Fearghal Curtin from Youghal wins South Korea Marathon in a new national record time of 2:07:54

Fearghal Curtin from Youghal won the Gyeongju International Marathon overnight in South Korea in a time of 2h 07m 54s! This was also a new Irish national record for the marathon (Record subject to ratification).

The elite field for the race included nine runners with PBs under 2:08 (including two sub-2:06!).

1st Fearghal Curtin (Ireland) 2:07:54
2nd Antenayehu Dagnachew Yisma (Ethiopia) 2:10:33
3rd Stanley Kiprotich Bett (Kenya) 2:11:07 

Fearghal's time of 2:07:54 is 1m 42s faster than Peter Lynch's time set in Dusseldorf earlier this year.

These are now the top 5 fastest Irish marathon times...

1 2:07:54 Fearghal Curtin Gyeongju 18 Oct 2025 (TBC)
2 2:09:36 Peter Lynch Düsseldorf 27 Apr 2025
3 2:09:42 Tonosa Hiko Dublin 27 Oct 2024
4 2:09:49 Stephen Scullion London 04 Oct 2020
5 2:09:56 John Treacy Los Angeles 12 Aug 1984

Fearghal also ran a new Irish half-marathon record of 60:22 last month so he is really on fire at the moment.

Green & White hoops of Youghal AC in Korea

Commanding lead in the closing stages

Thanks to John Walshe who kindly sent on the following...

Almost 16 years ago, on December 1st, 2009, the following appeared on the back page of the Irish Examiner County – and he’s still proudly wearing the Green & White Youghal colours!

Korean Report. 19/10/2025

1st and foremost, Fearghal and all the curtin family are deeply grateful to everybody at Youghal Ac for the literally thousands of greetings over the last couple of days. It demonstrates the sense of community within the club and the healthy state we are in.❤️

Fearghal arrived in korea in good shape after his 60.22 half marathon in September. He spent almost 4 weeks at font Romeu(at altitude) preparing for this event.He arrived in korea 6 days before the race to acclimatise to the 8-hour time difference. He went to the line as part of a 16-man elite international field that received invitations to the race.  He was the only non african so easy to spot😁His marathon ranking was near the bottom with his recorded 2.11 in April. Lots of 2.06, 2.07, 2.08 guys there.  Fearghal did mention beforehand that this race is not normally won in a fast time as it is a technical course, no pacemakers and when there's a big purse, the Africans tend to take a more cagey approach. Fearghal definitely felt he had a chance here. His prediction was correct as the race went off at a pedestrian pace for this level.  Fearghal was not in the mood for playing poker with these guys! He was confident in his ability and fitness, so he took on the race after 800mtrs. A move like this at such an early stage, in such a long race, is normally sporting suicide. The other runners most likely thought he would blow, but as we all know, the opposite, in fact, happened. Fearghal covered the 2nd half of this marathon running at 2hrs 5mins 48sec pace and as they say, the rest is history! He also broke the course record for this race.

The event was aired live on national TV in Korea. I was speaking to 1 of the Korean journalists after the race and she said the commentators didn't know anything about him, but 1 of them googled his name and found a report that was published on The  Examiner  last week and the content of that article kept them going. The examiner now has millions of new followers in Korea😅as does Fearghal😁

We were treated so very well by the organisers, and they definitely want us back😅

Fearghal is now planning to do back to back marathons. Next up is Singapore in 7 weeks. 

There won't be any records there. It's usually won in 2.14  2.15 because it's hot, humid, and hilly. It's all part of fearghal's plan to run on technically difficult courses so that when he eventually gets his chance in a global championship, he can actually compete rather than being just happy to qualify.

On a different note,

 It's particularly pleasing to me to see the resurgence of underage success in the club. 

Success breeds success so hopefully Fearghal, the outstanding Ruby Devereux, the "dream team" Avril  Emma cashies & Co and all the up and coming stars can pave the way to keep the green & white on the map

Regards to all at youghal AC

Noel Curtin

Results of the Youghal 5k road race - Thurs 12th May 2022

It's good to see that there was a good turnout of 265 runners for this 5k road race in Youghal in East Cork. That's up 51% on the figure for the last outing in 2019.

