Hannah Steeds wins the Jerry Kiernan 5k in Listowel - 24th Aug 2025

The inaugural Jerry Kiernan Memorial 5k road race was held in Listowel in north Kerry on Sunday 24th August 2025 with 256 runners crossing the finish line. For a 5k race in Kerry, that's a pretty good turnout.

The first woman across the line was Hannah Steeds of Leevale AC in Cork with a time of 16m 51s.

Top 3 men & women...
3812 1 William FITZGERALD Craughwell A.C. M 14:32
2083 2 Denis HEARTY M 14:35
3817 3 Conor KISSANE Killarney Valley A.C. M 15:27
3835 11 Hannah STEEDS Leevale A.C. F 16:51
3869 12 Niamh O MAHONY F 17:03
3865 16 Ciara O NEILL Clonmel A.C. F 17:23

Full results HERE

Photos...

a) Sylwia Stefaniak has a gallery of photos HERE

Hannah Steeds receiving the winners trophy from former Olympic medallist John Treacy

1984 Interview with Jerry Kiernan

Back in 1984, Jerry Kiernan was one of the best distance runners in the country and finished 9th in the Olympics in Los Angeles that year.

The Marathon magazine was a popular running magazine back in the 1980's and was edited by Fr Liam Kelleher.

 The interview can be seen below...

Jerry Kiernan ...RIP

 

It was a shock to hear that Jerry Kiernan passed away today at the age of 67. 

In the 80's and early 90's, he was one of the best runners in the country winning the Dublin marathon in 1982 and 1992. He is probably best known for finishing ninth in the marathon at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He was also the seventh Irishman to run a sub-four-minute mile. 

Here are some of his personal bests...

1500m... 3m 41.90s - Dusseldorf - 1976
One-Mile... 3m 59.12s - London - 1976
3000m... 7m 54.70s - Belfast - 1987
5000m... 13m 32.71s - Cork - 1981
10000m... 28m 55.9s - Dublin - 1981
10-Miles... 47m 04s - Ballycotton 10m - 1983
Half-Marathon... 1h 03m 15s - San Diego, USA - 1985
Marathon... 2h 12m 20s - Los Angeles, USA - 1984

Jerry Kiernan also ran in a lot of road races all over the country. The photo above shows him crossing the finish line at the Mallow 10-mile road race.

In later years, Jerry became one of the best distance running coaches in the country and was a regular on RTE television when athletic events were being covered..

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Guest Post: Flashback - Jerry Kiernan reigned in the rain at 1983 Cork City Marathon

Flashback: Jerry Kiernan reigned in the rain at 1983 Cork City Marathon... by John Walshe

THE year of 1982, following the inaugural Cork City Marathon, saw road running taking off throughout country.

That autumn, over 8,700 finishers were recorded at the Dublin Marathon.

New races sprang up everywhere and Cork was no exception. June, July and August saw 10-mile races in Crosshaven, Belgooly, Charleville, Ballincollig, Bandon, Rathcormac and Castlelyons.

The standards were also at an all-time high.

The BLE marathon at Limerick in June was won by Dick Hooper in 2:12:56 and of the 394 finishers, 138 were inside three hours.

Finishing 20th in 2:26:23 was Willie Hayes, then with Reenavanna Harriers and now a member of St Finbarr’s AC.

He had been to the fore at the Cork City Marathon the previous Easter, eventually finishing sixth in 1982.

He recalled the type of training he was doing back then.

“I used to average around 120 miles a week, and even on one occasion reached 150.

“I was living in Doon [Co Limerick] and along with a few others like Mike Thompson and John O’Brien would do five or six miles in the morning and go out again in the evening.

"We would do a long run on a Sunday and also trained on the track. But most runners were doing that kind of mileage back then.”

With the running boom in full swing, it needed a star, a cult hero that the public and media could relate to.

It found one in Jerry Kiernan.

Born in Listowel, Kiernan was already an accomplished track and cross-country performer before turning to the roads.

He was National 1500m champion in 1975 and the following year broke four minutes for the mile at the Crystal Palace, recording 3:59.1.

After finishing 26th at the 1982 World C-C, he made his long distance debut in sensational style in May, defeating Neil Cusack by over four minutes in a 25km race in Limerick.

Further super-fast times over 10 miles in Belgooly and Bandon followed but it was October’s Dublin City Marathon that made Jerry Kiernan a household name.

