The weekend started with the setup of the GTC Gazebo on Friday evening in the glorious sunshine. This would be the home of 5 (fool)hardy GTC souls from noon on Saturday, until when, they did not know yet…..

This is because a Backyard Ultra (BYU) is an event where runners have to complete a 6.7k lap (or yard to use proper BYU lingo) in an hour and keep doing that on the hour, every hour, until they can’t. Those who reach the 24 hour mark get to say they have done 100 miles, which is where the idea came from. Participants usually use a run-walk strategy and aim to complete each lap in about 45-50 minutes, to give enough time for a break to fuel and hydrate, but avoid too much rest which might mean getting cold or stiff. Everyone has their own way of doing things though, and it is all about what works for each person. For Last One Standing events, everyone except the winner is considered a DNF, regardless of how many laps they do! Last weekend, the consolation prize for DNFing was an IMRA (Irish Mountain Running Association) branded pint glass and a can of Galway Bay Brewery Beer!

Kilcornan Walled Garden in Clarinbridge is possibly the best setting imaginable for such an event. Runners flocked from all corners of the county, country and globe to set up their base in this secluded part of the beautiful surrounding woods. These ranged from a simple camp chair to one-man tents to larger gazebos, for those of us lucky enough to be sharing the experience with club mates. It created a festival-like atmosphere that had everyone (runners, volunteers and supporters) buzzing before the event even started!

 This is around the time I started to need the painkillers, caffeine gels and Nuasan CBD rub. I continued to lap 9 with GTC clubmate Patrick Dunne by my side. We kept each other going, talking about anything and everything, most of which is a blur….

Patrick finished on an incredible 10 laps, smashing his last year’s achievement by 2. Then I was on my own, in the dark, literally. Lap 11 was when the headtorches and high vis were mandatory, and the race took on a very different but also very unique vibe. The meadow and woods that had been so familiar for the last 10 hours were now strangely unfamiliar but familiar at the same time…

The rest of the field continued long into the night with 14 runners making it to 24 laps. The eventual winner, Colin Dockery, did 35 laps and now holds the course record.

While it was a gruelling day and the legs were sore for most of it, it was exceptional craic and extremely well organised by Galway Trail Running Club. The event is much more about community than competition and the majority of participants outdid their expectations. Those who didn’t will no doubt be back again in 2027 for “one more lap”, “one more year”.

Our nerves were only slightly abated by the distraction of having to do our time trial for the Frances Thornton Galway Bay swim on Saturday afternoon in quite windy conditions, but we got through it, and by Sunday morning, we were ready to go!

Swim – I’m glad we had some sea swimming under our belts to prepare for the open water after a winter in the pool.  The advice of others was fresh in mind to be prepared for the dark; the water was exactly that, dark and fresh.  The buoys were clearly marked and easy to follow.  With 150 eager triathletes in this event alone, hanging at the back out of the traffic was our main aim. It was a mass start, so I still got pushed and bumped a few times, but it was well organised & the exit route was clearly visible.

Cycle – after a quick transition change (where we should have applied more sunscreen!) we headed off with the bike up a hill to the mount area. The start of the bike route was great, as you’re in the castle grounds and under no pressure to head off at speed, giving ample time to settle in for the 40km. The scenery was stunning at times, with lovely lakes, and the views of the Burren kept you distracted.  The roads were manageable and clearly marked out, the terrain undulating, with no massive hills.

Run – At this stage, it was about 24 degrees & the legs were getting tired. Internal self-talking motivation was definitely required at this stage!  With no music blaring to distract from any negative thoughts, it was the Marshalls along the route who continuously offered words of encouragement. Thankfully we both made a few new friends  en route & our fresh GTC tops got us a few ‘go on Galway  girl’ shout outs.  On the first lap of the two 5k loops Michael B appeared on his second lap which was another great distraction!   The run was hot and a few areas were quite exposed to the sun. The terrain was mixed but doable in normal trainers. Considering the heat, a few more water stations would have been good, but overall not a bad 10km trail run!

