Co. Masters Road Race / Burren Half / CBS 5k / Imra Crotty's Lake / FUNdamentals group / parkrun
Mr Oil County Masters Road Race
The counties athletes belatedly returned to the Mr Oil County Race series in Kilmore on Friday evening. The appointment of Mairead O'Neil from SBR as County Secretary made it possible to begin the race series so firstly congratulations to Mairead and a big thank you from all our athletes. A word of thanks to Kilmore AC for hosting and to the County Board officials who ran a seamless event.
The intense heat of the previous hot weather snap did drop slightly as the cloud cover cooled the air but not too much. It was still a warm evening for athletes but spectators had a different experience. Huge congratulations to our age category winners, a great reward for all your hard work.
19 Menapians athletes signed up to compete with a number running a County Race for the first time and some were rewarded with Age Category medals for the efforts. Well done to everyone, its great to see our athletes competing.
We had great support from club members around the course which gives athletes a lift during the race so thanks to all who travelled down.
Ladies 4k:
Sharon Martin 16:49 1st O35
Ilze Bedrite 19:40
Catherine O'Connor 20:22 1st O60
Paula Gondard 20:58 1st O55
Jennifer Kehoe 21:09
Ann Thomas 21:30 3rd O50
Nora Boggan 21:43 2nd O60
Louise Henderson 24:05
Siobhan Doyle 24:22 3rd O60
Sam Donegan 24:49
Helen Burrell 24:59
Men 6k:
Anthony Dowd 22:32
Brian Smyth 24:24 2nd O40
Dermot Foley 24:32
John Hyland 25:45 3rd O40
Fran Rea 25:51 3rd O55
Darren O'Grady 32:58
Michael Murphy 40:20
Men 4k:
Martin Kelly 16:43 1st O70
Burren Half Marathon
Meet Rob
Rob likes to run
Rob ran the Burren Half Marathon in 2:06 yesterday
Be like Rob
CBS School 5k
A bright morning unexpectedly brought showers as CBS Wexford held their fundraising 5k run. A testing route as approx the first 2k runs uphill before a few welcome downhill km's with a last litte hill to complete the fun !
Our members joined in as around 100 gathered at the start line.
Fiachra lead the members and he was our first to finish in 4th overall and was closely followed by Anthony, Brian and Donal. Nice to see Rob running with his 2 sons also.
Paula was our first lady home and overall won 2nd lady taking home a nice prize for herself, huge congratulations Paula.
Well done to all involved in organising the event. It's always good to support these local events if you can as they do great work with the funds raised.
Fiachra Mehigan 18:26 1st student
Anthony Dowd 18:27
Brian Smyth 19:54
Donald Grant 19:57
Gareth Lloyd 23:27
John Dier 24:18
Paula Gondard 25:42 2nd Lady
Rob Mehigan 27:28
Ann Thomas 28:13
Darragh Mehigan 28:26
Darren O'Grady 28:38
Dermot Foley 28:40
Sam Donegan 31:16
Bridie McGuire 39:09
Sharron Dier 40:02
IMRA Crotty’s Lake Comeragh Mountain
The IMRA series continued on Saturday morning in the Comeragh Mountains. After great runs at the Masters on Friday Sharon, Jennifer & Fran decided the best recovery was to run up and down a mountain and they were rewarded for their efforts with fantastic results.
Congratulations to the three of you
Sharon Martin 2nd Female
Jennifer Kehoe 4th Female
Fran Rea O50’s 3rd Male
FUNdamentals
Our FUNdamentals group finished up their training for the summer this evening, just before the rain.
A mini Olympics was held - Hurdles, Javelin, Shot, Long Jump and Relay with impressive performances by all our young Menapians. Training will resume in September.
A big thank you to all our coaches for their time and effort during the year and thanks also to the Presentation for allowing us use their facilities for training.
parkrun
Some had tired legs as they had run the County Masters the previous night so easy recovery runs were on the agenda.
A nice milestone for Eamon on Saturday as he clocked his 150th parkrun. Even finished with a smile. Dave notched up his 50th parkrun and just pipped Eamonn across the line.
Anthony Dowd, Dave Midwinter, Eamonn Foley, Ryan Ellard, Micheál Kinsella, Geoff Hoffheinz, John Hyland, Brian Smyth, Fiachra Mehigan, Rob Mehigan, Alex Parris, Ollie Stack, Sarah Bermingham, Martin Kelly, Helen Burrell, Mary Cronin, Michael Murphy, Bridie McGuire, Dave Clancy and Dermot Foley all completed the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun.
Peter & Janette Mulvany were up at Avondale House parkrun in Wicklow.
