Route
Check out Alan’s route as he runs 35 Marathons across Ireland in 35 days!
From his starting point in Waterford, Alan’s lap of Ireland will see him journey through the coastal towns of the sunny south east, snaking through the capital and around the northern Leinster counties, crossing over the border into Belfast and continuing along the Causeway Coast. He’ll then venture south along the rugged western coast, taking in the cities of Galway, Limerick and Cork, before finishing his lap of Ireland with a victorious return to Waterford.
Alan will cover a total distance of 917 miles, broken down into thirty five 26.2 mile marathons. Find out if he is coming to a town near you.
Check out Alan’s pictorial route planning in his Facebook Album
Day 1: Starting in Waterford town, Alan will follow the N25 route as it crosses the county border into Kilkenny, trailing around the outskirts of New Ross and continuing into Wexford county where he will finish for the night in the village of Shanowle.
Day 2: The second day of Alan’s journey will see him enter into Wexford town and then turn northwards, following the R741 route as he travels closely along the coast of the sunshine county before finishing up in Ballyedmond.
Day 3: Alan will start the morning running through the town of Gorey before turning onto the Arklow road and finishing up the day crossing into Wicklow where he will come to a stop at Seabank.
Day 4: Alan will spend day 4 running along the eastern coast of the garden county, passing through Wicklow Town and Newcastle before coming to a stop shortly after Greystones.
Day 5: On day 5 Alan will cross the Wicklow Dublin border and follow the coast as he passes through the south county towns of Blackrock and Ballsbridge before running North across the city through Santry and finishing up just beyond Swords.
Day 6: Alan will start the day in North County Dublin, running through Balrothery and bypassing Balbriggan, before crossing the Meath border at Gormanstown. Alan will finish the day running through the heart of Drogheda and further into Louth, finishing at the village of Mullary.
Day 7: On day 7 Alan will spend most of his day running through the heart of Ireland’s smallest county, Louth. His journey will take him through the centre of Castlebellingham, following the N1 route to Dundalk before finally crossing the border into the Orchard county of Armagh at the village of Cloghoge.
Day 8: Starting off the day in Armagh, Alan will journey into the corner of County Down, passing through Newry town, before crossing the border back into Armagh again, running through Portadown and finishing up in the town of Craigavon.
Day 9: Beginning his second morning in Armagh, Alan will follow the A3 route through Lurgan, before crossing the border once again into County Down and running up through Lisburn. Joining the A1 route, Alan will cross into Co Antrim and finish up the day in Belfast.
Day 10: Alan will spend the tenth day of his marathon challenge running through the centre of Co Antrim, beginning in Belfast and passing through Antrim town and Kells before finishing up in Ballymena.
Day 11: Spending his second day in Co Antrim, Alan will cover another marathon distance picking up where he left off in Ballymena and running through Armoy and Pharis before finishing up in the coastal town of Ballycastle.
Day 12: Alan will pick up where he left off in Ballycastle and continue along a coastal route on Ireland’s north easterly tip, passing by the famous Giant’s Causeway. At the town of Port Rush, his route will take him south, crossing the Derry county border and finishing in the large university town of Coleraine on the River Bann.
Day 13: Starting the day in Coleraine, Alan will run through the towns of Ballykelly and Greysteel and along the banks of Lough Foyle, passing by Derry airport and finishing up in the small town of Maydown.
Day 14: Alan will start his day crossing over the river Foyle and into the walled city of Londonderry. His journey will then take him back across the southern border and into Co Donegal, following the N13 route through the towns of Bridge End and Manorcunningham before finishing up on the outskirts of Letterkenny.
Day 15: On his fifteen day of the marathon challenges, Alan will start the morning crossing the River Swilly in Letterkenny, travelling south the N13 route through Ballybofey town, along the shore of Lough Mourne and finishing up in the tiny townland of Birchill.
Day 16: Alan will follow the N15 route from his starting point in Birchill and continue into Donegal town before heading south along the north western coastline. At Ballyshannon he will cross the river Erne and finish up at Lisgool having crossed the border into Co Leitrim.
Day 17: Beginning the morning in lovely Leitrim, Alan will quickly cross over the border with Sligo and travel along the coastline passing through the heart of Sligo town, crossing the Dublin road at Ballisodare and finishing up in the townland of Lugnadeffa.