A very well run event overall with great pre-race information and options for all levels of triathlete. See you there next year!

The Tribesman Triathlon is part of the Triathlon Ireland National Series for 2026, further strengthening its position as one of the key events in the Irish triathlon calendar. The race will also host the Intervarsity National Championship, giving eligible student athletes the opportunity to compete for national intervarsity titles.

The race start, transition and finish will be based on the grounds of the University of Galway, providing a superb setting for athletes and spectators. Participants will begin with a 750m swim in the River Corrib, one of Europe’s shortest and fastest flowing rivers. This year’s swim route includes a short 150m upstream section before athletes turn and make use of the famous Corrib flow.

The bike course remains a fast and flat 22km route towards Moycullen on the N59, including the Moycullen bypass, before athletes return to the University of Galway. Competitors will then take on a brand new 5km run course through Dangan and along the River Corrib, creating a fresh finish to one of the West of Ireland’s most popular sprint triathlons.

Speaking about this year’s event, Padraic Benson, Race Director, said:

“We are delighted to once again bring the Tribesman Triathlon back to Galway as part of the Triathlon Ireland National Series. The event has become a real highlight for athletes, supporters and the local triathlon community. With National Series status and the Intervarsity National Championship taking place alongside the main race, we expect a strong field and some brilliant racing on June 14th.

The University of Galway gives us a fantastic race venue, and the combination of the River Corrib swim, the fast Moycullen bike course and the new Dangan run route should make for a superb race. We are grateful to the University of Galway, our partners, sponsors, volunteers and club members who make this event possible. We look forward to welcoming athletes of all levels to Galway for another memorable Tribesman Triathlon.”

Limited entries remain for the 2026 Tribesman Triathlon. Athletes are encouraged to secure their place sooner than later for what promises to be a fantastic day of racing, community and celebration of triathlon in the West of Ireland.

For more information or to register, visit www.tribesman.ie

1. FULL NAME: Yanto Leslie Jones (yes, Leslie — don’t laugh!)
2. BIRTHPLACE: Galway City
3. OCCUPATION: I’ve had a number of different careers. After finishing school, I studied Electrical Engineering and ended up working in construction for many years. The low point of this was building a new store in Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in New York and having to regularly present our progress to that flute Donald T — yes, thatone who’s currently causing havoc worldwide and resulting in the cost of tires for our fine bikes increasing exponentially. After returning from New York, we were in the midst of the Celtic Tiger crash, so I had to retrain and decided on software engineering. I’ve been doing that ever since and currently work as a Senior Engineering Manager for Genesys.
4. PREVIOUS SPORTS: Fishing. I was pretty competitive, travelling around the country and abroad to compete. Ironically, I gave up the competition side because there was too much practice, travel, and expense — only to take up triathlon, where none of those are present. LOL.
5. SWIM / BIKE / RUN – which do you prefer and why? All three are new to me, and if you asked me the same question weekly, you’d probably get a different answer. Three months ago, it would have been the bike — I seemed to take to it well enough. Swimming back then was tough (still is), but going from being completely gassed after 15 meters in the pool to swimming with the intermediate group and doing 2k in a session, I’d have to say swimming is my current favorite. The once-dreaded pool session is now one I look forward to. Thanks, Laura!
6. FAVOURITE EVENT: I’ve only done one — Try a Tri — so it has to be that. The buzz the night before was similar to when I used to prepare for a big fishing competition: unable to sleep with excitement. Then during the event, meeting other competitors from different clubs and exchanging stories was great, and crossing the finish line, pure relief!
7. SPORTING CLAIM TO FAME: When I was 18, I had the privilege of representing Ireland at the World Shore Angling Championships in the Netherlands. What an experience — one that will stay with me forever. I see many of the same traits in GTC as there were in Team Ireland: togetherness, friendship, competitiveness, and also an obsession with toys of the trade
8. GUILTY PLEASURE: After Covid and lockdown ended, my wife and I said life is too short and booked Aniar restaurant, spending a small fortune but enjoying every minute of it — an eight-course tasting menu with wine pairing. Since then, my idea of relaxation is eating nice food and drinking nice wine.
9. FAVOURITE PLACE TO TRAIN? The back roads by my house in Rahoon on the bike – countryside, cows, fresh air, all within a stone’s throw of my house – where would you get it?!
10. YOUR GTC HERO – AND WHY? There are many, but I’ll mention three. Kate and Dara, for the effort, dedication, encouragement, and energy they brought every day to the Strength & Conditioning sessions.