National 5K / Wexford Festival of Running / Kennedy Park 5K / parkrun
National 5k
The Biofreeze Irish Runner 5k took place in Phoenix Park Dublin early today in absolutely glorious conditions. You would be forgiven for thinking you were on a foreign sun holiday the weather was so good.
Martin Kelly was up to his usual high standards again as he stormed over the line in 21:45 and took silver in the M70 age category.
What a fantastic result demonstrating age is just a number. Huge congratulations Martin.
Also competing in UCD colours was Roisín O'Reilly who ran an impressive 17:10 to finish 6th lady, quite a result well done Roisín.
Wexford Festival of Running 2025
This event is slightly different to the normal as you continue around the scenic loop in Johnstowm Castle. There were 4 options 100k, 50k, 25k or 10k all finishing up at 7pm.
Jesse Kielthy was our sole entrant and he took on the unusual race distance of 25k. Jesse cruised around in 2hr 44m in what can only be described as idyllic conditions .
Congratulations Jesse Kielthy
Kennedy Park School 5k
When sitting down to organise a race you hope for two things: people to enter and nice weather. Kennedy Park school were blessed with both as over 400 people crossed the finish line with the sun high in the sky. Well done to Brian who was 2nd Male home and 3rd overall.
A good crew of club members turned up to support the school fundraiser. Each with a different target in mind as they began the run up the hill inside the school grounds. A few hills later and it was time to run back down to the all weather sports field and take in a lap to see the fantastic facility they have built to inspire the school kids to keep active.
Club results
Brian Smyth 20:10
John Hyland 22:05
Gareth Lloyd 24:03
John Dier 24:07
Darren O'Grady 27:42
Ollie Stack 28:11
Piper Farrell 30:29
Bridie McGuire 40:58
Sharron Dier 41:02
parkrun
Unusually there was no parkrun in Wexford Racecourse at the weekend as the horses were taking centre stage. A number of members decided to visit nearby parkruns and some travelled a little further afield. They were rewarded with Summer conditions for their runs, always an added bonus.
John and Sharron Dier were in Dublin and ran the Corkagh parkrun.
Enda O'Sullivan, Gráinne Hayes, Ollie Stack, Brian Smyth and Alex Parris travelled west to Tramore for their parkrun.
Rob Casey, Rob Mehigan, Fiachra Mehigan, Sinead Ryan, Helen Burrell, Sarah Bermingham & John Hyland took in New Ross parkrun at JFK Park.
South Leinster Schools Day 2 / Juvenile County Track & Field Day 4 / Leinster School Track and Field / parkrun
South Leinster Schools Day 2
At day 2 of the South Leinster Schools a number of our athletes were in action in school colours. It's been a busy few weeks for them as they compete in the County for their Club and also represent their schools. Another successful track & field meet for the gang,
Josh Nolan won Bronze in Javelin with a PB 39.69m for Wexford CBS.
Elijah Paige Redmond won gold in javelin throwing 43m and finished in 6th in 200m for St Peters College.
Orla Dolan won silver in 80m hurdles for Presentation Girls School.
Alex Lonergan won Bronze in triple jump for St Peters College.
Lucas Paige Redmond came 4th in long jump and 5th in his 200m for St Peters College.
Fantastic competition from them all as they qualified for Leinster competition gaining another day off school as a bonus.
Mr Oil Juvenile County Track & Field Day 4.
Day Four of the Mr Oil County Championships was held in very pleasant weather conditions for athletes and spectators alike. All Menapians athletes today took part in a variety of track and field events.
At Under 14 Darragh Mehigan was the first athlete representing the club today taking part in Shot Putt, Long Jump and 800 Metres which yielded a bronze medal for himself, a just reward. Leon Spudic another U14 athlete competed in shot putt and long jump.
Next up at U16 Boys we had two athletes . Rory Henderson competed in Hurdles, Long Jump, 200 metres, High Jump and 800 middle distance. Fiachra Meighan led the track to take the gold in the middle distance event. Fiachra took a bronze in the Hurdles and High Jump and then competed in the 200 metres sprints and long jump.
In U17 Girls there were two club athletes Maebh McCormack and Orla Dolan. Maebh competed in the hurdles taking the bronze medal, long jump which saw her take a silver medal and 200m sprints taking a further bronze. Maebh also participated in the shot putt event. Orla provided a silver medal for the club in the hurdles and also competed in the shot putt and long jump.
In U17 Boys Josh Nolan took silver in hurdles, long jump and shot putt and a bronze in the 200 metres sprint and 800 metres.
Lucas Page-Redmond completed at U19 taking gold in the long jump, shot putt and 200 metres sprint.
Menapians then fielded a strong mixed U17 relay team of Maebh McCormack, Orla Dolan, Fiachra Meighan and Josh Nolan where they took the gold in a very competitive relay race.
