Top Half-Marathons in Ireland in 2025

Following on from the post about the top 10-mile races in Ireland in 2025, this post is about the top half-marathons in Ireland in 2025. First up, the top 30...

a) There were approximately 130 half-marathons in Ireland in 2025 and to get into the top 30 required getting about 1000 finishers or more.

If I add up all the finishers for all the half-marathons in Ireland in 2025, the figure is just over 100,000!

b) The ratio of half-marathons to 10-milers in Ireland is about 3:1. In Cork, it's just over 1:1 with just a handful more half-marathons.

c) While the numbers at short distance races seems to have levelled off, there seems to be very strong growth in the numbers at half-marathons. In 2024, I was only able to find about 100 half-marathons whereas I found about 130 in 2025.

An event needed about 700 finishers to get on the top 30 list in 2024 whereas in 2025, it's about 1000.

d) The organisers of the Dublin City Marathon decided to hold their own half-marathon version in March of 2025 and the response was huge with over 11,800 finishers. As the chart shows, this new half-marathon jumps straight into first place and is the largest half in Ireland by far.

e) The traditional Dublin half in September saw an increase in numbers in 2025 and is now in 2nd place.

f) Belfast saw a 15% increase in numbers in 2025 and the gap to Dublin (Sep) closed from almost 1000 to about 550.

g) The Cork City Half-Marathon on the June bank holiday weekend saw an increase of just over 8% in the number of finishers but it dropped from 3rd to 7th place.

While the organisers say they are 'sold out', the reality is that they are restricting the numbers and are not taking advantage of the growth in demand for half-marathon races. This represents an opportunity cost for the city in terms of lost revenue not spent in the hospitality sector.

h) In contrast, the Great Limerick Run Half-Marathon grew by about 40% in 2025 and jumps from 5th to 4th place.

i) The Waterford AC half-marathon in November saw a slight drop in numbers in 2025 and now drops from 9th to 11th.

j) Some events have their numbers limited due to nature of the course. The Dingle Half sells out about a year in advance and could easily stay in the top 10 if they could handle more runners. Despite an increase in numbers in 2025, they drop from 10th to 13th.

k) Charleville is the second largest half in Cork and despite a small increase in numbers, they drop from 13th to 15th.

l) The Waterford Viking Half in June seems to be doing well with an 18% rise in 2025 and they move from 20th to 18th.

m) The Run Killarney and its sister Run Kilkee events both saw their numbers increase and they move from 23rd & 27th to 22nd & 26th respectively.

Second Tier... The chart below shows the second tier of half-marathons in Ireland going from 31st to 60th. Note that these are still in the top half of all the half-marathons in Ireland.

n) The Youghal Half-Marathon grew 15% in 2025 and yet, it still dropped from 29th to 33rd. It just gives an idea of how much some of the other half-marathons in Ireland have grown in 2025. Youghal was also the third largest half in Cork.

o) The Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon at the end of August is one of those half-marathons that is limited in numbers due to the width of the course. It had almost the same number of finishers in 2025 compared to 2024 and it dropped 5 places from 31st to 36th place.

p) Here are a few of the other half-marathons in Munster... the Border Half in Limerick dropped 6 places to 40th, Clonmel dropped 13 places to 50th, Stone Mad in Blarney dropped 8 places to 52nd and the Run Skibb Half dropped 3 places to 56th.

In conclusion... While the numbers at shorter distance road races has seems to have levelled off, there seems to be growing interest in events like 10-milers and half-marathons.

Considering how strong the growth was in 2025, it seems likely that 2026 will be another good year for half-marathons in Ireland.

French 'Forrest Gump' to run 13-marathons in 13-days in Ireland for charity - 14th to 26th Oct 2025

Starting on Tuesday the 14th of October 2025, French runner Claude Cazes dressed as the “French Forrest Gump” will run 13-marathons in 13-days with the aim of raising funds for DEBRA Ireland.

Update Mon 13th Oct: Claude started from the MTU track in Bishopstown at 8.15am on Tues 14th Oct.

The largest half-marathons in Ireland continue to grow - Sept 2025

Caitlyn Harvey was the Women’s Race Winner of the 2025 Irish Life Dublin Half Marathon in the Phoenix Park with a time of 78m.42s.

In 2024, the two largest half-marathons in Ireland were the Dublin and Belfast half-marathons and both were held on the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of September.

The 2025 editions were held last weekend and the results show that both events grew. The Belfast half was up a very strong 15.3%. The Dublin half was up a more modest 6.2% but that would certainly have been much higher if the event hadn't sold out. 

This follows the pattern of other large half-marathons around the country, they seem to be very popular regardless of the entry fee and extra costs.

We seem to have some way to go yet before we hit the peak of the running boom.

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

Most popular Half-Marathon races in Ireland in 2024

I had a recent post about the top 10-mile races in Ireland in 2024 up on the blog. In this post, we'll look at the most popular half-marathons in Ireland in 2024.

During the year, I've been tracking all of the half-marathon races in Ireland and I think I've got most if not all of them. As far as I can tell, there were just over 90 half-marathon events in Ireland in 2024.

