Adventurous, aspirational and downright amazing. There have been so many incredible achievements by men and women in the Irish outdoor community this year. We put a call out to you, our readers to send us your nominations and you certainly did not disappoint!

If you’re a nominee, consider yourself cordially invited to our annual awards ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 21 February 2023 in the Sugar Club, Dublin. We are thrilled skinny to announce that our fab sponsors are on board to help us celebrate all that is great and good about the Irish adventure scene, so it’s guaranteed to be a good party.

Our hugely generous title sponsor for the Outsider Awards 2023 is Sport Ireland, our other supporting sponsors are Craghoppers, Leave No Trace, Salewa, Vagabond Tours, Sustainable Travel Ireland and Nuasan.

For everyone else, a limited number of tickets are on sale through the link below. Subscribe to our email newsletter on our homepage to hear more about the Outsider Awards 2023.

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The Outsider Audience Choice Award is a public vote category. That’s right you have the difficult task of choosing the winner in this amazing category! Good luck!

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Ian O’Brien, climber

Inspirational Ian O’Brien (43) responded to his Parkinson’s diagnosis with an astounding feat of physical strength, endurance, and tenacity – he scaled 28 of Europe’s highest peaks in 28 days, raising over €90k for charity.

When Waterford-resident Ian went to see his friend Brian Roche – who works as a physical therapist – shortly after being told he had Early Onset Parkinson’s disease (EOTD), Brian’s reaction was not what he expected. “We’re going to climb Carrauntoohil together next week,” his friend told him.

Ian had always enjoyed the outdoors and kept himself fit but in the years leading up to his diagnosis he’d lost a lot of weight,

experienced regular bouts of fatigue and suffered from anxiety and depression. “Climbing Ireland’s highest mountain was certainly not on my bucket list,” he says, but he went along with Brian and to his surprise, he enjoyed the experience a lot.

It also awakened a desire in him to fight back against his condition. “I thought: ‘If I can get on top of Ireland’s highest mountain, I can get on top of my diagnosis and change people’s perception that it’s an old person’s disease,” he says.

Ian decided to scale the highest peak in all 27 EU countries and the UK in 28 days, starting in France with Mont Blanc, and finishing at Carrauntoohil in Kerry to highlight the importance of exercise for those affected with the disease. While doing so he would raise money for a charity, EOPD Ireland, which he’d co-founded to support people diagnosed with the condition; his current total is over €90k.

What has the experience taught him? “Don’t wait until something negative happens in your life before you decide to start living more. Do something big, go on an adventure, or tell someone about the crazy idea you have. And don’t forget to involve family and friends. People love to help, and they will want you to succeed even more than you do.”

Iain Ward, runner, and cyclist

Indomitable Iain Ward (34) continued his quest to “stick two fingers up to cancer” this year by cycling across America, while raising huge sums for charity.

When Iain, aka The King of Chemo, from Dublin, was told he had terminal brain cancer in 2020, he wasn’t interested in having a “pity party”, as he called it when speaking to CNN in April. “Instead, I saw an opportunity and felt duty-bound to go for it,” he says.

The passionate runner and weightlifter decided to try and make as much money for charity as he could, through a series of gruelling but headline-grabbing endurance feats, including running the fastest marathon time dressed as a video game character, raising the most money for a marathon by a single individual, cycling 3,400 miles from New York to LA and running or cycling 52 km in every county in Ireland.

In 2024, he plans to run seven marathons in seven days in each of the seven continents of the world.

Aside from the scale and the sheer number of his endeavours, what makes Iain’s approach to fundraising unique is that he doesn’t ask people to donate directly, instead he encourages them to watch, like and share his posts on TikTok and Instagram, so that he can then pull in advertising money which he then gives to charity.

Throughout it all you get the sense that Iain really enjoys taking on these challenges and pushing himself to the limit. “Every time you’re thinking: ‘This is stupid, why am I doing this unpleasant sh**?’” You need to think of how much you’d miss it if you couldn’t do it,” he says. “You don’t HAVE to do things, you GET to do them.”

Sean Tobin, runner

Adventurous runner and seasoned athlete, Sean Tobin (29), known for his prowess on both track and road, recently embraced a unique challenge—the Antarctic Marathon. Having battled a persistent hamstring issue over the past two years, Tobin, who is from Tipperary, saw this frigid endeavour as a chance to ease back into competitive running under the guidance of Richard Donovan, the Race Director. Despite the apparent departure from high-stakes races, the Antarctic Marathon proved to be a more formidable challenge than anticipated.

In terms of preparation, Sean opted for a more holistic approach to rebuild his fitness post-injury. Cautious not to aggravate his hamstring, he refrained from intense, race-specific training. Uniquely, preparing for an Antarctic marathon involves unpredictable conditions, making it impossible to plan for every scenario. Sean leaned on Donovan’s advice for the race, especially regarding heat management. Striking a delicate balance between avoiding sweating, which could lead to freezing, and preventing overexposure, he layered up with four lightweight layers, arm sleeves, half tights, and running pants—a combination that proved to be nearly perfect in the extreme conditions.

