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While the mountain runners were conquering Romania, another group of Irish masters athletes were delivering outstanding performances at the BMAF Track & Field Championships in Derby this past weekend — bringing home 15 medals across a wide range of events.

The Standout Performances

Anne Gilshinan (W60) was the star of the Irish contingent, winning Gold in the 800m (2:27.85) and Gold in the 1500m (5:02.01) — a magnificent double on the track.

Tom O'Brien (M55) was equally impressive in the field, taking Gold in the High Jump (1.55m) and Silver in the Long Jump (5.24m).

Damian Crawford (M55) won Gold in the Javelin, adding to what was a superb weekend for the M55 age group.

Ger Cremin (M45) won Gold in the 110m Hurdles — finishing 3rd overall in the combined M35-45 race but claiming the M45 age group title with a time of 17.09.

Ciara Burrows (W40) had a brilliant weekend in the throws, winning Bronze in both the Discus and the Shot Put in the W40 age group.

Noelle O'Regan (W35) took a fine Silver in the 400m, running 1:01.20, while Lynsey Glover (W35) won Silver in the Weight Throw.

Keith Pollard (M45) earned two bronze medals — in the 200m (23.88) and the 400m (54.15).

Robert Bruce-Brand (M55) claimed Bronze in the 400m M55 (58.50), Eoghan Murphy (M35) took Bronze in the 800m (2:22.45), and Alison Beck (W45) rounded off the haul with Bronze in the High Jump (1.40m).

Full Irish Medal Table — BMAF T&F Derby 2026

An Irish Masters Weekend to Remember

Taken together with the EMORRC results from Romania, this was one of the finest weekends Irish masters athletics has produced in a long time — medals across mountain running and track & field, with athletes competing from M35 through to W60 age groups.

The depth and quality on show is a real statement of intent for Irish masters athletics, and a tremendous encouragement as we build towards the European Masters Athletics Championships Non-Stadia in Galway in May 2028.

We hope to see many of these athletes — and many more — on the start line in Galway.

The EMACNS Galway 2028 Organising Committee

Ireland's masters running community had a weekend to remember in Râșnov, Romania, as athletes from across the country competed at the European Masters Off Road Running Championships (EMORRC) 2026 — and came home with 10 medals.

The Headline Results

Des Crowe (M65) was magnificent across both race days, winning Gold in the Vertical Race on Friday and adding a Bronze in the Classic Up&Down on Sunday. A superb double for one of Ireland's most experienced masters mountain runners.

James Kevan (M35) produced a commanding performance in Sunday's Classic Up&Down, taking Gold in an impressive 47:04. A first European masters medal and what a way to get it.

Brendan Forrester (M40) showed real class in both events — Bronze in Friday's Vertical Race and Silver in Sunday's Classic Up&Down. A remarkable weekend's racing.

Joe Gough (M70) added Silver in the Classic Up&Down and was part of the triumphant M70 team that won Gold in Sunday's event — Joe, Matthew Alexander and Peter Bell combining for 15 points and the team title.

Philip Goss (M40) took Bronze in the Classic Up&Down, while Paul Faulkner (M50) claimed Bronze in Friday's Vertical Race.

The M70s were busy all weekend — Matthew Alexander, Gerry Brady and Peter Bell claimed Team Silver in Friday's Vertical Race before regrouping for Sunday's team gold.

Full Irish Medal Table — EMORRC 2026

The Bigger Picture

Fourteen Irish athletes competed across the three race days — a significant and committed squad to travel to Romania for a mountain running championship. The championship format — Friday Vertical Race, Saturday Long Distance, Sunday Classic Up&Down — tested endurance, technical ability and sheer mountain running grit.

This is exactly the kind of event that Galway 2028 will be delivering for masters athletes across Europe. We hope many of the athletes who raced in Râșnov this weekend will be with us on the Wild Atlantic Way in May 2028.

Comhghairdeas le gach duine — congratulations to all.

The EMACNS Galway 2028 Organising Committee

The European Masters Off Road Running Championships (EMORRC) concluded this weekend in Râșnov, Romania, and what a championship it was.

