Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 28th Feb 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 28th February 2026. Approximately 1,230 runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

Report... While the weather was cold and dry in Cork City and the east of the county, the rain arrived early for some of the parkruns in west Cork.

If I missed anyone who passed a notable milestone like 100, 200, 250 or above parkruns then let me know.

Tramore Valley Park... Well done to Tim McCormack who completed his 100th 5k parkrun this weekend!

Tim has completed 48 in Ballincollig and 42 in Tramore Valley Park.

Kieran Daly also reached the century mark at the same event.

Upcoming milestones....

a) Glen River #300 on the 28th of Feb

b) Youghal #200 on the 7th of Mar

***

Ballincollig Regional Park:  329 this week, 321 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Anthony MANNIX Male VM35-39 Cork Track Club 17:43

2 Simon TUOMEY Male SM25-29 19:02

3 Jason PECKHAM Male SM30-34 19:18

6 Anne O'DONOVAN Female VW35-39 19:52

29 Suzanne LABOWICZ Female VW40-44 21:45

36 Mairead PEREZ Female VW50-54 Eagle A.C. 22:55

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/414/

Tramore Valley Park: 286 this week, 281 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Michael SHEEHAN Male SM25-29 18:55

2 Aaron CLAYTON Male SM25-29 19:01

3 Dan RUDDY Male SM25-29 19:03

9 Jill HODGINS Female VW45-49 20:37

16 Isabelle CROWLEY Female JW11-14 20:58

18 Oonagh O'DRISCOLL Female SW20-24 21:31

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/191/

Glen River: 76 this week, 67 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Stephen HALL Male VM35-39 Stainland Lions RC 19:06

2 Niall HYLAND Male VM45-49 Frontrunners Cork 20:03

3 Richard BOURKE Male VM45-49 St Finbarrs AC 20:21

13 Mags HASSETT Female VW50-54 St Finbarrs AC 23:34

14 Niamh SHEEHAN Female VW35-39 Togher AC 23:45

22 Maura FITZGERALD Female VW35-39 25:04

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/300/

Midleton Greenway: 141 this week, 144 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Dave COLLINS Male VM40-44 18:18

2 Conor O'NEILL Male VM45-49 18:29

3 James 0 MAHONY Male VM35-39 19:06

28 Nessa CRONIN Female JW11-14 23:36

31 Lorna SANTRY Female VW35-39 23:48

35 Annabel ADAMS Female SW30-34 24:22

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/55/

Mallow Castle: 88 this week, 75 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Tadhg SULLIVAN Male SM30-34 Bweeng Trail Blazers 16:14

2 Niall MURPHY Male VM35-39 18:17

3 Ken DEANE Male VM40-44 19:17

10 Aoife O FLYNN Female VW35-39 22:59

15 Kate MCSWEENEY Female SW30-34 23:46

20 Doireann FRAWLEY Female JW11-14 24:06

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/218/

Youghal (Pobalscoil ne Tríonóide) : 63 this week, 44 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Derek SMYTH Male VM45-49 18:53 

2 Sean HOULIHAN Male JM15-17 19:05

3 Eoin O'CONNELL Male VM55-59 MORDEN RUNNERS 19:25

11 Shannon SOTOK Female SW30-34 22:56

12 Laura BEAUSANG Female JW11-14 23:04

14 Cliona O'KEEFFE Female VW40-44 24:32

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/199/

Macroom Castle Demense: 63 this week, 54 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 David BRADLEY Male JM15-17 20:19

2 Luke HOWARD Male JM10 West Muskerry A.C. 20:44

3 Damien OMAHONY Male SM30-34 20:47

20 Margaret LUCEY Female VW45-49 25:43

21 Mary LUCEY Female VW40-44 West Muskerry A.C. 26:03

22 Carmel PURCELL Female VW45-49 West Muskerry A.C. 26:30

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/566/

Clonakilty:  58 this week, 47 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Finn O'MAHONY Male SM18-19 18:58

