A: Grange, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland | E: info@mullingarharriers.com

Run Killarney Half Marathon & 10k 2023 (13th May)

 

Giving competitors the chance to run one of the world’s most breath-taking and scenic routes over a choice of 10k or Half Marathon, Run Killarney took place on Saturday morning 13th May in glorious sunshine, though of course that meant it was also very hot.

Vinny Connolly took his place in pole position on the start line of the 10k race, in front of a huge field of over 1,100 competitors. It took nearly three minutes for the last runner to even reach the start line, by which time Vinny was well gone and on his way. The route took the big field through some beautiful scenic areas including Muckross Park and Gardens and up some very challenging hills near Torc waterfall. Vinny looked strong throughout and continuing his recent good form ran home victorious in 32 minutes 22 seconds, comfortably clear of second place, a little over a minute faster than his winning time in the same race last year, proving he’s in terrific condition.

The earlier Half Marathon attracted a huge entry of over 900, including Tommy Byrne. Again, it took several minutes for everyone to clear the start line, but no such problem for Tommy who was positioned just behind the lead runners and got away quickly when the klaxon sounded for the start. The heat and the hills were especially tough for the half marathon runners but that didn’t stop Tommy performing extremely well and finished well up in 42nd place overall in a fine 1 hour 30 minutes 11 seconds, a great result on a tough course.