Navigating the Antarctic’s challenging terrain led Sean through emotional turbulence, triggering memories and reflections on lost loved ones, such as his brother in 2019 and his mother battling Parkinson’s. Yet, fueled by these emotions, Sean found the strength to persevere, crossing the finish line with a rush of overwhelming emotions in a record time of 2:53.33.

Looking ahead, Sean Tobin says he would be keen on tackling similar adventurous races in the future. The North Pole Marathon, which is rumoured to be even more arduous, is firmly on Sean’s radar for the future.

Paul Tierney, adventure racer

Paul Tierney, a 44-year-old endurance athlete and father from Ballina County Tipperary, undertook an extraordinary summer challenge. Paul cycled between and climbed the 23 highest peaks in Ireland, he accomplished this feat entirely self-supported. Without the aid of a support vehicle, he carried all necessary supplies on his bike including a tent, all his clothes and his food. He covered an astonishing 1,200km on his bike and 180km of running on the tallest peaks in Ireland.

Battling severe weather conditions, including the challenges posed by Storm Francis, Paul successfully reached his finish line in Blue Ball, where he had started, on August 18, completing the entire journey in just 11 days.

Paul was deeply affected by the tragic murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old woman from Tullamore. Aisling was the niece of a very close friend of Paul’s. Motivated by a desire to bring the smallest amount of happiness to Ashling’s family, Paul embarked on this challenging endeavour. Throughout the journey, he raised surpassed his fundraising target of €23,000 and totalled a staggering €28,000 for the Aisling Murphy Memorial Fund.

Damien Wildes, swimmer

Damien Wildes (35) achieved an astonishing feat of swimming endurance this year when he swam 1 km in every Irish county over the course of a weekend.

Damien – from Glasnamullen in County Wicklow – was looking for a swim-related mission for 2023. He’d seen other people take on running 32 marathons in 32 days and wondered what the swimming equivalent would be.

“I spent a lot of time looking at maps and nautical charts identifying possible routes to swim or paddle and quickly realised with reasonably sized water bodies in every county of the country it could be possible to swim in each one,” he says. “However, it only really became a challenge when we put a time frame against it. As far as I know, no one had done it before.”

Damien thrived on swimming in so many scenic and iconic locations around the country. “Lough Derg was a real high point, a stunning evening in super glassy, clear waters and the coastal swims in Cork, Waterford and Wexford were amazing,” he says. “Being an island nation, we are super lucky to be surrounded by water, and there are endless opportunities for people to explore.”

And while it was tough at times, he believes it’s far easier to suffer through something you’re passionate about than to take on something you have no interest in. “You don’t necessarily need to cross a finish line or get a medal to feel like you have achieved something, so think outside the box and identify goals you are passionate about,” he says.

Dave Berry, swimmer

Dave Berry, a 49-year-old Dubliner and father of two, embraces challenges with unwavering determination. Despite only taking up marathon swimming two years ago, Berry has become the only man to conquer three prestigious swimming triple crowns. These include the Irish Triple Crown (21 km Fastnet Swim, 13 km Galway Bay Swim, and 35 km North Channel Swim), the Original Triple Crown (33.5 km English Channel, 35 km North Channel, and 27 km Bristol Channel in the UK), and the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (33.5 km English Channel, 32.3 km Catalina Channel, and 45.9 km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim). Berry has completed a whopping 18 marathon swims to date.

Remarkably, this athletic journey only began when Berry turned 40 and decided to prioritize fitness to ward off the “dad’s belly.” COVID-induced restrictions led him from basic gym routines and the odd pool session to open water sea swimming, and in 2021, he set a goal to swim a million meters in Irish open waters, equivalent to 19 km per week.

Berry says his career in marathon swimming happened purely by chance. Somebody told him it would take years to complete a Triple Crown – he completed seven marathon swims that year.

Despite facing challenges, such as being pulled from the North Channel 4km short of the 38km mark, Berry’s unwillingness to give up led him to return and finish the swim later that summer; “Somebody told me that failure only occurs when one walks away or refuses to try again,” says Berry.

“After 12 hours and 30 minutes, I swam into Portpatrick Harbour in Scotland. At the end of the swim, I felt I had loads left in the tank. I wasn’t cold and felt good. To me, that is the sign of a stress- free swim, but it was a rough night of twitches with the jellyfish stings.”

Berry’s enduring spirit, exemplified by previous failure and horrendous jellyfish stings, paints a portrait of a marathon swimmer who thrives on challenges and triumphs against the odds.

Patrick Curley, mountain runner

Patrick Curley (40) pulled off a serious feat this year when he broke the County High Points record, running up all 26 peaks in the country, in a time that was seven hours faster than the existing record, which had stood since 2017.

Patrick – from Gorey in County Wexford – has a huge passion for running in general, but there’s something about running in the mountains, he says, that takes it to a whole new level.

In 2022, he’d been looking on the FKT (Fastest Known Time) website, when he came across the 4 peaks record, which is the fastest time possible to climb the 4 highest peaks in the 4 provinces. He broke the existing record and decided he’d like to give the 26 peaks record a go.

Patrick lives at the base of Croghan mountain, which is 606m, with 10k of running, and for his training he set himself the challenge of running it consecutively for 50 days straight, while also scouting some of the other 26 peaks. “Some mornings at 12am I would run my normal route on Croghan, then drive to recce for example the peaks of Tipperary, Clare, Galway, Sligo Leitrim, Roscommon…” he says, “But I also needed to be back home before midnight to run Croghan again.”

