Cooley Half

Cooley Half

Cooley Half is a mountain half marathon in County Louth held on Saturday 23rd May 2026. The course distance is 21.50 km with 790 m of climb. The event difficulty is rated 8 (2,3,3), indicating moderate terrain, more than 500 m ascent and a course longer than 10 km. The route is fully marked and GPS devices are not allowed.

The course starts just inside the forest barrier and runs as an anticlockwise loop. The first kilometre is on a fire road to spread the field. Runners then move onto small tracks and trails through G String Corner and Carnavaddy, join the Poc Fada route to Black Mountain and the border between North and South, follow the Poc Fada yellow stones before branching onto open mountain running, re-enter forest and finish via a river descent back to the barrier.

Mandatory kit is Level B. Participants must have a waterproof jacket, hat or buff, gloves, whistle, a charged mobile phone with the emergency number stored, and a foil blanket or bivvy bag. The exact kit to be carried may be finalised on the day. Registration is at the start/finish area near Lumpers pub, opening at 9:15 and closing at 10:45, followed by a race briefing at the start line. The start is about 800 m from the car park, which is an old quarry located roughly 400 m past Lumpers pub on the right. Lumpers charge €5 for car parking. Prizegiving at the start/finish area will award 1st to 3rd male and female places. Juniors are not included and there is no early start. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.