Top 3 men & women...

1 James Ledingham KCH SM     15:42 142
2 Nick O'Donoghue East Cork AC SM     15:56 196
3 James Grufferty Lee vale AC SM     16:08 38
21 Breda Gaffney Mallow AC SF     18:10 216
27 Nadine Forde Leevale AC SF     18:29 155
29 Carmel Crowley Bandon AC SF     18:39 185

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) There is a nice gallery of photos from Dave O'Brien Photography HERE

Final results below (Updated 17th May 2022)

Notice: Youghal AC 5k - Thurs 12th May 2022

This 5k race in the town of Youghal in East Cork is coming up on Thursday the 12th of May 2022.... 

The race will start at 8pm and the entry fee is €12.

Pre-enter online HERE

You can also enter on the day. 

Notice: Youghal AC Virtual 5-mile race series - May, June, July & August 2021

Youghal AC are holding a virtual 5-mile race series this year on the third Thursday of May, June, July and August. This is similar to the old Ballycotton Summer Series which followed the same pattern.

From Youghal AC... ' Youghal AC are pleased to bring back the old 5 Mile Race Series popular among all runners in East Cork and beyond, starting on May 20 and then the 3rd Thursday of each month finishing on 19 August. All runners will receive a T shirt with all the race dates listed, cost for 4 races and T Shirt is €20.00

For any runner who only wants to run one or two of the races this can be arranged also at a cost of €5 per race with option to buy T-shirt.

Runners will be able to run their 5 miles each month between the Thursday and Sunday all results will have to be posted to MyRunResults.com by Sunday evening.

T-shirts will be posted out in batches by date registered the week before each race date. Register early to have your t-shirt for in time for all 4 races.'

Entries HERE

Notice: Youghal AC 5k - Thurs 2nd April 2020

The first evening race of the Summer season in Cork will be the Youghal AC 5k on Thursday the 2nd of April 2020...

The Emer Casey 5k in Youghal has come to an end and the local club Youghal AC have moved the date of their annual 5k from July to the start of April.

The 5k will start at 8pm and the entry fee is €10.

Normally the first evening race in Cork is in mid-April when the sun sets about 8:32pm. As the Youghal AC 5k is in the town of Youghal, the street lighting will compensate as it gets dark earlier. On the 2nd of April, the sun sets around 8:10pm.

With it's location near the county boundary, the race is sure to attract runners from both East Cork and West Waterford.

The race is on a flat fast course on the streets of the historic town and passes under the iconic Youghal Clock Tower...

This race has an Athletics Ireland permit and has been measured accurately by Jones Counter.

Course Preview......A preview of the course can be seen HERE

Info from the organisers....Organised by Youghal AC. AAI Permit Granted. This course was measured by John Walshe of Ballycotton.

Registration: Thurs 2nd Apr 5pm to 7:50pm Youghal Community Centre, Main Street, Youghal. Changing and toilet facilities available. (Note that we must stop taking entries at 7.50 as the run starts at 8 PM SHARP and the start is 1km from registration.)

Entry....  €10 per person (over 16s only). 

Runners: 5k – Start Time 8pm

Note that the start is 1k from the Community Centre.
 
Course: Flat and Fast – 2.5 loops of the town. Post race refreshments after the race in Youghal Community Centre.

Proceeds from the race go towards the development of a new all weather running track for the club.

Results of the Youghal 5k road race... Thurs 12th July 2018

233 runners turned out for this years Youghal 5k road race on Thurs 12th July 2018.

1 Andrew Connick Ferry-bank 15.36
2 James Ledingham Kilkenny Harriers 15.39
3 Kevin O Leary East Cork 15.59
1 Aoife Cooke Youghal AC 17.34
2 Sinead Kevany Midleton AC 18.08
3 Kate Veale West Waterford AC 18.51

Male Junior
1 Craig O Brien Ferrybank 17.15


Final results below... (Updated Mon 16th July 2018)

Notice : Youghal AC 5k road race... Thurs 12th July 2018

This 5km road race is coming up in the town of Youghal in East Cork on Thursday, the 12th of July 2018...