The most popular half-marathon in the country is the Dublin Half which was held in late September. No doubt a lot of people were using this as part of their training for the Dublin Marathon at the end of October.

It's probably no great surprise that Dublin is at number one considering the population of the capital and the huge pool of runners in Dublin and the surrounding counties. This would also explain why the two editions of the Clontarf Half in July and November come in at numbers 6 and 4 on the list.

Belfast as the second largest city in Ireland also comes in second place in terms of half marathon numbers.

The Cork City Half-Marathon on the June Bank Holiday weekend was in third place and just 24 finishers ahead of Clontarf.

The Great Limerick Run Half-Marathon did very well and was just over 200 runners shy of the Cork numbers despite being a smaller city.

The Waterford Half in November was in 9th place and significantly ahead of the Waterford Viking Half in June which was in 20th place.

Some of the races on the list have their numbers limited for various reasons. One such event is the Dingle Half at number 10. This one sells out about 10 months ahead of the race and would no doubt get many more runners if they could accommodate them.

The Charleville Half-Marathon got a boost from hosting the National Half-Marathon Championships in 2024 and came in at number 13. The question now is will they manage to hold onto those numbers in 2025 as the half-marathon championships move up to Tullamore?

Tullamore which is at 22 got a boost from hosting the 2023 championships and managed to hang onto the gains in 2024.

Other 'local' half-marathons of interest were... The Run Kilarney Half was at 23 and just outside the top 20 with the sister Run Kilkee Half in Co Clare at 27. The inaugural Youghal Half finished in a credible 29th place. The Waterford Greenway Half is another one that has to limit the numbers and comes in at number 31. The Border Half in Limerick was number 34 and Clonmel comes in at number 37.

In the bottom half, we have the Stone Mad Half in Blarney at 44 and the Tralee and the Surf n Turf in positions 47 and 48. The new Skibbereen Half is at 53.

Back in the Kingdom, we have Tralee at 47, Kerryhead at 51, Gap of Dunloe at 55, Valentia at 56 and Ballybunion at 74.

Beyond this and you're into events with fewer than 100 finishers.

Looking at the overall list, there are more than double the number of half-marathon events compared to 10-mile races and it remains one of the most popular distances and targets for runners.

Top 10-mile races in Ireland for the Spring of 2024

For the last few months, I have been keeping an eye on the results of the 10-mile races in Ireland. You'll often see results posted on social media but it's not so obvious how big the races are and how they all  compare to each other.

With that in mind, I collected the data and here are the top ten 10-mile races in Ireland for the Spring of 2024.

As can be seen from the chart, the John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile road race was the largest 10-miler in Ireland for the Spring of 2024 and by some margin. Before I did this exercise, I knew that the Dungarvan race was one of the biggest but I was a bit surprised to see just how far it was ahead of the rest.

The Trim 10-mile was in second place and what's surprising here was that it was actually held on the same day as Dungarvan! I suspect if they picked another date then their numbers would have been even bigger.

As can be seen from the chart, Bundoran and Derry are in 3rd and 4th places with the remaining six tailing off from about the 1000 mark.

10-mile races in Cork... If we were to go back 15 years or so, the scene for the Spring 10-milers in Munster was somewhat different. Ballycotton was king with Dungarvan second, Mallow third and the Kilnaboy 10 in Co Clare fourth.

A lot has changed since then and one of the biggest changes was when the Ballycotton 10-mile was run for the last time in 2017. With the demise of Ballycotton, the Dungarvan race has now moved into it's place as the premier Spring 10-miler in Ireland.

The chart above shows the numbers for the Spring 10-milers in Cork since 2017.

As previously mentioned, 2017 was the last outing for Ballycotton and both the Mallow and Cobh 10-milers grew substantially the next year in 2018.

In 2019, Mallow hit its zenith with roughly 1500 finishers while Cobh eased back with the Kinsale 10-mile starting up in February of that year.

When looking at the numbers, it's worth noting that both the Clondulane and Duhallow 10-milers were also in the mix pre-2020.

When the races restarted in 2022 after the pandemic, the numbers for Mallow had really taken a dip and dropped by about a third. Compared to 2019, Cobh managed to hold it's own while Kinsale eased back.

If we look at 2023 and 2024, it's a story of Mallow staying about the same and both Kinsale and Cobh growing.

If we go back a decade then Mallow was certainly the second largest Spring 10-miler in Cork after Ballycotton and by some margin. In 2024, it's now a three way race for the top Spring 10-miler in Cork.

Caveat... Note that this post is about the top 10-milers In Ireland for the Spring of 2024 i.e. February, March & April. There will be more 10-milers coming up in the Autumn and it'll be interesting to see what the chart looks like by the end of the year.

Guest Post: IRISH 10-MILE RANKINGS Q1 2022 ...by John Walshe

IRISH 10-MILE RANKINGS 2022

There is no doubting the popularity of the 10-mile distance, especially during the early months of the year when most of the high-profile events take place. 

As was done in 2018 and 2019, this is an attempt to compile an annual ranking list for men under 55:00 and women under 65:00 and will be updated each quarter.

The list, from January to March, shows the time (gun time), name/club/category, the race and finishing position, along with the date. Where an athlete appears more than once, just the surname is used after the initial listing.
 
