Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 7th Dec 2025

Newmarket 5k raises €5000 for Cancer Connect charity

After a grim morning of heavy rain, the conditions for the 2025 Newmarket 5k road race couldn't have been more different as the clouds parted and the sun came out for the 1pm start.

Start of the 2025 Newmarket 5k...

The first wheelchair athlete was Shauna Bocquet of Craughwell AC in Galway with a blistering time of 12 min 51 sec.

1 Shauna Bocquet Craughwall AC 12:51 WCA 29

Shauna is pictured at the top of post holding a donation cheque for €5000 which Duhallow AC raised from the proceeds of the race.

In the men's race, Paul Hartnett of East Cork AC was the clear winner with a time of 14m 21s.

Top 3 men...

1 Paul Hartnett East Cork AC     14:21 MS 322
2 Eoghan O'Connor Leevale AC     14:36 MS 710
3 Ben Smith Leevale AC     14:44 MS 935

(L-R) Helen Linehan of the Ayrton Group (race sponsor) with Eoghan O'Connor #710 2nd, Paul Hartnett #322 1st & Ben Smith #935 3rd

A total of 8 runners managed to get in under the 15 minute mark while 216 runners got under 20 minutes.

There was a dramatic finish to the women's race with a dead heat between Michelle Finn and Jessica Coyne.

Top 3 women

1 Michelle Finn Leevale AC     16:11 FS 439
1 Jessica Coyne Leevale AC     16:11 FS 143
3 Dee Grady Ennis Track AC     16:42 F35 288

Both athletes gave it all over the closing stretch and crossed the finish line together.

Top 3 women (L-R)... Dee Grady #288 3rd, Michelle Finn #439 1st & Jessica Coyne #143 1st

Full results HERE

Photos... to follow...

1) There are loads of photos going up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.

a) Pre-race b) Finish line 1 of 5 c) Finish line 2 of 5 d) Finish line 3 of 5 e) Finish line 4 of 5 f) Finish line 5 of 5

2) Mick Dooley has the following photos...

a) Start b) Finish

There were 715 finishers this year which is just 16 shy of the number for 2024. It's very likely that the awful weather in the morning convinced a number of runners not to bother with the race and if it had been dryer then it's likely that there would have been a new record turnout for the race. 

I suspect though that the numbers wouldn't have been that much higher so it does suggest that perhaps the race has reached a peak in terms of numbers? i.e. about the 700 mark.

It's a remarkable number of runners for what is after all a 5k road race in north-west Cork.

Notice: Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 7th Dec 2025

This popular 5 km road race is coming up in the town of Newmarket in North-West Cork on Sunday the 7th of December 2025. This is a fast 5k course and gets a good turnout every year. The race starts at 1pm.

Entries HERE

As you can see from the race flyer above, one of the main attractions this year is that there is a long sleeve dry-fit top included in the entry.

If you do quite a few road races, you generally end up with plenty of dry fit tops. Most of them will be short sleeve and only suitable for running in the warmer months. It's the long sleeve ones that you keep going back to especially in the winter months when you want to keep your arms warm. Even if you're wearing a running jacket, it's just nicer to have a long sleeve top underneath.

As always, there are lots of generous prizes on offer.

From Duhallow AC... "‘’One of the Fastest 5ks in Ireland‘’

Event Description: 1st Athlete home wins the Jerh Murphy Perpetual Cup

Our 14th running of one of Irelands fastest PB 5k races. A race that’s defo worth doing When : Sunday 7thof December Time : 1pm sharp start Race hq safaris nightclub Newmarket P51 CY62 Be there and see a classic  race for a PB All Fitness Levels

There is a long sleeved t-shirt included.  Sizes not guaranteed. Limited stock remaining 

NO MEDALS FOR THIS RACE - YOU ARE SUPPORTING CANCER CONNECT BY ENTERING THIS EVENT 

Visit their website- https://cancerconnect.ie

‘Prizes for one of the Fastest 5ks in Ireland and one of the biggest prize funds over €6000

1st Athlete home wins the Jerh Murphy Perpetual Cup - current holder Michael Power, West Waterford

Prize Fund (ALL CASH)

€350 1st Man and Woman / €300 2nd man and woman / €250 3rd man and woman

Bonus Cash Prize €150 for Breaking course Record – (Men’s- 14:06) (Women’s – 15.49)

1st 10 men and Women over the line

1st Three Juniors Boys & Girls

1st Three Veterans Men over 40,45,50,55,60,65,70,75,80

1st Three Veterans Women over 35, 40,45,50,55,60,65,70,75,80

Contact: Donie 086-8149970, Jerry 086-8050821, Jerh 087-3831171, Shane 086-1672153

AAI PERMIT GRANTED

Everyone competing in this race are doing so at their own risk, Duhallow A.C. accept no responsibility or liability for any injury, loss of damage to persons or property

Course Preview...Lots more info including directions, photos, course details, etc can be seen HERE

Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5k - Sun 8th Dec 2024

There was a huge jump in numbers for this years Newmarket 5k road race in NW Cork on Sun 8th Dec 2024 with a total of 721 runners crossing the finish line, up almost 48% on last year.