Such dedication to training paid off, despite his legs almost giving way on Carrauntoohil, only his fourth mountain in the series, and usually one of his favourites to climb. But he kept his belief, trusted his process, and pushed on. “Once you have belief in yourself then absolutely anything is possible,” he says.

Joe Barr, Ultra Cycling

At 64 years of age, ultra-cyclist Joe Barr from Co Donegal, is showing no sign of slowing down. He has just been crowned Ultra-Cycling World Cup Champion 2023 despite shattering his pelvis in eight places just 10 weeks before his final event.

“I chose not to believe that this was a season- or career-ending injury,” explains Barr. ”I crashed in the US and was bombarded with the need for surgery but I knew intuitively that this may not be the case. I trusted myself. I was lucky in that, while my pelvis was broken in 8 places, it was not displaced. Surgery wouldn’t have aligned it any better so time was to be my healer. I started to plan my final race of the season as soon as I could sit on a saddle.”

Becoming the Ultra Cycling World Champion is no easy feat. It is a season-long competition where ultra-cyclists compete over four events, two of which are timed and two of which are distance. The two timed events are 12 and 24 hours and the aim is to cycle as far as you possibly can during those timeframes.

Barr took up endurance cycling at the age of 49 when his 6-month old baby, Ross, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. Thankfully Ross beat the odds and Joe has been cycling ever since to raise money for children’s cancer.

Over the course of his 15-year career Barr has won the Race Around Ireland twice, become the 500-mile World Champion, completed the Race Across America twice, published an autobiography, become a Guinness World Record holder for cycling the entire Wild Atlantic Way without stopping and is of course a current Ultra Cycling World Cup champion.

Barr shows no signs of collecting his bus pass anytime soon, “One last milestone for me is to become the first 60+ cyclist to go through 500-miles in 24 hours. 2024 seems like a good year to do that,” says Barr.

Liam Cox, runner

In 2023 Liam Cox (29) achieved the mighty impressive feat of running the length of Ireland’s coastline, raising heaps of money for a suicide prevention charity in the process.

When Liam – from Carrick on Shannon in County Leitrim – had some paid leave to use up he knew he didn’t want to spend that time just sitting around on a beach. “It had to be some kind of adventure,” he says.

In 2020, he had raised an amazing €35,000 for North West Stop by running 12 marathons in 12 days. “I knew I wanted to raise money for them again as I believe they are such an important charity in the North West region,” he says. So, he decided to run the “Lap of the map” – around the circumference of Ireland.

The running was tough, he’d average seven hours on his feet each day and faced a wide range of weather during his 43 days, from heatwaves to storms. “When I was in Kerry, I ran up the Conor Pass during Storm Agnes, so that was definitely memorable!” he says.

But he loved the experience – the stunning scenery and the people he met along the way. “I had strangers welcome me into their home and got to stay in friends’ houses who I hadn’t seen in years,” he says. “I also heard a lot of stories from people about their experiences of mental health challenges and losing loved ones from suicide, which was very sad but gave me great motivation to keep going to raise as much money as possible for an amazing charity.”

Gearoid McDaid, surfer

Gearoid McDaid (27) has long blazed a trail in Irish surfing – he won his sixth national title in September – but this year, he took things up a notch on the international circuit by bagging a silver at the European Surfing Federation Championships (Eurosurf) in Portugal.

The super-talented surfer – from Strandhill in Sligo – has been riding waves since he was 10. “My dad got me into it, and it took over my life,” he says. Gearoid enjoys competing for the progression it brings to his surfing. “Whether you win or lose, you’re always learning something new about how to better yourself competitively.”

He finds losing the hardest part about contest surfing but admits you have to get used to that as you invariably end up losing more contests than you win.

One way to handle that, he says, is by keeping the fun and breezy side of the sport alive. “It can be easy to get too locked down with the competitive side of things and lose the fun,” he says, “but when you go back and remember it’s all just a lot of fun, it helps bring out your competitive side too.”

Whether he’s being towed into big waves at Mullaghmore, charging the Peak at Bundoran in between contest heats or travelling to warm water waves in Indonesia to film video parts, a quick look at his Instagram feed shows he has the fun part of the sport very much dialled. So, his strong showing in recent contests comes as no surprise.

Luke Weldon, trail runner

Luke Weldon (19) put in a storming performance that belied his young age at the popular EcoTrail Wicklow this year, topping the podium in the 30k race.

Luke – a local lad from Kilmacanogue in County Wicklow himself – was originally a rock climber on the Irish youth development team when Covid struck. He started to run on the roads to gain fitness for climbing but when a hand injury forced him out of the sport, his neighbour suggested he join her on a trail running race run at Little Sugarloaf, a local mountain nearby. “After that race I felt I had found my new passion and decided to see where I could go with it,” he says.

The forecast for this year’s EcoTrail was rain and wind, Luke’s favourite conditions to run in, though he wondered how it would be to run on his local trails as he knew them so well. “I live in Kilmac and I have always known the climb from Kilmac to the shoulder of Big Sugarloaf is very mentally tough,” he says. “The field was very competitive and being the youngest competitor gave me a real buzz. Coming down the final straight off Bray Head and into the Prom with family and friends cheering me on shouting at me that I was coming in first was an amazing experience.”

