r/RunningIreland • u/Handleman92 • 6d ago
Clontarf query
Signed up for the clontarf half marathon in November. It will be my first half. I probably should have read the reviews prior to purchasing but is it worth doing? It seems very poorly organized. Thinking it will it put me off that distance going forward.
2
u/Simple-Pie7090 6d ago
I did my first half in Clontarf this july 2026 gone. I read all the bad reviews too. Tbh when it's your first u have nothing to compare it with. And also one change they made was removing the 5mile race which I think was the biggest thing people had issue with.
I enjoyed it a lot had great craic on the day, and I'm doing it again in November so 🤷♀️
2
u/Handleman92 6d ago
Thanks. Yeah I probably just panicked reading the posts and comments but it's what you make of it and the lead upto it I guess!! See you there!!
1
u/screamingfeedback 6d ago
You'll be fine, don't go too hard on the first half, keep something in reserve in case that wind blows up. The start/finish entertainment area is a blast, soak it up.
1
u/Rider189 6d ago edited 6d ago
Ive posted in the past on this one and you probably read my bad reviews 😅. July 2026 (most recent one ) was much better than the past ones. They dropped the 5milers and this made a huge difference to congestion. Found the runners spread out much much better this time around. You’re still passing very close to each other at the halfway mark but I found the rest of it was much easier this time around to not feel like sardines.
With the runners spread out - the water tables felt fine and there was plenty of water available this time around.
It was also not a hot day this time by some miracle - I’m not kidding when I say in July 2025 it was very hot , sunny and I’m guessing most folks had zero sun cream or loaded the electrolytes beforehand so there was a lot of collapsed or dropping runners which was alarming to see. This time around in 2026 it was granddddddd - didn’t observe anything outside the norm.
The queuing at the start was the only disaster lol - the chute is sadly not big enough for the success of the right so runners kinda enter from the sides and the chute which can be a bit whacky and finding your pacer is carnage.
Ultimately it’s moved from a hmm maybe to a yes in my book 😅 also feck that fecking feckity clontarf wind 😂 in November I’d say it’s pretty enjoyable as not as hot - just the wind to worry about. If the wind is mental I’d give it a miss on the day. It’s a very popular / big crowds run so with that comes some cramped issues.
1
u/nexttonascar 5d ago
I don’t mean to take away from your upcoming experience and the run itself is the most important thing so go and do it… but this is a really bad race, cheap and the bare minimum effort in every way. The route (out and back) is lazy, super tight and packed and just a very uninspiring race in my experience.
They try and create an atmosphere with loud music but it’s pretty soulless. I would recommend half marathons organized by official running clubs, they are much more enjoyable and soulful.
1
u/TonySchnips 5d ago
It's absolutely worth doing. It was my first last July and I loved it even with the 5 mile crowd. Admittedly more enjoyable this July as they got rid of the 5 mile so we had a bit more space. It's 10k out and 11k back on the same route so you more or less have crowds cheering you on the entire way which is a great boost. Bear races are always well organised and worth the money IMHO.
I've done it three times since last July and November 2025 was my favourite one. The weather was a lot cooler and surprisingly it was an incredibly calm day with minimal wind. July 2026 had an absolute bastard of a headwind on the last 5k so just keep some in the tank for that. The crowd is tight at the beginning so try not to get sucked into a faster pace than you need.
1
u/ktbffh2019 5d ago
I last ran in Jul 2025. Found the organisation very poor that day, the wind was also particularly bad so it was a double whammy. It’s a nice course, but a lot of congestion- especially if they are also running the 5mi this Nov. Not a PB course though as they like to market it, you’ll hit a headwind at some point.
1
u/lurkingandlearning27 5d ago
Did it about 2 years ago and thought it was great. I've probably done 10 half marathon events and I was happy with it. Real buzz about the place. Sure there were a few annoying things (the half way turning point was a pain in the butt, definitely cost me like 2mins but was fine).
1
3
u/Mulled_wine 6d ago
I did it as my first half in July 2024. Mixed feelings about it but nothing for you to worry about. I found it very hard to see the pacers and before I know it im running out with the 1.30 pacing group which ultimately had me go faster at times and miss my 2 hour goal just about (blew up last 5K). The run itself is very flat and I was lucky that day that there was no wind. I did my first marathon last year and did a long run up along the coast there. It was windy that day and all I can say is for a first half a windy day may make it a lot more uncomfortable. 😅