Aoife Cooke – with her 54:19 effort at Dungarvan – leads the women from Michelle Finn who ran 55:09 at Mallow. Jake O’Regan went to the top of the leader-board for men with his 48:40 at Bundoran surpassing the 48:51 achieved by Hugh Armstrong the previous month at Dungarvan.

Dungarvan, with 16 under 55:00, saw the highest standard amongst the men with Trim, at 15 under 65:00, the leading race for the women. The most prolific racer is Tudor Moldovan with five performances, including two on successive days. 

Any additions or corrections are welcome and can be made on the comments section wherever this list appears and will be included in the next updated edition in three months time.

Footnote (or food for thought!): This list contains the names of 52 runners (51 men + one woman) who, over three months in 13 different races throughout the land, ran under 55 minutes for 10 miles.

Taking a look back all of 29 years, to March 7th 1993, the Ballycotton ‘10’ results show 71 finishers under 55:00. Allowing for 10/11 British competitors, it still meant that 60 Irish men ran sub-55:00 in one race on the one day – long, long before the era of ‘super shoes’!

MEN
48:40 Jake O’Regan (St Johns) Bundoran (1) Mar 05
48:51 Hugh Armstrong (Ballina) Dungarvan (1) Feb 06
49:31 Conor Duffy (Glaslough) Dungarvan (2) Feb 06
49:45 Tim O’Donoghue (East Cork) Dungarvan (3) Feb 06
50:06 David Mansfield (Clonmel) Dungarvan (4) Feb 06
50:36 Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe) Mallow (1) Mar 20
50:41 David McCarthy (West Waterford) Dungarvan (5) Feb 06
50:46 Martin Hoare (Celbridge) Trim (1) Feb 06
50:52 Ger Forde (KCH) Dungarvan (6) Feb 06
50:59 Eoin Mullan (Omagh) Bundoran (2) Mar 05
51:15 Hoare Ballyroan (1) Jan 23
51:21 Tudor Moldovan (Clonliffe) Ballyroan (2) Jan 23
51:43 Sean Hehir (Metro-St Brigids) Ballyroan (3) Jan 23
51:58 Conor McCauley (Leevale) Dungarvan (7) Feb 06
51:58 Moldovan Bundoran (3) Mar 05
52:09 Declan Reid (City of Derry Spart, M45) Derry (1) Mar 12
52:27 Kane Collins (Donore) Dungarvan (8) Feb 06
52:28 John Kinsella (Bilboa) Dungarvan (9) Feb 06
52:32 Alexander Wallace (St Cocas, M40) Trim (2) Feb 06
52:47 Aaron Brennan (GCH) Craughwell (1) Mar 20
52:49 Eoghan McGinley (Letterkenny) Bundoran (4) Mar 05
52:55 Pat Hennessy (West Waterford) Dungarvan (10) Feb 06
53:01 Mick Fogarty (Ferbane, M40) Ardagh (1) Feb 26
53:07 Moldovan Ardagh (2) Feb 26
53:08 Kinsella Mallow (2) Mar 20
53:13 Mark Walsh (Leevale) Ballyroan (4) Jan 23
53:14 Derek Griffin (unatt) Mallow (3) Mar 20
53:20 Collins Mallow (4) Mar 20
53:26 Kevin O’Leary (East Cork) Dungarvan (11) Feb 06
53:29 Brian Conroy (Clane) Trim (3) Feb 06
53:46 Moldovan Turgesius (W’Meath) (1) Feb 20
53:49 Moldovan Kinsale (1) Feb 27
53:49 Noel Murphy (Waterford) Mallow (5) Mar 20
53:51 Conal McCambridge (North Belfast) Larne (1) Mar 19
53:53 Mark McPaul (Milford) Bundoran (5) Mar 05
53:54 Allan Bogle (City of Derry Spart, M40) Derry (2) Mar 12
53:59 Alan O’Brien (Eagle, M40) Mallow (6) Mar 20
54:07 Mossy Bracken (Moycarkey-Coolcroo) Dungarvan (12) Feb 06
54:14 Toby Ruffer (Newbridge) Trim (4) Feb 06
54:15 Donal Coakley (Leevale) Dungarvan (13) Feb 06
54:16 Vivian Foley (Eagle, M50) Mallow (7) Mar 20
54:17 Griffin Tralee (1) Feb 12
54:17 James Hamilton (Ballymena Runners) Larne (2) Mar 19
54:20 Sean Lally (Monaghan Town) Trim (5) Feb 06
54:24 Foley Dungarvan (14) Feb 06
54:26 Jeremy O’Donovan (St Finbarrs, M40 Dungarvan (15) Feb 06
54:27 O’Donovan Kinsale (2) Feb 27
54:27 Brian Martin (Drogheda & Dist) Naas (1) Mar 06
54:27 Paul Smith (Drogheda & Dist) Naas (2) Mar 06
54:34 David Callaghan (Tallaght) Ballyroan (5) Jan 23
54:34 Matthew McLaughlin (Inishowen, M45) Derry (3) Mar 12
54:35 Brendan Heaney (Armagh) Dungarvan (16) Feb 06
54:37 Michael Morgan (St Finbarrs, M45) Kinsale (3) Feb 27
54:37 David Hamilton (North Belfast) Larne (3) Mar 19
54:41 Toby Ruffer (Newbridge) Naas (3) Mar 06
54:47 Killian Nolan(unatt) Trim (6) Feb 06
54:52 Ciaran McGonagle (Letterkenny, M40) Derry (4) Mar 12
54:53 Paul Minogue (Clonmel) Kilsheelan (1) Mar 17
54:55 Noel McNally (Road Runners, M40) Larne (4) Mar 19
54:58 Philip McHugh (Letterkenny) Derry (5) Mar 12
54:59 Marty Lynch (Milford, M40) Bundoran (6) Mar 05