Over three days, more than 400 masters athletes from across Europe took on the mountains of Transylvania — the Vertical Race, Long Distance, and Classic Up&Down — in what organisers Run Transylvania delivered as a seamless, atmospheric and genuinely memorable event. Stunning scenery, warm hospitality and serious competition: everything a masters athletics championship should be.

From the Galway 2028 organising team, a heartfelt congratulations to everyone involved in making EMORRC 2026 such a success — the organising committee, the volunteers, and the people of Râșnov who welcomed so many athletes and their families to their beautiful town.

Events like this are an inspiration as we build towards the European Masters Athletics Championships Non-Stadia here in Galway in May 2028. We hope many of the athletes who raced in Romania this weekend will be lining up on the Wild Atlantic Way in two years' time.

Maith sibh go léir — well done to all!

The EMACNS Galway 2028 Organising Committee

A week after the world championships finished in Korea, Europe's masters athletes are back on a start line — this time on a mountain. The European Masters Off-Road Running Championships run in Râșnov, in the Carpathians of central Romania, from 10 to 13 September. It is the last European masters championship of 2026, and it is not a gentle one. Three races: a 3.7km vertical race that goes only upwards, a 12km classic up-and-down, and a 40km long distance.

Eighteen Irish athletes have entered: Esme Alexander, Matthew Alexander, Peter Bell, Gerry Brady, Aengus Burke, Graham Bushe, Ian Conroy, Des Crowe, David Dinsmore, Paula Donnellan Walsh, Paul Flynn, Joe Gough, Philip Goss, Mike Kelly, James Kevan, Peter McEvoy, Stephen Montgomery and Ger O'Toole. Two of them — Graham Bushe and Paul Flynn, both M55 — have entered all three races, and they are Ireland's only two starters over 40km. That is a considerable week's work at any age.

We are following it closely for a reason. Off-road running is the discipline closest to our own: the European Masters Non-Stadia Championships, which come to Galway on 19–21 May 2028, are made up of cross country, road racing, race walking and Nordic walking — everything that happens away from a track. The athletes racing in Râșnov this week are, in the most literal sense, the athletes who will be lining up in Galway. A good number of them will make the trip west, and a few of them are already thinking about it.

There is a difference worth knowing about if you follow the results. Off-road championships are run as combined-age fields, so the finishing order you see is not the championship order — an age-group medal can look like a mid-pack result until you read the category. We will report the age-group placings rather than the gun positions.

Best of luck to all eighteen. We will update this page as the results come in from Romania, and you can follow along at galway2028.ie.

The World Masters Athletics Championships closed in Daegu on 3 September, thirteen days and more than seven thousand athletes after they began. Ireland goes home with seventeen medals. That is a remarkable return from a small team, and every one of them was earned — but anyone who was there will tell you the medals are not the half of it.

Consider what it actually takes. Korea is eight hours ahead of Ireland. You fly for the guts of a day, you arrive with your body convinced it is the middle of the night, and then you race in conditions that never dropped below twenty-eight degrees, with the humidity above eighty per cent. Nobody trains for that in Mayo or Meath or Dublin. Some of these athletes are in their forties and fifties, taking time out of work and away from their families to be there. Some are in their eighties. All of them travelled to the other side of the world to stand on a start line against the best in their age group, knowing full well that most of them would not be on a podium.

They went anyway, and they left it out there. Kevin Byrne started an M55 decathlon and got through five events — the hundred, the long jump, the shot, the high jump, the four hundred — before it beat him, which is five events more than most people will ever attempt. William Paiva did a decathlon and a throws pentathlon in the same week: fifteen events, ten days, no medal, no complaints. David Stewart finished fourth in the M60 decathlon and won the high jump inside it. Stephen Hunter took steeplechase bronze on the opening morning and then raced the 10km, the half marathon and the cross country as well. Pat Kelly contested three finals in the W75 sprints. Ian Egan, who travelled as the team physio, ran the 10km and the cross country himself. Anne Gormley managed the entire team and still went out and raced a 5000m walk.