This popular 5k race is organised by Youghal AC, goes through the main streets of the town and is very flat.

With its location near the county boundary, the race is sure to attract runners from both East Cork and West Waterford.

The race is on a flat fast course on the streets of the historic town and passes under the iconic Youghal Clock Tower...

Organised by Youghal AC, this race has an Athletics Ireland licence and has been measured accurately by Jones Counter.

Course Preview..........A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos, etc can be seen HERE

Fearghal Curtin of Youghal AC run 14:02 5k in Florida

Fearghal Curtin of Youghal AC smashed his personal best with a time of 14m 02s to finish second in  the men’s 5000m at the Florida Relays recently. Fearghal who is 19 years old knocked over a minute off his previous best of 15m 19s set in June 2016.

The former Midleton CBS student is in his first year at Charleston Southern University in South Carolina.

Results of the Youghal AC 5km road race...Thurs 13th July 2017

There was a big turnout of 282 runners for this years Youghal AC 5km road race on Thursday the 13th of July.

1 Feargal CURTIN (7)  15:00  SM  (1)    Male  (1)
2 James MCCARTHY (179)   15:09  SM (2)    Male  (2)
3 Michael HARTY (163) 15:17  SM  (3)    Male  (3)
11 Aoife COOKE (85)  16:32  SF  (1)    Female  (1) 
47 Ann Marie HOLLAND (3)  18:53   SF  (2)    Female  (2)
61 Ellen HANLY (77)    19:52   SF  (3)    Female  (3) 


Photos...
1) Dave O'Brien has a small gallery HERE

Full results below...

Notice...Youghal AC 5km road race - Thurs 13th July 2017

This 5km road race is coming up in the town of Youghal in East Cork on Thursday, the 13th of July 2017...

This popular 5k race is organised by Youghal AC, goes through the main streets of the town and is very flat.

With its location near the county boundary, the race is sure to attract runners from both East Cork and West Waterford.

The race is on a flat fast course on the streets of the historic town and passes under the iconic Youghal Clock Tower...

Organised by Youghal AC, this race has an Athletics Ireland licence and has been measured accurately by Jones Counter.

Course Preview..........A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos, etc can be seen HERE

John Cashman interviews Willie O'Mahony of Youghal AC

Willie O'Mahony of Youghal AC was one of those who had taken part in the original Ballycotton 10 mile road race back in 1978. Up until recently, he had managed to compete in the race every year until a hip operation put paid to the streak.

John Cashman of C103 caught up with Willie and had a chat about what the race was like before.

Notice - Killeagh 4 mile road race...Sun 5th Mar 2017

This is the second year of this 4 mile race and it's organised by Killeagh Community Healthy Clubs Project in association with Youghal AC. It will be held on Sunday the 5th of March 2017 at 11am.

Considering that Killeagh is on the N25 Cork-Waterford road, the race should have a pretty big catchment area.

As you can see from the course map below, the race takes in a loop to the west of Killeagh. The race finishes at the entrance to the Killeagh GAA grounds which is the race HQ. There will also be changing and shower facilities here.

Note from the organisers.....The race HQ is in Killeagh GAA complex, where we will have registration on the morning of race. There are great facilities there for changing, showers and catering afterwards. There is plenty on parking at the GAA grounds and there is a walk way through an estate to the start line. We will have the race chipped timed as well.

We have been in constant contact with the engineer on site at the road works in Killeagh and we have been informed that it's planned to have the main Cork to Waterford road open to two way traffic this weekend so there should be no traffic delays that would effect anyone attending our race.

In relation to sponsorship we have four confirmed sponsors this year Youghal Credit Union, Midleton TSB, Castlemartyr Resort and Market Green Shopping Centre, with a number of local business helping out as well.

