In October 2022 I entered my very first adventure race – Quest Killarney. To say I was bricking it was an understatement! But the sense of achievement afterwards was worth everything. 

Here are my top tips for anyone starting out:

1. Use a light bike. A few people advised me to get a racer or hybrid but I borrowed a mountain bike thinking “I’ll be grand”, and my legs were sorry after. A mountain bike is a much heavier bike to cycle and tough on the legs. I was loving the speed of cycling on the open road, so if you’re like me and mad for speed – purchase or borrow a racer.

    

2. Bring fluids with you. Being a runner I’m not used to carrying fluids with me training, as I only run 5-10k runs. Coming in on the last cycle towards the finish line the muscles in my legs started to cramp and I nearly had to give up. So hydration along the way, either at one of the hydration points or on the bike, would have prevented this.

    

3. Enjoy the day. The first 30 minutes I found myself racing in a sense of panic to get it over with, but after the first half an hour I got into the swing of things and had a laugh and a great time. There are some amazing views and experiences to be had on race day. So being present in the moment is definitely a must. I met some amazing people I will never forget.

For anyone new to adventure racing, or has never done one before, I would definitely say DO IT! It’s something you won’t regret, it’s a fun day out for the elite and the novice exerciser. Everyone is helping each other out and there is a great sense of team effort throughout the event. 

5 stars from me.