2 Martin WHITE Male VM45-49 Clonakilty Roadrunners AC 19:12

3 Olan MURPHY Male SM20-24 19:43

16 Sandra WALSH Female VW55-59 24:44

28 Sophia KINGSTON Female SW25-29 26:58

33 Leah WALSH Female SW20-24 28:04

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/522/

Glengarriff Woods: 76 this week, 90 last week.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Jay MURDOCH Male VM40-44 21:24

2 Lewis SMITH Male VM55-59 Marple Runners 21:55

3 Tony MCELHINNEY Male VM55-59 Bantry Athletic Club 23:47

4 Alice COPPINGER Female VW45-49 Bantry Athletic Club 24:28

6 Sandra SMITH Female VW55-59 Marple Runners 25:48

12 Meave QUINLAN Female VW40-44 26:57

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/443/

Bere Island: 30 this week, 61 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 James FORSHAW Male SM25-29 20:14

3 Tadhg HOBBS Male SM18-19 22:44

5 Edward STEL Male VM55-59 24:45

2 Michelagh MURPHY Female SW20-24 20:43

4 Breeda O SULLIVAN Female VW55-59 Beara AC 24:10

7 Mags O NEILL Female VW45-49 Beara AC 25:13

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/534/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 20 finishers this week, 37 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Níall CROWLEY Male VM35-39 25:05

2 Gordon JENNINGS Male VM55-59 25:26

3 George BUCKINGHAM Male VM60-64 28:01

6 Frances LYNCH Female VW60-64 Sanctuary Runners 29:53

9 Celine BUCKLEY Female VW55-59 Castlehaven GAA 32:30

11 Therese LYNCH Female VW60-64 34:56

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/454/

For more information about the weekly 5k parkruns in Co Cork, go to this page HERE.

Guest Post: Did I get it wrong? ...by Pat Walsh

* Did I get it wrong? *

A thoughtful post and constructive opinions are welcomed.

When I was younger and a bit quicker I concentrated on short, fast races. As I aged and slowed, I moved to longer distances to compensate and give myself a challenge. We will age and we will slow down, so is it a search for validation and achievement.?

But have I got it all wrong.?

Should I have done the longer stuff when I was younger and my body had the strength and resilience to cope with the mileage needed.

And then as I aged, to cut back on distance and try to keep some speed with a reduced overall mileage.

5 men in Ireland have broken 2.10 for the marathon in the last 18 months and none are old. New era in Irish running. Top 5 in the record list. They haven’t gone through the…. I’m aging, I’m slowing so I better do a marathon. They are young and going for it. 

Best of luck Fearghal, our Marathon record holder in Tokyo on Sunday.. 

We are all different, with varying ideas of what is right and wrong for ourselves.

No two bodies are the same and some have to ability to continually put up big mileage while others get injured if they train 3 times a week.

How many 50+ pick up some injury that threatens their running future while the same thing at 30 would be a rub of deep heat and away we go.

If we run longer we need to recover and our ability to do that lessens with age.

I got injured as I got older because my body could no longer handle the weekly totals. 

Why was I doing it? I was slowing down anyway.

My fastest marathon was as a 25 year old on a whim, with nothing better to do and a few weeks training.

My last marathon a few years ago, was 30 years after the first one. It was my slowest and I was preparing for 5 months for it.

Did I fixate on weekly mileage while ignoring strength and flexibility? I was slowing, so slogging out extra slow miles was actually counter-productive to my overall ability to run. 

I’m asking questions and not offering definite opinions. I have had a fantastic time running and met so many lovely people and made beautiful memories. Things I would never change, but it never hurts us to just ask questions about what is best for ME.

On a lighter note, I may be getting wiser in my old age and will be available with my free travel pass in a few years to come and lecture you.

Have a lovely week and for the benefit of your running future… ignore me. 

#pwr

Top Half-Marathons in Ireland in 2025

Following on from the post about the top 10-mile races in Ireland in 2025, this post is about the top half-marathons in Ireland in 2025. First up, the top 30...

a) There were approximately 130 half-marathons in Ireland in 2025 and to get into the top 30 required getting about 1000 finishers or more.

If I add up all the finishers for all the half-marathons in Ireland in 2025, the figure is just over 100,000!

b) The ratio of half-marathons to 10-milers in Ireland is about 3:1. In Cork, it's just over 1:1 with just a handful more half-marathons.

c) While the numbers at short distance races seems to have levelled off, there seems to be very strong growth in the numbers at half-marathons. In 2024, I was only able to find about 100 half-marathons whereas I found about 130 in 2025.