WOMEN
54:19 Aoife Cooke (Eagle, F35) Dungarvan (1) Feb 06
55:09 Michelle Finn (Leevale) Mallow (1) Mar 20
55:42 Aoife Kilgannon (Sligo) Trim (1) Feb 06
56:53 Jessica Craig (North Down) Derry (1) Mar 12
58:04 Siobhan O’Doherty (Borrisokane, F35) Ballyroan (1) Jan 23
58:10 Ruth Fitzgerald (Waterford) Dungarvan (2) Feb 06
58:43 Isobel Oakes (Sigo) Trim (2) Feb 06
58:44 O’Doherty Dungarvan (3) Feb 06
58:54 Niamh Moore (Leevale) Mallow (2) Mar 20
58:58 Courtney McGuire (Clonmel) Dungarvan (4) Feb 06
58:59 Oakes Ballyroan (2) Jan 23
59:02 Catherine Whoriskey (CoDerry S, F35) Derry (2) Mar 12
59:13 Ciara Durkan (Skerries) Trim (3) Feb 06
59:25 Sarahjane Cooke (Victoria P & C, F40) Larne (1) Mar 19
59:30 Hannah Steeds (Clonmel) Dungarvan (5) Feb 06
59:42 Natalie Hall (Victoria Park & C) Trim (4) Feb 06
60:16 Caroline Donnellan (Edenderry, F45) Trim (5) Feb 06
60:21 Jennifer Montague (Leevale, F35) Ballyroan (3) Jan 23
60:34 Kate Kelly (Athlone AIT) Ballyroan (4) Jan 23
60:40 Rachel Birt (Killgarry RC) Trim (6) Feb 06
61:10 Montague Kinsale (1) Feb 27
61:11 Maria McCambridge (DSD, F45) Trim (7) Feb 06
61:20 Ava Costello (Trim, FJ) Trim (8) Feb 06
61:39 Steeds KIlsheelan (1) Mar 17
61:55 Emma Murphy (St Finbarrs, F35) Mallow (3) Mar 20
61:58 Adrienne Jordan (Crusaders, F45) Trim (9) Feb 06
62:02 Edel Gaffney (Trim) Trim (10) Feb 06
62:06 Niamh Devlin (DSD) Dungarvan (6) Feb 06
62:12 McCambridge Naas (1) Mar 06
62:18 Angela McCann (Clonmel, F50) Dungarvan (7) Feb 06
62:20 Neasa de Burca (GCH, F40) Craughwell (1) Mar 20
62:20 Siobhan Lee (GCH) Craughwell (2) Mar 20
62:42 Catherine Thornton (Crusaders) Craughwell (3) Mar 20
62:51 Fiona Gettings (Longford, F40) Trim (11) Feb 06
62:53 Linda O’Sullivan (Watergrasshill, F50) Dungarvan (8) Feb 06
63:06 Karen Alexander (Christian Runn, F40) Derry (3) Mar 12
63:15 O’Sullivan Mallow (4) Mar 20
63:19 Catherine O’Connor (Sli Cualann) Naas (2) Mar 06
63:38 McCann Kilsheelan (2) Mar 17
63:41 Sabrina Keogh (Dunboyne) Trim (12) Feb 06
63:45 Alexander Larne (2) Mar 19
63:50 Sinead O’Reilly (Donore, F40) Trim (13) Feb 06
63:54 Sharon Leetch (Ballymena R, F45) Larne (3) Mar 19
64:02 Julie Kirwan (unatt, F40) Dungarvan (9) Feb 06
64:05 Joan Flynn (Mullingar, F40) Trim (14) Feb 06
64:08 Niamh Clifford (Star of the Laune) Tralee (1) Feb 12
64:22 Catherine Murphy (Eagle, F45) Mallow (5) Mar 20
64:27 Susan Glennon (Mullingar) Trim (15) Feb 06
64:40 Breda Gaffney (Mallow, F45) Mallow (6) Mar 20
64:44 Jean Lucey (unatt) Mallow (7) Mar 20
64:48 April Clarke (North Belfast) Derry (4) Mar 12
64:49 Tara Kennedy (Raheny, F45) Dungarvan (10) Feb 06
64:53 Eimear Gormley (Letterkenny) Bundoran (1) Mar 05
64:54 Flynn Ardagh (1) Feb 26
64:57 Murphy Dungarvan (11) Feb 06

Ciara Mageean becomes first Irish woman to break the 2 minute barrier for 800m

For decades, the top female Irish middle distance athletes have been trying to break the two minute barrier for 800m. On Friday the 23rd of July 2020, Ciara Mageean became the first Irish woman to run under two minutes at a race in Bern, Switzerland.

