Mullingar run on track for continued success
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The start of the 2026 Aon Mullingar Half Marathon.Image 2 of 19
Colin Watters and Richie Toal before the race.Image 3 of 19
Oliver Kennedy, Chris Purcell and Sinead McCaffrey handed out T-shirts to the runners.Image 4 of 19
Andy Nevin checking his time.Image 5 of 19
Ciara Foy (Mullingar Harriers) was the second woman to finish.Image 6 of 19
Eddie Newman and Andrew Glennon from Mullingar Harriers.Image 7 of 19
Kieran Nolan and Dara O’Shea after they ran the half marathon.Image 8 of 19
Matthew Glennon, Josh Gahan and Aidan Gorry from Coralstown Kinnegad AC.Image 9 of 19
David Cunningham from Collinstown.Image 10 of 19
John McNamara. Keith Flanagan and Leona Behan from Mullingar.Image 11 of 19
Andy Boyhan and David Cahill after the race.Image 12 of 19
Orla McLaughlin, Darren Carroll and Jacinta Reilly at Mullingar Town Park after the race.Image 13 of 19
Some 2,000 runners took part in the half marathon.Image 14 of 19
Pat Kavanagh (district engineer) with Berty Dunne, who officially started the race.Image 15 of 19
Some of the Civil Defence volunteers who were on duty on St Patrick’s Day.Image 16 of 19
The winners of the half marathon. Mossy Bracken (2nd), Michael Brady (1st) and Matthew Ryan (3rd).Image 17 of 19
Dan Morris from Mullingar Harriers (4th place) was the first local runner to finish.Image 18 of 19
Kris Foster from Mullingar Harriers.Image 19 of 19
James Keegan at the finish line.Thomas Grant
The 2026 Mullingar Half Marathon was hailed as a great success as thousands of runners took to the streets of the county town for the increasingly popular event.
“It’s a remarkable turnout, particularly given the fact that there’s a Mullingar team in an all-Ireland final today,” race coordinator Pat Keating told the Westmeath Examiner on the morning of the race. “I’d say we did lose a few to the match, and we’re all hoping the team will win today as well – that would really cap it off for us.”
Pat said registration reached full capacity early in the year: “We’ve had great numbers, registration was full in January. All of the 2,500 permit slots were applied for. It’s remarkable because last year we had 1,530 finishers, of the 1,800 who had registered. It’s definitely growing in popularity, and there’s an increasingly huge demand for registration.”
The favourable weather conditions also contributed to the success of the day. While breezy, the conditions remained dry and mild, ideal for runners tackling the course: “We were just blessed with the weather. It was windy, but the fact it was dry and not too cold made it a lovely running day.”
Spectators lined the streets and volunteers made sure the event went smoothly: “It brings everyone together, particularly the running community,” said Pat.
“The festive atmosphere of St Patrick’s Day also brings everybody out. It ties well into our heritage, we had Comhaltas playing for a couple of hours as part of the day.”
Those traditional music performances were scheduled along the route, while the first runners passed the finish line shortly after 11am, and a steady flow continued until early afternoon.
The event required extensive coordination: “We received massive cooperation from Westmeath County Council,” Pat said. “We also had the support from Civil Defence and the sponsors who made the whole thing possible. We had a big number of volunteers on the committee, and a huge number of volunteers turned up today as well.”
Participants were well catered for, at water stations along the route and refreshments, medals, and commemorative T-shirts awaiting finishers.
A new addition this year, a schools race, drew local students to complete a training programme before participating in a final kilometre run on the day, an initiative aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among young people: “The schools race is a new idea. There were three schools selected. They ran a kilometre a week for up to 10 weeks. They did a final kilometre today, and were presented with their medals.”
Pat highlighted the economic boost to Mullingar, as many visitors travel and stay locally, reinforcing the event’s growing importance to the town and midlands region: “Hopefully it will be a big benefit for the town, we work closely with the Chamber of Commerce, one of our aims is promoting Mullingar, and promoting the midlands as well.”