22/09/2026
Backyard Ultra Kilworth woods 2026 - photos will be added to a separate post 📫
( IMRA Munster )
Format 6.7k on the hour every hour , until last man standing - roughly 125meter of Elevation per loop !
Now this post is going to be a little longer than our usual posts, but we want to give it the recognition it deserves!
I will start of by saying this event was a challenge close to our hearts 💕 when you join a club you quickly realise that you make friendships for life & part of that is celebrating each other's successes, but also feeling each others loss . And unfortunately in August 2024 we lost our dear club member Ashleigh, wife of club member Richard O Brien . Ashleigh was a long time club member& stood on the club committee too & I think we can all agree Ash was a woman who got stuff done ✔️ she was fierce, yet gentle! Elegant, yet bold ✨️ a woman not to mince her words . She was a fabulous athlete, standing on the podium many times over the years 👏 🙌 and I think its safe to say the most fashionable lady in the club , both on & off the bike 🥰 she lived in Kilworth, so the woods was very familiar to her ! So I think it was very fitting that her husband Richie decided to take part in the BYU in their local woods to raise funds for the Ucc memorial fund that was set up in her memory.
And when we heard this was his plan I think it was a no brainer that other's from the club would also sign up in support (and a mention to his two friends, both called Niall who also joined him on this event ) 😄
We would be really greatful if anyone would like to donate to the fund on the link below 👇
https://www.ucc.ie/en/med-health/drashleighbyrne-obrienmemorialfundawards/
We had 14 club members take part on the day , for some this was their first ever trail race , some first over half marathon distance .
Some were a little injured but still turned up , some did more than they had planned & we are delighted to say all went over the marathon distance and therefore are now officially ULTRA RUNNERS 🏃♀️ 🏃🏽♂️
Il let each person speak of their experiences themselves 😄😁
Marian Twomey - timed out on loop 8 - 55k covered
Brilliant event. The organisers and volunteers were amazing. The support from family and club mates was incredible and definitely gives a well needed boost after each loop. Very lucky to have this in our own backyard! 🙂
Dermot Johnson 8 loops completed - 55k coverd
I ran i suffered ,I survied ,loved it cant wait for next year
Bryan Hanton 8 loops 55k covered
With an all time run career less than 250km and 1 half marathon under my belt on Saturday morning, I was thrilled to achieve marathon/ultra distances at what was an amazing event in good weather and excellent company. Congratulations to everyone who competed, you were all amazing!
Darren Flynn 8 loops 55k covered
(Darren is a hard man to get ahold of , il update when his PA gets back to me 🤣😶)
Adam Blaiklock 9 loops 60.3k covered
In a nutshell.. euphoric and knackered... jelly babies rule
Peter O Brien 10 loops 67k covered
Great experience and would go back for more next year.
Terry Broderick 10 loops 67k covered
A really different experience. A totally different way of running and pacing. A really great experience and great comradary amongst club mates.
Harry Cashman 10 loops 67k covered
My first backyard & definitely not my last, thanks to my wife for support crew . Il be back next year with a better knee
Deirdre Morrison 10 loops 67k covered
Second year doing the Backyard Ultra and another brilliant event. So well organised, with a great atmosphere and amazing support from start to finish!
Rachel F Cronin 11 loops just shy of 75k covered
Omg definitely the best & most rewarding event iv done since Ironman Youghal2022, honestly I really loved it ! Loved chatting to lots of different people on course , hope to do it next year in full health 👍 😀
Terence O Brien 13 loops 89k covered
“The BYU is an incredible test of endurance, with every hour bringing a new 6.7km battle between your legs, your mind and your will to keep going, challenging you to push beyond the boundaries you thought you existed in”
Richard O Brien 13 loops 89k covered
What a day!
Backyard ultramarathon done, alongside some brilliant friends and club mates, all in memory of Ashleigh.
A tough challenge, but made so much more meaningful by the people around us. Plenty of miles, laughs, encouragement and memories along the way.
Thank you to everyone who supported, donated and helped make the day so special. ❤️
Adrian Collins 15 loops 100.5k covered 👌
"The BYU was a brilliant day / night out. Highlight for me was getting to run with so many friends and clubmates throughout the day. Especially nice to see teammates who finished up, still around to encourage those still on the course. "
Terence Mcsweeney timed out on loop 18 . 117k covered
For me anyway, I taught the whole event was organise and ran perfectly.
There was snacks fruit cold drinks and hot water there all the time when ever you wanted it…
The Kilworth BYU definitely one of the best running events I have done to date.
The atmosphere and all the support was just 100% I look forward to taking the crown of my brother next year 😁😂😂
And the mad man that just kept going to take second place - even though in this race format everyone is a DNF besides the last man standing , hes still a winner to us 🏆 is Clem Leonard a crazy whopping 26 loops . 175k covered 👌
After finishing 12 laps of the backyard ultra last year i had nothing to prove to myself this year. There was a little more in the tank last year but i wasn't prepared for the 4 extra hours that wasn't in the plan. I knew I would do 10 laps and possibly 12 this year. Quietly I would be over the moon with 15 for the 100k.
With 13 from the club entered this year it was always going to be a great event. I started the laps as I wanted, steady and hitting all the points around the lap to finish on 50 minutes each time. I walked up the majority of the inclines and had a steady run down. Each lap you got to chat to someone different. There was a real nice buzz about the place especially the crowd back at base. My small toes started hurting so I had to put toilet paper between them to separate them. I eventually had a kind athlete offer some compeed. I may have taken pain killers for relief during the night. Athletes started dropping from 7laps onwards, ticking off the milestones. By the 13th we were down to around 30. Myself and Adrian Collins had chatted about hitting the 15 to reach the 100k. We stuck together and got it done. At the time I said I would do one more. I continued to say one more. I was close to daylight and I thought it would be cool to be still running by then. At this stage we had only about 6 left. I then thought top 5 might be nice. A few hours after we dropped to 4. I had seen 2 of them struggling and it looked like they wanted the 24hour 100mile. Sure enough on lap 25 it was down to 2 of us. To be fair Michael looked strong all morning and there wasn't much in me. I decided to go again for lap 26. This time i missed the middle marker by 2 minutes and 3 minutes overall ( I was now on 52min since 4am). I made it back in about 55-56min I assessed the situation through in the towel on lap 27. Michael was a worthy winner.
The afterwards is an other story. I shortly found out how the body reacts from an event like this. I struggled to walk and needed heat to stop the shivering. Luckily last years winner was at hand bring my car home because I certainly wasn't capable. Shane while crewing for his brother also helped me especially towards the end. Those minutes are vital. The Blackwater crew were brilliant at supporting one another throughout the event albeit Athletes or supporting. I would wholeheartedly advise people to enter next year.
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