The City of Lisburn AC athlete and Portaferry native broke the time barrier in 1:59.69 to claim first place in the 800m final, a full second ahead of Norway’s Hynne Hedda.

Ciara also broke her own previous time of 2:00.79, set in Dublin in 2016 and the Irish record of 2:00.58 which was set in 2013 by Rose-Anne Galligan at the London Anniversary Games.

In a recent interview before the event Ciara stated “It’s my first competition in five months and I can’t wait. I think this is the fittest I’ve ever been. The past few months have made me hungry again for the thrill of racing. In the past I often got so nervous and put so much pressure on myself that I didn’t enjoy racing very much. I’d step on the line with fear, worried how it might go. But now I have a different mindset: I’m excited to see what I can do.”

Top 10 Irish Female 800m Times...

1 NR 1:59.69 Ciara Mageean, Bern 23 Jul 2020
2 2:00.58 NR Rose-Anne Galligan, London 26 Jul 2013
3 2:00.69 NR Sonia O'Sullivan, Sankt Peterburg 28 Jul 1994
4 2:00.70 Caroline O'Shea, Cork 3 Jul 1984
5 2:00.93 Laura Crowe, Rieti 8 Sep 2013
6 2:01.14 Aisling Molloy, EC Split 27 Aug 1990
7 2:01.21 Ciara Everard, Oordegem 23 May 2015
8 2:01.61 Claire Mooney, Heusden 21 Jul 2018
9 2:01.67 Síofra Cléirigh, Büttner Watford 29 Jun 2019
10 2:01.89 NU23R Aoife Byrne, Namur 17 Aug 20

Video of the race...

Esto es histórico. Primer sub 2 minutos en los 800m hecho por una mujer irlandesa. La hazaña la ha hecho Ciara Mageean @ciaramageean esta noche. Enhorabuena 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/59LC20Pfo0

— Sub4TrackClub (@AtletismoSub4) July 25, 2020

IRISH 10-MILE RANKINGS 2019 (1st Sept 2019) ...by John Walshe

IRISH 10-MILE RANKINGS 2019 (As of 1st Sept 2019)... by John Walshe

Last year an Irish 10-mile ranking list was compiled for men and women, giving all performances under 55:00 (men) and 65:00 (women). At the end of April, a 2019 list was published up to that stage. Now, with only a few races at the distance remaining, it has been updated to August 31. 

The leading marks as of April remain the same -Sean Tobin (48:34) and Aoife Cooke (55:17). These are faster than last year’s overall times of 48:41 (Kevin Seward) and 56:47 (Laura O’Shaughnessy). Interestingly, Aoife Cooke now claims the top three performances for the year.

One performance of note is that of M55 record setter Tommy Hughes. Not many people can claim to have run 10 miles faster than their age-group but Tommy did so in the Phoenix Park on July 13 with his time of 54:54. As he reaches his 60th birthday in January, it will be interesting to see how he fares in his new category.

In 2018, eight performance under 60:00 were achieved by women, already this year there have been 13 performances under the hour. Eight performances under 50:00 were also achieved by the men last year, 11 have been recorded so far.

Last year’s respective totals under the standards of 55:00 (81) and 65:00 (47) have already been surpassed with 106 men and 56 women achieving those marks.

As usual, any additions or amendments to the published lists can be sent to John Walshe at: jowalshe AT eircom DOT net

Men
48:34 Sean Tobin (Clonmel) Cobh Apr 7
48:57 Mick Clohisey (Raheny) Roscommon Jul 6
49:06 Yared Derese (Carrick Aces) Frank Duffy (Phoenix P) Aug 24
49:21 Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe) Mallow Mar 24
49:32 David Flynn (Clonliffe) Roscommon Jul 6
49:36 Kevin Maunsell (Clonmel) Dungarvan Feb 3
49:36 Mick Clohisey Frank Duffy (Phoenix P) Aug 24
49:45 Sean Hehir (Rathfarnham-WSAF) Kilcock Aug 18
49:53 David Flynn Dungarvan Feb 3
49:55 David Flynn Phoenix Park Jul 13
49:57 Hiko Tonosa (DSD) Cork City Aug 31

A snaphot of 5k parkruns in Cork at the end of 2018

Every Saturday morning, there are seven 5k parkruns in the county of Cork. I had a look at the numbers for the last Saturday of 2018 and the numbers for each event are shown below.

A grand total of 613 people took part across the seven parkruns which is an impressive number. I don't think it was a particularly busy Saturday and a good turnout in Ballincollig would easily bump up the numbers even more.

Add in the new 5k parkrun starting in Mallow in 2019 and this weekly number is likely to grow to 700-900 per week.

A lot of the parkrun events may kind of go unnoticed under the radar so to speak but they are having a big impact on the running scene in Cork and the rest of the country.

According to parkrun Ireland, there are 84 events in Ireland with an average attendance of 101. That works out as an average of about 8,500 people per week doing free 5k parkruns in Ireland on a Saturday morning.