Next year, Luke plans to race in Europe more and push himself against the best athletes in his age group, targeting the European Trails in April and Youth Skyrunning World Championships in June.

Oisin O’Callaghan, mountain biker

Oisin O’Callaghan (20) wrote himself into the history books this year – when he secured the first ever Irish elite World Cup Downhill mountain bike win, at Snowshoe in West Virginia, USA.

Oisin – who is from County Limerick – first got into mountain biking in his local woods, in the Ballyhoura Mountains. He was a strong racer in his teens, and former Junior World Champion, but this was his first win at senior level, in just his second season on the circuit. A victory that was made all the sweeter by the fact his compatriot Ronan Dunne came in second.

“First time ever. Doing it for the boys at home,” he told Eurosport after the race. Oisin and Ronan “train together, ride together and party together”, he told Pink Bike, and said he was made up to be inspiring young mountain bikers back home.

What does Oisin love best about racing? “The way you forget about everything when you’re focused and in the zone,” he says. “It’s like everything is quiet around you. When you get to the bottom of a good race run sometimes you can’t even remember the ride down.”

There are of course some lows in the sport, injuries for one, which are quite common in downhill racing but for Oisin that isn’t something he worries too much about, he just tries to focus on enjoying the sport. “If you’re not having fun you’re not going to be happy and get better,” he says.

Ronan Dunne, mountain biker

Ronan Dunne (21) solidified his place at the top of World Cup Downhill racing this year coming 2nd at Snowshoe in West Virginia, USA.

Ronan – who is from Wicklow – found a sport of mountain biking by chance one day when a friend brought him out mountain biking in the Wicklow Mountains. Ronan had a passion for Moto Trials prior to being bitten by the mountain biking bug so it’s no surprise that he quickly progressed in the sport of downhill mountain biking. This year he broke onto the elite stage when he came second as a World Cup downhill mountain bike race in the US. In this race, he came 2nd to his teammate and Irish mountain biking training partner Oisín O’Callaghan.

When we asked him what he enjoys about downhill mountain biking he told us, “it has to be the pure adrenaline, the feeling when you’re just on the limit, the verge of crashing yet holding on and when it comes down to a race run it’s just you and your bike, nothing else like it.” This passion and adrenaline-fuelled performance is obvious if you have ever watched Ronan race. He has a bold style which leaves even experienced mountain bikers in awe. However Ronan doesn’t fear crashing, “I’ve never been scared of crashing. I’m more scared of failure and I usually get myself into the mindset that failure isn’t an option”

This was Ronan’s second podium at a World Cup downhill race and the feeling was one of “just pure happiness” he told us, it was also “also a massive weight of my shoulders.”

I love every venue, and just can’t wait to get on that start line , also I’ll be riding for a new team this year and I’m super excited to get racing with them and to deliver some results!”

Ruby Knox, surfer

Longboard surfer Ruby Knox (25) had a stellar 2023, making the Irish surf team for the first time and placing fifth in the European Surfing Federation Championships (Eurosurf) in Portugal.

Ruby hails from The Maharees on the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry, or as she describes it as “probably the best place in Ireland for longboarding”. Her earliest memory is of riding on the nose of her dad’s longboard. “My family are water people,” she says. “Everything revolves around what the ocean is doing.”

She did a bit of surfing as a child and teen but also spent a lot of time being scared of big waves. It wasn’t until she was 17 that she started getting back into it and she only began competing two years ago.

Does she find it difficult competing against surfers who’ve grown up surfing in warm water waves? “Definitely. When you surf in cold water it takes time to get used to the cold winters, and our lineups have traditionally been more male which makes it more intimidating. Whereas there have been a lot more women surfing for longer in warm water, inspiring generations of girls.”

But she believes the more Irish surfers show up at these events, the more level the playing field will become, and she wouldn’t change where she’s from for the world. “Having the support of Irish surfers behind me gave me a lot of confidence and made me see my potential to do even better,” she says.

Aichlinn O’Reilly, Ironman triathlete

The triathlete Aichlinn O’Reilly (28) had an awesome year of racing – breaking the Irish record in the Ironman distance in Western Australia – and becoming the first person in the country to go under the notorious eight-hour barrier.

Aichlinn – who is from Westport in County Mayo – was originally a club swimmer but, at his coach’s suggestion, he competed in his first triathlon when he was 15. “I absolutely loved it,” he says, and shortly after he became a member of the Triathlon Ireland High Performance Program. He raced his first Half Ironman in 2017, and then after he finished his studies, his first full Ironman in 2022 in Killarney at The Hardman Triathlon, which he describes as a stunning race.

This year’s Ironman Western Australia in Busselton, where he broke the Irish record running 7:59:37, was his first race as a professional over the full Ironman distance, which involves a 3.9km swim, a 180.2km bike leg and a marathon run. Aichlinn says he loves everything about racing that distance. From the training and tactical approach in the race to the camaraderie amongst the competitors.