An event needed about 700 finishers to get on the top 30 list in 2024 whereas in 2025, it's about 1000.

d) The organisers of the Dublin City Marathon decided to hold their own half-marathon version in March of 2025 and the response was huge with over 11,800 finishers. As the chart shows, this new half-marathon jumps straight into first place and is the largest half in Ireland by far.

e) The traditional Dublin half in September saw an increase in numbers in 2025 and is now in 2nd place.

f) Belfast saw a 15% increase in numbers in 2025 and the gap to Dublin (Sep) closed from almost 1000 to about 550.

g) The Cork City Half-Marathon on the June bank holiday weekend saw an increase of just over 8% in the number of finishers but it dropped from 3rd to 7th place.

While the organisers say they are 'sold out', the reality is that they are restricting the numbers and are not taking advantage of the growth in demand for half-marathon races. This represents an opportunity cost for the city in terms of lost revenue not spent in the hospitality sector.

h) In contrast, the Great Limerick Run Half-Marathon grew by about 40% in 2025 and jumps from 5th to 4th place.

i) The Waterford AC half-marathon in November saw a slight drop in numbers in 2025 and now drops from 9th to 11th.

j) Some events have their numbers limited due to nature of the course. The Dingle Half sells out about a year in advance and could easily stay in the top 10 if they could handle more runners. Despite an increase in numbers in 2025, they drop from 10th to 13th.

k) Charleville is the second largest half in Cork and despite a small increase in numbers, they drop from 13th to 15th.

l) The Waterford Viking Half in June seems to be doing well with an 18% rise in 2025 and they move from 20th to 18th.

m) The Run Killarney and its sister Run Kilkee events both saw their numbers increase and they move from 23rd & 27th to 22nd & 26th respectively.

Second Tier... The chart below shows the second tier of half-marathons in Ireland going from 31st to 60th. Note that these are still in the top half of all the half-marathons in Ireland.

n) The Youghal Half-Marathon grew 15% in 2025 and yet, it still dropped from 29th to 33rd. It just gives an idea of how much some of the other half-marathons in Ireland have grown in 2025. Youghal was also the third largest half in Cork.

o) The Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon at the end of August is one of those half-marathons that is limited in numbers due to the width of the course. It had almost the same number of finishers in 2025 compared to 2024 and it dropped 5 places from 31st to 36th place.

p) Here are a few of the other half-marathons in Munster... the Border Half in Limerick dropped 6 places to 40th, Clonmel dropped 13 places to 50th, Stone Mad in Blarney dropped 8 places to 52nd and the Run Skibb Half dropped 3 places to 56th.

In conclusion... While the numbers at shorter distance road races has seems to have levelled off, there seems to be growing interest in events like 10-milers and half-marathons.

Considering how strong the growth was in 2025, it seems likely that 2026 will be another good year for half-marathons in Ireland.

Notice: Cork BHAA MTU 5k in Bishopstown - Sun 1st March 2026

The Cork BHAA MTU 5k in Bishopstown is coming up on Sunday the 1st of March 2026 at 10am.

The entry fee is just €5 for registered BHAA runners and €10 for non-registered. You enter on the morning of the race.

There will also be a free waterproof technical running cap with the MTU logo for the first 400 to enter on the day.

Some key points...

Cork runners take titles at 2026 Adare 10k race

The annual Adare 10k organised by West Limerick AC was held on Sun 22nd Feb 2026. The first man and woman home were Cork runners Paul Moloney of Mallow AC and Sinead O'Connor of Leevale AC.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Paul MALONEY 30:59 1043 M M45 Mallow A.C.
2 İbrahim AHMED SAMOW 31:35 1 M MS Ennis Track A.C.
3 Niall SHANAHAN 31:38 1027 M M40 An Bru A.C.
1 Sinead O'CONNOR 35:55 5 F FS Leevale A.C.
2 Carolyn HAYES 38:03 1011 F FS West Limerick A.C.
3 Amy MURPHY 39:14 1022 F FS West Limerick A.C.