Addendum...
No parkrun would of course be possible without the volunteers who turn out every week.John Kissane has put together this chart showing the number of volunteers last Saturday.

Cork Fireman Alex O'Shea completes 32 marathons in 16 days

Last Sunday the 16th of September, Cork fireman Alex O'Shea completed his 32nd marathon in just 16 days! Not only that but each marathon was in each of the 32 Irish counties.

The journey started with the Dingle Marathon back on the 1st of September and ended with a marathon in Cork which included Cork City and Ballincollig. The photo above by Joe Murphy shows some supporters with Alex in the Regional Park.

Funds raised from 32 marathons go towards the Irish Guide Dogs.

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE
2) Doug Minihane has a gallery HERE

Alex has his own Facebook page HERE

65 Year Old Woman from Wicklow Begins Run Around Ireland

Update...I originally put this post up in early January and Mary Hickey is still running around Ireland! She is now in Co.Cork and is leaving Kinsale at 10am on Friday morning and running to Crosshaven.

On Saturday, she will be taken across to Aghada where she will run from there to Ballycotton. This is her schedule below...

French sports retailer Decathlon to open 9 stores in Ireland

It was announced recently that the French sports retailer Decathlon is planning to open 9 stores in Ireland including Dublin, Cork and Galway.

Decathlon are huge in France and sell sports gear usually at cheaper prices than the usual high street sports stores. They tend to be located on the edge of towns where rental prices are cheaper rather than say in town centres.

Joining an already crowded market, their arrival is bound to have an impact on existing sports stores in Ireland, especially the more generic ones which don't specialise in particular sports.

Decathlon has some 1,350 stores in 40 countries and they expect to open their first Irish store in 2019. The plan is to open their first store in Dublin followed by Cork and Galway. I presume 2020 may well be the earliest that we will see a store in Cork.

Sinéad O'Connor from Cork represents Ireland in Cardiff

Sinéad O'Connor of Leevale AC in Cork made her first outing in an Irish singlet last weekend when she represented Ireland in the Celtic Cross Country in Cardiff in Wales.

Womens Results

Introducing Sumo Run Ireland...

I spotted this recently...Sumo Run Ireland. Basically it's a charity 5k with the contestants running in Sumo suits! :o)

There are going to be two events this year near Dublin...
Sunday 23rd April 2017 - Marlay Park Dublin
Sunday 27th August 2017 - Bray Seafront, Wicklow.

All proceeds go towards Purple House Cancer Support.

Ciara Mageean records new 1500m PB in Paris

Ireland's Ciara Mageean was in action on Saturday evening in the women's 1500m at the IAAF Diamond League Athletics Meeting in Paris. With her stated aim of trying for a new personal best, she duly delivered with a time of 4m 01.46s.

While the 9th place position might look disappointing, the field was packed with some of the world's best 1500m athletes. This should be seen as a stepping stone as she hopefully improves in the years ahead.

Ciara's time now puts her into 2nd place in the Irish all time list. Here are the current top 10...

1500 m
1 3:58.85 Sonia O'Sullivan     1    Herc    Monaco    25 Jul 1995
2 4:01.46 Ciara Mageean     9    Diamond League Paris 27 Aug 2016
3 4:02.08 Geraldine Hendricken    3     GPF Paris    14 Sep 2002
4 4:04.22 Sinéad Evans         10    VD Bruxelles 28 Aug 1998
...4 4:06.49 Ciara Mageean    5    Rieti 2015 Rieti    13 Sep 2015
5 4:06.69 Monica Joyce         7    Zürich    18 Aug 1982
6 4:07.56 Freda Davoren     2    Cuxhaven 19 Jul 2003
7 4:08.63 Mary Purcell         5h4    Olympics Montréal 28 Jul 1976
8 4:08.89 Deirdre Byrne     7    KBC-Nacht    Heusden 20 Jul 2008
9 4:09.12 Elaine Fitzgerald     2    PapG    Arnhem 10 Jul 1999
10 4:09.95 Orla Drumm         6    Anhalt    Dessau 25 May 2012

As you can see, Ciara's previous best time was 4:06.49 which was set in September of 2015. Her new time is 5 seconds faster which is a huge jump at this level. Only Sonia O'Sullivan has run a faster time.

The chart below shows the times a bit clearer and you can see the relative difference.

Race video...

Irish Men in the Marathon at the Olympics...1948 to 2016

Following the men's marathon at the Rio Olympics recently, I had a closer look at the history of the event since the London Games of 1948. As you can see below, it puts into perspective the performance of Paul Pollock with his time of 2:16:24. He is now the third fastest Irish man is an Olympic Marathon.


A total of 22 Irish men have completed the Olympic Marathon between 1948 and 2016. Dick Hooper completed 3 (80, 84 & 88) while John Treacy completed 2 (1984 & 1992). (DNF's excluded)

This is a breakdown per year. Note the numbers between 1968 to 1992 and the complete absence in the following Games.