He had been chasing the Irish record with a singular focus for a very long time, despite having no professional support or sponsors. “It’s the first time I have ever based my entire year around one race and it was nice to see it pay dividends,” he says. “It was also proof for myself that I do belong on the international stage, and that I can be competitive against world class opposition. It gives me a lot more confidence for the future.”

Ellie Berry, hiker

Ellie Berry (29) wowed the outdoors community this year when she set a new speed record for climbing every mountain in Ireland.

Ellie, who is from Tipperary and now lives in Roscommon, spent her summer solo-climbing all 275 mountains on the Vandeleur-Lynams list. That is mountains measuring 600m+, with a prominence of 15m. She chronicled her amazing adventures on Tough Soles, a YouTube channel and blog she runs with her partner Carl Lange.

It was Carl who had suggested the target to Ellie in the first place. “I have a really deep love for the outdoors and mountains,” she says. “When Carl learnt about this challenge, he thought it was perfect for me though it took him a while to convince me to do it!”

Ellie completed the feat in 50 days, 5 hours 45 minutes, beating the previous record by almost six days. The part she loved the most? Spending all that time outside. “This project brought me to corners of the island I would otherwise never have explored and showed me just how incredibly beautiful Ireland’s wild places are.”

Inevitably, there were some tough moments along the way, especially as the exhaustion took hold on the Dingle Peninsula, and the unrelenting weather wore her down, but she dug deep and kept going to the end.

What did she learn from the experience? “It feels so cliche, but to embrace the fear. Let yourself feel the big emotions or doubt, and then focus on the next step. It’s all about one foot in front of the next, until you get to that final peak.”

Jennifer Greenlees, stand-up paddle boarder

Long-distance stand up paddle master Jennifer Greenlees (50) continued to propel herself around the coast of Ireland this year.

Originally from Belfast, and currently living in Portrush, Jennifer first came across stand up paddling in America in 2007. Yet back then in Northern Ireland the sport was still rare, and it was highly unusual to see people paddling out at sea, aside from Al Mennie, a famous big wave surfer who paddled 25 miles to Scotland as a fundraiser.

Jennifer was impressed with Al’s feat and wanted to try a paddle challenge of her own but being out in the ocean felt way out of her comfort zone. “I feel safer hugging the coast,” she says. So, she decided to paddle 75 miles from Portballintrae to Bangor in three days, the longest distance paddled in Ireland at the time, to raise funds for her cousin’s cancer treatment.

“I’d only ever paddled 10 miles in one day, but I was determined to give it a go,” she says. The wonderful sense of achievement she got inspired her to take on longer challenges including paddling the 100 miles from Bangor to Dublin. And now having paddled the whole way around Northern Ireland she’s decided to keep going around the rest of the island to raise money for the RNLI. She is currently as far as West Cork

Jennifer has battled nerves, gnarly currents, thick fog, and even had her rescue boat and camera equipment destroyed when the vessel hit rocks. “Expect the unexpected,” she says. “You almost need a backup plan for every backup plan!” But she has loved the experience and raised significant money for charity in the process.

Lianne van Dijk, ultra runner

Lianne van Dijk (32) took the ultra-running community by storm this year – winning both the Beara Way Ultra and the Wicklow Way race – while beaming a big smile throughout.

During the Beara Way Ultra, at the darkest point of the night, Lianne, who was born in the Netherlands but is now based in Kerry, remembers standing in the middle of a bog, shining around with her head torch and not being able to spot any trails or markers.

“I knew I’d been in that exact same spot before so I should know where to go, but when your body and mind are tired you really need to force yourself to stay focused and positive. Luckily there were no escape routes or roads nearby, so I had no choice but to keep going,” she says. “Things rarely go according to plan. I think an adventure, or a challenge can only be a success when you learn to work with that instead of against it.”

It’s that flexible and positive mindset which powered Lianne to win these two major ultras this year and helps explain why she’s such a popular running coach. It also helped her overcome the unthinkable when she was attacked during a race abroad, which left her scared to run at night. Instead of hiding away from the problem, she leaned into it and deliberately took on the Wicklow Way Race, which starts at 9pm, as her final race of the season.

“Women in particular are often told to avoid risks, but I think taking the right risks is what it’s all about. It makes life that much more meaningful,” she says.

Claire Ryan, ice freediver

Claire Ryan (44) was already an accomplished freediver – but this year she took it to the next level by completing a jaw-dropping 60m dive under ice.

Yes, you read that right. Claire, who is from County Kildare, though has spent most of her life in Dublin, first got the idea for the challenge when a video of world record holder Johanna Norblad’s under ice freedive popped up on her social media.

“The video ignited a fire of curiosity in me,” she says. “As an ice swimmer I had lots of cold water experience but didn’t know how to freedive under ice. I wondered if I could learn?”

She went on to do just that, thoroughly enjoying the process and finding out about the evolutionary science behind our ability to hold our breath. “The body’s capacity to breath hold, even with no apparent value in our day-to-day lives, is truly amazing,” she says.

Claire enlisted a coach, Alice Hickson, who encouraged her to focus on improving her stroke efficiency rather than just her breath holding skills. She found the 60m challenge itself exhilarating. “The excitement of the task mixed with the endorphin rush from the exposure to the cold water was a heady mixture and I imagine I will be chasing that feeling in the future,” she says.