Full results HERE

Dermot Hever has loads of photos up on his Facebook page HERE

National Marathon champion Ava Crean from Limerick wins the 2026 Nenagh Half-Marathon

Tom Keane and Denis O'Reilly with winner of the Nenagh Half Marathon, Ava Crean

Sunday the 22nd of February 2026 was a busy day for races in Munster with the Kinsale 10-mile, the Adare 10k and the Nenagh Half-Marathon & 10k.

The numbers in Nenagh were really quite exceptional this year. The Nenagh Half is a relatively new event and in 2025, it had 304 finishers in the half... a modest number of finishers which put it in 62nd place for the top half marathons in Ireland in 2025.

The 2026 event saw the numbers surge to 711 finishers, well over double the numbers for the previous year. This puts it on track to be the largest half-marathon in Tipperary by years end.

The 10k also saw a substantial surge with a 44% jump from 311 to 448 finishers.

I suspect one of the main reasons for the surge is the apparent rise in the number of runners in Limerick with more events appearing on the calendar.

It's all the more appropriate that the first woman in the half was 19-year old Ava Crean from Limerick with a time of 74m 16s. Ava is the current Irish national marathon champion after taking the title at the Dublin marathon last October.

Top 5 men & women...
 1 Chris JENKEN 01:08:53 01:08:53 983 M MS Derg A.C.
2 David MEEHAN 01:10:00 01:10:00 979 M MS TULLA AC
3 John KINSELLA 01:10:27 01:10:27 2032 M MS Back 2 Boston Running Club A.C.
4 Peter SOMBA 01:11:24 01:11:24 2034 M MS
5 Danny MULLINS 01:12:00 01:12:00 257 M MS Bantry A.C.
6  Ava CREAN 01:14:16 01:14:16 2031 F FS Back 2 Boston Running Club A.C.
8 Dee GRADY 01:16:08 01:16:08 981 F F40 Ennis Track A.C.
16 Andrea AZA VILLAMOR 01:22:01 01:22:02 80 F FS Glanmire A.C.
28 Eilis RYAN 01:24:02 01:24:03 345 F FS Newport A.C.
38 Jane HUGHES 1:25:12 01:25:17 289 F FS

Full results HERE

As you can see from the top 5 above, Danny Mullins of Bantry AC finished in 5th place in the men's race while Andrea Aza Villamor of Glanmire AC was the 3rd woman home.

Results & Photos of the Kinsale 10-mile - Sun 22nd Feb 2026

Niamh Allen of Leevale AC is the first woman home with a new course record time of 53m 59s

The 2026 edition of the Kinsale 10-mile road race was held on turned out to be a windy but dry Sunday morning with 933 runners crossing the finish line. That represents a 16% increase on the figure for last year where there was a big drop in numbers when the race was rescheduled. It's pretty much a return to the numbers of 2024 when there were 927 finishers.

Kinsale was the 9th largest 10-mile race in Ireland in 2025.

Top 5 men & women...

473 1 Evan FITZGERALD West Waterford A.C. M 50:55  
2324 2 Mark WALSH Leevale A.C. M 53:35  
607     4 Pat HENNESSY West Waterford A.C. M 55:13
1087 5 Damian MURPHY West Waterford A.C. M 56:00
782     6 John LONGAN St. Finbarrs A.C. M 56:03
35 3 Niamh ALLEN Leevale A.C. F 53:59  
2285 15 Hannah STEEDS Leevale A.C. F 58:34  
2296 23 Kealey TIDESWELL Clonmel A.C. F40 1:01:47  
1982 39 Jean LUCEY F40 1:04:23  
2112 58 Anna O KEEFFE St. Finbarrs A.C. F 1:06:53

Full results HERE

Photos... (Updated 23rd Feb 6:11pm)

1) Mick Dooley has some pre-race and start line photos HERE , top finishers HERE and some group photos at the finish line HERE

2) Joe Murphy has the following photos...

a) Pre-race b) Finish 1 c) Start 1 d) Start 2 e) Finish 2 f) Finish 3 g) Finish 4 h) Finish 5 i) Finish 6 j) Finish 7 k) Finish 8 l) Finish 9 m) Finish 10 n) Finish 11 o) Finish 12 p) Finish 13 q) Finish 14 r) Finish 15 

3) Pop Up Races has some finish line photos HERE

Déise Abú... first place finish for Evan Fitzgerald of West Waterford AC

Big update of the race calendar - Feb 2026

I recently updated the race calendar on the blog and it took a LOT of trawling around a multitude of websites to extract the date.

