Results & Photos of the Great Railway Run 25km - Sun 13th Apr 2025

Evan Fitzgerald of West Waterford AC wins the 2025 Great Railway Run in a new course record time

The Great Railway Run 25km race from Cork City to Carrigaline was held this year on Sun 13th Apr 2025. The race was held in cool but dry and sunny conditions and the runners were finished before the showers arrived.

There were 503 finishers this year which is up about 15% on the 438 of 2024.

Top 5 men & women...

1 Evan Fitzgerald West Waterford AC   1:21:03 MS 581 Course Record
2 Paul Moloney Doneraile AC   1:24:55 MS 586
3 Donal Coakley Leevale AC   1:29:57 MS 585
4 Nathan Ryan O'Hehir St Finbarrs AC   1:30:54 MS 223
5 Ruairi Manning Cork Track Club AC   1:31:46 MS 555
28 Catherine Murphy Eagle AC   1:41:47 F45 396
39 Breda Gaffney Mallow AC   1:46:32 F50 82
47 Kathy-Jean Horgan-Casey Mallow   1:48:34 F45 596
49 Emma Doyle Leevale AC   1:48:57 FS 199
64 Olga O'Loughlin St Finbarrs AC   1:53:42 F45 571

Full results HERE

Catherine Murphy of Eagle AC is the first woman home

Photos to follow... plenty on the way.... Updated Sun 13th Apr 9pm

1) There are five galleries up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.

a) Album 1 b) Album 2 c) Album 3 d) Album 4 e) Album 5

2) Derek Costello has the following galleries...

part 1  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194766955985774&type=3
part 2  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194771849318618&type=3
part 3  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194776382651498&type=3
part 4  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194780729317730&type=3
part 5  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194784455984024&type=3

All aboard! The 2-hour pace group...

2:10 or bust...

The pillar in the background was part of the footbridge that used to go over the railway line allowing access to the small quay for boats

Results & Photos of the Great Railway Run 25k race - Sun 21st Apr 2024

(L-R) Barry Twohig 1st & John Meade 2nd

The weather couldn't be better for this years Great Railway Run 25km race from Cork City to Carrigaline. A total of 426 runners crossed the finish line, up 8% on last year.

Looking at the results and the photos that I took in Passage West, the top spots were both the men's and women's race were hotly contested. 

The photo above is of Barry Twohig & John Meade who finished 1st and 2nd respectively. At the 6 mile mark in Passage West, they were 5th & 6th so it looks like the steady pace on a warm day paid dividends.

(L-R) Niamh Moore & Aoife Cooke neck and neck at mile 6 is Passage West

The women's race was also hotly contested with both Niamh Moore and Aoife Cooke neck and neck in Passage West. Niamh would go on to win in the end by 50-seconds.

Top 5 men & women...

1 Barry Twohig St Finbarrs AC   1:25:38 SM 518
2 John Meade St Finbarrs AC   1:26:18 SM 350
3 Donal Coakley Leevale AC   1:26:35 MS 277
4 Danny Mullins Bantry AC   1:27:00 MS 242
5 Cillian O'Leary Raheny Shamrock AC   1:27:54 M40 489
12 Niamh Moore Leevale AC   1:36:05 FS 12
14 Aoife Cooke Eagle AC   1:36:55 FS 529
27 Catherine Murphy Eagle AC   1:40:40 F45 203
38 Lorna Wolfe Leevale AC   1:42:54 FS 427
44 Sandra Manning Leevale AC   1:44:12 F40 65

Full results HERE

Photos... (Updated Mon 22nd 7:50am)

1) There are 5 albums up on the Running in Cork Facebook page...

Passage West (6m mark) - a) Album 1 (finish 1:25-1:57) b) Album 2 (finish 1:57 - 2:09) c) Album 3 (finish 2:09 - 2:19) d) Album 4 (finish 2:19 - 2:45) e) Album 5 (finish 2:45 - 3:20)

2) Derek Costello has the following albums from the 5-mile mark at Harty's Quay...

1) Album 1  2) Album 2  3) Album 3  4) Album 4 

Ciarraí Abú

Choo...Choo... All aboard the 2:10 train

Flying Eagles

Bolt salute

Decisions... Decisions... Take the ferry home or run to Carrigaline??

"I hope he's not taking my photo"

Déise on Tour

'Ed Fitz ag Rith' ag rith

Notice: The Great Railway Run 25km - Sun 21st Apr 2024

The annual Great Railway Run from Cork to Carrigaline will be held this year on Sunday the 21st of April 2024. 

The 25km run will start at 9:30am in Centre Park Road and the route skirts the shores of Cork Harbour. The race will finish in Carrigaline at the Lions Youth Centre on Church Road.

Update: 20th Apr 2024 - Just a reminder that the start line for the race this year is on Monahan Road.

There will be one 1.6-mile loop shown in the red arrows. Then the runners head towards the Marina (orange arrows) and then onto the Greenway and straight down to Passage West. The route will not go past Blackrock Castle.

After crossing the bridge over the Douglas Estuary, the route is the same as previous years.

Update: 17th April 2024 - SOLD OUT!

Notice : The Great Railway Run 10km or 25km - Sun 28th Apr 2019

The annual Great Railway Run from Cork to Carrigaline will be held this year on Sunday the 28th of April 2019. There is a choice of two distances.......a 25 km race starting at 9:30am from Cork City to Carrigaline and a 10 km race from Monkstown to Carrigaline starting at 11am.

Weather... After Storm Hannah passes through on Friday night and Saturday morning, things are looking a lot more settled for Sunday. It should be overcast, temperature in the low teens and a light breeze from the south-west.

Course Change... Note that there will be a slight change to the course around Rafeen for both the 25k and 10k courses. It shouldn't make a huge difference.

Update Fri 26th April : Online entries close at midnight Friday.

From the organisers...Bib Number collection will be available on Saturday 27th April from 5PM to 7PM at Phelan's Midnight Pharmacy just off the Kinsale Road roundabout. Alternatively, you can collect your number at the check-in desk near the starting area but please be there at least 30 mins before the race start time.

For the 25K, check-in is on Centre Park Road, about 50m before the start line. Check-in will be open from 8:30am.

For the 10K, check-in is the car park in Monkstown (opposite the Bosun) from 10:00 am.

Notice...The Great Railway Run 10km or 25km - Sun 22nd Apr 2018

The annual Great Railway Run from Cork to Carrigaline will be held this year on Sunday the 22nd of April 2018 .There is a choice of two distances.......a 25 km race starting at 9:30am from Cork City to Carrigaline and a 10 km race from Monkstown to Carrigaline starting at 11am.

The run will roughly follow the route of the old Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway which ran from 1850 until 1932.

For a large part of the run, the route will follow the old railway line that skirts the shores of Cork Harbour. The big change this year is the finish. An extra section will be added in after Shanbally so that the race finishes at the Carrigaline Youth Centre.

          Before 26th Feb      Normal Price      After 15th Apr 2018

10K.............€18..........................€20..............................€30
25K.............€27..........................€30..............................€40

You can find details of the 2018 route HERE

More details on the event website.

You can enter online HERE

Prizes...

€3000 in prize money sponsored by Phelans Pharamacy. Prizes will be awarded for best overall placings as well as for age categories. Strictly one prize per entrant. The Joe West perpetual trophy will be awarded to the fastest male and female in the 25K race. Cash prizes will be as follows:

25K
Men Overall: 1st €300, 2nd €150, 3rd €100, 4th €50
Men Categories: Wheelchair, M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65 - 1st in each category €50
Women Overall: 1st €300, 2nd €150, 3rd €100, 4th €50
Women Categories: Wheelchair, M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65 - 1st in each category €50

10K
Men Overall: 1st €150, 2nd €75, 3rd €50
Men Categories: Wheelchair, M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65 - 1st in each category €50
Women Overall: 1st €150, 2nd €75, 3rd €50
Women Categories: Wheelchair, M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65 - 1st in each category €50

Results & photos of the Great Railway Run...Sun 23rd Apr 2017

There was a welcome boost in numbers for this years Great Railway Run with over 650 runners taking part. The numbers in the 25k were up 25% while the 10k was up 23%. This is in marked contract to a lot of other races in Munster where the trend is flat or down.