A live television audience saw the Kerry native set a tremendous pace, leading by nearly four minutes at 20 miles where a time close to 2 hours 10 minutes seemed on the cards.

But the wheels came off and he was forced to stop a number of times over the last six miles.

Although in an exhausted state, Kiernan held on to cross the line in the sixth-fastest time by an Irish athlete of 2:13:45.

As he was now supported by adidas - also the Cork City Marathon sponsors - Kiernan’s appearance in the southern showpiece on Easter Monday was virtually assured.

Before that, however, he made another trip to Cork when setting a course record of 47:04 for the Ballycotton ‘10’.

Easter was early in 1983 and conditions on Monday April 4 were described as “rain soaked and sun splashed.”

Entries, at almost 1,000, showed a significant increase on 1982.

There were some changes to the route with the race starting as well as finishing on the South Mall.

Along Anglesea Street, South Terrace, Clarke’s Bridge, Washington Street and Grand Parade brought the runners back to the South Mall and the two-mile mark.

They then headed out towards the Kinsale Road, through Togher and five miles at Deanrock Estate before coming in Hartland’s Avenue, Glasheen Road and out to Wilton.

The 10-mile mark was on Inchiggan Lane before a return to the city and along MacCurtain Street to 15 miles at St Patrick’s Church.

Back around Horgan’s Quay and down Centre Park Road and the Marina took the runners to 20 miles on Skehard Road.

Then followed the tough final six miles back by Bellair, past St Finbarr’s Hospital, Boreenamanna Road, Victoria Road, and the City Hall and around by George’s Quay to the welcome finish on the Mall.

Wearing number 699, Kiernan lined up in the miserable conditions amongst what was a much higher standard field.

A group of 10 quickly slipped clear, including Ray Treacy (who had run 47:42 behind Kiernan in Ballycotton), Neil Cusack, Michael Walsh, Paddy Murphy from Kildare, John Griffin, US-based Dessie O’Connor and Cork-born Eddie Twohig from Leamington.

“I honestly was not feeling good over those first ten miles,” admitted Kiernan afterwards.

"The rain was pouring down and there was a strong headwind. We were just sitting in and taking as much shelter as we could.”

Michael Walsh and Ray Treacy lead the field through eight miles in 41:46.

The weather was now improving and passing the County Hall, Treacy surged, taking Kiernan with him. Walsh was off the back and coming into Patrick Street, Kiernan took control.

“The adrenalin was flowing. The crowd was great and I was feeling real good,” he would relate later.

He reached 18 miles in 91:02 and passing St Finbarr’s Hospital and the 22-mile mark, the clocked showed 1:51:31.

A really fast time was now on the cards and so it proved, with the 29-year-old crossing the line looking remarkably fresh, in contrast to his debut in Dublin five months before.

His time of 2:13:20 was the third-fastest ever run in the country and well clear of Treacy who ran a lifetime best of 2:16:54. Paddy Murphy, 39, also recorded a personal best of 2:17:31.

“I love running in Cork, the atmosphere is different to anywhere else and the people seem to appreciate athletes more down here,” stated Kiernan afterwards.

“I will be back for some 10-milers this summer. I still have never been beaten in Cork.”

 With all the attention focussed on the men, there was also a remarkable conclusion to the women’s equivalent.

Lucy O’Donoghue, a native of Tallow and a receptionist with Royal Insurance on the South Mall, had only taken up jogging the previous year when she completed the marathon in 4:11:44.

Now, with 12 months training behind her and a number of quality race performances, she improved on that inaugural run by almost an hour to take the title in 3:13:33, with Maura Curtin from North Cork second in 3:17:04.

“I did not realise I had a chance of winning it until I saw the paper on Saturday morning,” said the delighted O’Donoghue, who no doubt acted as a role model for women as that year only around 40 females took part out of a total of 818 finishers.

MEN

1 Jerry Kiernan 2:13:20 2 Ray Treacy 2:16:54 3 Paddy Murphy 2:17:31 4 Michael Walsh 2:20:23 5 John Griffin 2:21:03 6 Dessie O’Connor 2:22:19 7 Michael Treacy 2:22:32 8 Edward Twohig 2:24:07 9 Patrick O’Donoghue 2:25:07 10 Willie Fitzgerald 2:26:57

WOMEN

1 Lucy O’Donoghue 3:13:33 2 Maura Curtin 3:17:04 3 Corinne Reidy 3:23:28 4 Carmel Lynch 3:26:48 5 Mary Murphy 3:35:12 6 Sheila Murphy 3:36:16

OTHER WELL-KNOWN NAMES AMONG THE FINISHERS INCLUDED

Derry O’Driscoll from Cobh, aged 46, knocked over a minute off of his best time to win the veterans award, finishing 19th overall in 2.35.08.

