Paul Pollock runs fastest marathon by an Irishman in 31 years

Paul Pollock has run the fastest marathon by an Irishman in 31 years, the 33-year-old smashing his personal best in Valencia to clock 2:10:25, which was a Northern Irish record. The race was won by Ethiopia’s Kinde Alayew in 2:03:51.

Pollock’s previous best was the 2:15:30 he ran in Oita, Japan, in 2017, but it was clear early in today’s race that he was on course for something special. He passed 10K in 30:49 and halfway in 1:05:05, eventually crossing the line 18th in the world-class field.