Thanks to all the coaches and officials from the club today including Padraig Kelly, Helen Sinnott, Siobhan Doyle, Catherine O Connor, Tracy Nolan, Robert Meighan, Tadhg and Louise Henderson and Ellen Cullimore without whom events like these cannot happen.
Leinster School Track and Field
At the recent Leinster school Track & Field Josh Nolan was representing CBS Wexford and placed 8th on javelin and Elijah paige Redmond representing St Peters came 5th in the same competition. Alex Lonergan was representing St Peters College in the triple jump placing 10th overall.
Super stuff from all three qualifying for leinsters and giving it everything at the competition.
parkrun
We have been spoiled in recent weeks with superb weather and Saturday again delivered. Hardly a breath of wind which is unique at the Racecourse. The clear skies with the sun shining made it great to be outdoors.
Dermot Foley, Fiachra Mehigan, Dave Midwinter, Martin Kelly, Gareth Lloyd, Jesse Kielthy, Rob Casey, Hazel Doyle, Rob Mehigan, Brian Smyth, Darren O'Grady, Ollie Stack, Sarah Bermingham, Helen Burrell, Mary Cronin, Alex Parris, Janette Mulvany, Michael Murphy, Gráinne Hayes, Sinead Ryan, Peter Mulvany and Fean Power all completed the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun.
Enda O'Sullivan added Sligo Parkrun to his ever growing collection.
Paul Harpur took in New Ross Parkrun at JFK Park.
Ironman 70.3 Valencia/County Throws/Leinster Masters/South Leinster Schools T & F/ Tinryland Half /Great Limerick 6 mile/Stephen Murphy Memorial 5k /County T & FF /Prague Marathon /Taghmon 5k
Ironman 70.3 Valencia
Marion Galvin was in Valencia and while there....she can tell you herself as she was there ....
My first experience tackling an Ironman 70.3 took place in Valencia on April 27, 2025, and it was nothing short of unforgettable. The race began with a 1.9km swim in the bustling harbour alongside over 2,000 other swimmers, an intense yet exhilarating start to the day. My training journey had kicked off on Christmas Day at the Wexford Parkrun, evolving into a demanding weekly routine of three runs, three swims, and two cycles, with Fridays reserved for much-needed rest. My runs varied between sprints and longer weekend sessions of 12km, 14km, and 16km. Some long runs were preceded by a 2km swim to build endurance, while other days combined runs with 90km cycles to simulate the physical demands of race day—but never all three disciplines together. Two weeks before the big day, I completed a Sprint triathlon (750m swim, 40km cycle, 5km run) to fine-tune my transitions, followed by the Wexford half marathon the next day to prepare my legs to be somewhat fatigued, as they would be during the race itself.
Race day brought both triumphs and challenges. While my swim and cycle went smoothly—helped by my coach’s advice to stay in zone 3 to avoid dehydration in the hot weather—the half marathon presented an unexpected hurdle. An old knee injury flared up, likely aggravated by walking around 20km during the two days prior to the race, a mistake I realised too late since my training had prepared me to run, not walk. Despite the pain, the energy from the crowd kept my spirits high. Supporters lined the streets, and although being called "animal" by every spectator might sound offensive in English, in Spanish it came across as enthusiastic encouragement—a funny reminder of how language shapes experience. Reflecting back, it was a tough but incredible journey that tested not just my body, but also my resilience and adaptability.
Mr Oil County Throws Night.
A wonderful night of throwing competition took place on Friday as the clubs throwers turned up at DMP grounds ready to compete.
Our crew of Fiachra Mehigan, Josh Nolan, Alex Lonergan, Lorcan Carroll , Orla Dolan, Meabh McCormack, Samantha Donegan, Liam Carroll and Tracey Nolan all represented the club across discus, shot putt and hammer competition. Great to see Samantha back competing again.
Two members made the podium :
Josh Nolan U17 took gold at discus and bronze in hammer.
Fiachra Mehigan U16 took bronze in hammer.
Well done to all who competed with pride in our colours. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and helped the event run so smoothly.
Leinster Masters Road Race
Gowran in County Kilkenny was the scenic venue for the hosting of this year's Leinster Masters Road Race
Representing us were Catherine O'Connor, Tony Harpur and Martin Kelly.
Catherine claimed the F60 gold in an absolute fantastic time of 15:08, a great run from one of our club coaches.
Tony put in a superb effort which saw him finish in 24:02 for 7th place in m45.
Martin's his huge effort of 26:25 was rewarded with M70 gold.
Huge congratulations to all three, super running.
South Leinster Schools T & F
Fiachra Mehigan and Rory Henderson both wore their school colours this week while competing in Carlow.
Rory wearing Meanscoil colours took on the high jump. A tough event well done Rory.