And they did it together. The photograph above is the Irish cross-country squad, taken on the grass at Suseong Family Park after the 8km — nine people who had just run themselves into the ground in that heat, standing shoulder to shoulder and grinning. That picture tells you more about masters athletics than any medal table. So does the M65 relay bronze, which only exists because four men got three baton changes right on the same evening. So does the last Irish race of the whole championships: an M55 4x400m team — Kevin Byrne, Ronan Gately, Ian Egan and Stephen Monaghan — out in lane eight, seventh of seven, finishing the thing off and then standing on the blue track with the tricolour and the word DAEGU behind them, grinning like men who had just won it. And so does the sound of it: Irish athletes cheered on by their team managers and by team mates who had already finished their own events. Not everyone got that. With events spread across the city and the schedule running from early morning to late evening, some of our athletes raced with nobody there at all — and got the job done anyway.

The headlines are worth having, of course. Edel Maguire won four medals — one of every colour — and finished with gold in the W65 400m in 1:07.78, a Championship Record and a new European Record, eight seconds faster than she had run the day before. Sean McMullin won every M80 race walk on the programme, 5000m, 10km and 20km, at eighty years of age. John MacDermott, at eighty-one, won the decathlon and the 200m hurdles and added a 400m silver. Rachel Murphy took gold and bronze, Lea Fulcher a fast 1500m silver, Brenda Gannon silver over 20km. They are extraordinary and they deserve every word written about them.

But the inspiration was everywhere, not just on the podium — and that is the thing we will be carrying home to Galway. In May 2028 we host the European Masters Non-Stadia Championships, and members of this committee were in Daegu for the whole championships, competing and taking notes. What we saw is that a masters championship is judged by how it treats the athlete who finishes two hundred and eighty-third as much as by how it crowns the one who wins. Every one of them travelled. Every one of them deserves a good race, a marshal who knows the way, and somebody at the finish who says well done.

That is the standard. Twenty months to go. If you would like to be part of it — as a volunteer, a partner, or an athlete on a start line in Galway — everything starts at galway2028.ie.

The World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu run until 3 September, and Ireland's team of 28 has won seventeen medals — eight gold, five silver and four bronze, from one of the smaller teams here. We'll keep updating this page as results come in, so check back, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for news from the ground.

Irish medals so far
🥇 John MacDermott — Gold, M80 Decathlon (4878 pts)
🥇 John MacDermott — Gold, M80 200m Hurdles (37.71)
🥇 Sean McMullin — Gold, M80 5000m Race Walk (36:22.97)
🥇 Sean McMullin — Gold, M80 10km Road Walk (1:15:17)
🥇 Sean McMullin — Gold, M80 20km Road Walk (2:41:51)
🥇 Edel Maguire — Gold, W65 High Jump (1.36)
🥇 Edel Maguire — Gold, W65 400m (1:07.78 — Championship Record and European Record)
🥇 Rachel Murphy — Gold, W40 1500m (5:02.60)
🥈 Pat Kelly — Silver, W75 100m (18.03)
🥈 Edel Maguire — Silver, W65 200m (29.86)
🥈 Lea Fulcher — Silver, M50 1500m (4:15.85)
🥈 Brenda Gannon — Silver, W50 20km Road Walk (2:15:54)
🥈 John MacDermott — Silver, M80 400m (1:14.91)
🥉 Stephen Hunter — Bronze, M45 3000m Steeplechase (11:27.98)
🥉 Edel Maguire — Bronze, W65 100m (14.51)
🥉 Rachel Murphy — Bronze, W40 5000m (19:38.78)
🥉 Shane Sheridan, Niall Kelly, Richard Phelan and Stephen Berkeley — Bronze, M65 4x100m Relay

Three world titles, at eighty. Sean McMullin has won every M80 race walk at these championships — the 10km on the road on the opening day, the 20km on the road in 2:41:51, and the 5000m on the track in 36:22.97. Twenty kilometres of race walking is a punishing way to spend a morning at any age; every stride of it is judged, and the technique has to hold when the legs have stopped cooperating. Brenda Gannon took silver in the W50 20km in 2:15:54 on the same course.

