so a slow slog indeed up to the summit of An Scraig. My legs are drained as I try to break back into a slow run. The grass is reasonably long from here but it may help as we descend. Initially it starts as a gentle descent as we head east before getting steeper as it bring you down to the saddle before the summit of An Bhinn Dubh. I catch up with a runner and we both comment that it is a hot, tough day. I look back and can see 2 runners motoring well, whom I believe to be Kirsten O’Sullivan and Dee O’Gorman. As we pass another runner on the ascent up An Bhinn Dubh who is walking, we give him some encouragement. He responds in what I think was a South African accent- “I’m done man, toasted, cooked!” We pull away from him and just after the summit, I pull away from the other runner. I can see the female runner in front of me and as I am almost at the Connor Pass, I can see that she has started her descent towards Dingle.

As I pass through the Connor Pass carpark, I am offered water but I decline as I had enough with me I think. I cross the road, up a boreen path for about 100 metres and am turned right by a marshal. I pause for a moment and take a breath. I look back at the carpark and can see the white top & baseball cap of Dee. She is absolutely flying it. I start my descent on what was an old bog road which is now covered in rushes and wet and squelchy underfoot. My first goal is to stay upright, second is to catch the female runner in front of me and third longer term goal is to stay ahead of Dee. I start running and am enjoying it as I am finding some grip on the rushes… Like the Bull McCabe in the film The Field I can hear his voice roaring at me “C’mon Tadgh, Hup Tadgh, Faster Tadgh!” I respond to him in my head- “I will Bull; I will but my name not fe*kin Tadgh!”

Within half a kilometre, I have passed the female runner. I glance at my watch and if I can believe it, I am doing almost 15km/h so I am not slouching. I do not look back as I can only look after myself at this stage so on I go descending this less steep terrain at a great pace. I am definitely catching runners in front of me. As I cross a little bridge, Mick Hanney has stopped to take photos (thanks for them Mick) and hit an old overgrown tarmacadam road. It is tarmac road from here to the finish with a hill in between so I just try to run well. Through a couple of swivel gates and slowly up the hill. I can’t help but glance back and can see Dee is on the tarmac too but I reckon I have a lead of about three minutes with 3km to go. As I go over the hill, the rooftops of Dingle can be seen for the first time. I pass through a junction where a marshal shouts encouragement to me. I can see two runners with blue tops ahead. It isn’t long before I pass one of them as I complete kilometre nineteen in sub 4-minute. The road flattens as I meet the first houses of Dingle with one kilometre to go. I am gaining on the next blue top runner, who looks back and gives a wave. It turns out to be fellow Clareman, Damian Landy. He is too far ahead to catch but I try to keep my distance to him. Down to the traffic lights, directed right up the hill and finish the race as I hit the courtyard of Paul Geaney’s Pub.

I struggle to breathe for a few minutes while the stifling heat was almost unbearable. Now I could give you a BS story that I went straight into the pub, drank 17 pints and was seen doing a Hula dance in Dick Mac’s later that night but well, it would be lies! What actually happened was I had a glass of water, followed by a coke with some lovely sambos and waited for all the other sufferers to arrive back. A great day out but I tell you one thing, everyone will remember this race!
“Sundance Frankie” arrived in a good bit after me (which rarely happens), depleted of all energy and wanting nothing but creamy pints even though he had to drive us home. One poor crather had heat-stroke, while another spent the last half of the race getting sick at scheduled intervals. Sean O’Leonaird was so goosed after the race that he hadn’t even a smart comment to give so you know then it was a tough day.

Thanks to Barry Murray as RD, the volunteers on the day for making this happen so that the rest of us could run the fantastic race. Unbelievable course with great views on a roasting hot day. Thanks to Paul Geaney's Pub for letting us use their facilites and providing food.

Congrats to Henry Browne on a great win- not sure who won the female section as report completed before the results! I will update once I know.
Congratulations to everyone who ran the race on this hot day, you must all be as silly as me… but we’ll have the memories.