Man Of The Year sponsored by Salewa: Outsider Awards 2024

Fearless, focused, and fiercely dedicated! Our call for Man Of The Year nominations brought forward incredible stories of men who have pushed boundaries and elevated the Irish outdoor and adventure scene in 2024. We are delighted to present to you the nominees for Man Of The Year 2024 sponsored by Salewa.

You’re Invited!

If you’re a nominee, consider this your official invitation to the Outsider Awards, taking place on the evening of Thursday, 27 February 2025, at the Sugar Club, Dublin.

We’re absolutely thrilled to have the support of our fantastic sponsors, who are helping us celebrate everything great and good about the Irish adventure scene. With their backing, it’s guaranteed to be an incredible night!

Our generous title sponsor for the Outsider Awards is Sport Ireland, and our amazing supporting sponsors include Craghoppers, Sustainable Tourism Network, Fáilte Ireland, and Salewa.

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We were blown away by the quality and quantity of the nominations we received this year. So, kick back and enjoy the read detailing these incredible Man Of The Year 2024 nominees sponsored by Salewa who have officially earned their place on the list of nominees for the #OutsiderAwards.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you and shine a spotlight on another incredible year for the Irish adventure scene!

Gavan Hennigan

Gavan Hennigan etched his name into the history books this year when he raced across the Alaskan wilderness and became the first Irish person to complete the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational – one of the world’s most gruelling and extreme endurance challenges.

The 43-year-old Galwegian braved brutal Arctic conditions – snow, sleet, rain, and wind – and battled rugged terrain, while pulling his sled for 24 days and 18 hours, in a race that is frequently dubbed ‘the world’s longest and toughest winter ultra-marathon’.

Gavan is no stranger to long-distance endeavours – in 2017 he rowed solo across the Atlantic – and since completing his first ultra in Arctic Canada a decade ago he has sought out more and more winter races, competing in Siberia and Canada, to enable him to qualify for the Iditarod Trail Invitational.

He describes the experience as “an incredible journey through one of the last great wildernesses on earth” with highlights including the sweeping views of the Alaska range, travelling on the mighty Yukon River, and crossing the sea ice of the Bering Sea.

Gavan had to push hard to finish the race, especially when the temperature rose from minus 40 to zero, serving up whiteout conditions, wet weather that soaked him to the bone, and soft snow, which was slow to move through.

His advice for others? “Just start the thing. When you put yourself forward to take on something bigger than yourself, you’re going to find the best version of yourself. The doubts and fears wash away, and you’ll be amazed at what’s possible.”

Dermot Higgins, endurance swimmer

Dermot Higgins didn’t just become the oldest person to swim the entire length of the River Shannon this year – a hugely impressive feat in anyone’s book – he also became the fastest, completing the 250km stretch in a record 10 days.

Dermot (62) – from Skerries in County Dublin – has been fascinated by rivers all his life, especially the Shannon. That’s thanks hearing stories in childhood about a mystical goddess called Sionnan. A fan of long-distance endurance events – be they cycling, hiking, canoeing, or swimming – he first attempted the Shannon Swim in 2022 but when he was forced to pull out due to injury, he vowed to return one day.

He trained hard for six months and completed the swim with relative ease, which he attributes to the beautiful September weather and his fantastic support team. “Most of my previous expeditions have been solo,” he says. “But the camaraderie I had with my two pilots and the filmmaker Kelly Armstrong, who is making a full-length documentary about the swim, was extraordinary.”

Of course, there were tough moments along the way, such as the exhausting day he swam over 30km and spent 12 hours in the water. And the time he collided with a rancid and bloated sheep carcass. But in the main it was a joyful experience. And he encourages others to seek out their own challenges in the outdoors, whatever they may be. “I’m a very ordinary guy, quite a bit overweight and well into my 60s but with dedication and by harnessing the goodwill of people around you, you can achieve what many would consider unachievable,” he says.

Aidan Ennis

Aidan Ennis became the first person to complete a continuous through-hike of the 275 Vandeleur–Lynam Mountains this year – an amazing achievement which took him 48 days, nine hours, and 30 minutes.

When Aidan Ennis (56) – from Waterford City, who now lives in County Waterford – first planned to hike the Vandeleur-Lynam mountains he wasn’t thinking about breaking any records, he simply wanted to attempt something that hadn’t been done before.

Aidan planned to hike over each mountain range, and then run with his backpack to the next one, camping in the mountains and carrying his tent, sleeping bag and other provisions with him. He hadn’t realised quite how far it would be from the first summit of Corcogemore in County Galway to Más an Tiompáin in County Kerry but he cracked on, hiking an incredible 2,469km distance, with a staggering 69,002m of elevation along the way.

Aidan has always loved being outdoors, and walking and running through remote and spectacular landscapes, but he says this trip was different from all his previous expeditions because of the support he received from everyone he met. “It made the expedition an exceptional experience,” he says.

He almost gave up on day 42 but was saved by two strong lattes and some pear and almond scones, and keeping going helped him raise much-needed funds for Brighter Communities Worldwide, a County Cork charity that works to provide clean drinking water for schools and communities in rural Kenya.

His tips for fellow multi-day hikers? “Look after your feet, and take one good coffee break every day!”

Sean Clifford

This year, Sean Clifford became the first person to tackle the iconic Vandeleur–Lynam (VL) list as an ultra running challenge. He climbed all 275 mountains in a rapid 21 days, two hours and 46 minutes, more than halving the previous fastest known time record.