A full preview of the course can be seen HERE

Killeagh Healthy Clubs Project is a new initiative to promote health and well being for the Killeagh community and is organised by a combination of personal from Killeagh adult and juvenile GAA clubs, Inch Rovers Ladies Football Club and Killeagh Camogie Club. This group have a number of initiatives underway, walking groups, couch to 5k, healthy food demonstrations etc.

Results of the Youghal AC 5km road race...Thurs 14th July 2016

Despite the wet conditions, 319 runners turned out for this 5km road race in Youghal, a drop of just 10 on the 329 of 2015.

1     James     LEDINGHAM     M     west waterford     00:15:15
2     James     McCarthy     M     East Cork     00:15:16
3     Sean     McGrath     M     East cork     00:15:18
9     Aoife     COOKE     F     Youghal     00:16:47
23     Michelle     KENNY     F35     Leevale     00:18:03
24     Slyvia     Malone     F40     Waterford AC     00:18:10

The official full results can be seen here.. http://www.myrunresults.com/events/youghal_5k/1656/results

Notice...Youghal 5km road race - Thurs 14th July 2016

This 5km road race is coming up in the town of Youghal in East Cork on Thursday, the 14th of July 2016...

This is essentially a new race having been a 4 miler in previous years. It goes through the main streets of the town and is very flat.

With it's location near the county boundary, the race is sure to attract runners from both East Cork and West Waterford.

The race is on a flat fast course on the streets of the historic town and passes under the iconic Youghal Clock Tower...

Organised by Youghal AC, this race has an Athletics Ireland licence and has been measured accurately by Jones Counter.

Course Preview..........A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos, etc can be seen HERE

Notice - Killeagh 4 mile road race...Sun 13th Mar 2016

This is a brand new 4 mile race and it's organised by Killeagh GAA club in association with Youghal AC. There used to be a road race in Killeagh many moons ago and this is a welcome addition to the calendar.

Considering that Killeagh is on the N25 Cork-Waterford road, the race should have a pretty big catchment area.

As you can see from the course map below, the race takes in a loop to the west of Killeagh. The race finishes at the entrance to the Killeagh GAA grounds which is the race HQ. There will also be changing and shower facilities here.

Note from the organisers.....The race HQ is in Killeagh GAA complex, where we will have registration on the morning of race. There are great facilities there for changing, showers and catering afterwards. There is plenty on parking at the GAA grounds and there is a walk way through an estate to the start line. We will have the race chipped timed as well.

A full preview of the course can be seen HERE

Main Event Sponsor...Motorview, Midleton

Aoife Cooke, Youghal AC and the Cork team win at the National Novice Cross Country Championships

The National Novice Cross County Championships were held this year in Dungarvan with West Waterford AC being the host club. It was a particularly good day for the clubs in East Cork with Aoife Cooke of Youghal AC winning a national title. Aoife also led Youghal AC to a national team Gold and the Cork team to Gold as well. A remarkable performance especially when you consider there were teams from all over the country.

Club Team
Points Place Club Positions Points
1 Youghal A.C. 1, 11, 27, 48 ...87 pts
(1st Aoife Cooke, 11th Ruth Mellerick, 27th Evelyn Cashman, 48th Julie Keneally)
2 Dundrum South Dublin A.C. ...5, 6, 24, 54... 89 pts
3 Galway City Harriers A.C. ... 9, 14, 39, 42... 104 pts

County Team Points
Place County Positions Points
1 Cork 1, 10, 11, 16... 38 pts
(1st Aoife Cooke - Youghal AC, 10th Niamh Moore - Cork Varsity AC, 11th Ruth Mellerick - Youghal AC, 16th Fiona Santry - East Cork AC)
2 Dublin 7, 21, 23, 25 ... 76 pts
3 Meath 15, 17, 19, 32... 83 pts

The only other team from Cork was East Cork AC who finished 9th.

In the mens novice race, the Cork team finished in 4th place.