Fiachra was in CBS colours and finished 4th in a competitive 1500m and also took on the high jump. His 4th qualifies him for Leinster, well done to you Fiachra.
Tinryland Half Marathon
What a debut for this event on the running calender. It's sure to be a sellout every year. Even the weather contributed to a super event. Lots of support as the route passes through the village multiple times.
Eamonn Foley was our sole representative in this one running 1 hour 51 min.
Nice work Eamonn.
Great Limerick 6 mile road race.
The warmest of a Bank Holiday Sunday awaited Janette & Peter Mulvany in Limerick. They had a great day running the 6 Mile distance with Janette running 1hr 8 min and Peter running 1 hrs 3 min.
As Janette said 'We were roasted'
Congratulations guys and enjoy the refreshments afterwards.
Stephen Murphy Memorial 5k
Conor MacAogain was out running in the sun earlier in the Stephen Murphy Memorial 5k run. A nice pace saw him record 24:57 for the event. Good work Conor
Mr Oil Juvenile County T & F
Events got off to a timely start on Sunday for Day 2 of the juvenile County Championships in the Sports Hub, Enniscorthy. Starting out warm in the sun, a cool breeze gathered pace to keep everyone fresh as the morning progressed, with cloud taking precedence for the afternoon as fleeting glimpses of sunny breaks teased those attending with brief moments of heat.
A strong turnout from the club saw twelve athletes in attendance, with last year's introduction of a separate evening for under 8s to under 11s making this an even more impressive showing for Menapians.
Starting with under 12s we had Benny Lonergan and Conor Donovan who both competed strongly in high jump and turbo javelin, while Benny ran the 100m sprint as well.
Under 13 Fionn Murphy gave his all with great performances in the 100m sprint, long jump and shot put.
Our under 14 girls trio of Amy Conde, Abbie Donovan and Estee Lonergan put in solid performances in high jump and javelin with Estee taking a well deserved gold in the javelin.
Rory Henderson and Fiachra Mehigan did the club proud in Under 16s, with Fiachra collecting bronze in long jump and silver in the 1500m middle distance race, and Rory claiming silver in javelin. Both also participated in 100m sprint and shot put while Rory did the long jump too.
In under 17s we had a collection of medals - Josh Nolan claimed bronze in 100m sprint, silver in high jump and gold in javelin, while Maeve McCormack won silver for javelin, gold for high jump and also bronze in 100m. Also in under 17 Orla Dolan competed in high jump, 100m sprint and javelin, and Alex Lonergan ran 100m sprint and 1500m middle distance.
Lucas Paige-Redmond (under 19) brought home three golds in each of his three events - 100m sprint, high jump and javelin.
Well done to all members and hope to see you all back for more competition next Sunday, and the younger athletes on Friday evening.
Thanks to club coaches and officials for helping out on the day - Ellen Cullimore, Tracey Nolan, Louise Henderson, Padraig Kelly, Siobhan Doyle, Catherine O'Connor, Ilze Bedrite & Tadhg Henderson. Thanks as well to the parents for getting the athletes to the start line.
Prague Marathon
Congratulations to Ryan Ellard who ran the Prague Marathon on Sunday morning. He ran a terrific time of 3:40:15 smashing his PB for a marathon. Well done Ryan, enjoy the down time in Prague
Taghmon 5k
The Taghmon Handball club hosted their annual 5k fundraising event on Bank Holiday Monday. Blessed with a bright sunny morning and a deceiving cool breeze. Almost 100 signed up to run or walk the route which used quite back roads for half then onto the main road into the village finishing up the hill towards the handball alley. We had eight members taking part and Niall on the timer at the finish line. Tony had a great run after his Leinster outing on Saturday and finished 4th today.
Tony Harpur 19:27
John Dier 24:31
Paula Gondard 26:55
Darren O'Grady 27:46
Helen Burrell 30:56
Siobhan Doyle 31:25
Sharron Dier 39:34
Bridie McGuire 40:42
parkrun
A beautiful morning saw a lot of members out running early in the day at various parkruns.
Congratulations to Sharron who completed her 250th parkrun on Saturday, a super milestone to hit.
Anthony Dowd, Dave Midwinter, Gareth Lloyd, John Dier, Dermot Foley, Brian Smyth, Fiachra Mehigan, Rob Mehigan, Hazel Doyle, Sarah Bermingham, Darren O'Grady, Ann Thomas, Ollie Stack, Helen Burrell, Mary Cronin, Michael Murphy, Gráinne Hayes, Sinead Ryan, Sharron Dier and Bridie McGuire all completed the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun. Shout to Anthony who was first to complete the event.
Tadhg & Louise Henderson took a spin to JFK for the New Ross parkrun.