Three places ahead was John Buckley of St Finbarr’s (2.33.43) and in 20th (2.35.12) was Seamus Cawley, Rathkeale, one of just 13 runners who has finished all 40 Dublin Marathons.

Sean Cotter from Bishopstown, well known in orienteering and hill-walking circles, finished 34th in 2.43.19.

Former European 1500m silver-medallist Frank Murphy - running for the St Peter & Paul’s Building Fund which raised in the region of 4,000 pounds – easily broke three hours with his 2.51.34.

Also under the magical barrier was Noel Curtin, now of Youghal AC and father of US scholarship athlete Fearghal, who completed his second marathon in 2.59.10.

The late Luke Philpott, again running in aid of the St Peter & Paul’s fund, finished in 3.06.21 with George Spicer not too far behind in 3.09.07.

Bernard Sisk, still a regular prize-winner in Cork BHAA races, finished in 3.44.27.

Frank Greally, editor of Irish Runner, ran 3.29.26 and wrote of his tussle with another athletics scribe.

“With over a half-mile to go I saw Fr Liam Kelleher up ahead and he looked like he was in trouble. ‘The leg is gone,’ he said. ‘I’m bunched too’, I replied, but let us run in together.’ We began to run the final five or six hundred yards and suddenly Fr Liam took off again. However, he had only gained about forty yards when he began to buckle again and I passed him and kept the head down and ran with great determination to the finish.”

A list of previous guest posts from John Walshe can be seen HERE

Cork City Marathon of 1984...by John Walshe

Following on from an earlier post about a publicity photo for the 1984 Cork City Marathon, more info has come to light. In this guest article which was written by John Walshe back in 1997, he gives an account of the 1984 Cork Marathon and the race wasn't without controversy!

If anyone has any photos or additional info about this race, please let me know.

CORK CITY MARATHON 1984 (John Walshe)
The Olympic Year of 1984 promised much as far as Irish running was concerned. The previous August, Eamon Coghlan had won the inaugural World 5,000m Championships at Helsinki with Regina Joyce finishing seventh in the marathon. In March, John Treacy showed he was returning to his best form when finishing thirteenth in the World C-C in New York.

The Los Angeles Olympic Marathon was being touted as the most eagerly awaited race ever at the distance. To qualify for this classic was the aim of Ireland’s leading exponents as the year made famous by George Orwell got underway.

A major coup for the organisers and sponsors of the third Cork City Marathon came when the Irish governing body BLE designated it the national championship, incorporating the Olympic trial.
 “It will be the most competitive race of its kind to be held in Ireland for years,” declared BLE President Paddy MGovern in the race programme.

The numbers participating in races, along with the events themselves, continued to grow. A month before the marathon, the Cork Examiner /Guinness Half-Marathon in aid of the Friends of the Irish Wheelchair Association took place for the first time and had over 1,200 finishers.

With the added boost of national championship status, entries for the marathon showed a big increase to almost 1,500. Michael O’Connell, Managing Director of sponsors Three Stripe International said: “For the vast majority of runners a personal best time will be the main target. This personal achievement is the true magic of the marathon and every individual finisher can be a winner.”

For the elite few, BLE had set stiff times of 2:14 (men) and 2:35 (women) as qualifying standards for the Olympics. The race was seen as the big showdown between the Cork holder Jerry Kiernan and three-time national marathon champion Dick Hooper.

Kiernan had already won the national cross-country crown at Kilmacow in February while Hooper, as was his style, had concentrated solely on the 26.2 mile distance. Ever meticulous with his preparation, the Raheny-man even travelled down to Cork to train on the marathon route.

As often is the case, the weather on this Easter Monday was unseasonably warm, with the date of April 23 being later than normal. The course was unchanged from the previous year and when the gun cracked on the South Mall, Kiernan immediately took the lead. At the first mile mark he had only Donie Walsh for company, with daylight stretching between them and a group which included Hooper, Ray Treacy, Bulgarian Nemov Stanimar and Galway’s Jimmy Fallon.

Kiernan reached three miles in 14:46 with Walsh dropping back to the chasing group which now included Robert Costelloe, Jim McGlynn, Johnny Bolger and Michael Walsh. At five miles, reached in 24:36, Kiernan was 150 yards clear with the group now working together in an effort to close the gap.

Nearing the Regional Hospital, Hooper surged clear and started to eat into Kiernan’s lead. The gap was down to 11 seconds at twelve miles with Hooper occasionally checking his watch and the split times written on his arm. Coming into the city, Kiernan started to pull away again and was over a half-minute clear at 15 miles where he was timed at 74:42.

As well as the warm sunshine, the marathon runners had also to contend with a strong easterly breeze as they headed down the Marina. Coming up to 19 miles, Kiernan appeared to be in some sort of distress as he slowed down, almost coming to a halt. After passing 20 miles in 1:40:48, he was forced to stop on two occasions.

Although word of Kiernan’s plight had reached Hooper, there wasn’t much he could do about it. “I was getting reports back but I had hit the wall at 12 miles. It was a bad run for me,” he related afterwards. 

With two miles left of this epic encounter, Kiernan’s lead was just 28 seconds and it looked like he was going to hang on. However, coming into the South Mall and the last three hundred metres, he had to stop again to ease the leg cramps that were causing him such agony. With the huge crowd urging him on and the thought of final release in sight, he crossed the line a relieved man, just nine seconds ahead of the equally gallant Hooper.

In the circumstances, the times of 2:14:30 and 2:14:39 were remarkable. “There must have been 50 times when I thought I was not going to finish,” admitted Kieran. “I had cramps everywhere.” Almost unnoticed, Gerry Deegan had finished strongest of all to take third place in 2:18:20.

Once again, the spectacle up front took from the women’s race where Emily Dowling was determined to make an attempt on the standard of 2:35. But the strong breeze coming up to 18 miles slowed her and after reaching 20 miles in 2:03, she realised she wasn’t going to achieve her aim and retired.

Her DCH team-mate Deirdre Nagle didn’t realise she was in the lead until nearing the South Mall and was therefore surprised to take her first marathon win in a time of 2:48:26, over a minute clear of Christine Kennedy from Galway.

In third, after attracting a lot of pre-race publicity as the local hope, 1983 winner Lucy O’Donoghue recorded another remarkable personal best of 2:56:06 after moving up from 12th place at halfway. 

As the remaining finishers struggled to cross the line in various states of exhaustion and exhilaration, they were unaware of the drama unfolding alongside them in the Imperial Hotel. 

Because the size of the advertising logos on Kiernan’s and Deirdre Nagle’s vests transgressed the IAAF rules, the two winners were disqualified. The ironic fact was that both of them were wearing adidas apparel, the overall sponsor of the marathon.

“It’s not our ruling,” pointed out Eddie Spillane, PRO of BLE. “It is an IAAF rule and all athletes are aware of it. Before the race, officials approached individual athletes and told them they were wearing illegal vests.”

It also put the Cork County Board and its Chairman Reg Hayes in an embarrassing position as Adidas sponsored the Board along with most of the major road races in the county. The decision was also not lost on Michael O’Connell who called on BLE to clarify the position regarding sponsorship, and to do so in writing.

But it wasn’t over yet. At the prize presentation in the Imperial, Dick Hooper was declared the winner of the national championship. When presented with the winning trophy and medal, he turned and handed it to Kiernan and in a brief emotional speech said: “As much as it breaks my heart, I didn’t win this race and I now hand over the trophies to the real winner.”

The packed room broke into thunderous roars of applause and both Kiernan and Hooper were given standing ovations, much to the obvious embarrassment of the BLE officials.

There was a happy ending later that summer when Kiernan and Hooper were both selected for the Olympic Marathon. Often maligned for their selection policies, BLE for once played a trump card by awarding the third spot to John Treacy who went on to take the silver medal on that unforgettable August evening on the streets of Los Angeles.

Running the race of his life, Kiernan finished a magnificent ninth in what was the greatest marathon line-up in Olympic history.

But his performance was understandably overshadowed by Treacy’s medal and the publicity received paled in comparison to the front page news he had made on that warm Easter Monday four months before.    
    
