The National Endurance Group is created to help support the ongoing development of distance runners in Ireland. We have a long and rich history of success in distance running, continuing in recent years with individual and team successes in Global and Continental Championships. It is also recognized, however, that the standard of middle and long-distance running is improving globally, driven by a number of factors, including shoe technology, increased access to training information, and most relevant, the creation of training groups by National Federations and shoe companies. Our goals with the Irish National Endurance Group are:

• Provide a more challenging, stimulating training environment for athletes training in Ireland with international aspirations.
• Provide training camp opportunities for these athletes at altitude and warm weather to facilitate ongoing development, and preparation for specific competition.
• Provide performance service/sport science support to athletes to ensure that development can be tracked objectively, and in line with international best practice. In turn this can provide a database of information for coaches/younger athletes to access.
• Provide social support to athletes by building a team environment, with regular training sessions in Ireland, in addition to training camps.
• Facilitate further development of the Endurance Coaches Network in Ireland, with 4 sub-event leads/co-ordinators (details below) communicating with coaches of athletes involved in the group, and the development of an aligned calendar to help identify competition and training opportunities.
• Provide opportunities to developing athletes of a minimum standard to train with the group on camp/in regular domestic training sessions. These athletes, who may miss out on group support, may still be able to self-fund to go on National Camps/attend sessions within the group. It is hoped that this provides incentive to these athletes by making the process of achieving performances (eg top 8 in European Championships) more realistic and tangible.

Structure:

The group is based around 3 four-week training camps per year, as well as weekly session in Sports Institute Ireland, and 8 National group sessions spread across the country every 6 weeks approximately. There are 3 levels of support within the group, Tiers 1, 2 and 3, and support across different areas for each Tier is detailed below, as well as the obligations of being a group member.

2026 Update

The National Endurance Group supports the ongoing development of distance runners in Ireland. Building on a rich history of success at global and continental championships, the program continues to evolve.

The inaugural year of the group in 2025, saw a strong set of performances, progression and medals – a direct result of athlete commitment, coach collaboration, and engagement with a high-performance environment.

In recent months there has been 3 successful altitude camps. Sept- Oct 2025 in Font Romeu, followed by a camp in Flagstaff Arizona in January. The most recent camp in Font (April 2026) was attended by our Tier 1 group and a large cohort of Tier 2 and 3.

Some of the performances highlights of 2025 by group members include:

· Cian McPhillips finished 4th at the World Championships in Tokyo – and a new Irish record of 1.42 in the final

· Fiona Everard and Niamh Allen both placed in the top 25 at the World Cross Country Championships in Florida in January.

· Darragh McElhinney and Nick Griggs clocked 13:02 & 13.05 respectively for 5,000m – two of the fastest Irish 5k times in history.

· Eimear Maher took bronze at the European U23 Championships.

· The Irish men’s senior cross-country team won silver in Portugal – continuing Ireland’s resurgence in international cross-country competition.

The group remains based around three 4-week training camps per year, twice weekly sessions at Sport Ireland Institute, and the inclusion of necessary support services to provide the athletes with a professional setup in a high-performance environment.

These support services include physiological profiling, individualised S&C plans, nutrition planning, sports psychology and physio requirements. Athletes have felt the benefits of such a structure. The athletes have benefited in many ways

“Being part of the endurance group has been hugely beneficial and has given me access to a professional support system while training at home. In what can often be a very individual sport, it has also connected me with a group of like-minded athletes all working towards the same goals.”

— Emma Moore 800m athlete

“Over the last year, the endurance group has exposed me to a professional training set up that I would not have been able to create for myself. From altitude training camps to access to services at Sport Ireland Institute, the endurance group has opened up the opportunity to me to live my life like a professional athlete, helping me on my journey to bridge the gap from amateur to the elite international level. The environment that the group has created over the last year has been a massive driver of high performance and professionalism for Irish endurance athletes. This led to a breakthrough year for me in 2025 and being a member of the group is ensuring I build on it for 2026 and beyond.”