Enda O'Sullivan was at the Knockancree Cloughjordan parkrun.
Tory Hill IMRA / Clonard GAA 5k / Manchester Marathon / parkrun
Tory Hill IMRA
The trio of Fran Rea, Sharon Martin & Jennifer Kehoe hit the road for a trip to Kilkenny. The 7.8k IMRA race took place on Sunday and they had great runs in the event.
Fran finished 15th in 42:49 taking 2nd in his age category, Sharon finished 22nd overall winning her age category in 46:10 and Jennifer finished 33rd in 54:02 taking 4th I her age category.
Very determined running from these three, well done .
Clonard GAA 5k
Great to see our members taking part as local clubs raise funds. This morning John Hyland, Dermot Foley, Ollie Stack and Gráinne Hayes all took part as Clonard GAA held a 5k fundraising run. Nice to see Gráinne back running again representing the club.
Manchester Marathon
Brian Smyth was off on his travels again and this time I think he can tell his own story....
On the day Liverpool conquered the Premier League, clubman Brian Smyth headed off to the darkside to conquer the marathon in Manchester. Close to 36,000 runners toed the startline to complete the 26.2 mile tour of the city. There was great support all along the relatively flat course, with the only major climb being at the halfway mark in Altringham. Support worthy of a climb in the Tour de France meant that runners were over it before they knew it. Temperatures rose to 19C making the second half a battle of endurance over the last few miles . Brian completed it in an admiral time of 3:42:37.
Well done & enjoy the rest.
parkrun
A warm morning, blue skies and over 100 like minded individuals on Saturday morning. Fiachra continues to improve his times and was the first to compete the event on Saturday. An unusual double for the club as Ryan was the first to finish the New Ross event. A welcome to Dave Midwinter who joined up recently and ran in Wexford Racecourse and wishing Geoff a speedy recovery.
Fiachra Mehigan, Anthony Dowd, Donal Grant, Martin Kelly, Rob Casey, John Dier, Dave Midwinter, John Hyland, Gareth Lloyd, Rob Mehigan, Sarah Bermingham, Helen Burrell, Linda Leacy, Mary Cronin, Dermot Foley, Darren O'Grady, Michael Murphy, Sharron Dier and Bridie McGuire all completed the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun.
Ryan Ellard completed the New Ross parkrun and enjoyed being the first finisher.
Brian Smyth added the Peel Park run to his collection before his marathon on Sunday.
Enda O'Sullivan completed the Knockancree Cloughjordan Park run.
St Senan’s Open Track & Field / Rosslare 10k/5k / par
St Senan’s Open Track & Field
Busy day of track & field for Lucas Page Redmond and Elijah Page Redmond as they competed in the St Sean's Track & Field Pen competition in Kilmacow.
Lucas competed in 100 m (placing 1st) and long jump (2nd) in under 19.
Elijah ran in 100 m (2nd) and javelin (1st) and also competed in youth long jump placed 4th .
Super results from these 2 dedicated athletes well done.
Rosslare 10k/5k
Well done to all our members who ran in the Wexford Triathlon Club's annual event. They introduced a 5k last year and it seems to gave caught peoples attention adding to their successful 10k race. Good thinking as the 5k is just one loop of the well known route and the 10k runners do 2 loops. Some of our own members were involved in the marshaling as they are also Tri Club members.
20 runners from the club were split with 10 in the 10k race and 10 in the 5k race. Lovely to see so many members out representing the club.
Our new recruit Anthony was 9th in the 10k also claiming the O50 prize , welcome to the club Anthony. Martin was 1st in the O70. Ryan was 2nd in 18-21.
In the 5k Catherine was 1st O60 and John H was 2nd in the O40.
Great to see members getting into these postions.
Congratulations to all who ran, its not easy on a Bank Holiday but at least the weather held up adding to the occasion. It was also nice to see so many of our members supporting at different parts of the route, it does help when running. Finally a huge thanks to Wexford Triathlon Club for hosting another super event.
10k results
Anthony Dowd 39:05
Ryan Ellard 42:28
Brian Smyth 42:30
Eamonn Foley 46:59
Martin Kelly 47:26
John Dier 51:15
Jesse Kielthy 54:06
Geoff Hoffheinz 55:36
Ann Thomas 1:04:14
Bridie McGuire 1:23:22
5k results
John Hyland 21:12
Micheál Kinsella 24:09
Gareth Lloyd 25:09
Catherine O'Connor 25:46
Darren O'Grady 27:33
Nora Boggan 28:45
Sarah Bermingham 29:00
Siobhan Doyle 32:11
Paula Gondard 37:21
Sharron Dier 40:10
Wexford Half Marathon & 10k / Hellevation Backyard Ultramarathon
Wexford Half Marathon & 10k
Sunny April skies greeted the huge number of athletes and supporters on one of the most scenic race start lines as the Slaney estuary was calm and the music blared. With so many opting to wear the event T shirt the Quayfront was awash with purple & gold. At 10.15 the first wave of 4 half marathon athletes took off at speed followed every few minutes by the next 3 waves and then it was the turn of the 10k athletes as their waves were started. It gave supporters on the early section of the course a great chance of seeing their own as the race was spread out. A warm morning and a great atmosphere at the finish line as athletes passed 2 pubs, a gun shop and a creche !
