IN PICTURES: Athletics club in Tipperary unveil commemorative bench in honour of two coaches

A sea of green and black gathered at Sir Thomas’s Bridge in Clonmel on Saturday to recognise and celebrate the contributions of Niall O’Sullivan and John Laste to the sport of athletics in Clonmel.

John and Niall co-founded the J&N Coaching group in 2023 which caters to adults of all running abilities, from beginners to competitive athletes, promoting a supportive and inclusive environment and has become the largest adult running group utilising the TÚS Campus facilities in Clonmel Niall O'Sullivan is a prominent figure in Clonmel athletics and a highly regarded and respected coach in the sport of running. He is a founding member of Clonmel Athletic Club and has dedicated over 50 years of his life to the sport in Clonmel.

Niall’s significant contributions were recognised when he won the Tipperary Sport Volunteer of the Year award in 2022. He also received a full Mayoral reception in 2004 for his contributions, a well-deserved recognition.

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Niall is responsible for the development of many local races, including the Boston Scientific Half Marathon, The Annerville 10k, the St Stephen's Day 4 mile, and inter-firm races designed to attract new members.

John Laste, also a prominent figure in the Clonmel athletics community, known as a dedicated athlete and a champion of the sport of running and race walking.

Not just a coach, John is an experienced athlete with 40 plus years of running experience and over 50 marathons completed. In recent years, he has excelled in race walking, winning multiple provincial and national masters titles.

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As a member of The Irish Masters team, he has competed in world and European championships, winning team medals at two separate European Championships. He competed in the World Masters Indoor Championships in April 2025 in Alachua, Florida and continues to progress from strength to strength.

John underwent a partial knee replacement mid-2025, but not one to let something so trivial as aging knees set him back, John completed the 2025 London Big Half Marathon alongside the team of Clonmel athletes he coached with Niall O’Sullivan to achieve their personal goals, all with great humility and gusto demonstrating that, with dedication, consistency and guts, athletes can persevere.

On behalf of the entire J&N Running Group, we would like to celebrate these two people who have been the driving force behind our miles, our motivations and our achievements. John and Niall have shown us what true dedication is.

They have built a community where encouragement, laughter and friendship are just as important as pace and performance. With the dedication of this bench, we want to say thank you, for their passion, their patience and their leadership. You’ve inspired us to run faster, aim higher and most importantly, to run together.

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