Leevale's Ryan Creech targets national title: I want to get that monkey off the back
Fresh from his recent national 10k victory, Ryan Creech from Leevale AC is chasing further successes, and the super-talented Cork athlete has ambitious plans for the months ahead.
Creech is a proven winner, and his performances over the last couple of years have been of the very highest order. His 2:12:28 Seville Marathon run back in February 2024 was an incredible effort.
Following that, he posted a time of 2:13:49 at the Dublin City Marathon, which was good enough for second place in the National Championships and ninth overall, behind Kenya's Moses Kemei.
Creech said: "Things have been going great in recent weeks with training, and I'm looking forward to the Cork 10k. After that, I'll run the Antrim Half Marathon.
"That's towards the end of August, and I ran 63 minutes there a couple of years ago, and the plan is to run 62 this time around.
Creech started with Leevale as a teenager under the guidance of Tony Shine, and over the last number of years, he's been coached by Donie Walsh, a well-known figure in athletics in Cork and further afield. He also spent a couple of years in the US, but with so many injuries, he never reached his full potential over there.
Back in April, in front of a large crowd at Ballintotis, Creech clocked a new course record of 19 minutes and five seconds, which was a huge run on the night.
His most recent big race success was at the National 10K, at the Phoenix Park in Dublin, where Creech ran out a fantastic winner, adding another National title to his already glittering CV. On the clock, it was another brilliant effort, posting 49:54.
Athletic fans love to see the likes of Creech line up at the start line, especially at the local races, as you know he's one of Ireland's leading distance runners and he will always deliver a huge performance.
He is a joy to watch in full flight.
The Cork man has represented Ireland on several occasions, and there's no doubt that he will wear the Irish vest again going forward.
"The ultimate aim going forward is to wear that Irish vest again. The plan is to do what I can in Dublin and then target another marathon within a couple of months and try to make a mark and get close to that Irish marathon record.
"I do think I can get close to it, and it's just about shutting up and doing it. If I do it, hopefully the Irish vest will come then again."
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