RESULTS (MEN)
1 Jerry Kiernan                       2:14:30
2 Dick Hooper   2:14:39
3 Gerry Deegan  2:18:20
4 Paddy Murphy  2:19:03
5 Nemov Stanimar  2:19:25
6 Martin Deane   2:19:53
7 John Bolger    2:20:13
8 Greg Hannon  2:21:29
9 John Griffin   2:23:26
10 Murt Coleman  2:23:57
RESULTS (WOMEN)
1 Deirdre Nagle  2:48:26
2 Christine Kennedy  2:49:46

Additional info...Click on the link below to see the full post including the full results.

Irish Examiner interview with Coach Jerry Kiernan...

Last weekend, Ciara Mageean won a Bronze medal in the 1500m at the European Athletics Championship in Amsterdam. After having surgery to her foot back in 2013, she has made the long journey back to become one of the best Irish athletes on the track at present.

Jerry Kiernan who is long associated with being a athletics pundit on RTE TV is also Ciara Mageean's coach. He has been instrumental in guiding her from that surgery in 2013 to European medal winner in 2016.

Cathal Dennehy writing for that Irish Examiner caught up with Jerry Kiernan since Sunday and the interview is well worth of read. Click HERE

In the interview, Jerry mentioned that he had three targets this year for Ciara...

This summer, Kiernan had three targets in mind. “Number one, a European medal, number two, an Olympic final, and number three, a two-minute 800,” he says. “That’s one of the boxes ticked.”

In terms of the third target, no Irish woman has ever broken two minutes for 800m and it remains a bit like a Holy Grail for female Irish middle distance athletes. These are the Irish women that have broken 2:02.

2:00.58        Rose-Anne Galligan    London    26 Jul 2013   
2:00.69        Sonia O'Sullivan        Sankt Peterburg    28 Jul 1994
2:00.70        Caroline O'Shea        Cork    3 Jul 1984
2:00.93        Laura Crowe        Rieti     8 Sep 2013
2:01.14        Aisling Molloy        Split    27 Aug 1990
2:01.21        Ciara Everard        Oordegem    23 May 2015
2:01.89        Aoife Byrne        Namur    17 Aug 2001
2:01.98        Siofra Cleirigh-Buttner    Solihull    9 Jul 2016

Although the 1500m is Ciara Mageean's main event, it would seem as if a sub 2 minute 800m might certainly be on the cards in the near future.

Another athlete is watch out for is the up and coming Siofra Cleirigh-Buttner who is nearly 21 years old. Last weekend, she ran a 2:01.98 800m in England. If she continues to improve, she might well join Ciara Mageean as a serious contender for some European Championship medals.

REMEMBERING A CHAMPION’S FAREWELL (Guest article by John Walshe)

John Treacy from Waterford is one of the few Irish athletes to win an Olympic medal after finishing second in the Marathon at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. In 1995, a special 5 mile race was held in Waterford City to mark the end of his career.

John Walshe has written an article about that special occasion 20 years ago.
 

REMEMBERING A CHAMPION’S FAREWELL (John Walshe)

Twenty years ago, on Sunday October 15th, 1995, a special and rather unique five-mile road race took place around the streets of Waterford city.

It was to be the final competitive appearance of arguably Ireland’s greatest-ever male distance runner, John Treacy. It brought the curtain down on what had been a roller-coaster international career which had begun for the boy from Villierstown 21 years before when, as a 16-year-old, he finished third in the junior race at the 1974 World Cross-Country Championships in Italy.

Another world junior bronze followed the year after in Morocco and then, in 1978, he took the senior world crown at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. A second world title was added 12 months later in front of an ecstatic home crowd in the mud of Limerick Racecourse.

After collapsing in the qualifying round of the 10,000m due to the heat and humidity of Moscow at the 1980 Olympics, Treacy returned a few days later to take seventh in the 5000m final. Later that year he set an Irish 10,000m record of 27:48.7 in Brussels.

He added the Irish 5000m record with a time of 13:16.81 in 1984 and then – after finishing ninth in the 10,000m at the Los Angeles Olympics – on an unforgettable Sunday evening he attained his greatest honour when taking the silver medal behind Carlos Lopes of Portugal in the marathon.

Treacy’s international career continued for another 10 years and included two third-place finishes in the Boston Marathon – his 1988 time of 2:09:15 is still the fastest by an Irishman – along with marathon victories in Los Angeles (1992) and Dublin (1993). He also won the Great North Run Half-Marathon in a time of 61:00 (1988) and ran 46:25 for 10 miles at the Great South Run in Portsmouth (1993).