Year - Venue - Number of Irish Men
1948 - London - 1
1952 - Helsinki - 1
1956 - Melbourne - 0
1960 - Rome - 2 & 1 DNF
1964 - Tokyo - 1 DNF
1968 - Mexico - 2
1972 - Munich - 3
1976 - Montreal - 3
1980 - Moscow - 2
1984 - Los Angeles - 3
1988 - Seoul - 2 & 1 DNF
1992 - Barcelona - 2 & 1 DNF
1996 - Atlanta - 0
2000 - Sydney - 0
2004 - Athens - 0
2008 - Beijing - 1 DNF
2012 - London - 1
2016 - Rio de Janerio - 3 (Max team of 3)

Following the 2008 Games in Beijing, the Irish Marathon Mission was established to improve the standards of elite Irish runners. This has been mostly financed by the organisers of the Dublin City Marathon and as you can see, it has helped in getting a full team for 2016.

An easier qualification standard for the Rio Olympics probably helped as well though.

This chart shows more clearly the times of the 22 Irish men between 1948 and 2016. As you can see, Paul Pollock's performance in Rio was faster than a lot of other Irish men in previous Olympic marathons. Kevin Seaward's time was the 5th fastest.

It''s also worth noting just how fast John Treacy and Jerry Kiernan were relative to other Irish marathon runners.

Note that these times were all set on different courses and with different conditions so we can't do an exact comparison. Still though, they are all Olympic Marathon finals so they are similar in that respect.

As a footnote, the following Irish athletes competed in the Olympic Marathon for these other countries...
1912  Kennedy McArthur (Antrim) 2:36.55 for South Africa
1964  Peter McArdle (Dundalk) 2.26.25 for the USA
1988  Peter Maher 2:24.49   for Canada

Irish Pole Vaulter Tori Pena retires from international athletics

Irish Pole Vaulter Tori Pena announced on Wednesday that she is retiring from international athletics. She has represented Ireland at 3 World Championships, 5 European Championships and 2 Olympic Games.

While she is native of California in the United States, she has dual US-Irish citizenship based on her maternal grandmother who came from Derry.

After declaring for Ireland in June of 2010, she set a new Irish record of 4.15m at the National Championships in July of that year. She would later go on to increase that  record to 4.60m in 2013.

The top 5 Irish heights for the Pole Vault are shown below. As you can see, she was some way ahead of the other Irish women and the only person that was capable of reaching the various qualifying standards for international competitions.

1 4.60 NR Tori Pena 6 Jun 2013
2 4.45 Zoë Brown 15 Jul 2014
3 3.95i Claire Wilkinson 7 Feb 2014
4 3.93 Erin Kinnear 24 Apr 2004
5 3.82i Bridget Pearson 19 Feb 2000

This is Tori Pena's statement...

Since 2010 I've had the pleasure and absolute honor of representing Ireland. This morning was my last time putting on my uniform and proudly giving it my all. I've competed at 3 World Championships, 5 European Championships and 2 Olympic Games. But so much more importantly, I've had the honor to compete with some amazing women. (Seriously, women's pole vault is on fire and I'm happy to say I've competed with these athletes) I've made friends with ladies from around the world who have shown me strength, courage, bravery, and joy. This journey has been painstaking and heart wrenching. It's been beautiful and profound. I've learned more about myself than I ever thought imaginable. Believe in yourself people, you'll be surprised what you can achieve.

I also can't even begin to name all the people who have helped me along the way. From high school coaches and school teachers. To my amazing training partners, coaches, and therapists. Friends and athletes who have picked me up from the airport at strange hours and given me a place to sleep or a ride to the next meet with my poles. The list goes on full of odd and obscure favors from people in the pole vault community and far beyond. I've loved every minute of it!

thank you, thank you, thank you

Alex O'Shea from Cork to run from Malin to Mizen in record attempt...Starts Sun 6th Sept 2015

On Sunday morning at 6am, Alex O'Shea from Cork will set out from Malin Head in Donegal in an attempt to run the length of Ireland in a new record time. The current record is held by Mimi Andrerson from the UK whom did it in 3 days 15 hours 36 mins back in 2012.

To break the record, Alex must reach Mizen Head in West Cork before 9:36pm on Wednesday 9th of Sept.

Alex is in great shape at the moment and has been training for months in preparation for this. Back in June, he ran the Cork City Marathon in 2h 36m and also won a 100km Ultra race in Kerry over the Summer.

Alex at the start line. Photo : Doug Minihane

These are some of the locations that Alex will be passing through…
Malin Head…Sun 6th Sept...6am start
Carndonagh...Sun 6th Sept...7:53am
Muff...Sun 6th Sept...10:03am
Derry...Sun 6th Sept...11:09am
Strabane...Sun 6th Sept...1:22pm
Victoria Bridge...Sun 6th Sept...2:43pm
Enniskillen...Sun 6th Sept...10:07pm
 / Swanlinbar / Drumlish / Longford / Borrisokane / Nenagh / Kilmallock / Charleville / Liscarroll / Millstreet / Ballymakerry / Kealkill / Bantry / Durrus / Goleen / Mizen Head

Alex is also raising funds for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind

Donations can be made via text costing €4 per text Please text WOOF to 50300

You can also donate online here… http://www.mycharity.ie/event/alexander_o_sheas_event

Alex has a Facebook page for the run here.... https://www.facebook.com/challengeAlex

and a website here... https://alexoshea.wordpress.com/


Weather Forecast....Conditions look as if they'll be pretty ideal for the attempt. The prevailing winds over Ireland are south-westerly so there is always a strong chance of a headwind for 350 or so miles on the way from Malin to Mizen.

