I participated in the Reign of Terror event because I wanted to be challenged physically by something outside of the usual GAA circles. I hadn’t any past experience of obstacle course racing and I didn’t do any specific training for it but as I’m from the locality this was the perfect opportunity to give OCR a go. I partook with other players from my club in Dunnamaggin but we were all competing against each other.

I really enjoyed the whole course but my favourite obstacle was the run through the swamp where your face was an inch from the water. It was exhilarating but I did find it challenging enough. You were soaking wet after and it knackered the legs. Thankfully there were loads of marshalls on the course offering plenty of encouragement plus the odd sneaky leg up. They did a brilliant job. I received help from one official at the drum climb and slide into the water. I could not get up on the container. If I hadn’t got help I’d still be there!

I’ll admit that I didn’t give any help to anyone else, I was tunnel visioned on beating the other Dunnamaggin lads. Straight after completing the course I felt relieved, knackered, proud, gutted I came 4th and emotional. I hadn’t a clue how to feel to be honest as I never did anything as tough ever!
The atmosphere on the day was unreal. The village was absolutely buzzing. It was fantastic to be there and great to see so many turn up from all over the county and country. The scenery was spectacular. I’ve lived beside Kells for years and had never seen half the places I did during the run. Place was idyllic.

I will absolutely sign up to do Reign of Terror again. Bring it on. It’s an incredibly challenging and mentally draining experience in one of the nicest places in Ireland. I would advise others thinking about doing it to definitely do the 10km. It’ll kill you but then at least you can boast about how great you are in front of the 5km participants! I would definitely recommend Reign of Terror. If you are looking to be challenged mentally, physically, brought outside your comfort zone, have a competitive streak and want a buzzing atmosphere then ROT is a must!