And so on to that fine October Sunday afternoon of two decades ago. The event was put together by Frank Quinn, who had been manager to cyclist Sean Kelly and who had organised a similar farewell for Kelly in his home town of Carrick-on-Suir the previous December.

Invitations were sent to Carol Lopes and Charlie Spedding, Treacy’s fellow Olympic medallists, and both were delighted to attend. It was the first time that all three had been together since they stood on the victory podium on that glorious night in Los Angeles.

Photo by Dan Linehan. It shows Coghlan, Cram, Dick Hooper, Richard Mulligan and of course Treacy (wearing No 1 on the long-sleeve T-shirt given to every runner) setting the pace in the early stages.

Joining them was a galaxy of stars including Michael Carruth, Ireland’s 1992 Olympic boxing champion, indoor mile record holder and world champion Eamonn Coghlan, world, European and Commonwealth champion Steve Cram, along with Dick Hooper and Jerry Kiernan who had also represented Ireland in the Olympic marathon. Sean Kelly, like Treacy, a Freeman of Waterford City, was also in attendance and even ran the race, covering the five miles in a creditable 34:39.

Although Lopes (looking distinctly overweight) and Spedding didn’t compete, they, along with Cram, Coughlan and many local dignitaries paid glowing tributes to Treacy on the steps of Waterford City Hall. Also, before the main event got underway, hundreds of schoolchildren took part in a one mile lap of honour. Then, with the formalities over, the action began with over 300 runners setting off on a route comprising of one small and one large lap around the city.

Of course there could only be one winner, and shortly after four miles with the leading group reduced to Treacy, Cram, Kiernan and Richard Mulligan, the local hero moved marginally ahead and crossed the line first to a tumultuous reception in a time of 25:50. Mulligan and Kiernan were credited with similar times in second and third with former world mile record holder Cram a second behind in fourth.

The following day’s Cork Examiner gave Treacy’s farewell race extensive coverage and included a classic picture, taken by Dan Linehan. It shows Coghlan, Cram, Dick Hooper, Richard Mulligan and of course Treacy (wearing No 1 on the long-sleeve T-shirt given to every runner) setting the pace in the early stages.

Also prominent is a man no stranger to the athletics scene in the Cork area and beyond, Martin Drake from Youghal, now Chairman of the East Cork Divisional Board.

As can be seen in the picture, Martin is smiling at some remark passed by the ‘Chairman of the Boards’. But, like that iconic photograph of hurling legends Christy Ring and Mick Mackey from the 1957 Munster Semi-Final, the question must be asked - what DID Eamonn Coghlan say to Martin Drake on that autumn Sunday 20 years ago?

The results of the race can be seen HERE

Guest article - Road running still in the doldrums / Ballycotton in decline...by David O’Dwyer

The following article appeared in a recent issue of the Irish Runner magazine and is published here with their kind permission. It was written by David O'Dwyer of East Cork AC and it touches on the the decline in times in the Ballycotton '10' and outlines some possible reasons for this...

This year’s Ballycotton ‘10’ was won by Sergiu Ciobanu who completed a 4 in a row with a PB of 48.58mins. Going sub 49mins is no mean feat but it doesn’t even put Sergiu into the all-time top 40 performances in Ballycotton. The womens race was won by Siobhan O’Doherty in a time of 57.32mins. This time is outside of the top 20 performances in Ballycotton for women. Is this a snapshot of where Irish distance running is at the moment?

It is easy to get wrapped up in the nostalgia of how times of 20 and 30 years ago were faster than today. Albeit taken in isolation, the Ballycotton ‘10’ is a window on the standard of Irish distance running, not just for the present but also for the past. As the course has not changed in 37 years it is an accurate barometer when the times of this year are compared with previous times and the stats make for interesting reading.

The popularity of the race is bigger than ever but the elite performances are still some way off the times of yesteryear.

This year was the first time that 49mins was broken since 2005 when Dave Mitchinson (N. & Essex Beagles) won in 48.26mins. Another notable factor of the 2005 race was that the next two finishers were within 10secs of the winner, with Seamus Power in 3rd position. All 3 make the all-time top 40 which has not been updated since the 2005 race.