And Edel Maguire has won four. Bronze over 100m, silver over 200m, gold in the W65 high jump at 1.36m — and then, on the final Wednesday, gold in the 400m in 1:07.78 — a Championship Record and a new European Record. She had qualified second in her semi the day before in 1:15.47; in the final she took nearly eight seconds off that. One of every colour, on the track and in the field, and a championship best to finish. Rachel Murphy has two of her own: gold in the W40 1500m and bronze in the 5000m. Lea Fulcher took silver in a quick M50 1500m, running 4:15.85.

John MacDermott has three medals. The M80 decathlon — ten events across two days, at eighty-one, for 4878 points — then the 200m hurdles in 37.71, and on 1 September a silver in the 400m in 1:14.91. He won five of the ten decathlon disciplines outright along the way. It is a reminder, if any were needed, that masters athletics is not a gentle wind-down but a serious competitive sport, contested by people who have kept at it for decades.

Ireland's first medal of the championships came on the opening morning and deserves more notice than it got at the time: Stephen Hunter took bronze in the M45 3000m steeplechase in 11:27.98 on 22 August. Seven and a half laps, twenty-eight barriers and seven water jumps — the steeplechase asks you to run hard and then, twenty-eight times, to stop thinking about how tired you are and clear an obstacle that will not move.

The sprints have been good to Ireland too. Pat Kelly took silver in the W75 100m in 18.03 against the best in the world in her age group. Add a strong Irish showing in the 10km road race in tough, humid conditions, and it has been a championships to be proud of.

And then the relay. Shane Sheridan, Niall Kelly, Richard Phelan and Stephen Berkeley took bronze in the M65 4x100m — four men, three baton changes, and a world championship medal that belongs to all of them equally. There is something particular about a relay medal: the individual events reward a lifetime of your own work, but the relay only happens if four people get it right together, on the same evening, in the same forty-odd seconds. The photograph of the four of them afterwards tells you everything about what it meant.

Members of the Galway 2028 organising committee are in Daegu — watching, competing, and learning from a championship being hosted superbly. Many of the athletes racing in Korea will be with us in Galway in May 2028 for the European Masters Non-Stadia Championships. Follow the journey at galway2028.ie.

This week, the masters athletics world gathers in Daegu, South Korea. The World Masters Athletics Championships open with a ceremony on 21 August and run through to 3 September — the largest edition ever staged in Asia, with 7,476 athletes entered from 106 countries. Among them, twenty-eight Irish athletes have entered — carrying the green vest a very long way from home.

It is worth pausing on what that actually means. These are people in their thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and beyond, who have organised their training, their work, their families and their savings around a start line on the other side of the world. Some will come home with medals. Every one of them has already done the hard part. To all of them, and to everyone else lining up in Daegu — from all of us involved with Galway 2028, the very best of luck.

Galway 2028 will be there too. Members of our organising committee are travelling to Daegu to watch, to learn, compete, and to meet the athletes and officials who make this sport what it is. We'll be sharing photos and stories from the ground throughout the championships, so follow along on Facebook and Instagram if you'd like to see Daegu through Irish eyes.

Why does a non-stadia championship in Ireland care so much about a stadia championship in Korea? Because it's the same community. The athletes racing in Daegu are the athletes who'll be racing the roads, the cross country and the walking courses of Galway in May 2028 — and there is no better place to learn how to host them well than at a championship being hosted brilliantly. Follow the journey at galway2028.ie.

When you line up in Galway in May 2028, you'll be racing in one of Europe's most characterful corners. Galway is a compact, walkable city on Ireland's west coast — cobbled streets, live music spilling from every doorway, and the salt-air freshness of the Atlantic just beyond. For masters athletes travelling from across Europe, it's a destination that rewards you long after the finish line.

The setting is part of the appeal. Galway sits at the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way, with Connemara, the Burren and the Aran Islands all within easy reach. The same coastline and countryside that make the region so memorable to visit are exactly what make it a superb stage for non-stadia athletics — road running, cross country and race walking through scenery you'll want to photograph as much as race through.

Getting here is easier than you might think. Galway is well connected by road and rail to Dublin and Shannon airports, with Ireland West Airport at Knock offering direct European links closer to the city. Many athletes make a week of it — a few days competing, a few days exploring — and the warm West of Ireland welcome makes it easy to bring family and supporters along.

