Hi, my name is Brian. I’m a mechanical engineer from Fermoy, a town in the south of Ireland. I’ve developed a love for long days, ambitious goals and places that are difficult to reach. I’ve always been drawn to challenge, exploration and seeing how far preparation and persistence can take me.
I grew up in Scouting where I learned self-reliance, leadership and a love of the outdoors. I completed 10 Mountain Pursuit Challenges, attended Roverway in Finland, and had success at the Venture Challenge & Explorer Belt. I was one of the last people to receive the original Chief Scout Award, later completing the new Venture and Rover awards too (the fourth recipient ever, and first to hold all three). I’ve also completed all levels of the Gaisce President’s Award, with Gold presented by Michael D. Higgins in 2018.
At university, adventure took a sharper edge when I discovered whitewater kayaking. Over the following decade I paddled rivers up to Grade 5. Competing, traveling, and chasing water across the globe; including trips to Uganda, India, Zambia, Morocco, and all over the Alps. At this point I’ve kayaked on every continent including Antarctica! I captained the largest kayak club in the country, leading a 38 person trip to Italy & Slovenia and winning the Irish Kayak Intervarsities. At one point I held a Guinness World Record in freestyle kayaking too.
When COVID closed borders I turned inward and local. That period produced some of the hardest but most rewarding challenges of my life:
- Completing an Ironman after learning to swim from scratch.
- Walking 100,000 steps in a day.
- Self-supported FKT for climbing all of Ireland’s County High Points in one week.
- Self-supported FKT for climbing all of Ireland’s 13 peaks over 3,000 ft in one day.
- Brian’s Big Three; kayaking the River Shannon from source to sea, hiking the Wicklow Way and cycling Malin to Mizen — all in one month.
As travel reopened, so did bigger horizons. To date, I’ve:
- Visited 75 countries.
- Run 24 marathons, including one on every continent.
- Climbed five of the Seven Summits: Kilimanjaro, Kosciuszko, Elbrus, Aconcagua and Denali.
- Summited major peaks including Mont Blanc, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Chachani and Huayna Potosí.
- Hiked some of the world’s best multiday trails, like the Tour du Mont Blanc, Kerry Way, West Highland Way, Santa Cruz Trek, Colca Canyon, Salkantay to Machu Picchu, Huemul Circuit, Torres del Paine O-Trek, and K2 Base Camp.
Every climb and expedition so far has been a first-time success, something I attribute to obsessive preparation, patience and respect for the environment I’m moving through.
What I’m Working Toward
My long-term goal, hopefully before I turn 40, is simple to say and hard to do:
- Run 100 Marathons.
- Visit 100 Countries.
- Climb the Seven Summits.
In the nearer term, I’m working toward becoming the first person to complete both the Seven Summits and a marathon on every continent. Everest planning is underway, with Vinson to follow.
This blog exists to document the process. The planning, failures, logistics, training and lessons that sit behind big goals. If there’s a common thread to everything here, it’s that meaningful achievements are built long before the summit photo.
If you’re here for mountains, endurance, travel, or the honest reality of chasing ambitious goals alongside a full-time career — you’re in the right place.