You can view it HERE

Here are a few observations...

1) Doing a quick search, it has 166 5k runs, 114 10k runs, 27 10-milers and about 80 half-marathons.

2) Despite the fact there is a city the size of Limerick and the huge numbers attending the Great Limerick Run on the May Bank Holiday weekend, there was a major lack of regular races there in the past. There seems to be a gradual increase in the number of events appearing there.

3) Waterford seems to be as lopsided as ever. While West Waterford AC are as busy as ever organising events in the west of the county, there is a serious lack of running events in Waterford city.

4) The running scene in Dublin seems to be as hectic as in Cork. Not a weekend goes by without some event happening in the capital. The adjacent counties seem to very busy as well.

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 21st Feb 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 21st February 2026. Approximately 1191 runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

Report... After the cold conditions last week with the thermometer down around 0 deg C, it was a complete change this week with a reading of 11 deg C up at Cork Airport.

Tramore Valley Park... Well done to Michael M O'Sullivan who completed his 100th 5k parkrun this weekend in Cork City. Michael's usual parkrun is on Bere Island where he has completed 95 events.

Midleton... Well done to Kathleen O'Connell who completed her 100th 5k parkrun this weekend!

The majority of Kathleen's parkruns were split between Midleton and Tramore Valley Park.

At the same event, Barrie Drennan earned his 100th volunteer credit!

If I missed anyone who passed a notable milestone like 100, 200, 250 or above parkruns then let me know.

Upcoming milestones....

a) Glen River #300 on the 28th of Feb

b) Youghal #200 on the 7th of Mar

***

Ballincollig Regional Park:  321 this week, 244 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Anthony MANNIX Male VM35-39 Cork Track Club 17:24

2 Brian COLLINS Male SM25-29 18:55

3 Andrew KANE Male JM15-17 19:36

25 Patricia VICARIO Female VW45-49 22:31

38 Lorraine O SULLIVAN Female VW45-49 23:42

39 Aoife COOKE Female VW35-39 23:46

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/413/

Tramore Valley Park: 281 this week, 191 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Paul CROSSLEY Male SM30-34 Lindley Running Club 16:41

2 Thomas BROWNE Male SM20-24 16:53

3 Raphael BRUNNBAUER Male SM20-24 17:45

5 Siobhan HOARE Female VW45-49 Togher AC 19:05

7 Niamh CRONIN Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 19:37

9 Fiona RIORDAN Female SW30-34 19:59

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/190/

Glen River: 67 this week, 70 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 David CARRASCO COQUILLAT Male SM25-29 18:50

2 Diarmuid DEASY Male SM20-24 20:44

3 Ciarán MURRAY Male VM40-44 Togher AC 21:03

5 Irene EIGHAN Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 22:39

24 Catherine DEENIHAN Female VW55-59 UCC Staff Athletics Club 26:22

25 Eileen KENNY Female VW75-79 27:12

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/299/

Midleton Greenway: 144 this week, 107 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Noel EARLY Male VM45-49 18:58

2 James O MAHONY Male VM35-39 19:03

3 Derek SMYTH Male VM45-49 19:15

8 Annmarie BURNS Female VW40-44 20:43

12 Suzanne ALCOCK Female VW35-39 21:12

22 Emma BELL Female SW18-19 21:59

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/54/

Mallow Castle: 75 this week, 67 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Brian AHERN Male VM45-49 19:41

2 Vinny GRIMES Male SM30-34 20:01

3 Liam AHERNE Male VM45-49 Mallow Tri Club 21:03

11 Elaine O'CALLAGHAN Female VW40-44 22:50

17 Aoife O FLYNN Female VW35-39 23:26

25 Annette JORGENSEN Female VW55-59 25:13

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/217/

Youghal (Pobalscoil ne Tríonóide) : 44 this week, CANCELLED last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Ciaran MITCHELL Male VM35-39 20:14

