Despite the rain, more than 10,000 runners, walkers and spectators came together in Phoenix Park in Dublin on Sunday (15) for the 17th edition of the Garmin Great Ireland Run.
The Garmin Great Ireland Run is a five-star certified road race by European Athletics Running for All which guarantees participants the highest levels of safety and organisation.
Featuring a 10km and a 5km, along with Junior and Mini Runs, the high-energy event was both a celebration of running and an enjoyable family-focused day out in one of Ireland’s most-loved parks.
The men’s 10km, which attracts participation from both international and Irish elite athletes, was won by England's Oliver Lockley who crossed the finish line in the impressive time of 30:18. It was a fierce contest with Ireland's Brian Maher of Kilkenny City Harriers’ Athletics Club on Lockley's tail for the last 100 metres.
Maher crossed the finish line just seconds after Lockley in a time of 30:20.
All eyes were on Irish Olympian, Mick Clohisey of Raheny Shamrocks Athletics Club. Despite battling until the end, Clohisey placed third crossing the finish line in 30:22.
'Maher made me work for that win, we were neck and neck but I'm delighted I managed to get across first. Garmin Great Ireland Run is a challenging course and an event I have wanted to win for some time,' said Lockley.
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The women’s 10km was a highly-competitive event featuring elite sporting talent from both local and overseas athletic clubs. Ireland's Shona Heaslip won in 34:52 ahead of Irish Olympian Kerry O'Flaherty (35:00) and former SPAR European cross country champion Gemma Steel (35:08).
“Today was a brilliant experience, crossing the finish line to the cheers and support of a home crowd was electric. I'm delighted that the Irish team represented our country and Irish running in the best way possible and I'm really pleased with my finish time, the icing on the cake,” said Heaslip.
Over 10,000 runners, both novice and elite, shared the Phoenix Park route during the 10k event. Every finisher in the 5k and 10k events received an official event shirt, medal, chip-timed result and goody bag, with other keepsakes on offer for Junior and Mini runners.
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The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
More information on Running4All:
Website: european-running4all.org
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