As a newbie to the club, rocking up to the first session without knowing anyone was a bit daunting, but within minutes I felt like one of the gang. Who wants to get up at 6 AM for S&C? It ended up being a session I looked forward to.

Lastly, James Brennan — 100 × 100 @ 1:30. James, are you taking the p*ss?! If I end up doing 1 × 100 @ 1:30, my year will be made!

2.⁠ ⁠BIRTHPLACE Born in Cork, can’t you tell by the accent?  I lived in Dublin for 2 years after University and have called Galway home since 2004.

3.⁠ ⁠OCCUPATION It’s complicated… in the best possible way. I’m an International Race Announcer, Event MC, Presenter and host of the Tri Talking Sport podcast. As one of the global voices of the IRONMAN Group, I get to travel the world announcing IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3, EPIC MTB and UTMB events, closer to home I work across a variety of sporting, corporate and charity events.

4.⁠ ⁠PREVIOUS SPORTS I was an Irish dancer from a young age, played Camogie with my local club, played, hockey and basketball in school, soccer and badminton at University. Shortly after I moved to Galway I played Tag Rugby, which led me to playing rugby for Galwegians and Connacht before triathlon beckoned and I embraced the ‘Tri Life’

5.⁠ ⁠SWIM / BIKE / RUN The bike has always been my favourite, even as a kid, cycling the backroads of Cork with my dad. The freedom, the speed, the adventure I love it . Running took more convincing, but when you’re travelling constantly it’s the one thing you can always do, so I basically forced myself into liking it. It worked, the GTC Saturday Long Run is now one of my favourite sessions of the week and the post-run dip and breakfast are absolutely part of the deal.

6.⁠ ⁠FAVOURITE EVENT (CAN SWIM/BIKE/RUN OR TRIATHLON)  Where do I even start,  I’ve been in endurance sport and the triathlon club since 2009, so there’s quite the back catalogue. Marathons, half marathons, an 8k open water swim, racing around Ireland on the bike, but the one that stands out recently is our own club race, last year’s Tribesman Sprint race.  Home event, incredible vibe and support on the course and for once I got to participate in a race instead of announcing one. Fitting racing around an announcing schedule is a logistical nightmare, so this one felt like a proper treat and it was a super day out!

7.⁠ ⁠SPORTING CLAIM TO FAME The Race Around Ireland with the Galway Baybes in 2017. Not sure how you top that at any level. Brutal, brilliant and the achievement I’m most proud of.

8.⁠ ⁠GUILTY PLEASURE: After an extended or hectic work trip I love nothing more than spending my first day at home on the couch in my pj’s binging on Netflix, Day of the week? Irrelevant. The couch is getting me.

9. FAVOURITE PLACE TO TRAIN? I get to travel to lots of amazing places with my work, but there really is no place like home, despite the West of Ireland weather. We are so lucky to have a multitude of options for swimming, cycling and running outdoors on our doorstep in Galway.

10⁠ ⁠YOUR GTC HERO – AND WHY? Can I pick everyone? Specifically, the beginners. The ones who show up not knowing what they’re getting into, a little nervous, probably wondering what on earth they’ve signed up for. Triathlon is fun, but it’s daunting, no matter your background or ability. It takes real courage to take that first step. But here’s the thing, that first step can genuinely change your life. I know it changed mine (far beyond my current occupation). So if you’re new to the club and the sport, welcome, well done and buckle up. The hard part is already done, now the fun begins.