2 John COUGHLAN Male VM45-49 20:52

3 Brendan COLEMAN Male VM45-49 20:57

6 Eva MURPHY Female SW20-24 22:34

9 Shannon SOTOK Female SW30-34 23:16

10 Sinead HICKEY Female VW40-44 Killarney Valley AC 23:19

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/198/

Macroom Castle Demense: 58 this week, 71 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Henry BROWNE Male VM45-49 18:43

2 Damien OMAHONY Male SM30-34 20:07

3 David BRADLEY Male JM15-17 20:36

14 Mary MCHUGH Female VW40-44 25:05

22 Carmel PURCELL Female VW45-49 West Muskerry A.C. 26:23

23 Margaret LUCEY Female VW45-49 26:24

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/565/

Clonakilty:  47 this week, 43 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Donnacha RYAN Male JM11-14 19:41

2 Ben RYAN Male VM40-44 19:43

3 Robert KEHOE Male VM45-49 Ballincollig Athletic Club 19:49

10 Aimee LAVERY Female SW30-34 23:16

13 Eibhlín MURPHY Female JW15-17 24:34

14 Luisne DÉISEACH Female JW15-17 24:35

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/521/

Glengarriff Woods: 60 this week, 105 last week.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Matt HOULIHAN Male JM15-17 19:53

2 Eamon RYAN Male VM40-44 Lucan Harriers 20:10 

3 Ray SMITH Male VM60-64 Kenmare Athletics Club 20:27

5 Rachel HAWKER Female SW30-34 Kenmare Athletics Club 22:26

10 Sharon LEVIS Female VW45-49 24:53

11 Caroline O'SULLIVAN Female VW40-44 25:10

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/442/

Bere Island: 61 this week, 45 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Vincent O SULLIVAN Male VM45-49 19:53

2 Fergus ROONEY Male VM45-49 22:37

3 Tadhg HOBBS Male SM18-19 22:51

5 Breeda O SULLIVAN Female VW55-59 Beara AC 24:11

7 Julia O SULLIVAN Female SW18-19 24:52

8 Nina MURPHY Female VW35-39 25:04

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/533/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 37 finishers this week, 25 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Jack DUNCAN Male SM30-34 19:33

2 Florence FITZGERALD Male VM35-39 21:44

3 James LAVERY Male SM30-34 23:06

10 Nicky STANIFORTH Female SW30-34 25:57

16 Clare KENWARD Female VW55-59 Haywards Heath Harriers 28:52

21 Lisa STANIFORTH Female SW30-34 30:33

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/453/

For more information about the weekly 5k parkruns in Co Cork, go to this page HERE.

Guest Post: Memories ...by Pat Walsh

 * Memories *

I recently celebrated a birthday, nothing significant or category changing, just one of the run of the mill ordinary forgettable ones that signify the passing of another year. Another year further away from Olympic qualification.

My friend Graham (thanks) sent some pictures to me on the day. He had captured these at various events over the last few years. Beautiful memories filled with lovely people. Some of the races I have no idea of how I ran or what time, I just remember being there on the day, taking part or supporting and meeting fellow runners. Yes I admit, I did steal his bike one time. Memories to cherish.

If we never went out and took part then how can we have anything to look back on and make us smile. You won’t remember the day you sat on the couch doing nothing, only staring idly at at some rubbish on a screen.  But you can reminisce about a race, a run, a cuppa when the picture pops up again in memories. It can bring a warm glow.

So as we near the end of February and 2 months of 2026 will have slipped by, what have you done to make this a memorable year? You will get the t-shirt and the medals and while some people aren’t fans or collectors, I personally love looking back at whatever token I have from old events. I did it, I was there, I took part, I finished.

Always look forward to the next event, next race, next gathering and never be afraid to get out there. I’m slowing down, that is inevitable, but it shouldn’t stop me just because of some clock. If you are always looking back and comparing then you are on a slippery slope. The next memory to be made awaits you.

I’m going to do different parkruns that I haven’t done yet.

I’m going to attend some new races and make a few road trips.