The only low moments in the whole experience came once the challenge was done. “I was happiest with a goal on the horizon and was a little rudderless after I succeeded in my 60m freedive,” she says, though she’s solved that problem with the adoption of new goals and hopes to complete an 80m dive very soon.

Pam Lee, transatlantic sailor

Pam Lee (35) wowed the nation and inspired female sailors from all around the world when she became the first Irish woman to skipper a boat at the iconic Transat Jacque Vabre race this year.

Pam – from Greystones, County Wicklow – has always had a passion for the ocean. “There’s something about its wildness and its vastness,” she says. As soon as she realised that being a professional offshore sailor was a job that people actually did, she pursued that goal with all her might.

In 2019, she successfully set the World Record for the fastest sailing around Ireland. “I noticed that some women and girls were inspired – so I wanted to continue to take on extraordinary sailing challenges, both for myself as a passion and a career, but also to show what women in extreme sports could do, to inspire others to shoot for ‘crazy’ goals.”

Pam has completed numerous transatlantic crossings over the years, but 2023’s Transat Jacques Vabre was her hardest challenge yet – it’s sailed double-handed, with only two crew.

During the race, a number of their sails exploded, including their number one sail for the entire Atlantic traverse. But Pam worked hard to keep a positive mindset and loved the whole experience, from reading the weather and being in nature, to making decisions and living moment to moment.

“I learnt so much from this challenge. Of course, in the technical sense of sailing experience, but also in lessons that I can apply to my own life in many ways,” she says. “Outdoor activities and sport, and challenges no matter how big or small, can teach us about ourselves and enrich our lives. So, get out there!”

Eve McMahon, sailor

Eve McMahon (19) has had an epic year – winning the U21 World Championship title in her ILCA6 (women’s single dinghy) class in Morocco last October – and just this month securing a spot at the Paris 2024 Games, becoming the youngest ever Irish sailor to qualify for an Olympics.

Eve – from Howth in County Dublin – started sailing at Howth Yacht Club when she was seven years old, following in the footsteps of her older brothers. She began doing summer courses but before long was entering – and performing incredibly well at – international events.

What does she love about the sport? “I love that sailing has ever-changing conditions, no two races are the same, so it requires a lot of skill and attention,” she says. “The freedom that sailing brings is magical, being on the water and around nature in the fresh air every day is truly breathtaking and something that I will never take for granted. I have also loved being able to travel the world while pursuing an Olympic campaign.”

When she became U21 World Champion in Morocco, it was a thrill to see all her hard work and many training hours pay off. “I could sail freely, with no pressure, knowing that I would get a result that I would deserve for all the training and preparation that I put into the event,” she says.

Her advice for young people wanting to take on a big challenge, sporting or otherwise in 2024? “If you put in the work, then dreams do come true.”

Rachel Nolan, adventure racer

Rachel Nolan (38) did the country proud this year – when it comes to off-road navigation-based racing – placing fifth in the Adventure Racing World Champs in South Africa after five days of gruelling competition.

Rachel – from Ballina in County Mayo – was racing with a team of four (two from France, and one from South Africa) in the event, which attracted 109 teams from 38 different countries.

The race involves disciplines of mountain biking, trail running, trekking, abseiling, canyoning, and kayaking, all with no GPS, watch, phone, or connection to the outside world. “The conditions are extreme,” says Rachel, “this year’s route took us to the most remote and rugged locations with teams suffering with everything from heat stroke to hypothermia, but the clock does not stop.”

“There will always be highs and lows. However, with experience, we all know that nothing lasts forever and if one teammate is having a low, we help them, take their pack, pull them with a rope, feed them, let them sleep on the back of the kayak or whatever is needed to keep the team moving forward,” she says. On the flip side, if someone is feeling extra strong, they can take a little more of the pressure to even out the team efforts, says Rachel.

Although this was their first race together, Rachel says the team’s dynamic and goals fused perfectly, and they kept their cool, even when a navigation error led to a four-hour detour on the bike! Her advice for others wanting to challenge themselves? “Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable, it’s where the magic starts!”

Eamonn Keaveney, endurance unicyclist

Eamonn Keaveney (31) aced one of the most original and impressive feats of endurance the country has ever seen this year – when he rode the length of Ireland on a unicycle in just six days.

Eamonn – who hails from Claremorris in County Mayo – has been raising money for suicide prevention charities since 2016, when he walked around Ireland barefoot and earnt a World Record in the process. He followed that up in 2018 by climbing 10 Irish mountains, also barefoot.

Then a year later, while bartending at Warde’s in Claremorris, one of his customers asked him, what was next? For a laugh, they looked up unusual journeys on the Guinness World Records website. “We came across the ‘fastest time to unicycle across Ireland record’, and for some reason I thought, ‘hey, I could do that!’,” says Eamonn, even though he’d never even seen a unicycle in real life at that point.

But he soon learnt how and bought himself a huge unicycle. Covid and an injury delayed the challenge but in 2023 he told himself it was this year or never. His record-breaking ride from Mizen to Malin Head raised almost €6,000 for Simon Communities, who work with those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

His advice for anyone wanting to take on a life challenge? “Don’t give too much weight to the voice in your head that says you can’t do something. I’ve had people tell me they could never do what I did – but that’s not true. I think it’s very important not to put yourself in a box and put limits on what you can do before you’ve even tried.”