This is now one of the premier club 5k road races in Co Cork with 124 runners finishing under 18-mins and 266 finishing under 20-mins which is just over 36% of the field.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Michael Power West Waterford AC 14:34 MS 854
2 Ryan Creech Leevale AC 14:48 MS 1225
3 Gavin O'Rourke Leevale AC  14:50 MS 800
32 Shona Heaslip An Riocht AC  15:53 FS 1216
49 Ide Nicdhomhnaill West Limerick AC 16:23 F35 637
80 Niamh Moore Leevale AC 17:09 FS 864

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) There are loads of photos up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.
a) Pre-race photos
b) Finish Line - Album 1 of 6
c) Finish Line - Album 2 of 6

d) Finish Line - Album 3 of 6

e) Finish Line - Album 4 of 6

f) Finish Line - Album 5 of 6

g) Finish Line - Album 6 of 6

First place finish for Michael Power of West Waterford AC

Shona Heaslip of An Ríocht AC was the first woman home

Notice: Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 8th Dec 2024

This popular 5 km road race is coming up in the town of Newmarket in North-West Cork on Sunday the 8th of December 2024. This is a fast 5k course and gets a good turnout every year. The race starts at 1pm.

Update: 12th Nov 2024 - 100 places added... 30 places left!

Update: 13th Nov 2024 - SOLD OUT

Entries HERE

As you can see from the race flyer above, one of the main attractions this year is that there is a long sleeve dry-fit top included in the entry.

Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5k - Sun 3rd Dec 2023

There was a record turnout of 495 runners for this years Newmarket 5k in NW Cork on Sun 2nd Dec 2023, a huge jump of almost 33% on the 323 that turned out last year. When you consider that this is a 5k race in north-west Cork in the middle of Winter, it's an impressive number.

When I was taking photos of this race at the start, I could tell it was something special. There were club singlets from across Munster and it was just locals. It looks as if a few fast runners from the NE of England also made the trip over just for this race.

When I was waiting for the runners at the finish line, the clock was just turning 14:00 and the first few men were already in the home straight as can be seen above. This is in marked contrast to many of the local road races where there are huge gaps at the front of the race. 

First place finish for Cathal O'Reilly of Kilkenny City Harriers AC with a time of 14:15 in a competitive race

In the Newmarket 5k, just 4-seconds separated the first 3 men with 8 going under 15 mins! An amazing 69 runners broke 17 mins with 208 under 20 mins.

Top 5 men & women...
1 Cathal O Reilly Kilkenny City Harriers AC     14:15 MS 12
2 Carl Avery Morpeth Harriers 14:17 MS 40
3 Paul Hartnett East Cork AC     14:19 MS 214
4 Ryan Creech Leevale AC     14:22 MS 115
5 Emmet Jennings Dundrum South Dublin AC     14:26 MS 245
61 Dymphna Ryan Dundrum AC     16:49 FS 17
73 Holly Carroll Blarney/Inniscara AC     17:04 FS 81
81 Carol Finn Leevale AC     17:15 FS 996
92 Lisa Hegarty Leevale AC     17:32 FS 220
106 Michelle Kenny Leevale AC     17:44 FS 266

Full results HERE

Photos... 

1) There are around 450 photos up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.

a) Pre-race & start

a) Finish line - 1 of 5 (14:00-17:30)
b) Finish line - 2 of 5 (17:30-20:00)
c) Finish line - 3 of 5 (20:00-22:40)
d) Finish line - 4 of 5 (22:40-26:40)
e) Finish line - 5 of 5 (26:40+)

2) Mick Dooley has a few albums
a) Start line
b) Finish line

First 3 men in the Newmarket 5k with the sponsors Ayrton Group & Fitness Solutions Mallow (L-R)...3rd Paul Hartnett (East Cork AC) 14:19, 1st Cathal O'Reilly (Kilkenny City Harriers AC) 14:15 & 2nd Carl Avery (Morpeth Harriers AC) 14:17

First 3 women in the Newmarket 5k with the sponsors Ayrton Group & Fitness Solutions Mallow (L-R)...2nd Holly Carroll (Blarney/Inniscara AC) 17:04, 1st Dymphna Ryan (Dundrum AC) 16:49 & 3rd Carol Finn (Leevale AC) 17:15

Some welcome visitors from the UK to the Newmarket 5k race with some fast finishing times! (L-R) 2nd Carl Avery (40) 14:17, 13th Peter Smallcombe (584) 15:08, 12th Ellis Hetherington (222) 15:04 & 9th George Lowry (292) 15:02

Dymphna Ryan (17) of Dundrum AC was the first woman home in the Newmarket 5k finishing in a time of 16:49. Also pictured is fellow club member Philip O'Dwyer (981) who finished in the same time

One of the rising stars on the Cork running scene...2nd place for Holly Carroll of Blarney/Inniscara AC with a time of 17:04

Notice: Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 3rd Dec 2023

This popular 5 km road race is coming up in the town of Newmarket in North-West Cork on Sunday the 3rd of December 2023. This is a fast 5k course and gets a good turnout every year. The race starts at 1pm.