I will look at my watch for distance and heart rate, not pace. 

I will to cycle more to lessen the pounding on my body from running.

I will stick to agreed weekly and monthly guidelines for total mileage.

I will accept the aging process and rejoice any day I can be active.

- Make your own kind of music, sing your own special song -(S McC)

On the morning of my birthday I got up early and ran 4 miles alone as the sun was rising. It was fab. To think this time last year I was in rehab for a serious injury and a few months of no running ahead of me. So I celebrated a year of progress. I can honestly say I’m better than a year ago. As I ran, I listened to some music and a song from Katy Perry came on. I won’t say what age I am, but my Spotify age is 31. That really is grasping at straws and delusional. 

‘I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar’

Take care and just get out there and do something that you will remember.

#pwr

Greenways of Ireland Map - 2026

The Irish Cycling Campaign website recently published a map of all the greenways in Ireland on their website.

While it doesn't go into fine detail, it does show locations that are safe for cycling, walking and running.

It's interesting to see the big picture as to how the greenway network is being developed across the country.

You can find the map HERE

Friday Jigsaw: Eagle AC Quality Control

For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo of the Eagle AC Quality Control Department busy at work checking out the refreshments for the Carrigaline 5-mile road race last weekend.

It has 120-pieces and you can find it HERE

Top 10-mile road races in Ireland in 2025

I've been keeping a tab on all of the 10-mile races in Ireland in 2025 and I finally got around to compiling a list of the top 20.

1) The Frank Duffy 10-mile in Dublin is the top 10-miler in the country with over 3,600 finishers. It was also the top race in 2024 and is not only a reflection of the event itself but the huge pool of runners  in the capital.

2) The largest 10-miler in Munster is the John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile and it's also the second largest 10-mile race in Ireland. It was also in second place in 2024.

3) The Derry Walled City 10-mile saw a huge jump in numbers in 2025 and jumped from 6th to 3rd place. It had around 500 extra finishers in 2025 which was a jump of about 30% on the previous year.

4) Seven 10-mile races managed to attract more than 1000 runners in 2025, the same as 2024.

5) Five of the top twenty 10-milers were in Co Cork. Three of the top 10 were in Cork.

6) In 2024, the average number of finishers for the top 20 races was 1025. In 2025, that had risen to 1112 which is an increase of about 8.5%. 

7) It's worth noting that some events have their numbers capped so they have a limit of how many people can take part.

8) I managed to find about 44 10-mile events in 2025. 16 of these were in Munster.

9) In terms of Munster races, Mallow stayed at number 7. Kinsale and Cobh swapped places with Kinsale dropping to 9th and Cobh going up to 8th. 2025 was the inaugural year for the Midleton Greenway 10m and they jumped straight into 13th place.

Kilkishen in Co Clare dropped from 14th to 18th while Churchtown in Cork went up a place from 15th to 14th. The Beat the Train 10-mile in Co Waterford dropped from 20th down to 21st even though their numbers actually increased.

Further down the list for 2025, Dooneen in Limerick was 28th, Tralee and the Gap of Dunloe were 29th and 30th respectively and Kilsheelan & Mooreabbey in Tipp were 35th & 36th.

10) I found three events that were held in 2024 but were missing in 2025.

In conclusion... That is a broad overview of the 10-mile races in Ireland. Even though there are a lot more half-marathons on the calendar, the 10-mile distance still remains a firm favourite with many.

Link...
a) Previous post - Top 10-mile races in 2024

Training programmes for the 2026 Cork City Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k

The Cork City Marathon is coming up on Sunday 30th May 2026. I have a standard 14-week training programme starting on the 23rd of February which costs €112. 

The weekly programme is tailored for each individual and requires weekly feedback by email. It's suitable for anyone looking to do their first marathon or for someone who wants to improve their times.

Notice: Midleton Greenway 10-mile race - Sun 8th March 2026

The second running of the Midleton Greenway 10 Mile Race will take place on the new Midleton to Mogeely Greenway on Sunday March 8th 2026, at 11am.

Entries: You can enter online HERE

Entry Fee: €30 (+ booking fee). Please Note: Entries Limited

Online entries close midnight Thurs 5th March