Nikki Bradley, runner

Nikki Bradley (37) inspired the whole country this year when she returned to running following a leg amputation to take part in the VHI Mini Marathon.

Nikki – who is from Donegal – was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer aged 16. She’s since received two hip replacements and in 2022 underwent rotationplasty surgery, which saw her thigh removed and her knee, shin, and foot rotated and then reattached where her hip was.

She’s been using crutches since 2012 and now also wears a prosthetic, yet Nikki has never let that stop her from heading out on adventures and pushing herself to the max. She’s climbed glaciers in Iceland, abseiled off Fanad Lighthouse in Donegal and finished the iconic and gruelling 24km Fan Dance in the Brecon Beacons in Wales.

In 2023, she was approached by VHI to be an ambassador for their 10km Women’s Mini Marathon. “It was a great opportunity to restart my training after my amputation, so it was an easy yes,” says Nikki.

She found the training enjoyable but says the atmosphere on race day was by far the biggest highlight. “The route passed St. Vincent’s Hospital and my mum, sister and I took a moment to stop outside to reflect on the fact I was passing the hospital during this hugely positive event rather than going in for treatment,” she says.

Her advice for others wanting to challenge themselves? “Don’t overthink it, just sign up. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Keith Russell, ultra runner

Keith Russell (40) achieved a national first this year, when he became the first Irish person to compete in the iconic and highly technical Big Dogs Backyard World Championship ultra race in America.

Keith – from Navan in County Meath – did his first backyard ultra in 2021, setting a new national record in the process. Unlike a regular ultra, which is defined as a race of marathon distance or longer, in a backyard ultra, competitors must consecutively run the distance of 6.706 km in less than an hour, vying to be the last runner standing.

“It’s not for the faint-hearted,” says Keith. “It will ask you questions you never even dreamed of and push your boundaries further than you could ever imagine.” He tapped out after 74 hours of running and sleep deprivation. “It was a tough moment for me as I knew I wasn’t going to make the start line for the next lap,” he says. “But I also knew my body was done, I couldn’t have done anymore.”

Just getting to race at Big Dogs was a huge goal for Keith and he loved the experience and friendly support system that exists around the event. “You meet so many people, runners, and crew,” he says. “A girl from Michigan called Annabelle contacted me to see if I needed someone to crew for me. We struck up a great friendship and had great laughs. We will definitely aim to be back there in 2025.”

Ricki Wynne

Ricki Wynne, a 40-year-old mountain ultra runner hailing from Leitrim, secured a spot on the Irish senior mountain running team for the World Mountain Running Championships 2023 in Innsbruck. Chronicling his running journey on Instagram, Ricki serves as an inspiration to individuals of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging them to persevere and pursue their dreams.

Through regular updates on his Instagram page, Ricki candidly shares the challenges and triumphs of balancing a manual labour job with high-level training. Renowned for his “Keep Showing Up” mantra, Ricki’s motivational words resonate with his followers whenever doubt creeps in.

In an outstanding mountain running season, Ricki emerged as the top-performing Irishman at both the World Mountain Running Championships and the CCC 100km race in Chamonix.

Ricki is a relative newcomer to the sport, he ventured into ultra-distance racing in 2017 with the Portumna 50k, completing it in a commendable time of 4 hours and 5 minutes. Hooked on the sport, he returned the following year, surpassing his previous time by over 20 minutes, marking the beginning of a consistent upward trajectory in his performance.

In a remarkable achievement in 2022, Ricki shattered the world record for the most vertical distance climbed and descended on foot in 24 hours. Running up and down Croagh Patrick 15 times within the given timeframe, he conquered a total ascent and descent of 12,000 meters, raising an impressive €37,000 for the Irish Motor Neuron Disease Association.

For more details about this record-breaking challenge, you can visit: https://outsider.ie/challenges/hero-of-the-week-ricki-wynne-world-record-run/

Collette O’Hagan, runner

This year, Collette O’Hagan – a truly inspirational 74-year-old – completed her 900th marathon – an amazing achievement. She is also a big advocate of fostering and has fostered over 80 children in the course of her life.

Collette – from Dundalk in County Louth – started running marathons in the 1990s, when Ireland only held two marathons a year, in Dublin and Belfast. She’d been ill for a while and her husband took her out running as part of her recovery. She started with a women’s mini marathon, then the Dublin City Marathon and since then she’s never looked back.

More recently, she started running multiple marathons each year having met members of the 100 marathon club. “I was infected by their enthusiasm and so began a journey which was to take me to many countries, running the six majors (Tokyo, New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin and London) and several 24 hr events, including one in Belfast, where I won gold in my age category,” she says.

She has also fostered children throughout her life, inspired by a childhood of looking after her siblings, while her parents worked on a farm. “The idea to foster children came quite easily to me,” says Collette, who also worked in Romanian orphanages in the early 1990s. “When you foster, that child becomes part of your family until they can return to their family. Every child deserves a chance in life but not every child gets the chance.” She believes running helps her immensely in this role as it frees her mind.