We'll be sharing more travel, accommodation and things-to-do guidance as 2028 approaches. For now, start dreaming — this is a city that knows how to make visitors feel at home. Keep up to date at galway2028.ie.

When masters athletes line up in Galway in May 2028, they'll be taking part in something with real history behind it. The European Non-Stadia Championships were first held in 1989, and have run as a biennial fixture ever since — one of the longest-standing traditions in European masters athletics.

"Non-stadia" simply means events held away from the track: road racing over 10K and half marathon distances, cross country relay, and race walking. It's a different test to stadium athletics — pace judgement, terrain, weather, and tactics all come into play — and it draws a slightly different, often larger, crowd of masters athletes who love the open road as much as the oval track. One of the most popular recent additions to the programme is Nordic walking, which has quickly become a firm fixture on the non-stadia calendar — and Galway 2028 will be no exception.

Over nearly four decades, the championships have travelled across Europe, building a loyal community that returns edition after edition. Galway will host the 21st edition in 2028 — and the first time this championship has come to Ireland.

Have you competed in a past edition, or do you have a story from the non-stadia circuit? We'd love to hear it — tag us, and help us tell the story of the tradition Galway is about to become part of.

Hosting 1,000+ masters athletes and around 3,000 visitors in May 2028 takes a village — and we're starting to build our volunteer community early, well ahead of race weekend itself.

There's a role for everyone, whatever your experience: race day marshalling, athlete welcome and registration, event logistics, hospitality, and much more. No athletics background required — just enthusiasm and a willingness to help make Europe's masters athletes feel at home in Galway.

Volunteering is also a brilliant way to be part of something genuinely historic for the city — a front-row seat to an international championship, and the chance to meet athletes and visitors from across Europe.

Detailed volunteer roles and rotas will take shape as planning progresses, but we want to hear from you now. Register your interest on our volunteer form — it takes less than a minute — and we'll keep you posted every step of the way as roles are confirmed.

We're now 22 months out from May 2028, and while the public-facing announcements have been coming thick and fast, the near-term focus behind the scenes is firmly on foundations. The organising committee is working through the structures and commitments that need to be locked down before venues, courses and registration can be confirmed publicly. None of it is especially glamorous, but it's exactly the groundwork that has to happen early so that everything announced later stands on solid ground.

Elsewhere on the masters athletics calendar this summer, registrations are open right now for the European Masters Off-Road Running Championships in Râșnov, Romania (10–13 September) — well worth a look if you fancy some off-road racing before Galway's turn comes around. The registration deadline is 10 August.

For Galway 2028 itself, athlete registration opens in 2027. For now, keep May 2028 marked in the diary and follow along here for the next milestone — venue and course announcements will follow as planning progresses.

It's been a summer to remember for Irish masters athletics — and every result is another reason to be excited about what's coming to Galway in May 2028.

At the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Janské Lázně, Czech Republic (26–28 June), Irish teams struck gold twice: John Kinsella, Eoin Flynn and Ian Conroy took the M45 uphill title, while Carmel MacDomhnaill was part of the winning W80 uphill team. Northern Ireland's Springwell Running Club also had a brilliant championship, with Carolyn Crawford, Kate O'Loan, Sarah Milligan and Adele Tomb bringing home four medals between them, competing in searing 36°C heat on the slopes of Černá hora.

Earlier in the summer, Mayo AC's Paraic Sweeney won gold in the M75 10km road race at EMACNS Catania 2026 — the very championship Galway will host next, in its 21st edition.

Different disciplines, different countries, same message: Irish masters athletics has real depth across the age categories. We can't wait to see Irish athletes competing on home soil when the championship arrives in Galway in under two years. Well done to everyone who represented Ireland this summer — if you have a story of your own, tag us, we'd love to help tell it.

The confirmation that Galway will host the European Masters Athletics Championships Non-Stadia in May 2028 has generated great coverage across Irish media and the wider athletics community. We're delighted to see the word spreading!