The links to the results can be found HERE

In a interesting twist, it turns out that Aoife Cooke is coached by her aunt Mary Sweeney who is a well figure on the local race circuit. Athletics Ireland have the story HERE

In terms of numbers, it was interesting to compare this year to last year when the National Novice XC Championships were held in Santry, Dublin.

In 2014, there were 133 women taking part with 16 teams from clubs and 10 counties being represented. This year, it was down to 89 women with 11 club teams and 9 counties.

By contrast, the mens numbers were up. 211 men this year compared to 197 in 2014. 24 teams from clubs this year compared to 23 last year. The number of counties represented remained the same...12.

Photos.......
1) James Veale of West Waterford AC has loads of photos of the mens and womens race HERE
2) Kieran Carlin of Finn Valley AC has a gallery HERE

Mary Sweeney of St.Finbarr's AC...Aunt & Coach of the womens winner Aoife Cooke

Results of the Youghal 5k road race...Thurs 9th July 2015

A total of 329 runners took part in this 5k road race in Youghal on Thurs 9th July 2015. This was a whopping 54% up on the 214 that turned out for the 4 mile version last year.

1    Elton HEFFERNAN 15:48    Senior Male  (1)    Male  (1)
2    John MALONE 16:34    Ages 40-44  (1)    Male  (2)
3    Cathal O'Connell  16:39    Ages 50-54  (1)    Male  (3)  
15    Aoife COOKE 17:46    Senior Female  (1)    Female  (1)
18    Ann Marie HOLLAND 18:04    Ages 40-44  (1)    Female  (2)
46    Helen Leonard 19:20    Ages 40-44  (2)    Female  

The full results can be seen HERE

Notice...Youghal 5km road race - Thurs 9th July 2015

This 5km road race is coming up in the town of Youghal in East Cork on Thursday, the 9th of July 2015...

This is essentially a new race having been a 4 miler in previous years. It goes through the main streets of the town and is very flat.

With it's location near the county boundary, the race is sure to attract runners from both East Cork and West Waterford.

The race is on a flat fast course on the streets of the historic town and passes under the iconic Youghal Clock Tower...

Organised by Youghal AC, this race has an Athletics Ireland licence and has been measured accurately by Jones Counter.

Course Preview..........A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos, etc can be seen HERE

Results of the Youghal 4 mile road race...Thurs 10th July 2014

 A total of 214 runners took part in this years Youghal 4 mile road race. Conditions as you can see from the photo were overcast and dry.

Start of the 2014 Youghal 4 mile road race. Photo : Denis Kelleher

1 20:30    O'CONNOR, Tim   An Ríocht AC    M    05:07.4
2 21:07    FAHY, Roy    East Cork AC    M40    05:16.7
3 21:24    O'CONNELL, Cathal    St. Finbarrs AC    M50    05:20.9
21 24:18    HOLLAND, Ann-Marie    St. Finbarrs AC    F35    06:04.4
22 24:36    MALONE, Sylvia    Waterford AC    F40    06:08.9
24 24:54    CASHMAN, Evelyn    Youghal AC    F40    06:13.4

The full results can be seen HERE

Tim O'Conner of An Ríocht AC..1st man, Ann-Marie Holland of St.Finbarr's AC...1st woman

The race was organised by Youghal Athletics Club, one of the main clubs for runners in the East Cork region.

Notice...Youghal 4 mile road race - Thurs 10th July 2014

This 4 mile road race is coming up in the town of Youghal in East Cork on Thursday, the 10th of July 2014...

This is the second year of this race in its current format having been a regular fixture on the race calendar back in the 90's. Back then, the Youghal bypass hadn't been constructed and the traffic through the town was very heavy making the road race somewhat congested. Fast forward to today and all of the heavy traffic now bypasses the town and the streets of Youghal are suitable once more for a road race.

With it's location near the county boundary, the race is sure to attract runners from both East Cork and West Waterford.

The course consists of three loops of a flat fast course on the streets of the historic town and passes under the iconic Youghal Clock Tower...

Organised by Youghal AC, this race has an Athletics Ireland licence and has been measured accurately by Jones Counter.

Course Preview..........A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos, etc can be seen HERE