25km....Cork to Carrigaline
1 Alan O Shea     Cork       1:22:58 SM
2 Alan Lehane     Blarney   1:30:53 SM
3 Jeremy O Donovan     Kinsale 1:33:45 SM
17 Una Murphy Plant     Kinsale   1:47:08 SW
44 Mary Sweeney     Cork   1:54:11     SW
53 Sheila Buckley     Carrigtwohill   1:56:35 SW 

Full results below...

10km...Monkstown to Carrigaline
1 Tim Twomey         33:29     Cork     SM
2 Brian Kearney     35:35     Cork     SM
3 Gearoid O Leary    37:08     Macroom     SM
12 Eimear O Brien    42:32     Cork     SW
13 Ali O Connor     43:22     Cork     SW
17 Linda Kelly        44:30     Carrigaline     W40 

Full results below...

5km...Ringaskiddy to Carrigaline
1 Graham Nudds         19:53     Cork     SM
2 Mark Kells         20:57     Wexford SM
3 Cathal Twomey     21:11     Blarney SM
6 Mairead Lonergan     23:25     Cork     SW
9 Katie Harte         25:38     Clonakilty SW
10 Emma Riordan     25:58     Heineken SW 

Full results below...

Photos
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE
2) There are several galleries of photos taken by Adrian O'Herlihy
a) 25km Cork City
b) 25km near Passage West
c) 10k Start
d) 25 & 10k nr Shanbally
e) Near the finish

3) Paula's Running Photos has a large gallery HERE

Full results below...

Notice...The Great Railway Run 5km, 10km or 25km - Sun 23rd Apr 2017

The annual Great Railway Run from Cork to Carrigaline will be held this year on Sunday the 23rd of April 2017 .There are a choice of three distances.......a 25 km race starting at 9:30am from Cork City to Carrigaline, a 10 km race from Monkstown to Carrigaline starting at 11am or a 5 km run/walk from Ringaskiddy to Carrigaline starting at 11:45am.

The run will roughly follow the route of the old Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway which ran from 1850 until 1932.

For a large part of the run, the route will follow the old railway line that skirts the shores of Cork Harbour. The big change this year is the finish. An extra section will be added in after Shanbally so that the race finishes at the new Carrigaline Youth Centre. This avoids the narrow finish on the footpath outside the GAA club.

The entry fees are as follows...

          Normal Price      After 16th Apr 2017

5K...............€12..............................€17
10K.............€20..............................€30
25K.............€30..............................€40

You can find details of the 2017 route HERE

More details on the event website.

You can enter online HERE

Notice...The Great Railway Run 5km, 10km or 25km - Sun 17th Apr 2016

The annual Great Railway Run from Cork to Carrigaline will be held this year on Sunday the 17th of April 2016 .There are a choice of three distances.......a 25 km race starting at 9:30am from Cork City to Carrigaline, a 10 km race from Monkstown to Carrigaline starting at 11am or a 5 km run/walk from Ringaskiddy to Carrigaline starting at 11:45am.

The run will roughly follow the route of the old Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway which ran from 1850 until 1932.

For a large part of the run, the route will follow the old railway line that skirts the shores of Cork Harbour. The big change this year is the finish. An extra section will be added in after Shanbally so that the race finishes at the new Carrigaline Youth Centre. This avoids the narrow finish on the footpath outside the GAA club.

The entry fees are as follows...

          Normal Price      Late registration

5K...............€12..............................€17
10K.............€20..............................€30
25K.............€30..............................€40

You can find details of the 2016 route HERE

More details on the event website.