Entries HERE

As you can see from the race flyer above, one of the main attractions this year is that there is a long sleeve dry-fit top included in the entry.

Friday Jigsaw: Newmarket 5k 2022 Start

For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo from the start of the Newmarket 5k last weekend.

You can find the 126-piece jigsaw HERE

Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5k - Sun 11th Dec 2022

Evan Byrne wins the 2022 Newmarket 5k in a time of 14m 28s 

This was one of the coldest editions of the Newmarket 5k road race in recent times with the temperature hovering just above above 0 deg C. Despite getting a good entry, it seems that some runners decided not to travel on the day probably due to a fear of icy roads.

I was certainly expecting the roads around Newmarket in NW Cork to be a lot worse than Cork City but the opposite seemed to be the case. The race course was actually perfect for the event and the 5k went off without any issues.

A total of 365 runners crossed the finish line which is down 14% on the 424 of 2021 but up 8% on the 337 of 2019.

A total of 174 runners went under 20 minutes which was 48% of the field. It's interesting to note that 35% of the field went sub 20 in 2019 and this increased to 45% in 2021.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Evan Byrne Togher AC     14:28 SM 40
2 Niall Shanahan An Bru AC     14:39 SM 477
4 Gavin O'Rourke Leevale AC     14:52 SM 433
42 Sinead O'Connor Leevale AC     16:27 SF 381
53 Edel Monaghan DCH     16:49 SF 305
56 Hannah Steeds Leevale AC     16:56 SF 502

First wheelchair...
3 Shauna Bocquet Craughwell AC     13:56 Wheelchair 19

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) There are loads of photos up on the Running in Cork Facebook page
a) Pre-race photos
b) Finish line photos 13:56 to 18:30 
c) Finish line photos 18:30 to 23:05 
d) Finish line photos 23:05 plus 

2) Joe Murphy has a few photos HERE

3) Duhallow AC have a gallery HERE

The first woman home was Sinéad O'Connor in a time of 16:27. Olympic rowing champion Paul O'Donovan on the far left was just ahead with the same time.

Shauna Bocquet of Craughwell AC was the first wheelchair athlete

A long way from home... Ray Lahart (246) & David O'Brien (350) of Gowran AC in Kilkenny

...and not so far from home.

Members of Duhallow AC with Olympic Gold medalist & rower Paul O'Donovan who finished the 5k race in a time of 16m 27s

Notice: Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 11th Dec 2022

This popular 5 km road race is coming up in the town of Newmarket in North-West Cork on Sunday the 11th of December 2022. This is a fast 5k course and gets a good turnout every year. The race starts at 1pm.

Entries HERE

The race HQ is at the Hi-Lands and as you can see below, there are lots of generous prizes on offer.

From Duhallow AC... "Clubs 25th anniversary race 1997-2022 

Race HQ - Hi-Land Lounge, Newmarket, Co. Cork

Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 19th Dec 2021

The Newmarket 5k road race is going from strength to strength with a record 424 runners turning out for this years event, an impressive jump of 26%!

This is in marked contrast to some of the other recent local races which have suffered major drops...( Glenville 4m down 29%, Thomas Kent 10k down 14%). So it's not all doom and gloom, not all local road races are suffering a big drop off in numbers.

For the Newmarket race, there was 191 runners under the 20 minute mark which is huge in terms of a local race in Cork.

Top 5 men & women...
 1 Eimhin O Broin Togher     14:06 SM 295
2 Ryan Creech Leevale AC     14:12 SM 620
3 John Travers Donore Harriers AC     14:17 SM 621
4 Niall Shanahan An Bru AC     14:22 SM 31
5 Oisin Spillane Tralee Harriers AC     14:35 SM 539
25 Michelle Finn Leevale AC     15:58 SF 443
28 Bronagh Kearns St Senans AC     16:07 SF 281
32 Cliona Murphy DCH     16:13 SF 535
44 Maisy O Sullivan St Abbans AC     16:34 SF 611
65 Martina Kiely St Finbarrs AC     17:08 SF 454

The full results are up on the Premier Timing Systems website HERE

Photos...
1) Pre-race & start
2) Finish line 1 of 3 - First 160 or so

3) Finish line 2 of 3 - Finishing position 160 to 315

4) Finish line 3 of 3 - Finishing position 315+

Mick Dooley has two galleries... Start ... Finish

And they're off!

First 3-men in the home straight

15:26 finish time for Irish pro-cyclist Eddie Dunbar

16:55 finish time for Olympic Gold medalist & rower Paul O'Donovan