The glaring question is; Why are the winning times of recent years not challenging those top 40 performances? Is it simply a case of not enough of the elites turning up to mount a challenge? It would have been a fair assumption that Sergiu Ciobanu was going to attempt to retain his title this year. Did this scare away any would be challengers knowing that they would have a proper race on their hands if they turned up? His winning time of 48.58mins was more than 2mins ahead of runner-up and former winner of the race, Alan O’Shea, 51.06mins.

Is the fact that there are so many other races on the calendar now also a factor? Perhaps the standard of athlete is as good as those of the heady days of the 1980’s and 1990’s but there are more races to choose from today and the Ballycotton ’10’ is just another race. It could be argued that the abundance of road races has diluted the competition at the business end.

The winners’ prize of €500 is not insignificant but is it enough to attract the current top Irish distance runners? A 10k in Dublin on the same day had €800 on offer for the winner. John Walshe, the Ballycotton ‘10’ race director doesn’t believe that money is necessarily a factor. Or at least it has never been a factor in Ballycotton. There have never been incentives to attract the big names and even when nike were on board as a main sponsor the prize money was not excessive. John Walshe believes that a more pertinent point is the lack of track races that the top guys are running. This is borne out by taking a closer look at those who are already in the top 40.

Closer examination of those top 40 performances shows that 19 have been set by 5 Irish athletes. 4 each for Liam O’Brien, Robert Costelloe, John Griffin, Noel Berkley and 3 for Jerry Kiernan. All home grown athletes who kept coming back for more. The last of these times was set in 2000 and since then Seamus Power is the only Irish addition to the top 40 from his 2005 performance.

A common denominator of those athletes mentioned above was the fact that they were all competitive on the track. Liam O’Brien was a multiple national champion in the 3,000m steeplechase and former national record holder for the distance with 8.27mins. Noel Berkley has 6 national 10,000m titles with a PB of 27.55mins and a PB of 13.32mins for 5,000m. Jerry Kiernan may be best remembered for his 9th place finish in the marathon in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics but he has also notched up a 4min mile plus a national 10,000m title and is a former national record holder for 3,000m. Robert Costelloe also has a national 10,000m title to his name. Seamus Power, also a national 10,000m champion and the most recent addition to the top 40 has PB’s of 28.18mins and 13.31mins for 10,000m & 5,000m respectively, the former set when picking up a AAA title.

Even if the current cream of Irish distance runners were to toe the line would they push one another to break into that top 40? A few of today’s top distance runners are 28.30men for 10,000m but they are not racing each other on the roads. There are too many races and too few athletes at this elite level.

Noel Berkley believes that the decline in times being set is not just an Irish phenomenon. He believes that it is the same in the UK and the US with the odd exception. Noel believes that there are a number of contributing factors from lifestyle changes to the dearth of good coaches, in this country at least. Also over training is as much a problem as under training. “Anyone can put in 100miles a week but it is quality as much as quantity”. Liam O’Brien is of a similar opinion, “How many fellas are training twice a day? How many reps are they doing in sessions? It is probably 12-15 as opposed to 25-30”.

Both men also believe that societal changes are also a factor. Noel Berkley says that “In general terms we are a bit softer. How many guys are cycling to college or work in the morning, training afterwards and then cycling home again?”

Marathon Mission has as one of its entry requirements sub 50mins for 10 miles. Should this be now revised down?

The demise of the National Inter Club Cross Country Championships is also a factor according to John Walshe. In the past the Inter clubs would have been used in the selection criteria for the World Cross Country Championships and competition would have been keen to say the least. The sad demise of this race is a topic for another day but it is fair to say that it has had a knock on effect on the quality of performances in Ballycotton. The Inter Clubs would traditionally have been held towards the end of February with the Ballycotton ‘10’ on the first Sunday in March. If you made the Irish team you might fancy your chances in Ballycotton or if you just missed out then you might still fancy your chances as you would be in the shape to mount a challenge. This year only 3 of the top 10 finishers in the Inter Clubs ran in Ballycotton and two of those were from East Cork AC, the local club. Perhaps Ballycotton is in the same downward spiral as the Inter Clubs?

Sergiu Ciobanu in some respects is battling against the tide and is at least attempting to emulate the previous generation in that he had a real go in the Inter Clubs where he finished 3rd and followed this up with a new PB for 10 miles in Ballycotton. Who wouldn’t bet against 5 in a row next year? It would be interesting to see if anyone will mount a challenge…

Do you agree with David's points? Any thoughts or suggestions as to how standards could be improved at the sharp end of the field?

