Ireland is the most popular place for parkrun worldwide

There was an interesting article on the RTE website last weekend about how Ireland is now the most popular place for parkrun worldwide with around 9% of the population now registered.

In the article, it states that there are currently 112 5k events in Ireland, and 42 junior 2k events. In 2024, there were more than half a million finishes at 5k parkrun events across Ireland, with more than 100,000 at junior 2k parkruns.

The very first parkrun started in London in 2004 while the first parkrun in Ireland started in November of 2010. The first parkrun in Dublin started in Malahide in November 2012 while the first parkrun in Cork started a year later with Macroom starting in May of 2013.

While the report focused on the Mullingar, the comments by participants could apply to any parkrun.

"It's not a competition, this isn't a racing club. Come out and walk it or crawl it. The people at the start are just as important as the walker who come in at the end. I know it's called parkrun but it isn't about running, it's about moving, it's about fun and it's about community."

The full article can be seen HERE

Sub 3:20 time for RTE reporter Brian O'Connell in the 2024 Seville Marathon

In a previous post, I reported on the fast marathon time of 2h 12m posted by Ryan Creech at the 2024 Seville Marathon. 

Ryan wasn't the only Cork runner on the course as RTE reporter Brian O'Connell of Togher AC was also in the marathon event and just nipped under the 3h 20m barrier with a chip time of 3h 19m 29s.

Corcaigh Abú!

RTÉ Radio 1 clip about the new high tech running shoes

On the Today with Claire Byrne programme on RTÉ Radio 1, reporter Brian O'Connell has an 11-minute segment about the new high tech running shoes which have a carbon plate. It includes the new Adidas version that are good for just one marathon and cost €500.

The programme includes an interview with Mark Hanrahan of John Buckley Sports. 

You can listen to the segment HERE

Interview with Caroline Crowley on RTE1 Radio

Last Sunday, the third scoring member of the Irish womens team to win Bronze at the European Cross Country Championships was Caroline Crowley from Dublin. After starting running just 3 years ago, she unexpectedly finished 3rd in the Irish Cross Country Championships in November and then found herself on the Irish team. Last Sunday, she finished an amazing 23rd in Europe helping the Irish team secure Bronze.

Today, she was on RTE1 radio with Sean O'Rourke and the podcast can be heard HERE

Doneraile Park shown on Track & Trail Programme on RTE

The Track & Trails programme on RTE television recently covered two walks in Co.Cork. The first one was a walk on the Avondhu Way between Ballyhooly and Fermoy. The second one was in Doneraile Park which is of course used for many 5k races and is a lovely spot for training runs.

See the link below. The Ballyhooly walk starts at 1:40 while the Doneraile Park item starts at 13:45. I think anyone who has run there should find it of interest. If you've never been there then it should give you a good idea of what it's like.

The full programme can be seen on the RTE Player website until mid-April.

RTE defend dismal TV coverage of Rob Heffernan's win at World Championships

Just to put this into context, Ireland has only ever won 3 Gold medals at the World Athletic Championships...Eamonn Coughlan in 1983, Sonia O'Sullivan in 1995 and Rob Heffernan in 2013.

On the morning of the mens 50 km walk race as Rob was crossing the finishing line in Moscow, RTE were showing Masterchef Australia on RTE 1 and a cartoon called Babes in Toyland on RTE2.

In it's defence, RTE said that they could not have bought the rights to one race on a standalone basis. They would have had to pay for all seven days of the Championships or nothing at all.

A spokesman for RTE said...."Irish athletes' participation in both national and international athletics championships has been carefully considered and prioritised within the portfolio of sports rights we have retained. RTE had acquired rights for the European and World Cross Country Championships as well as the National Indoor and Outdoor Athletics Championships. Unfortunately, we couldn't stretch to acquire the rights to broadcast the WAC also."

It also meant that for the awards ceremony later and the playing of the national anthem, Irish people had to watch the BBC or Eurosport rather than the national broadcaster for the state.

This Sporting Life profiles Eamonn Coghlan on RTE TV...

The RTE programme This Sporting Life recently profiled the career of former 5000m World Champion Eamonn Coghlan. It can now be seen on the RTE Player Service until the 8th of October.

Click HERE

(Link fixed ;o)

Fourth Episode of London Calling now on the RTE Player

In the fourth episode of 'London Calling' on RTE television, they follow Irish race walker Jamie Costin from West Waterford AC as he tries to get a qualifying time for the London Olympics.

Description..."Jamie Costin is a 50km race walker who has qualified for three previous Olympics but only competed in two. He broke his back in a car crash just before the Athens Games and his return to competition and qualifying for the Beijing Olympics was a story of triumph against the odds in the face of adversity. This episode focuses on his return to fitness, despite doctor's advice. He then travels to Saransk in Russia for the Race Walking World Cup, the final chance for this three time Olympic warrior to make it four. But all is not well back at the farm.... 

Orla Barry is a 22-year-old discus thrower from Ladysbridge, Co Cork, who was born without kneecaps and lower leg bone. Her parents made the difficult decision to amputate both her legs above the knee when she was 11 months, but this traumatic early life did not hold Orla back. She broke onto the international scene aged just 18 finishing fifth in the final of the F57 discus at Beijing in 2008. She is now the European record holder in her class and will be hoping to win a medal in London. However despite her international pedigree, her inclusion in the Irish team is not a foregone conclusion and she faces the acid test trying to make the distance at the Irish Wheelchair Association National Championships in Santry. 

