'It feels amazing' - National 10 Mile title for Letterkenny AC's McAuley
The Ballyclare, Co Antrim, native moved to the front before the halfway mark and responded to repeated attacks from a chasing group
Stephen McAuley of Letterkenny AC claimed the senior men’s title at the National 10 Mile, held in conjunction with the Irish Runner 10 Mile in the Phoenix Park.
The race delivered a thrilling finish with McAuley producing a gutsy display to hold off all challengers to claim his first senior national title in 50:01.
Having finished third in this race last year, McAuley returned to Phoenix Park in superb form, taking more than a minute off his 2025 time to edge out Kane Collins (Donore Harriers) by just two seconds after a thrilling battle down Chesterfield Avenue.
The Ballyclare, Co Antrim, native moved to the front before the halfway mark and responded to repeated attacks from a chasing group that included Collins, Gerry Forde (Kilkenny City Harriers) and Jake O'Regan (St John's AC) before holding on to secure a memorable maiden senior national title.
Collins crossed the line in 50:03 to take the silver medal in another superb championship performance, while Forde secured another national podium finish in 50:09 after remaining in contention throughout.
Speaking after the race, an ecstatic McAuley said: “It feels amazing. I've never won a national gold before, so it means a lot to me. I came third here last year and lost in the sprint finish, so to come back here this year and come first means the world to me. Today’s race was just about coming down and competing and trying to go for the podium; I didn’t care about time. I just wanted to work hard and try and go for the win, and thankfully I got it in the end.”
Speaking of his plans for the coming months, McAuley said: “I’m doing the Dublin Marathon later in the year, and this is building up a bit of speed in the legs over the shorter distance. I feel that’s put me in good stead to train a bit harder over the next few weeks.”
The senior men's team title went to Ennis Track AC, whose consistent trio of Liam Naughton (50:50), Padraig Nugent (52:31) and Dylan Casey (53:23) combined to secure gold and back up last month’s win in the National 5 Mile. RoadRunners AC claimed silver, narrowly edging Donore Harriers A.C., who completed the team podium after Kane Collins' outstanding individual silver medal performance.