Western Backyard Ultra 2025

By Shane Begley

The June Bank Holiday weekend is typically a time to rest, but for me and 100+ other athletes it was the ideal time to take on the Western Backyard Ultra.

This event was hosted in the famous Kilcornan Woods, Clarinbridge, and organised by the Galway Trail Runners.

The loop for this ultra marathon event

I was first introduced to the format last summer when I heard about a “last person standing” race. The rules are fairly straightforward:

• Competitors must run a 4.167-mile (6.706 km) loop that begins every hour on the hour.
• Each loop must be completed within the hour to continue.
• The race continues until only one person remains — the Last One Standing.

Preparations started the evening before: setting up the camp, tent, gazebo and — much needed — deck chair. All was in place.

At registration, runners added their names to the "Last One Standing Wall of Fame". When anyone "tapped out", they had to scratch their name off — a final cruel blow later on!

The race briefing from Aidan and Declan of Galway Trail Runners reiterated the rules and reminded us that only one winner would emerge among the 100+ runners. That person would captain the Connacht team at the All Ireland Backyard Ultra. The rest would receive a DNF (Did Not Finish).

This year, any runner who completed 24 loops (160.9344 km or 100 miles) would receive a medal. That was my goal: run 24 loops, get the medal, DNF on loop 25, and go home to bed.

We began at noon. The sun came out after a rocky morning. The first two or three hours went well. I eased into the loops, navigating the 6.7 km which included a mix of trails, a stony “technical” section, grassy hills, and wooded paths.

There was some great banter, especially on the up/down sections where you'd see fellow competitors shouting things like “I’m beating Shane Begley in a race!”

After each loop I had 10–15 minutes to rest, eat, catch up with supporters. Then came the countdown whistles: “Three minutes!”, “Two minutes!”, “One minute!” — and we were off again.

No aid or crew support is permitted once a loop starts, so I'd grab whatever I needed before setting off. The first six or seven loops flew by. A few early showers, but the sun wasn’t far away.

Lap 10 [67k by finish] — Now onto seven loops in the dark. Headtorches on.

Midnight was a major milestone: 12 hours in, halfway there. Many runners tapped out. The start line thinned out visibly through the night.

The night was tough. I had trained on this loop in the dark during the May heatwave, but this night wasn’t as kind. Around 2–3 a.m., the rain returned. Soaked and cold, but handed a slice of beautiful pizza — a small joy in the dark.

I kept going: running, eating, drinking, thinking about changing — but it kept raining. By 4 a.m. the rain was still falling. My left leg was in pain; my knee hurt while walking, less so when running.

Loop 17 [114k] — I was walking and jogging. It wasn’t going well. A quote was stuck in my head:

“The night is darkest just before the dawn.”

I was hitting the wall, hoping to reach the sunrise on lap 18. Finished loop 17 slowly. Took two Nurofen. Had ten minutes to gear up again.

“Fail on the trail, don’t quit in the seat.”

Loop 18 [120.7k] — New tactic: no walking, just run. I aimed to get through six more laps for 100 miles. Then five, then four… and so it went for the next 6–7 hours.

Suddenly we were at Loop 24 [160.94k or 100 miles]. I'd achieved my goal. Only eleven runners remained. Time for a Galway Bay Brewery beer and bed... or so I thought.

Loop 24 was one of my fastest. I thought I was done, so I ran hard. When I finished, I heard: “Congratulations! You look fresh. How many more are you planning on doing?”

“One more loop.”

I knew some were stopping at 24, so I went out for Loop 25 [167.65k]. Only six runners left. By Loop 26, it was down to five. Loop 27 — two dropped out immediately.

That left just me and John Gordon (Mayo AC).

Galway vs Mayo Final

Back into the Athenry singlet — it was a Connacht Final: Galway vs Mayo.

“They’re easy... until they’re not.”

Loop 28 [187.77k] — My knee pain returned. I couldn’t run or walk without agony. I shuffled along, getting support from spectators and crew.

I finished with four minutes to spare, crossing the line holding my kids’ hands. Then the whistle blew: “Three minutes!”, “Two minutes!” — and I knew I couldn’t make another loop in time.

I gave it everything. Mentally I could have kept going, but my legs were done. I had to drop. Mayo won this Connacht Final.

DNF Loop 29 — I ran, walked, and shuffled through 28 loops. Officially: 187 km.

Second Last One Standing. Last Galway Man Standing!

Not too bad for my Backyard Ultra debut!

Thanks to my club for the support. Thanks to all who came out to Kilcornan. Thanks to my home support team. Early loops were helped by my wife and kids; later by my father and brothers. Through the night, other runners and their crews lent a hand. In the morning, my own crew returned to help push me through those last few hours.

See ye at the next race,

Shane