For the next few days, there is a high pressure system over the country so winds will be light, there shouldn't be much in the way of rain. Considering that Alex will be inland for most of the attempt, any coastal winds won't be an issue. Not sure if it could get any better....other than a gale force north easterly winds for 3 days solid! :o)

Deptartment of Health announce €100,000 grant for parkrun in Ireland

On Wednesday the 27th of May, the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar announced that the Healthy Ireland section of the Department of Health and the HSE have awarded a grant of €100,000 to parkrun Ireland, as part of the new partnership which also involves Athletics Ireland, the Irish Sports Council and Phillip Lee Solicitors.

Every week parkrun organises a free 5k run at 29 venues across Ireland in parkland surroundings. Thanks to this new partnership, up to six new parkrun events are now being planned which will effectively make it a nationwide initiative, with a run starting in Killarney and Dundalk next weekend, and others to follow in Athlone, Limerick city and Cork city. A new run started recently in New Ross, Poppintree, Sligo, Hartstown, Cabbinteely, and a junior parkrun for 4-14 year olds is also planned.

New parkruns for Cork and Limerick City

Minister Varadkar said: “parkrun offers fantastic opportunities for people to take part in a 5k run in a fun and positive environment. It’s a dream initiative for any aspiring runner. You simply log on, download your number, and take part in a 5k run in your local park. Your time is recorded and you can compare your progress from week to week. It couldn’t be easier and it’s all free of charge.

“parkrun is already available in 29 locations around Ireland and up to six new events are now being planned under this new partnership. I’m delighted that parkrun is going to be supported by Healthy Ireland because it’s very effective and has a proven success rate. People who are active are more likely to live healthy and happy lives. I really want to encourage more people to be physically active in Ireland and this is a great way to do just that.”

Almost 37,000 participants have run 1,000,000 km in parkrun events at 29 locations around Ireland since it started here in 2012. Originally launched in the UK, there have been a total of 1.5 million registrations worldwide, with 100,000 participants taking part weekly in 12 (soon 14) countries. It’s now the single biggest running participation event on the planet.  And its growth in Ireland has been the most dramatic of all.

In welcoming the new partnership, Matt Shields, parkrun Ireland country manager said: “There is something about the parkrun ethos of family and community that fits well with the Irish culture and when you add the support we have received at all levels from government to grass roots, it is hardly surprising that parkrun in Ireland has been such a success. In two years, we have established 29 events to date with six more coming soon and the prospect of junior parkrun for 4-14 year olds also close. People of all ages, gender and ability now have a new weekly free friendly pathway to activity. I am sure that with the support of Healthy Ireland, The Irish Sports Council, Athletics Ireland and our latest commercial supporter Philip Lee we will see much more of the same through 2015-16. “

John Foley, the CEO of Athletics Ireland also welcomed today’s announcement saying: “Athletics Ireland is delighted to partner with parkrun as it grows throughout Ireland. We see parkrun as an ideal way for people of all ages to get involved in exercise through running in a friendly non-competitive environment. Many of the Athletics Ireland clubs are volunteering every week to assist with the runs and a number of the participants are joining their club Fit4Life groups which meet regularly. We look forward to a long-term relationship with parkrun as we work together to get people active and healthy”.

John Treacy, CEO of the Irish Sports Council said: “The Irish Sports Council are delighted to support the parkrun initiative. Our aim is to encourage participation across Ireland, across all ages and abilities and remove barriers that prevent participation in sport. Through our National Network of Local Sports Partnerships, we have been able to support parkrun events across the Country and provide opportunities for more people to be more active, more often.”

Alice Whittaker, Partner in Philip Lee said: “Philip Lee is delighted to be one of the main supporters of parkrun in Ireland.  We have a strong ethos of encouraging the promotion of sport, health, community and positive initiatives within the firm.  As a fantastic community based initiative, parkrun is the perfect fit for Philip Lee which is full of avid runners and sport fans.”

Dr Cate Hartigan, Assistant National Director Health Promotion and Improvement in the HSE also welcomed today’s announcement saying: “We are delighted to continue to support parkrun in 2015 and to make it part of our Healthy Ireland programme. Encouraging more communities to be active and to see the enormous benefits that this can bring, is one of the most important changes that we all want to see in Ireland. We are really looking forward to continue working with parkrun to support the community participation and volunteering that is an essential element of the initiative and which adds greatly to our overall health and wellbeing in Ireland.”

Minister Varadkar concluded by saying: “I want to pay tribute to this new parkrun partnership between the public service, the corporate sector, the community and voluntary sector and a national sporting organisation. This initiative supports and empowers people to make positive change towards making Ireland a healthier place to live and also to help in action towards realising the vision of a Healthy Ireland.”

The map below shows the current parkruns in Munster. By the end of 2015, there should be 9 up and running in the province.