Congratulations to each member who ran, special mention to Hazel and Linda who ran their first 10k and to Ryan & John H who broke their PB times.
Martin won the M70 and John D was 2nd M60, well done gents.
Thanks to the club members who were out supporting on the course, it definitely lifts everyone when they hear their name being shouted.
Half Marathon results:
Ryan Ellard 1:34:45
Dermot Foley 1:34:52
John Hyland 1:42:41
Eamonn Foley 1:41:05
Rob Casey 1:44:02
Tadhg Henderson 1:47:51
Jesse Kielthy 1:59:51
Enda O'Sullivan 2:15:22
Marion Galvin 2:16:43
10k results:
Martin Kelly 47:47
Micheál Kinsella 50:30
John Dier 50:53
Ilze Bedrite 55:23
Geoff Hoffheinz 55:43
Jennifer Kehoe 55:48
Hazel Doyle 56:32
Darren O'Grady 57:07
Louise Henderson 1:00:18
Linda Leacy 1:03:24
Bridie McGuire 1:22:59
Sharron Dier 1:35:26
Hellevation Backyard Ultramarathon
On Saturday club member Donal Grant was busy competing in a fairly unique event. Anyone interested in joining him next time out get in touch.
He wrote an account of his experience to whet the appetite of anymore thinking of it for next year. Have a read below...
Hellevation
Backyard Ultramarathons are a relatively new addition to the roster of ultra endurance events. They take place over a loop of 6.7km or 4.17 miles. You have one hour to complete the distance before you have to go again. Every hour on the hour until you either don’t start a loop or you don’t get back within the hour. Last man (or woman) standing is the winner! The idea behind the loop distance is that you cover 100 miles every 24 hours.
Hellevation is one of the newest backyard ultra events on the Irish calendar. This was the second year it has been stagedin the picturesque, if very remote, Grange village in Tippperary. With almost all of the loop on trail, and with nearly 200m of elevation on each loop, it’s a serious test of mental strength.
Approx 70 athletes took to the starting corral on Saturday to test themselves against the trails. Most people finished in 47-53 minutes, which gives you a few minutes to go to the toilet, eat, rest, check your insta, before you head back to the start corral again! Every hour on the hour!
As the hours passed by and the loops accumulated, people slowly started to drop out, either through tiredness, injury, or else hitting their target, eg 7 loops is over marathon distance and was a popular loop to finish on.
Darkness came during loop 9, and out came the head torches. This don’t slow us too much but it did mean you had to concentrate a lot more on the trail, which takes a lot of extra energy. I had a wobble around loop 8, with some stomach issues, but I was able to run through it and was feeling better by loop 10. It did mean I had stopped eating though, so I was on borrowed time! I had 12 loops as a loose target, but I was convinced to go back out and finish loop 13, alongside about 20 other hardy souls. Just to get to 90km, I started loop 14 and turned back, finishing just after 1:20am with 90km in the bag.
The race was eventually won by Wayne McGuigan, who was also the defending champion, and an absolute machine! He did 25 loops and could probably have run on for days!
It’s a really interesting format, that is ultimately a much bigger test of your mental strength than your legs!
I still haven’t decided if I’ll go back next year, but if I do I’ll try to convince some of my clubmates to do it too!
Quest Glendalough / Blue 5k Run / Thomas Pender 10k / Hope & Dream / Sonia O'Sullivan Cobh 10 mile / Enniscorhthy AC Open T&F / parkrun
Quest Glendalough
The Quest Adventure race series rolled in to Glendalough at the weekend and the weather Gods were very kind. A bright and sunny day awaited the early risers as they made their way to the scenic village of Laragh which acted as Race HQ. A combination of cycling, running and kayaking awaited our trio of Sharon, Jennifer and Fran and along with our member in waiting Conor they buzzed with anticipation about the race ahead of them. Its the only time a kayak is allowed on the iconic upper lake adding to the stunning views around the course.
In the Sport distance Sharon smashed it finishing 3rd female. A superb result.