Sean (46) – from Killarney in County Kerry – has been into ultra running since the early days of the sport. He first thought about running the VL in 2019 after he was the first person in Ireland to run 10km of vert on Carrauntoohil, but life got in the way. Then last summer, during a rare gap in his schedule, he started running up every mountain in Galway, which turned into a three-week adventure around Ireland. “The unplanned nature made it all the more enjoyable,” he says.

Sean says exploring so much of Ireland that he’d never seen before was a dream come true. He runs outdoor camps in the south of France – a region most people consider paradise – but is convinced that what Ireland has to offer is just as amazing as anything we can find abroad.

“Ireland is wild, and I was ‘treated’ to crazy conditions on many mountains this summer. I love being out in the elements and to be alone in the Irish wilderness navigating my way around the country was a true privilege,” he says.

“I hope people see what I did as a sign they too can get so much from time spent in the mountains, both physically and mentally. The mountains are steady guides and silent teachers.”

Ed Payne

After five days of relentless graft, Ed Payne cemented his reputation as a huge talent in Irish mountain running with an epic win at the Coast2Coast 600km.

Ed (39) – from Tulsk in County Roscommon and a member of Galway Trail Running club – was the first solo participant to cross the line in the race which runs from Bray Head in Wicklow to Bray Head on Valentia Island.

For a relatively small county, Ireland has an impressive array of mountains and Ed loves to run up them. “I don’t enjoy a beautiful view or landscape as much if it comes easy, say if I drive there,” he says. “But if I run for however long to get there, that remoteness is all part of the beauty.”

Ed was inspired to enter the Coast2Coast by Brian Bryne – a hero of the Irish mountain running scene – who shared his memories of the route from some years ago.

“Although I love to run fast, I am starting to realise that finding out how far I can run is the biggest itch I have at the moment, and this event was a perfect step up in distance from the 200-miler I did in Oct 2023,” says Ed.

His highlights of the race include the camaraderie between the runners, volunteers and race directors, his last view of the Irish Sea early one morning and first view of the Atlantic and getting a hug from his youngest on the last day, 15km before the finish line.

Ryan O’Sullivan

This year, Ryan O’Sullivan completed one of climbing’s most iconic challenges, when he became the youngest Irish person to climb the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each continent.

Ryan (28) – from Grange in County Sligo – has been climbing for 11 years, having been inspired by a talk at his school from Ian McKeever (now deceased), who once held the record for being the fastest person to climb the Seven Summits, and who was looking for students to climb Kilimanjaro. “I’ve been hooked ever since,” says Ryan. “I love the simplicity of life when you’re in the mountains. The only things you worry about are warmth, shelter, food, and your next step.”

The Seven Summits was always part of Ryan’s plan and he has loved the discipline and structure that the challenge has brought to his life over the past decade. “As clichéd as it sounds, the best part of this whole thing was the journey to the summit rather than reaching the top,” he says.

His happiest memories of the expeditions are of the final pushes for the summit. “Typically, you climb through the night and when the sun starts to rise, you stop and look out over the world – it’s a feeling that’s hard to beat.”

While the hardest part was waiting for conditions to become favourable, as Ryan – who finished the Seven Summits at Mount Vinson (4,892m) in Antarctica last January – admits he’s not “a patient man”. He also didn’t like having to force down food at altitude when he didn’t feel hungry.

His advice for others planning crazy challenges? “Take the first step now.”

Ronan Dunne

Ronan Dunne is arguably one of the world’s most exciting young downhill mountain bikers at the moment, banking wins in the Polish round of the World Cup and Red Bull Hardline races in Australia and Wales this year.

Ronan (22) – from Enniskerry in County Wicklow – went from being a part-time farmer and privateer racer to becoming a member of Red Bull’s downhill racing team in a crazy short amount of time. He used to ride motorcycle trials but when a friend lent him his mountain bike and he discovered the thrills of downhill racing, he never looked back.

He started out racing in Ireland, did a few Junior World Cup events and then began competing on the senior circuit in 2021, securing a number of top 30 finishes in his first season.

His new sponsors Red Bull rave about his crowd-pleasing “all-in riding style” and they’ve tipped him to become Ireland’s greatest-ever downhill mountain bike racer. After his win in Poland, he’d told the Irish Times, he’d thrown caution to the wind and fully expected to either win or get badly injured. “I had myself with the mindset that I’d go for a helicopter trip or coming down in first. We didn’t take the helicopter trip, we took the win,” he said.

This year, he was also signed by the esteemed Mondraker Factory team, and everyone in Irish mountain biking can’t wait to see what he does next.

Dave Berry

In 2024, Dave Berry set an ambitious goal to swim the entire length of Leinster, covering 320km in 16 marathon swims. Each swim averaged 20km, taking five hours. In addition to that mammoth challenge, he also conquered the Scotland-to-Ireland swim, False Bay in South Africa, and Angel Island in San Francisco. “It was a fun and challenging year of testing my limits,” Dave shares. In total, he completed 21 marathon swims, surpassing his total marathon swims in the previous two years combined.

At 49, Dave is relatively new to open-water swimming, having started just three years ago. “I love the mental clarity and physical challenge. It’s a personal journey of discovery and improvement,” he explains when asked about what appeals to him about the sport.

Balancing swimming with family life, his wife and daughters played critical roles in his journey. His wife and his eldest daughter have done their powerboat training so could skipper his swims while his younger daughter assisted with feeds.

Reflecting on his accomplishments, Dave recalls swimming alongside his daughter during one Leinster leg: “That was a big moment for me.”

Born in Dublin, Dave now lives in Stillorgan with his family, continuing to push his limits.