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Killarney runner completes Wild Atlantic way challenge
Killarney runner completes Wild Atlantic way challenge
Killarney endurance runner Seanie Clifford has completed one of the toughest tests ever attempted on Irish soil by running the entire 2,700km length of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Clifford is an ultra-runner, mountain guide and retreat organiser based in Killarney. Through retreats in Ireland and France he combines hiking, running, yoga and healthy food. “The most rewarding feeling is when people leave having stepped outside their comfort zone,” he says.
His Wild Atlantic Way run covered the equivalent of more than 64 marathons back-to-back, cementing his place among Ireland’s top endurance athletes while highlighting the importance of mental health, community and resilience.
Donegal start
He began in Muff, Co. Donegal, on August 7 and arrived in Kinsale, Co. Cork, 30 days later, beating his own self-imposed deadline by hours.
The route included more than 27,000 metres of climbing and an average of 90–100 kilometres per day. Clifford’s final time was 29 days, 15 hours and 5 minutes.
Clifford, known locally as “Seanie Runner”, undertook the challenge to raise awareness of mental health and the benefits of outdoor activity.
Despite meticulous planning, Clifford hit his lowest point in Kerry on day 21 near Cahersiveen. Severe sickness left him barely able to move. His partner Alicia said: “Any normal person would have stopped. But Sean kept going, covering 70km days in that condition.”
Local support proved vital. Members of the Kerry Way Ultra community gave him food, rest and encouragement. In Waterville, a festival organiser offered shelter on one of his darkest nights. These small gestures kept the challenge alive.
Kinsale finish
Recovery brought new tests. Crossing the Conor Pass and into Slea Head, Clifford faced storm-force winds. Fellow runners Ailis Brosnan and Niall Foley joined him for parts of the route. Brosnan called it “a quiet kind of legendary”. Foley, who is filming a documentary of the challenge, described Clifford as “a man possessed”.
By the end of the Kerry stages, Clifford had turned his suffering into momentum, showing how local roads can both break and build endurance athletes.
Clifford crossed the Kinsale finish line with just hours to spare before his 30-day deadline. He had promised to return to Kerry to help at the Kerry Way Ultra race – and two days later he was back, volunteering at the event.
Like polar explorer Tom Crean, Clifford showed that greatness can come from ordinary people prepared to go beyond their limits. “People think it’s about running,” he said. “But really, it’s about people. Kerry showed me that. I was broken here, but I was carried home too.”
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