Well done to you all
Sport Distance:
Sharon Martin 2:41:28
Fran Rea 2:52:52
Challenge Distance:
Conor Casey 1:26:35
Jennifer Kehoe 1:30:43
Blue 5k Run
The annual Blue 5k run took place this morning which is an important fundraiser for the Autism Unit in Sco Mhuire which does fantastic work. A beautiful morning for a run and a fantastic atmosphere created by the organisers.
Well done to club members Oliver Murphy , Libby Murphy, Siobhan Doyle, Nora Boggan & Ger Mulhall who all took part in the run
Thomas Pender 10k
Arklow hosted this event for the first time over a testing testing route.
Congratulations to Eamonn Foley who completed it in 45:44
Hope & Dream
The biggest event in Wexford over the weekend was the Hope & Dream. There was 2 options available to anyone registering to take part :10 mile or 10k.
A huge fundraising event raising funds for 2 very worthy charities , The Hope Centre and Share a Dream Foundation.
On the finest morning of 2025 a huge crowd of athletes of all abilities gathered on the side of the Slaney in Enniscorthy as the music blared and the atmosphere was building towards the starters gun. 983 competed the 10k with another 152 finishing the 10 mile route.
Conor had a great result finishing 1st O60, great job and a mention to Dave Clancy who did the event virtually.
10 mile
Brian Smyth 1:13:03
10k
Conor MacAogain 49:49
Gareth Lloyd 52:36
Jesse Kielthy 53:33
Paul Donovan 53:33
John Dier 52:48
Bridie Mcguire 1:27:22
Sharron Dier 1:39:05
Sonia O'Sullivan Cobh 10 mile
Rob Casey was in Cork on Sunday and along his friends Rob & Fiona ran the Cobh 10 mile. Here us his account of the event :
Lovely day, about 10-12°C, sunny with a little breeze. Perfect running conditions which helped the mens & women's course record to be broken with blistering times of 48 & 54 minutes respectively.
The course was a hilly one as expected with almost 180m of elevation. Most of the climbs were in the 1st 6km with mostly flat sections after that. The finish was a nice downhill run into the town to finish in front of the Commodore hotel. I paced my friend to a time of 1hr 41min which he was pleased with considering some recent injuries.
Enniscorhthy AC Open Track & Field
Enniscorthy Athletics Club held their annual Open Sports Meet on Sunday in glorious Sunshine.
There was a good squad of Menapians in action on the day.
Well done the Catherine, Elijah, Lucas, Josh, Alex, Fiachra, Benny, Fionn, Piper, Megan, Chloe and Anthony who took part in a variety of events including sprints, middle distance, long jump, high jump, javelin and shot putt.
Great efforts from all athletes and it's brilliant to see the senior and underage athletes all competing at the same venue.
Great work from Enniscorthy AC and their crew of volunteers.
parkrun
The sun was out but the breeze was also there on Saturday, this time luckily at runners backs going up the hill.
John Dier & Sharron Dier were in Dublin and ran the Corkagh Park parkrun after welcoming their first grandchildren on Friday evening, congratulations.
Enda O'Sullivan was also in Dublin and he ran the Marley Park parkrun.
In Wexford Racecourse Parkrun over 100 people were joined by Dermot Foley, Ryan Ellard, Brian Smyth, Eamonn Foley, Fiachra Mehigan, Tadhg Henderson, John Hyland, Rob Casey, Hazel Doyle, Darren O'Grady, Rob Mehigan, Sarah Bermingham, Louise Henderson, Helen Burrell, Ollie Stack, Mary Cronin, Michael Murphy, Dave Percival & Bridie McGuire who all completed their 5k.
Well done to everyone and keep up the good work.
parkrun
Grey skies, chill on the breeze, a bit damp. Goodbye to March as the final parkrun of the month took place last Saturday on a morning where it was easier to stay in bed. However a large contingent from the club did get up and completed their 5k with some adding more before and after the run itself. Kudos to Ryan after his recent long distance runs who returned to 5k and hit a new best 5k time. 1 pushed a buggy for extra resistance training and 1 made a detour mid race only to pop up again unexpectedly!
In Wexford Racecourse Parkrun Fiachra Mehigan, Ryan Ellard, Eamonn Foley, John Hyland, Martin Kelly, Tadhg Henderson, Micheál Kinsella, Geoff Hoffheinz, John Dier, Rob Casey, Gareth Lloyd, Hazel Doyle, Rob Mehigan, Enda O'Sullivan, Dave Clancy, Sarah Bermingham, Darren O'Grady, Brian Smyth, Dermot Foley, Helen Burrell, Ann Thomas, Linda Leacy, Mary Cronin, Michael Murphy , Dave Percival & Sharron Dier all finished their Saturday morning 5k.
Well done to everyone.
Forth Mountain Trail Run / Glynn 5k / Enniscorthy Combined Event / National 10K / Wicklow Half Marathon / Liverpool Half & 10mile / parkrun
Forth Mountain Trail
Forth Mountain 13k Trail Run.
