Cathal Dennehy: What's next? Let teen sensation Ava Crean enjoy marathon journey

The 19-year-old from Limerick won the national marathon title in Dublin in 2:34:12 last weekend.

TEENAGE KICKS: Ava Crean of Back 2 Boston Running Club A.C on her way to crossing the finish line to win the Women's national title at the 2025 Irish Life Dublin Marathon. Pic: INPHO/Bryan Keane

There’s an ingrained, Pavlovian response among athletics anoraks whenever a teenager does something special. Soon after heralding their performance, they’ll often pitch a question that’s forged through the wisdom of experience: OK, but what happens next?

There’s no event where athletes, on average, peak in their teens, with the typical peak age rising the further up the distances you go. So when a 19-year-old like Ava Crean wins the national marathon title in Dublin in 2:34:12, it’s inevitable that many swiftly move on from what she’s done and start to think about what she might do.