Axa Raheny 5 Mile is a roaring success
Report by MyRunResults
The Axa Raheny 5 Mile celebrated its 40th year running. It also broke the all-time number of participants to register with over 5,100 signing up. This is a true mark and indication that the Axa Raheny 5 is more popular than ever. There really is something special about the Axa Raheny race. It seems to capture the culture of the club and the strong community feel within Raheny. This vibe seems to have widened to all parts of the country. We had all types of runners from elites to walkers. We also had a wide range of demographics within all age categories represented. Running has exploded all over the country in every town, village, and city. Again we could see this with the likes of Innercity Running club, right from the heart of Dublin's innercity. New clubs like Ballymun Athletics Club, Coolok Running Club and Up and Out fitness were all out to get a taste of the great Axa Raheny 5 Mile.
From Northern Ireland we had North Belfast Harriers who always make the trip, Tafelta A.C, East Antrim A.C., Ballymena Runners, City of Derry Spartans and many more. From the south of Ireland we had Kilcoole A.C., Lusk A.C., Crusaders A.C, Mullingar Harriers and More. To see all the clubs who were represented just check our stats tab below.
The excitement and atmosphere was better than ever around the start and finish area. This started with the kids races that are all always fast and furious giving the crowds great entertainment. This adds to the family day occasion and atmosphere.
At 3pm the big race kicked off. What an atmosphere and what a site to see 4,300 plus runners pack together filled with excitement and nerves at the same time. As the race had made its way around Raheny and towards St. Anne's Park, thousands of spectators were waiting in anticipation of who the lead runners were. The sudden reduction in adrenaline and noise at this time created its own atmosphere of suspense. We had Dick Hooper and Susan Walsh on Commentary duty who helped with the suspense and excitement as they were able to feed us with live information of the leaders from the lead car.
Ryan Creech of Leevale A.C stole the show with another great performance from the Cork Man. Ryan Blitzed his way around the course in a time of 23:58. After Ryan we certainly had some dramatic finishes with some incredible racing. David Scanlon of Rathfarnham WSAF was 2nd with some serious heat on his shoulder coming storming from behind. From this point on it was great close racing all the way. In 3rd place was John Paul Williamson.
The women's race was extremely competitive just like the men's race. Favourite Shona Heaslip of An Riocht A.C. took the title for 2024. Shona is just home from a recent warm weather training camp. It certainly paid off and she finished very strong in a time of 26:11. Again like the men's race the women just came thundering through the finish line. We had a very high quality women's race this year. Nikita Burke of Letterkenny A.C. was 2nd with Cheryl Nolan of St. Abbans A.C. IN 3rd.
The men's senior team winners were Clonliffe Harriers, Annadale Striders were 2nd and Raheny Shamrock A.C. were 3rd. The mens over 40 masters team winners were Raheny Shamrock A.C., Rathfarnham WSAF A.C 2 nd and Blackrock A.C were 3rd.
The women's senior team winners were Dublin City Harriers with Raheny Shamrock A.C. 2nd and 3rd place was DSD A.C. The Masters 40 plus team winners were Raheny Shamrock A.C. It certainly was a great day for the host club Raheny. 3rd place were Tafelta A.C.
Again this year's runners were treated to the famous goody bag with an added bonus eco green reusable canister bottle.
Thanks to all participants who took part and massive thanks to Raheny Shamrock A.C, Bear events, the Gardai and residents for helping host an incredible event.