You can enter online HERE

Results of the Great Railway Run 25k, 10k & 5k...Sun 19th Apr 2015

The 2015 Great Railway Run attracted almost 600 runners this year. There was 247 in the 25k from Cork to Carrigaline, 237 in the 10k from Monkstown to Carrigaline and 100 in the 5k from Shanbally to Carrigaline.

First 3 men in the Great Railway Run 25k from Cork City to Carrigaline...L-R Brian Murphy 1st, Alex O'Shea 2nd & Eric Browne 3rd. Photo : Doug Minihane

25k...
1    Brian Murphy 1:28:43    Open  (1)    Male  (1)
2    Alex O'SHEA 1:32:08    Ages 40-49  (1)    Male  (2)
3    Eric BROWNE  1:36:44    Open  (2)    Male  (3)
12    Nollaigh O'NEILL  1:42:39  Ages 40-49  (1)    Female  (1)
14    Laoise NI THUAMA  1:43:41  Open  (1)    Female  (2)
29    Mary SWEENEY (249)    01:49:49    01:49:49    Ages 50-59  (1)    Female  (3)

10k...
1    James GRUFFERTY (580)    00:34:30    Open  (1)    Male  (1)
2    John O'Callaghan (763)    00:38:16    Ages 40-49  (1)    Male  (2)
3    Garrett CASEY (534)    00:38:27    Ages 40-49  (2)    Male  (3)
6    Grainne Odonnell (748)    00:40:45    Open  (1)    Female  (1)
15    Laura O' CALLAGHAN (669)    00:44:27    Open  (2)    Female  (2)
16    Stephanie Johnson (759)    00:44:39    Ages 40-49  (1)    Female  (3)

5k...
1    Shane HEALY (1053)    00:16:35    All Ages  (1)    Male  (1)
2    John DURCAN (1043)    00:16:52    All Ages  (2)    Male  (2)
3    Paul Duggan (1112)    00:17:34    All Ages  (3)    Male  (3)
10    Claire O DONNELL (1083)    00:20:41    All Ages  (1)    Female  (1)
11    Ciara MURPHT (1074)    00:20:58    All Ages  (2)    Female  (2)
14    Aoife DINEEN (1038)    00:23:12    All Ages  (3)    Female  (3)

The provisional results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) An album of 138 photos from Monkstown and near Carrigaline HERE 
2) Kieran Minihane has 300+ photos HERE 
3) The organisers have some photos near the finish line HERE

Nollaigh O'Neill...winner of the Great Railway Run 25k race, just one week after winning a half-marathon in Spain.

From a numbers point of view, it looks like this year has been a huge success. This is a breakdown of the number of finishers over the last 3 events...

That big jump in numbers doesn't come without problems however. A number of people have said that the finish area for the race was way too small for nearly 600 people finishing the three races. There was also an issue for some people with traffic on the route with people walking to get between cars that were stopped.

An earlier start might help resolve the traffic issue. I'm not sure what can be done about the finish area though?

Notice...The Great Railway Run...Cork-Monkstown-Shanbally-Carrigaline...Sun 19th Apr 2015

This event was held on the May Bank Holiday last year and this year, it moves back to Sunday the 19th of April 2015 .There are a choice of three distances.......a 25 km race starting at 9:30am from Cork City to Carrigaline, a 10 km race from Monkstown to Carrigaline starting at 10:45am or a 5 km run/walk from Shanbally to Carrigaline starting at 11:30am.

The run will roughly follow the route of the old Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway which ran from 1850 until 1932.

For a large part of the run, the route will follow the old railway line that skirts the shores of Cork Harbour. Each event will finish at Carrigaline GAA Club. Shower facilities will be available in the GAA Club after the race and there will be bus transport to take runners back to the start areas after the race.

The entry fees are as follows...

               Before 17/3/2015       Normal Price      Late registration

5K...............€10.20..............................€12..............................€17
10K.............€17...................................€20..............................€30
25K.............€25.50...............................€30..............................€40

Proceeds from the event will go towards Carrigaline Lions Club

More details on the event website.

A full preview of the course can be seen HERE