Great Ireland Run
Bgcolour
  1. 015629
DateMid-April
LocationDublin, Ireland
Distance10 km
Est2003
Homepagewww.greatirelandrun.ie

The Great Ireland Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running competition which is held in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland, in mid-April.[1] It is part of the Great Run series of athletics competitions. It is sponsored by SPAR and features both an elite race and a popular race.[2]

The 10 km race course begins at Chesterfield Avenue and loops around in a clock-wise circuit to finish on Furze Road.[3] A 2.5 km fun run for 8–15-year-old runners is also featured on the programme of events.[4] Over 11,000 people took part in the day's events in 2010.[5] The elite races in 2010 also doubled up as the Irish 10K Championships.[6]

Past participants have included former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat,[7] and World Championship medalist Craig Mottram, as well as some of Ireland's foremost athletes such as 1995 World Champion Sonia O'Sullivan and cross country specialist Catherina McKiernan. The course record holders are both Ethiopian – Kenenisa Bekele with his 27:49-minute run in 2012 and Meselech Melkamu with her record of 31:41 set in 2006.[8]

The 2023 edition was marred in farce and controversy when the course for all participants ended 1.5km shorter than the 10km distance. This was due to poor planning arising from competitors being directed the wrong way near the start of the route, and no fail-safe to remedy such a situation once it occurred. Athletics Ireland issued a statement "apologising for the unforeseen circumstances" which led to the course distance running short.[9]

Past winners

Key:

EditionYearMen's winnerTime (m:s)Women's winnerTime (m:s)
20th2025Colin Leonard (Ireland)33:24Mollie O'Donnell (Ireland)38:31
19th2024Aaron Hanlon (Ireland)31:10Clare Fagan (Ireland)34:44
18th2023Jake O'Regan (Ireland)26:09Karen Blaney (Australia)29:12
17th2022[10]Mick Clohisey (Ireland)30:49Sinead O'Connor (Ireland)34:20
16th2019[11]Hiko Tonosa Haso (Ireland)30:41Catherina Mullen (Ireland)34:52
15th2018Oliver Lockley (IOM)30:18Shona Heaslip (Ireland)34:52
15th2017Mark Christie (Ireland)29:30Gemma Steel (United Kingdom)34:15
14th2016Andy Maud (United Kingdom)29:55Fionnuala McCormack (Ireland)33:30
13th2015Japhet Korir (Kenya)28:15Gemma Steel (United Kingdom)33:03
12th2014Japhet Korir (Kenya)29:12Iwona Lewandowska (Poland)33:39
11th2013Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia)28:51Lauren Howarth (United Kingdom)33:36
10th2012Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia)27:49Gemma Steel (United Kingdom)32:06
9th2011Jesús España (Spain)29:26Charlotte Purdue (United Kingdom)32:42
8th2010Martin Fagan (Ireland)29:17Freya Murray (United Kingdom)32:30
7th2009Rui Pedro Silva (Portugal)28:45Ana Dulce Félix (Portugal)32:18
6th2008Abraham Chebii (Kenya)28:48Doris Changeywo (Kenya)32:15
5th2007Abraham Chebii (Kenya)28:47Victoria Mitchell (Australia)33:06
4th2006Craig Mottram (Australia)28:51Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia)31:41
3rd2005Craig Mottram (Australia)28:35Amy Rudolph (United States)32:16
2nd2004Craig Mottram (Australia)29:11Catherina McKiernan (Ireland)33:39
1st2003Craig Mottram (Australia)28:36Sonia O'Sullivan (Ireland)32:24

Statistics

Winners by country

CountryMen's raceWomen's raceTotal
415
415
145
134
112
112
101
011
011

Multiple winners

AthleteCountryWinsYears
Kenenisa Bekele22012–2013
Craig Mottram42003–2006
Abraham Chebii22007, 2008
Japhet Korir22014, 2015
Gemma Steel32012, 2015, 2017

References

  1. ^ Race History. Great Ireland Run. Retrieved on 25 April 2010.
  2. ^ Fagan and Murray nab 10Km victories in Dublin. IAAF (19 April 2010). Retrieved on 25 April 2010.
  3. ^ Great Ireland Run Course Map Archived 15 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Great Ireland Run. Retrieved on 25 April 2010.
  4. ^ Junior Great Ireland Run Archived 20 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Great Ireland Run. Retrieved on 25 April 2010.
  5. ^ Great day for a run as 11,000 take over park. The Irish Independent (19 April 2010). Retrieved on 25 April 2010.
  6. ^ SPAR Great Ireland Run Archived 21 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Athletics Ireland (18 April 2010). Retrieved on 25 April 2010.
  7. ^ Cullen comes second in Dublin run. BBC Sport (5 April 2009). Retrieved on 25 April 2010.
  8. ^ Martin, David (15 April 2012). Bekele sparkles with 27:49 10km in Dublin. IAAF. Retrieved on 21 April 2012.
  9. ^ O'Riordan, Ian (2023-04-16). "Great Ireland Run: Athletics Ireland apologises as Phoenix Park 10k accidentally becomes an 8.5k". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
  10. ^ "MyrunresultsWeb". www.myrunresults.com. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  11. ^ "MyrunresultsWeb". www.myrunresults.com. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
List of winners