Day 18: Alan will follow the N59 route along the northern coast of Sligo before dipping south over the Mayo border and finishing just east of Ballina.
Day 19: Crossing the river Foy, Alan will make his way into the large town of Ballina, travelling out along the smaller R310 route along the banks of Lough Conn before crossing into Castlebar and finishing up in the tiny village of Cloondeash in Co Mayo.
Day 20: Alan will start the morning travelling southwards along the N84, along the shores of Lough Garra, through the town of Ballinrobe, and finishing up in the area of Shrule on the Mayo/Galway border.
Day 21: Starting off the morning in Co Galway, Alan will continue along the N84 route through the townland of Carrowbrowne and into the north of Galway City. His route will take him around Eyre Square and eastwards along Galway Bay before finishing up south of the Moneyduff area.
Day 22: Alan will follow the coastal route around the eastern edges of Galway county, following the N67 route to the town of Kinvarra before crossing over the Clare border and into the picturesque Burren country where he will finish up a few miles past the town of Ballyvaghan.
Day 23: Alan will continue his journey travelling south through county Clare, past the village of Lisdoonvara before veering out to the coastline and following the R478 route through the fishing villages of Liscannor and Lahinch before finishing up for the evening in the townland of Cullenagh.
Day 24: Alan will start the day running through the heart of county Clare, crossing into the bustling towns of Ennis and Newmarket on Fergus, and past the outskirts of Shannon before finishing for the evening in the beautiful town of Bunratty.
Day 25: Starting in Banratty on his 25th day of running, Alan will follow the N18 route, through Setright’s cross, and crossing the Limerick border at Condrinagh, before continuing into the heart of Limerick City and over the river Shannon. He will then travel south through Dooradale, past Fort Etna and Adare and finish for the evening in Rathkeale.
Day 26: Starting in Rathkeale, Alan will travel south along the N21 route passing through Newcastlewest and Abbeyfeale, before crossing over the Kerry border at Kilkinlea. He’ll finish up for the evening several miles along the route in Ballinahown.
Day 27: Alan will spend the day running through the Kingdom County. Following the N23 into Castleisland and continuing past Kerry airport, close to the shores of Lough Leane and into the heart of Killarney town, Alan will finish for the evening on the banks of Muckross Lake.
Day 28: Alan will begin the morning on the banks of Muckross Lake and journey through the heart of Killarney National Park, following the N71 route southwards through the town of Kenmare before finishing up for the evening at Inisfoyle, just short of the border with Cork.
Day 29: Alan will start the morning crossing over into the Rebel county of Cork and following the winding N71 route as it twists around the hills and through tunnels. Alan will hit the coast at Glengariff and continue around Bantry Bay, following the coastline down to the inlet of Ballydehob where he will finish for the evening.
Day 30: As he hits the 30th day of his marathon challenge, Alan will begin the morning following the N71 route towards Skibbereen, the most southerly town in Ireland. Continuing along the Connaught coast, Alan will pass through the townland of Dungannon before finishing up in the pretty village of Rosscarbery.
Day 31: Starting off in Rosscarbery, Alan will continue to follow the N71 route towards the town of Clonakilty, turning North through Ballinascarthy and continuing into Bandon town. He’ll finish for the evening a few miles north of Innishannon.
Day 32: Alan will spend the morning running towards Cork city, past the airport, crossing the river and going east past Dunkettle. He will continue over Harper’s Island and through the outer Cork suburbs towards Midelton where he will finish up for the evening.
Day 33: From Midleton, Alan will follow the N25 route to Youghal where he will pass through the centre of the town, along the coast at the Youghal Golf Club, across the Youghal bridge and over the county border into Waterford. Continuing through Pilltown, he will veer towards the R673 route and finish for the evening in Ardmore town.
Day 34: Starting out from Ardmore, Alan will continue along the R673 route, through the village of Mweeling where he will join the N25 route, moving eastwards at the town of Pulla and out towards the coast. He’ll continue his journey north, through Dungarvan town and along the R675 route before finishing for the evening in Stradbally.
Day 35: On this final day – you have the chance to join Alan and run the Viking Marathon in Waterford. To Register and see the route details, click on the following links below:
Routes: http://www.waterfordvikingmarathon.com/viking-marathon-routes.html
Registration http://www.waterfordvikingmarathon.com/viking-registration-2012.html