The Galway Advertiser led the local coverage, quoting Former Mayor of Galway Cllr Mike Cubbard: "This is a fantastic achievement for Galway and a proud moment for our city. The Championships will bring thousands of athletes and visitors to Galway, showcasing our community spirit, our coastal setting and our ability to deliver major international events."

Sally-Ann O'Brien, Head of Tourism at Galway City Council, called it a "strategically important win for Galway", adding: "Participation events like this deliver real economic impact, extend the tourism season and highlight Galway as a world-class destination for sporting events."

Coverage so far:

Galway Advertiser — Galway to host European Masters Athletics Non-Stadia Championships
Galway City Council — Galway Secures European Masters Athletics Non Stadia Championships 2028
Connacht Tribune — Galway City selected to host international Masters athletics event
Galway Bay FM — Galway To Host European Masters Non Stadia Athletics Championships In 2028
BMAF — EMACNS European Masters Athletics Championships Non Stadia
Mayo AC — EMACS in Galway May 2028

If you're a club, coach or masters athlete and would like to help spread the word, please share this page and point people to galway2028.ie for full details on events, registration and volunteering.

We are delighted to share that Galway City Council has officially confirmed its full support for the European Masters Athletics Championships Non-Stadia — and to mark the occasion, a formal launch took place in Galway with Cllr. Mike Cubbard, Mayor of Galway, and Sally Ann O'Brien, Head of Tourism, Galway City Council. Pictured above are committee members alongside the Mayor and the official EMA flag that will fly over Galway in May 2028.

The successful bid was led by the Local Organising Committee in partnership with Galway City Council, Athletics Ireland, and the Irish Masters Athletics Association, and was confirmed by European Masters Athletics following its 2026 event in Catania, Italy. The championships — the 21st edition of this biannual event — are expected to attract approximately 1,000 athletes from across Europe, with total visitor numbers, including families and supporters, estimated at around 3,000.

Cllr. Mike Cubbard said: "This is a fantastic achievement for Galway and a proud moment for our city. The Championships will bring thousands of athletes and visitors to Galway, showcasing our community spirit, our coastal setting and our ability to deliver major international events. We look forward to welcoming Europe's masters' athletes in 2028." Sally Ann O'Brien, Head of Tourism, added: "This is a strategically important win for Galway. Participation events like this deliver real economic impact, extend the tourism season and highlight Galway as a world-class destination for sporting events."

Athletes can look forward to road racing, cross country relay, race walking, and Nordic walking over three days in May 2028. Detailed race routes, venues, and operational plans will be confirmed and published in the months ahead. Follow galway2028.ie and our social channels to stay up to date as announcements land.

With exactly 23 months to go until May 2028, planning for the European Masters Athletics Championships Non-Stadia is gathering pace — and we want to tell you a little more about the city that will be your home for those unforgettable days of competition.

Galway is one of Europe's most celebrated cultural cities: a vibrant, walkable city on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, with a festival spirit that runs through its very streets. From the medieval Latin Quarter and the Claddagh waterfront to the world-class Galway Racecourse and the wide open spaces of Connacht Athletics Arena, the city has everything a masters athlete could ask for — outstanding venues, a warm welcome, and an atmosphere that simply has to be experienced.

The organising committee is deep in the planning process, working closely with Athletics Ireland, local authorities, and venue partners to ensure that EMACNS 2028 delivers a championship worthy of its athletes. In the months ahead we will be sharing confirmed venue details, the event programme, and all the practical information you need to begin planning your trip to Ireland.

Whether you are a seasoned masters competitor or attending your first European championship, we promise you an event to remember. Mark May 2028 in your diary, follow our updates, and join us as Galway prepares to welcome the best masters athletes in Europe.

We are thrilled to officially launch the website for EMACNS Galway 2028 — the European Masters Athletics Championships Non-Stadia, coming to Galway, Ireland in May 2028.

Planning is well underway and we look forward to welcoming masters athletes from over 20 nations to one of Ireland's most vibrant and beautiful cities.

Over the coming months we will be sharing updates on the event programme, venues, accommodation and everything you need to know to make the most of your time in Galway.

Stay tuned — and if you'd like to volunteer or discuss sponsorship opportunities, we would love to hear from you.

The EMACNS Galway 2028 Organising Committee