Originally I was thinking to do a recce in the direction of Kilcock from home. My buddy Ted suggested we might organise to be dropped in Kilcock and run back, which in fairness to him, would make the ending a little more comfortable being a lot closer to home.
Grogginess aside, there’s a real buzz to starting a long run early, getting on the road before, or just after, sunrise. That Sunday morning, it was me, Dee and Ted piling into the car, with my eternally patient wife, Róisín, at the wheel. We’d aimed for a 6:15 departure. We managed 6:23. Good enough.
By 7am, we were standing on the towpath in Kilcock, water polo nets hanging nearby, the canal stretching ahead, still and full of promise. A key part of my training block for the Connemara Ultra, today was to be the peak training distance of 45k but it was also a Royal Canal Odyssey recce for our adventure in June. Long miles ahead, and hopefully, with a plan of 6 minutes per kilometre in place, a better feel for the journey to come in June.
Kilcock to Leixlip, Calm Crisp Start (0 – 15k)
The early stretch out of Kilcock was perfect. Cool air, quiet water and that sharp freshness you only get from a canal path at dawn. Minor construction between Maynooth and Leixlip nudged us off course briefly but nothing major and we easily continued our journey. By the look of it, we are optimistic it will be completed by June although no issue if it is not.
In Leixlip, we made a quick detour to drop into the 24-hour race hosted by Pop-Up Races. It was brilliant timing. We spotted familiar faces like Anto Lee and Gary O’Daly, the Royal Canal Runner himself who we’d first met a number of years prior at the Barrow Way Ultra and has largely been an inspiration for our journey. The energy there was infectious, and it was nice to do a quick lap, which just seemed to compliment the adventure even further before we pushed on. This added about a kilometre to our distance.
Leixlip to Clonsilla, Miles Pass Easily (16 – 20k)
Before long, we were surprised to find ourselves pushing into Dublin territory. The stretch from Leixlip to Clonsilla, which always feels like a decent drive, passed in what felt like no time at all. On foot, the distance seemed to shrink. It was a reminder of how different the world feels when you’re moving through it step by step, rather than behind a wheel.
Coolmine to Pelletstown, a Canal Reborn? (20 – 29k)
A few k from Clonsilla, Coolmine was the first real eye-opener. What used to be rough, sometimes risky terrain had been smoothed out and felt widened. A few years back, you’d have been picking your way through parts of the water. We were even warned at our visit to the 24 Hour Race just over an hour previously of potential danger here. Now, it was runner’s paradise, clean, open and cared for. It honestly felt like people had decided the canal mattered again.
Memories kicked in hard around Ashtown and Castleknock, old stomping grounds from years ago. Some stretches were almost unrecognisable. The canal had better paths, cleaner water and way more life. Where it had once felt half-forgotten, was now buzzing with people.
Deeper into Dublin, Energy and Memories (29 – 33k)
Biggest surprise along here? Pelletstown. A brand-new train station right on the canal, sleek and modern. I hadn’t even heard it had opened. Just a reminder – blink – and Dublin changes on you. Although blink we did not, as this was a nice break we shared to have a drink and catch our breath before continuing on.
Royal Canal Park was buzzing. Families with buggies, runners gliding past, cyclists weaving through. Instead of zoning out, we found ourselves lifted by the nods, the smiles, even the random shouts of encouragement. For a training run/recce, especially as we got deeper into Dublin, it felt like being part of the environment around us, with a real sense of active living along a stretch which had remained underutilised for years.
At Cross Guns Bridge in Phibsorough, we veered off slightly down the Whitworth Road, mixing streets up, then asking a local and passing down a lane before crossing the secret bridge, or at least I like to call it that, a tucked-away local shortcut for crossing the railway line, known mostly to the old heads. Of course it wasn’t a shortcut for us but curiosity peaked of a bridge I had passed only once, maybe twice in my lifetime before that. Following the road out of Drumcondra we hit Binns Bridge, where the urban contrast hit hard. Running in the city has its own rhythm though, a tougher, grittier momentum.
With Dublin City Council canal works ongoing between here and Bloody Sunday Bridge, we took a short detour.
From the canal, through Portland Place to the North Circular Road, the traffic tapered off a little and the buildings closed in, bringing a different kind of city energy. We passed O’Connell School, where, similar to James Joyce, I went myself back in the day. Then it was through the North Clarence Street flats, dipping deeper into the heart of the north inner city.
Closing in on the Spencer Dock (33 – 35k)
We rejoined the canal at Charleville Mall, where, as Ted pointed out, you’ll find Dublin’s oldest working library. This stretch felt like home turf to me, I grew up around the area and passing places like East Wall, Larkin House, and Sheriff Street brought back flashes of old, distant memories. The Royal Canal wound its way toward Spencer Dock, before we continued over the Samuel Beckett Bridge. From there, we decided on a detour through the old Gasworks, the route eventually spitting us out at Ringsend Bridge.
Finishing Strong? Irishtown to Blackrock Park (35 – 42k)
Once through Irishtown reaching the 37k mark and coming past Sean Moore Park, the legs were getting heavy but the familiar view and the breeze were carrying me, acutely aware that Blackrock Park wasn’t very far, at least on a normal midweek run it wasn’t.
I could feel the kilometres get a little slower, then fluctuate faster with multiple mental, and I am sure, physical second-winds coming and going. We reached Blackrock Park, salty, tired but buzzing.
One More Loop (42 – 45k)
Only 42k in though, I needed to do a loop to make it to my target of 45k and so, I did that without giving it a second thought, before the stiffness set in.
There’s a different satisfaction in a point-to-point run. You don’t end up where you started, you arrive somewhere new, changed, having sometimes completed a significant personal journey – and this definitely felt like an epic journey.
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Seeing the countryside and Dublin so differently and living the amazing history in addition to results of greenway works throughout Ireland is very refreshing. The Royal Canal is a serious artery, connecting towns, communities, individuals and on that perfect morning, in good company, we got to run it. There’s more to come.
I plan on running 50k the opposite way on 14 June, arriving in Mullingar. I won’t be passing much of what I passed today, at least not by foot. Thankfully Ted has already covered Maynooth to Mullingar and with the exception of some works around Leixlip and again between Binns and Bloody Sunday Bridges, easily worked around, it’s looking like a beautiful journey ahead.