Lough Cutra Castle 2026 Race Report
26.05.26
DAY ONE
MORNING: THE FESTIVAL SPRINTS INTO ACTION
The weekend began as the claxon sounded to start off the amazing athletes in the Sprint Plus triathlon. Their race began as they swam in the stunning private lake. Following that was one of the highlights of the day, the Sprint triathlon. Over 100 athletes took on a 750m swim, 20km cycle and a 5km run.
The excitement didn’t stop there as the duathlon, aquathon and aquabike all set off before 10:30 and the Super and Starter Sprint triathlons were a nice way to end the morning.
SWIMMING INTO THE AFTERNOON
The afternoon saw the Castle Swim Series make its first appearance of the year. Beginning at midday, the 5k swimmers were set off, closely followed by those doing the 2.5k and then finally the 1 mile. All of these participants had to brave the cool but fair temperature of the lake that measured in at 14º.
DAY TWO
ANOTHER SUNDAY MORNING CALL
Early Sunday morning, at 08:00, the sun was ready for our Gauntlet competitors to begin their 1.9km swim. After leaving the lake, still sitting at 14º, they moved on to the 96km cycle and a 21km run all before being able to cross the finish line where they were greeted with tons of fantastic support, but more importantly, well deserved snacks!
A massive congratulations is in order for our first Gauntlet finishers of the season! Another worthy shoutout is also for Castle Race Series’ very own Jimmy Hislop who took a break from photographing people out on the course to go and take it on himself! Don’t worry, his position was covered so you didn’t miss any shots!
A STATE VISIT
Some of our athletes came from down the road, others came from the other side of the Atlantic. This is the case for Megan, Katherine and Caraline who came all the way from the United States of America to join us for the half marathon!
We also had people from across Europe, Argentina and New Zealand!
RUN, RUN, RUN
The marathon opened the 2026 Castle Run Series as the athletes were faced with 42.2km of Lough Cutra’s trails whilst the castle continued to be a stunning backdrop for all our competitors. Later on in the morning, those racing in the Half Marathon and 10k joined the course.
Whilst there’s no doubt everyone takes on the course for their own reason, a stag party may be one of the more unusual ones. A group took to the Half Marathon and 10k courses as part of their celebrations! Congrats from the Castle Race Series team!
AFTERNOON: JUNIORS TAKE OVER
The afternoon was when our fantastic junior triathletes took centre stage! Children aged 9 to 15 went out on the course to see what Lough Cutra had to offer. The 14-15 year olds led the way at 14:00 with 12-13 year olds, 11-12 year olds and 9-10 year olds all out there by 15:30.
A massive congratulations to all our juniors who took part this weekend! We’re really proud of how each and every one of you gave it your all and we hope this is just the start of your triathlon journey!
Alzheimer's Research UK
It was so nice seeing so many racers out on the course supporting and raising money for our charity partner, Alzheimer’s Research UK! Every donation goes a long way to finding a cure!
You can still donate below.
A FEW WORDS FROM BRIAN
Race Director Brian Adcock said::
“A huge thank you to the team behind the scenes, including our marshals, support crew and the Lough Cutra Estate staff. It was great to have so many Triathlon Ireland at the event and we thank William Purcell and his team for their support over the weekend. Lough Cutra Castle also deserves a huge shout for providing such an iconic backdrop for our races!”
JOIN US IN 2027
The spectacular setting of the castle and lake at Lough Cutra Castle provided the perfect backdrop for a superb weekend of racing, coupled with the fabulous weather and festival atmosphere it was a fantastic weekend in Galway. We hope to see you next year on 29th and 30th May 2027!
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