Ciarán Ó Lionáird is often better known by his nicknames- 'Mad Len' and 'The Bullet with the Mullet'. From West Cork he showed a talent for running from an early age. Upon joining Lee Vale Athletics Club in Cork City he realised he could use his ability to gain a college athletics scholarship in the USA. Leaving Ireland at 18, much of his career went unnoticed back home as a series of injuries stinted his progress. But he burst on the scene last year achieving the Olympic qualifying time, reaching the World Championships 1,500m final and being signed to run full time for Nike. The episode joins Ciarán on one of his few, but much cherished, trips home to see his mother and brothers. The series then jets stateside to see how this boy who grew up on a dairy farm in Cork mixes it with the world's elite athletes in Nike's state of the art world headquarters in Portland, Oregon. We then return to reflect with Angela, his mother, on her mix of emotions about her eldest son - her pride in his achievements while missing him dearly."

Ciarán is on from the start until 9:50
Orla is on from 14:50 to 20:45
Jamie is on from 9:50 to 14:50 and 20:45 to 22:50

The programme can be seen HERE  (Available until the 31st of July)

Third episode of London Calling now on the RTE Player...

In the third episode of 'London Calling' on RTE television, they follow Irish race walker Jamie Costin from West Waterford AC as he tries to get a qualifying time for the London Olympics.

Description..."Jamie Costin is a 50km race walker who has qualified for three previous Olympics but only competed in two. He broke his back in a car crash just before the Athens Games and his return to competition and qualifying for the Beijing Olympics was a story of triumph against the odds in the face of adversity. The episode begins with a focus on how he juggles his full time training with working on the family farm in the Ring Gaeltacht, Co Waterford. We then follow him as he follows the arduous course to qualify for the Olympics one last time."

Jamie is on from the start until 4:55 and from 21:30 until the finish.


For anyone with an interest in Triathlons, there is a piece on Aileen Morrison at 4:55.


The programme can be seen HERE  (Available until the 24th of July)

First episode of London Calling now on RTE Player...

The new TV series London Calling started last night on RTE television.

Description......"As Robert Heffernan, 20km and 50km racewalker heads off for warm weather training, his wife, 400m sprinter Marian Heffernan has to juggle childcare with preparing for the European Indoor Championships in Paris giving an insight on how a couple, who happen to be elite athletes, balance their relationship and family life, while trying to qualify for the biggest sporting event on the planet. With a successful career in middle distance and cross country races behind him, 29 year old Mark Kenneally attempts to make his mark on the international stage in a distance he has never run before having also just started his own business and got engaged to his long time girlfriend Edel."

The first episode is available now on the RTE Player Service until the 26th of June.

RTE Series 'London Calling' starts Tuesday 19th June..

This new series on RTE television is starting on Tuesday evening, the 19th of June at 10:35pm.

 Each of the six programmes is just under 30 mins long and each week, they look behind the scenes at several Irish athletes as they prepare for the Olympic Games in London.



• Robert Heffernan - a three time Olympian race walker who could finally achieve his dream of a medal in the Olympics
• Marian Heffernan, Robert’s wife, tries to qualify for her first Olympics in the 4 x 400m.
• Camilla Speirs, the bright young star of Irish Three Day Eventing who trains her own horses.
• Brian Gregan, a 21 year old 400m sprinter trying to make the breakthrough.
• Aileen Morrison, Ireland’s leading female triathlete and ranked among the world’s best.
• Mark Kenneally, a long distance runner who qualified for the marathon in only his third attempt at the
 distance and all the while running a business full-time and getting married.
• Jamie Costin, the Olympic walker as he makes his way back from a broken back while helping out on the family dairy farm.
• Kenny Egan, his trojan attempt to win a place in the Olympic team is all captured on camera.
• Ciaran O’Lionard, the self styled ‘Bullet with the Mullet’ who has been cherry picked to be part of the
Nike Special training team in Portland, Oregon and has qualified for the Games at his first attempt. 
• Kieran Behan, who fought his way back from being in a wheelchair to become only the
second Irish gymnast to ever to qualify for the Olympics.

RTE programme on failure to capitalise on London Olympics

The RTE current affairs programme Prime Time had a piece on Tuesday evening about the failure to capitalise on the 2012 Olympics. With London on our doorstep, there was great plans for business, tourism and sports to take advantage of the game. Through a lacking of funding, inaction and possible mismanagement, a lot of those dreams were not realised.

The programme can be seen on the RTE Player service HERE until the 31st of January. It starts at 00:50 and runs until 16:00.

Eamonn Coghlan on RTE television...

On Thursday evening, RTE had a programme called This Sporting Life which covered the athletic career of Eamonn Coghlan, one of the all time greats of Irish running.

The programme which is about 27 mins long is well worth watching and is now available on the RTE Player until the 17th of February 2011.

The link to the video is HERE

Interview with Derval O'Rourke on RTE television

After her recent silver medal performance over the 100 metres hurdles at the European Championships, Derval O'Rourke was interviewed on the Saturday Night with Miriam show on RTE 1.


The interview lasts for the first 11 minutes. The link is HERE

Runner attempts new Mizen to Malin record...
I'm not sure if this link will work or for how long! It's a short video clip from RTE news about someone trying to run from Mizen Head to Malin Head and set a new record.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0623/9news_av.html?2390739,null,230

Richard Donovan of Galway also has a website which has details about his 2005 event which went from Malin to Mizen.