Slí Mhúscraí Ultra 2025 Race Report
By Sean Clifford · · Race Report
The Slí Mhúscraí Ultra, Ireland’s first ultra of the year, delivered an electrifying start to the 2025 trail racing season. The 72km route, winding through the wild and rugged Cork countryside, saw seasoned ultra runners dusting off the cobwebs and testing their early-season form.
Men’s Race: Cloake Dominates, but Meehan and Hand Duel
The Slí Mhúscraí Ultra, Ireland’s first ultra of the year, delivered an electrifying start to the 2025 trail racing season. The 72km route, winding through the wild and rugged Cork countryside, saw seasoned ultra runners dusting off the cobwebs and testing their early-season form. With 2,140m of elevation gain and a mix of bog, trail, and road, this was no mere warm-up; it was a battle of endurance, strategy, and grit.
Enda Cloake stamped his authority on the race, leading from early on and crossing the finish line in a blistering 6:27:39, with a commanding lead of nearly 24 minutes. His splits were aggressive yet controlled, pulling away steadily after CP4.
Behind him, the real race unfolded between Seán Meehan and Sam Hand, who ran shoulder to shoulder for much of the final 20km. Meehan, a former winner of the WTF Ultra, edged out Hand in the closing stretch, finishing in 6:51:29, just two minutes ahead of Hand’s 6:53:31.