Paddy Conaghan, swimmer

Paddy Conaghan (82) swam in every port and beach along Ireland’s coast this year, raising over €100,000 in an act of extraordinary endurance that warms the heart.

From the age of 17 to 80, that is almost his entire adult life, Paddy – from Arranmore Island in County Donegal – didn’t swim at all. But in 2020, his friend set up a free counselling charity in Dungloe, called Gemma’s Legacy of Hope, and Paddy wanted to help raise some funds for them.

He decided to swim around Donegal and started going down to the local beach every day. “It didn’t take me long to get back into the swing of things,” says Paddy, “So instead of going around Donegal, I decided to do the whole of Ireland.” He raised over €100,000 and last winter he chose to take on the whole endeavour, known as the “Ducking and Diving charity challenge”, again, raising a similar amount for a clutch of charities in each province.

“I loved the training, travelling around the coast with the most breathtaking scenery, and meeting the most amazing people,” he says. Paddy was also blown away by people’s generosity. Many gave him food and hospitality, while others took time out of their day to show him around the beaches. When his van broke down, one couple even lent him theirs. “There was good in every day, and I would finish my day off with a wee whiskey or a pint in the local pub,” he says. “We only have one shot at life, so it is up to us to enjoy it and make the most of it.”

Jennifer Doherty, climber

Jennifer Doherty (37) inspired the country with her outstanding climbing achievements this year – becoming the first blind person to conquer Ireland’s seven biggest mountains.

Jennifer – from Buncrana in County Donegal – has been blind since birth. She always loved nature and the outdoors but hadn’t done much hiking, when the mountaineer Jason Black, who is also from Donegal, got in touch to see if she fancied joining a trip to Everest Base Camp in Nepal in 2022.

“The trip was life changing,” says Jennifer, and it immediately left her wanting more. She plans to climb Kilimanjaro in the future and struck upon the idea of the 7 Summits Challenge to keep her fitness levels up.

“The hardest thing for me in terms of climbing while being blind is finding people to hike with at the level I want to or am capable of,” she says. “Sometimes people are nervous guiding me and when they are I can feel it straight away so I can’t properly relax. But Jason’s constant motivation and belief in me has encouraged me to do things I never would have thought of before.”

Jennifer loved the challenge and found she met lots of friendly and helpful people from all around Ireland. Of course, some sections were challenging, especially the final day in the Derryveagh mountains and the Seven Sisters in Donegal. “I thought I might never make it to the end but giving up was never an option,” she says.

Laura McEvoy, climber

Inspirational Laura McEvoy (21) overcame serious injuries from a car accident – which left her unable to walk – to take up climbing and then, decided to abseil down the Rathlin Wall at Fairhead – one of Ireland’s wildest cliffs – and then climb back up again for charity.

Following a car crash in October 2022, Laura – from Newcastle in County Down – suffered a fractured neck, broken back and incomplete spinal cord injury. She spent five months in hospital and was told there was no guarantee she’d ever walk again.

Yet, after facing these life-changing injuries, she decided to adapt a mindset of saying: “Yes!” to everything; she was invited to try an inclusive indoor rock climbing session, which she loved. “Mountaineering Ireland made the sessions so fun, and I found out that climbing is really good for nerve recovery and coordination, so I was keen to keep it up for my rehab,” says Laura.

She wanted to do something extreme to mark a year since her injury, and to raise some money, so she asked Ricky Bell and Paul Kellagher at Mountaineering Ireland for their suggestions. “They brought up the idea of the Rathlin Wall at Fairhead. I’d never seen the cliff so didn’t really know the extent of this challenge but when I did, I thought ‘wow’!”

Laura found pulling herself up the cliff extremely physically exertive, but she really enjoyed the day and huge support she received and has already raised £4.5k towards running an inclusive outdoors programme next year. Her advice for others? “You are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for.”

Eoin Keith, Endurance Athlete

Eoin Keith

Eoin Keith (55), from Cork, has completed so many ultra-endurance races, we would be here all night if we were to list them all. Multi-day adventure races Primal Quest in Utah and the Adventure Racing World Championships in Tasmania, the Winter Spine running race, a 268-mile run in the depths of British winter along the Pennine Way (which he has won and broken course records), UTMB Oman, and the 360 challenge Gran Canaria are just a few of his proudest accomplishments.

Keith also partakes in 24-hour, 3-day and 6-day fixed time races where he does crazy things like running around an indoor or outdoor track as many times as he can in that period without stopping. A hobby in which he has set multiple records over the years. “I’ve had at least one never again moment in every fixed time race I’ve done,” admits Keith.

When it comes to tough-to-complete races, Keith admits that the Barkley Marathons in the United States is like no other. It says a lot about a race when a letter of condolences is issued in place of an entry confirmation. The course consists of a 32km unmarked loop with no aid stations except water at two points. Runners then attempt to run the loop five times, changing direction every second loop. It sounds relatively benign compared with the other races Keith has under his belt but with 16,500m of elevation on almost impossible terrain, 55% of the races run so far have ended with not a single finisher.

Keith has come a long way since his running debut at the Dublin Marathon in 1998 and he shows no signs of slowing down. At the time of writing he is busy preparing for The Spine and Northern Traverse races. “I’ll be thinking about a few more races to enter in 2024 as well,” he assures us.