It's the 1st of December today. The fairy lights are up, the nights out are piling up, and the smell of mulled wine is drifting through every Christmas market from Cork to Coleraine. The past week is freezing too. The sort of cold that makes your bones feel like they are made of glass. Motivation to run can fall off a cliff once the office party season gets underway, and the centrally heated livinhg room starts calling like an old friend.
Still, the calendar is far from bare. December is stuffed with festive runs, Santa trots, charity 5Ks, and big brave 10Ks to balance out those tins of Roses. If guilt was fuel, there would be personal bests all round.
Below is a list of races across Ireland for December. Pick one. Stick your name down. Give yourself something to point at the next time someone hands you a pint and tells you to sit down and relax.
Leinster
6th Dec. Pudding Run 5K & 10K – Kildare – Enter
7th Dec. CRYS Jingle Bell 5K – Carlow – Enter
7th Dec. Clara Vale Trail 5K & 10K – Wicklow – Enter
7th Dec. Lough Boora Santa Dash 5K – Offaly – Enter
13th Dec. ABC Christmas 5K & 10K – Kildare – Enter
13th Dec. Shankill GAA Reindeer 5K – Dublin – Enter
13th Dec. Wicklow Santa Dash 5K & 10K – Wicklow – Enter
13th Dec. Revenue Combined Cross Country 6K – Dublin – Enter
14th Dec. Run Run Rudolph 5K, 10K & Half Marathon – Kildare – Enter
14th Dec. Elves on the Run 5K & 10K – Carlow – Enter
26th Dec. Kilbeggan St. Stephen's Day 6K – Meath – Enter 26th Dec. Shane Brennan 5K – Longford – Enter
27th Dec. Rita and Robbie Christmas 5K – Meath – Enter
27th Dec. Ardagh 10 Mile & 5K – Longford – Enter
28th Dec. D15 Suicide Awareness 5k – Dublin – Enter
Munster
7th Dec. Paddy Joe Curran Memorial 5 Mile – Waterford – Enter
14th Dec. IMRA Glanageenty Trail – Kerry – Enter
14th Dec. Cork BHAA Simon Community 5K – Cork – Enter
21st Dec. Blennerville Santa 5K – Kerry – Enter
21st Dec. Glenstal 5K – Limerick – Enter
26th Dec. Farranfore St Stephens Day 5K – Kerry – Enter
26th Dec. Caherdavin 10K – Limerick – Enter
26th Dec. MSD 4 Mile – Tipperary – Enter
28th Dec. Togher AC 5 – Cork – Enter
28th Dec. Shandrum Christmas 5K – Cork – Enter
31st Dec. Grange Fermoy AC New Year's Eve 10K – Cork – Enter
Connacht
7th Dec. Belleek 5K & 10K – Mayo – Enter
26th Dec. Fields of Athenry 10K – Galway – Enter
28th Dec. Benbulben 5k – Sligo – Enter
Ulster
7th Dec. NIMRA Run For Rescue Trail 10K – Down – Enter
14th Dec. Jingle Bells 5k – Donegal – Enter
14th Dec. Running Bubble Santa Dash 5K – Antrim – Enter
26th Dec. BARF Turkey Trot 7.5k – Down – Enter
26th Dec. CIYMS Boxing Day 5K – Down – Enter
And there you have it! December might batter you with a freezing breeze, late nights, and the sort of food decisions that would horrify a nutritionist, but the racing scene is still very much alive. Pick a date, grab a Santa hat, and step out into the madness. You will feel better for it. And if all else fails, at least you will have earned the right to go back for a second plate at Christmas dinner.
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Image: Just Run Events