The next Ballycotton '10' race will be in March 2014. Entry details should be announced sometime in October.

Irish athletics commentator Jerry Kiernan lashes out at €600k grant for GAA

Jerry Kiernan is a former Irish international athlete having represented Ireland in the Marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Currently, he is a commentator on athletics events when aired by RTE and is well know for speaking his mind.

In an interview on Newstalk radio, Jerry Kiernan was critical at the granting of a public grant of €600k to the GAA for the development of spectator facilities at a stadium in London. He argued that the GAA were the richest sporting organisation in the country and that they didn't need public funding.

Here is an excerpt of what he said..."It’s very difficult to be a top international sports person without help along the way. It’s very, very difficult. The GAA is largely a local association. The standards to play it, there’s not an awful lot required. If you wish to run an Olympic Games and I’ll just give you an example. If you wish to run the 1500m in the next Olympic Games, you have to be able to run the equivalent of a 3.52 mile. That’s the standard which is required at international level. I’m sure it’s the same in swimming, I’m sure it’s the same in rowing and everything else. There are standards applied for getting money for international sport. There is no standard applied to GAA getting money except their popularity."

The full audio is below.
Jerry Kiernan on Newstalk Breakfast

Jerry Kiernan critical of grants to GAA

In the middle of last week, the Irish Sports Council announced a €900k support scheme for GAA  Inter-County Players for the next two years. In reaction to this news, some international Irish athletes had commented that limited funds should have been spent on those representing Ireland internationally rather than on GAA players playing for counties.

Newstalk radio interviewed Irish athletics commentator Jerry Kiernan for his reaction. In it, he doesn't exactly mince his words.....

“I wouldn’t (give GAA players a grant), I think the GAA is the richest sporting association in the country, and they should be well able to look after themselves. I don’t particularly like the GAA, I don’t like football in particular, there’s not much to it….but I watched bits of the games over the weekend and what struck me was how unfit the players were.”

“My one abiding memory of the championship last year was when Donegal beat Kerry (in the All-Ireland quarter-final). In the Irish Times the following day you had (a photograph of) four Kerry players trooping off the field…and I looked at it and I said to myself ‘well these are four people who didn’t invest too much time in training.’ I don’t have a high opinion of their fitness; I don’t have a high opinion of their commitment to fitness.”

“…there’s absolutely no comparison (between athletes’ training regime and that of inter-county players). I believe that the GAA people live in a cloistered world and they don’t think beyond what they do themselves, and they tell themselves that they are training hard.”

“I often notice when they (GAA players) are commenting on things, they’re always talking about the sacrifices they make. You’ll never hear that among athletes, boxers, swimmers or people who do international running. But always with the GAA it’s always, always a sacrifice. Now maybe I’m extra sensitive to this…but they all talk about the sacrifice they’re making.”

“When you talk to them (the coaches) after, they’ll tell you how poor they (the players) are fitness-wise.”

“I would only give money to people who are competing internationally.”

The full interview can be heard below. It starts at 7:00 and runs until 22:40......



The grant scheme works out at €400 per GAA player per annum. Some will argue that the GAA should be funded as it's a sport unique to Ireland but should the inter county players be getting grants? Should sports grants be reserved for international athletes?

Radio Kerry interview with Jerry Kiernan...

During the recent Olympics in London, Jerry Kieran was part of the RTE panel in the studio that provided analysis of the results and performances as they came in. While most will be aware of his involvement in commentating on athletics, many of the newer runners may not be aware of his running career.

Jerry Kiernan (born 1953) is a former long-distance runner who represented his Ireland at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where he finished in ninth place in the men's marathon. His team mate John Treacy claimed silver in the same race. Kiernan twice won the Dublin Marathon: 1982 and 1992. A former Irish record holder over 3000 metres, Kiernan was also a sub-four minute mile runner.

In this extensive interview with Weeshie Fogarty of Radio Kerry (47 mins long), he looks back at his career, many of his road races that he won, the 1984 Olympic Marathon.......and how John Treacy robbed his water bottle!! Tut tut ;o)

It's a fascinating insight into a time when Irish distance athletes were to the fore. After listening to it however, I can't help wondering where are the 'John Treacys' and 'Jerry Kiernans' of today???

(Credits....Photo...Old Mallow 10 finish - Stephen Murphy, Video/Radio interview - Shane Mullaney)