Ryan Creech and Shona Heaslip claimed victory as the 40th AXA Raheny 5 set new heights.
A record number of finishers greeted the 40th edition of the AXA Raheny 5 with well over 4,000 took the Raheny streets.
Ryan Creech retained his AXA Raheny 5 title with a gun to tape performance clocking 23 minutes 58 seconds having broken clear before the one mile mark.
Creech was just five seconds off his time in winning 2023, although the 2024 edition saw a stronger head wind for the Cork man.
“Great race, great atmosphere, this is the big win that everyone wants so it’s great to go back-to-back” said Creech, who aims to qualify for the Paris Olympic marathon in Seville on February 18.
Rathfarnham WSAF’s David Scanlon took second place in 24:30 with John Paul Williamson (unattached) third in 24:32.
Shona Heaslip made it a Munster double as the Kerry woman powered to victory in 26:11 some 49 seconds clear of Nakita Burke (Letterkenny) who clocked 27:00. Third place went to Cheryl Nolan of St Abbans in 27:05.
The team event saw Dublin City Harriers take a very impressive victory with 25 points. The winning team was Fay Dervan (sixth), Orla Duffy (seventh) and Sorcha McAllister (12th) finish 25 points clear of the host club. The Raheny Shamrock team of Fiona Roche, Kate Crowley and Aoibhinn McGoldrick with 50 points.
Dundrum South Dublin took third place with Niamh Devlin, Serena Tuffy and Ruth Wilson with 88 points.
Over 4,200 people took part to set a new record for the AXA Raheny 5, with runners from all over the country taking part.
Over 700 children took part in five juvenile races before the main event, supported by a large crowd in the famous Raheny venue.
“It was fantastic to see such a great crowd in Raheny on the last Sunday in January” explained race director Dave Hooper.
To break an attendance record on your 40th birthday is a great achievement; that is a credit to everyone who gives up their time to support the AXA Raheny 5. Many thanks to our sponsors AXA Insurance for their continued support.
Featured Image: The Start of the 2024 40th AXA Raheny 5