The Beast Adventure Race 2026 Team Up For It After taking part in last year's return of the famed Beast Adventure Race, Ireland's premier adventure racing event, I took some time to reflect on both my performance and the fantastic experiences I shared with my teammates last year. Following the race, I spent some time dealing with injury issues during the early part of the winter and wasn't entirely sure what the following season would hold. Thankfully, as 2026 arrived, I managed to build some excellent training momentum. No small part of that was thanks to the fantastic community at Bandon Strength & Conditioning. Over the past number of months, I've established a brilliant routine, combining the cardio-focused Revelate classes with the expert guidance of Teddy and the team in the strength and conditioning classes.The 4 mornings a week of 5am starts over 5 moths truly paid off in terms of building a new me. Strength training has always been something of a we...
Posts
The Sustainable Sea Kayaking Project; Exploring Connections in South Connemara
The Sustainable Sea Kayaking Project; Exploring Connections in South Connemara A few weeks ago, in August, I had the pleasure of packing up my car, sea kayaks on the roof, and setting off for South Connemara for a three day paddle trip with my friend Muireann. With the intention of adventure and nature immersion, we weren’t going far wrong with a venue such as this, and a medium such as paddling. Exploring through landscape, seascape, colour, and time in South Connemara was an adventure for the mind and the body. Slow adventure creates space for creativity and mental clarity, and draws a deeper peace and presence than much else does for me. The opportunity for this journey was given to me through the Sustainable Sea Kayaking project, a new project run by Jon Hynes. I was lucky enough to be chosen as the very first participant in this project last summer. After a few calls with Jon I joined him at the ISKA Symposium for an evening amongst the k...
West of Ireland Wanderings: A Campervan, Two Bikes, and a Pair of Sea Kayaks There’s something both thrilling and liberating about packing your life into a second-hand Renault Master and calling it “home” for a week. Ours was kitted out with mountain bikes, sea kayaks, and enough gear to make us look like we were setting off on a three-month expedition rather than a week-long wander around the west of Ireland. But that’s the beauty of a campervan—you can bring it all, and then some. We rolled out late on a Sunday morning, the last of July sunshine trying to break through a veil of clouds. Our first stop, to break the journey was the Limerick Greenway , a 40-odd kilometre cycle route along the old Limerick–Tralee railway line. While Kerry was busily dispatching Donegal in the All-Ireland football final , we were pedalling through peaceful countryside, feeling quietly virtuous for choosing exercise over the sofa. Forty-six kilometres later, with legs nicely toasted, we ...