Barntown National School have created a brilliant event utilising the forestry roads that carve their way through Forth Mountain. Possibly the most scenic
run around these parts of the country with wonderful views of the South Coast the reward for reaching the halfway point of Skeeter Rock. Mostly run on stony trail paths through the forest athletes have lots of room to stretch their legs as they pace themselves around the 13k route which starts and finishes at the gates of the historic Barntown Church.
Well done to
Ryan Ellard 1:01:44
Fran Rea 1:03:10
Sharon Martin 1:05:19
Paul Harpur 1:08:30
Tadhg Henderson 1:11:15
Gareth Lloyd 1:17:00
Jennifer Kehoe 1:21:29
Glynn 5k
Sunday morning saw club members take the short trip outside town to Glynn for the 5k race. As always entry was a breeze and a warm welcome along with refreshments for everyone afterwards. The well known route feels like you are either running up a hill or down one but it's a fair and challenging route.
Club results :
Micheál Kinsella 24:50
John Dier 25:16
Marion Galvin 28:23
Helen Burrell 31:19
Bridie McGuire 40:56
Sharron Dier 43:50
Enniscorthy Combined Events
Fiachra Mehigan tallied an impressive 2510 points at the Enniscorthy Combined Events challenge at the weekend in Enniscorthy. His performance saw him finish as top U16.
Keep up the good work.
National 10k Dunboyne
Martin Kelly took part on the National 10k which this year took place in Dunboyne Co. Meath. Local club Dunboyne Athletics Club were this years hosts and and provided a well organised event on a testing but fair route.
As anyone who knows Martin will tell you he gives it everything and this time was the same as he completed the race in 48:09 representing the club with pride and finishing in 4th place in the M70 age category, another fantastic result.
Fair play to you Martin, an inspiration to us younger athletes .
Wicklow Half Marathon
Ryan Ellard has developed a taste for Half Marathons lately and at the weekend he doubled up by running the Forth Mountain Trail on Saturday and followed that run by competing in the Wicklow Half Marathon on Sunday. Known as one of the more hilly half marathons on the race calendar he was not sitting back as he clocked a very respectable 1:37
Well done Ryan, a tough weekend of racing completed.
Liverpool Half Marathon & 10 mile
The short propeller plane trip across the Irish Sea brought Brian, Dermot, Enda, Darren, Ollie & Gráinne into John Lennon Airport at the weekend as they looked forward to tackling the event on Sunday morning. With heavy rain overnight the hope was that it would clear before the 9am start and thankfully it did as 12,000 athletes of all ages and abilities congregated around the large plaza in front of the historic Liver Building. There was a carnival atmosphere as music was playing, drummers were drumming and athletes were looking for toilets all in the build up to the starters gun. Bang on time the race started as both events kicked off with everyone running the first 3.5 miles together before the Half runners took a left and the 10 milers turned right. The routes rejoined for the last sections. One big plus was that the entire course of road and parks was lined with supporters who clapped and cheered every runner along. The km's seemed to fly by as you soaked up the enthusiasm of the crowd.
The crowd loved their signs and reading them raised a few smiles to the athletes faces along with music blaring from lots of locations around the route. The Mersey River provided the spectacular views for the final 7 km which was all away from any traffic allowing the athletes to breathe in the fresh air assisting their final push towards the finish line.
The final stretch was the most noise I have heard at a finish as the drummers were still drumming since before 8.30am and showing as much stamina as the athletes and the noisy crowd roared their approval of everyone's efforts. The medal and race tops were collected and then the recovery began. A couple of stadiums were even visited before a well earned dinner was consumed along with a few bottles of pop !
The event comes highly recommended to anyone, seemless race morning, huge support, carnival atmosphere and the usual trimmings after the finish line.
Half results :
Brian Smyth 1:33:42
Dermot Foley 1:34:39
Enda O'Sullivan 2:06:42
Darren O'Grady 2:09:08
10 Mile result:
Ollie Stack 1:40:31
Enda wrote a great account of his experience, just click the link
parkrun
Saturday saw 14 members take part in the Wexford Racecourse Parkrun and one complete his across the Irish Sea in Liverpool.
Enda was over in Liverpool and took in the Prince's Park Parkrun while there for his 23rd different location to complete a parkrun.
In Wexford Racecourse Parkrun Eamonn Foley, Helen Wallace, John Hyland, Rob Casey, Geoff Hoffheinz, Rob Mehigan, Hazel Doyle, Dave Clancy, Helen Burrell, Sarah Bermingham, Michael Murphy, Dave Percival, Bridie McGuire & Sharron Dier all finished their Saturday morning 5k.
Well done to everyone.