Brilliant Brendan excels at Spanish Ironman race

ONE of Strabane Triathlon Club’s founding and most inspiring and foremost members, Brendan Murphy took Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz by storm, completing the gruelling feat of endurance in a blistering time of 9:38:26 hours.

Following previous success across triathlon races of varying distances, STC’s Brendan Murphy made the decision to take on the mammoth task of completing an Ironman.

With the decision made and only a handful of people told, Murphy began to lay down the necessary groundwork, brick-by-brick, from early 2025. After months of countless hours on his feet, hyper-focused (and unusually quiet) miles on the bike, and more laps of Moorlough than the local ducks would like to admit, the time finally came for Murphy to make the journey to the beautiful capital of the Basque country in northern Spain, Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Situated just south of the breathtaking Pyrénées, Vitoria-Gasteiz boasts astonishing natural landscapes, including the scenic Ulibarri-Gamboa Lake and the surrounding hills which loom over the ancient city, making this the perfect choice for Murphy’s Ironman debut.

The race began on the morning of Sunday, July 13th, at 8am with a single lap swim in the calm waters of the Ulibarri-Gamboa Lake. A water temperature of 21.7 degrees Celsius meant that wetsuits were allowed for the swim – to Murphy’s delight no doubt following his open-water training in our cool waters at home.

With nerves building, the air horn sounded, and Murphy was off. The 3.8km swim consisted of two left turns, before Murphy returned swiftly to T1, clocking a time of 1:06:11 and averaging an incredible pace of 1:44 per 100 meters.

T1 came and went in a flash, with Murphy straight on to the bike and off to tackle the 180.2km course in the hills which surround the capital city. Noted as a course with ‘rolling hills’ Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz boasts some extended periods of climbing every 30 or so miles. Nonetheless, Murphy hammered home to complete the bike-leg in a time of 5:05:40.

Murphy’s consistent training week in and out around the hills of Co. Tyrone and Co. Donegal surely paid off, as he averaged a speed of 35.26 km/h.

By the time T2 came around, Murphy knew he would have to dig deep to tackle the 42.2km which faced him in the soaring midday temperatures. STC’s Murphy set off on the 4-loop course, clinching on to each cheer and roar of the triathlon supporters who flooded the city in support.

Murphy’s final depiction of the hard work, grit and determination which he has endured over the last few months was evidenced through his ability to complete the marathon in an unbelievable time of 3:17:31.

Cheers and shouts of ‘Come on Brendan!’ could be heard from beyond the iconic red mat which marks the end of the Ironman race. As Murphy crossed the archway to hear the words, ‘Brendan Murphy, you are an Ironman’, he realised that he had clocked a sub-10-hour Ironman in his debut.

From everyone at Strabane Triathlon Club, a massive well done to you, Brendan Murphy. You continue to inspire and amaze us all. We are all so, so proud of you. Now, it’s time for some well-deserved celebrations and R&R!

Finally, the club wishes to pay a special thanks to Triathlon Ireland, Sport Ireland, Sport NI and Derry City & Strabane District Council for their continued support as well our sponsors Conway Plumbing, Miller Wholesale Ltd., CAS Construction Group, Parkland 33, Frylite Solutions and AGL Chartered Accountants who have assisted us financially throughout the year ensuring that the club continues to thrive.