Brand new All-Ireland Beer Barrel Run will test the fittest in stunning Lacken

The residents of one of Mayo and Ireland’s most breath-taking areas have issued a unique challenge to those interested in fitness and fun with a drop of beer thrown in – team up to haul a full 80 pint beer barrel across a gruelling 8.5km cross-country and beach route in Kilcummin, North Mayo. This fundraising event – the first of its kind in Ireland – will take place on Saturday, June 22 at 2pm, supported by Marc Reilly, partner of J. Streicher, and will raise funds for Samaritans Ireland.
Kilcummin is best known as the scene of the famous landing in 1798 of the French General Humbert as well as its vast golden strand, rolling sand dunes and lush green fields, located on the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way. Now the local community wants to make it synonymous with one of the most demanding adventure races in Ireland. The rules are simple – teams of a maximum of eight and a minimum of six, must somehow carry the barrel, weighing something like three sacks of spuds, around the Lacken coastline in the fastest possible time. It is up to the competitors how they carry their barrel. The only stipulations are that the carrying device must not have wheels, and the barrel must be secured to it.
The event is the brainchild of the Lacken Community Enterprise Group.
Chairman of Lacken Enterprise Centre, Tony Robinson said: “We wanted to “create an event that the local community can support, showcase the unspoiled natural beauty of our area, develop tourism in Lacken as well as raising funds for local charity and community groups”.
Already, practice runs have revealed great ingenuity, but while the route does not have hundreds of obstacles, it will provide a tough and physical but fun-filled challenge that is sure to bring a lot of craic! On the day, race adjudicators will inspect carrying devices to make sure no rules have been broken.
The entry fee is €100 per team of eight, after the event there will be refreshments and live music for all.

The Beer Barrel Run rules 2019
* Maximum number of teams per heat is ten, with no more than eight people in each team.
* Participants must be at least 18 years of age to compete.
* The entry fee is €100 per team, made payable to the Lacken Sports and Recreation Association Ltd. (cheque or postal order) and the entry fee must accompany the completed application form, otherwise the application will not be considered for acceptance. Application form and fee should be sent to the Treasurer, Lacken Enterprise Centre, Carrowmore-Lacken, Ballina, Mayo.
* The entry fee will be refunded if the application to complete is not accepted.
* Team Captains must ensure that all named members of the team report to the Marshall at the Lacken Enterprise Centre Car Park by 12pm. on the day of the Challenge.
* Starts will be from the Lacken Enterprise Centre Car Park staggered 3 minutes between each team, starting at 2pm. Starting order to be determined by the Organising Body.
* Should a following team catch up with and wish to overtake a team in the front of them, the team in front must give way.
* Teams are required to be competent and confident to navigate the course.
* Each team must have suitable equipment and be dressed in clothing and footwear appropriate to the terrain and the weather.
* Teams not completing with the barrel will be disqualified.
* Teams must take the recommended course.
* Members of the team must stay in physical contact with the barrel throughout the race. The carrier and barrel may be sledged downhill, providing team contact with and control of the barrel are maintained at all times.
* Team finishing time will be the time the barrel, accompanied by and in contact with at least one member of the team, crosses the finishing line.
* The barrel must be carried by the named members of the team – any artificial aids such as wheels, hot air balloons and sky hooks will disqualify the team.
* Each Captain is responsible for organising the building of the carrying device and will be checked.
* Each team member is strongly urged to raise individual sponsorship, to be given to the Organising Body, in addition to the entry fee. All proceeds after expenses will be distributed, as decided upon by the Organising Body.
* The Captain will be responsible for collecting the team’s sponsorship money and handling it to the Treasurer for the Challenge no later than 1st June, 2019.
* The Ireland Trophy with 80 pints of beer will be awarded to the team with the overall fastest time and the John Loughney Memorial Beer Barrel Trophy will be awarded to the fastest local team.
* The finish line will be the line on the road at Lacken Enterprise Centre. The awards will be presented at Lacken Enterprise Centre 6 pm.
* Any dispute concerning the race will be judged by the Chairman and the timekeepers, whose decisions will be final.
For an entry form or to support the fundraising effort, call 087 990 075, email: allirelandbarrelrun@gmail.com or visit The Beer Barrel Run on Facebook.