— David McGlynn – Roads/Marathon athlete

People:

The group is led by 4 coaches who will act as co-ordinators/points of contact for different sub-event areas, namely:

• 800/1500m: Joe Ryan
• 1500/5000m: Mark Kirk
• 5000/10000m: Emmett Dunleavy
• Roads/Marathon: Mark Kenneally

The 4 leads will liaise with athletes and their coaches to ensure alignment of training plans with camps, national group sessions and physiological touchpoints, aligning with the national calendar.

2026 Group Roster

Updated 2026 Performance Standards

The following standards have been reviewed and updated for 2026, reflecting global performance trends and the improved depth within Irish endurance running.

Women – Tier 1 & 2 Guideline Criteria (2026)

Men – Tier 1 & 2 Guideline Criteria (2026)

Tier 3 Minimum National Standards (2026)

Note: Achievement of criteria does not guarantee selection. Coach discretion applies, based on the considerations table below.

The successful applicants for 2026 are as follows. All positions on the group were awarded to athletes fulfilling the Tier 1 criteria.

2027 Applications

Applications for the 2027 group will open in Q4 2026 and close before year end. Please note that Tier 1 and 2 selections are competitive, with a limited number of places. The coaches’ decision is final. Tier 3 applications are welcome from athletes meeting the minimum national standards (see table above). Self-funded participation in camps and sessions is encouraged.

Support Structure

Camps:

Tier 1:

3 x fully funded camps per year. For 2025 these were proposed to be:

• April-May  Font Romeu
• Sep-Oct Font Romeu
• Dec-Jan Flagstaff/Dullstroom/Tenerife/Portugal TBC

Tier 2:

1 x fully funded camp in Font Romeu per year. This can be either April or Sept-athlete discretion

Tier 3:

No support for camps but comms on camp location and capacity to self-fund

Roads:

2 x fully funded camps per year-likely Camp 2 and Camp 3

Performance Services:

Tier 1:

Full access to S+C (including gym access at SII) and Nutrition services within group. Frequency individually defined

Further provision of soft tissue service

Assistance(Referral/recommendation) in accessing additional support if required

Profiling report in following areas:

• Injury risk
• Performance (Event Specific Strength, Power/Range)

Tier 2:

Access to Physiotherapy assessment/referral

S+C via Satellite/Pathway Groups

Tier 3:

Referral Pathway for specialist/recommended physios/Sports Med pracititioners

Access to document containing key metrics for S+C development-for sharing with own provider

Roads:

Full access to physiotherapy, S+C (including gym access at SII) and Nutrition services within group. Frequency individually defined

Further provision of soft tissue service

Assistance(Referral/recommendation) in accessing additional support if required

Profiling report in following areas:

• Injury risk
• Performance (Event Specific Strength, Power/Range)

Coaching/Physiology:

Coaches Network for collaboration and sounding board

Yearly calendar including racing/training camps/championships for alignment/recommended physiological benchmarking points

Physiology support via practitioner/Performance Endurance Lead

Training Planning and Language documentation/alignment

Health Insurance:

Tier 1:

Contribution to Health Insurance (must have)

Tier 2:

Contribution to Health Insurance (must have)

Roads:

Contribution to Health Insurance (must have)

Race Access/Entry:

AI has a relationship with a European Agency and may be able to provide assistance with access to/direction on race access

Obligations of being in National Group:

Camps:

Tier 1:

Expected to attend all National training camps unless injury/illness prevents.

Tier 2:

Expected to attend minimum 2 National Camps

Tier 3:

Expected to attend minimum 1 National Camp

Roads:

Expected to attend 2 National Camps

Group Sessions:

Tier 1:

Compulsory attendance at 8 National Group Sessions per annum

Compulsory attendance SII Wednesday morning (geographical considerations may affect this)

Tier 2:

Compulsory attendance at 8 National Group Sessions per annum

Compulsory attendance satellite S+C sessions

Tier 3:

Encouraged to attend as many National Group Sessions as possible

Roads:

Agreed schedule of National Group Sessions to reflect preparation for marathon/variation in season

Tier 1 and 2 selections will be a competitive process, with a limited overall number of places on the team, so achievement of criteria (detailed below) does not guarantee selection to the team, or to a specific level of support. Coaches’ decision on the selections will be final. The decision-making process is detailed in the below table: