Westport Half-Marathon
Point-by-Point Route Description
The course has been professionally measured
The route starts at Westport Quay beside the pond with beautiful views over Clew Bay and the surrounding area. It finishes at the end of Roman Island, on the fringe of Clew Bay itself. The route will be marked with GREEN KM markers every 5km and directional markers for competitors. There will also be GREEN road paint markers for every km. Busy junctions and other key areas will be marshalled. Water stations will be available at the 5k marker (Belclare Junction), 10k approx (Murrisk Demesne), and again at the 17k mark (Belclare Junction). Toilets and rubbish zones will be placed around the course also. The route is primarily flat, with a total overall elevation of 189m spread over 37% the route. The remaining 63% is flat or slightly downhill. From the Start line competitors run around Westport Quay before turning right at The Towers bar towards the Quay School on the L1801.
Cross the road at The Towers pub and follow the road before turning left at the Quay School/Bus Eireann depot and then turning right onto the Westport Railway walk. This walk is open to the public but will be cleared by bike marshals in front of the runners. A slight drag along parts of the Railway walk, running towards Westport town until a right turn before the low bridge at approx the 2k marker. Turn right after 50m onto the walkway running adjacent to the R335 Louisburgh Road. With great views out to Croagh Patrick, run along the walkway, past the marshalled junction at Ardmore. Be sure to follow the indented path around Aughavale Cemetery, before continuing straight ahead just beyond the 5km marker at the turning point for the 10km event at the marshalled Belclare Junction. There is a narrow section of the route at Gannon’s garage between the 5k and 6k markers. A stop go system will be in place here for traffic and to enable contra flow of runners. Please follow the directional arrows and marshal instructions. The next section of the route is an out-and-back, following the cycleway/Greenway for the next approx 5.5km to the turnaround point at Murrisk Demesne, just beyond the Croagh Patrick car park. This part of the route offers stunning views as you run along the coast road along a new stretch of Greenway, with the islands of Clew Bay to your right, and the imposing Croagh Patrick to your left.
N.B.** The section of the route between Belclare Junction and Murrisk village is the out-and-back section of the course, so please be aware of runners coming towards you. All runners must stick to the LEFT HAND SIDE of the cycle/walking path in both directions when meeting oncoming runners.
Turning back towards Westport from the turnaround point, you follow the same route along the Greenway, remembering to stay to the LEFT HAND SIDE of the path when meeting oncoming runners, before turning left at the marshalled junction (Belclare) just beyond the 17km mark onto the L1801. You are now running slightly downhill back towards Westport Quay. A full road closure is in place along the L1801 from Belclare Junction (17k) to the Ardmore Junction close to the finish line (20k) so please use the width of the road.
Running downhill, you will pass the Bus Eireann/Quay School junction again, keeping to the left hand side of the road, before running back towards the Towers bar. Turn left down the slip road at the Towers, before heading down the last stretch to the finish line at Roman Island.
* Specific location of Start line will be determined during professional course measuring. Otherwise the course is accurate.