Kilkenny Runner Peter Lynch Targets New York Marathon After Setting Irish Record

Peter Lynch arrives at Sunday's New York City Marathon with the Irish record under his belt and a different set of goals for the five-borough course. The Kilkenny runner clocked 2:06:08 at the London Marathon in April, taking one minute and 46 seconds off the mark Fearghal Curtin set in South Korea last October. That London race also produced ninth place for Lynch, his best marathon finish to date.

New York's twisting, hilly layout does not suit record chasing, so Lynch has dropped the clock from his thinking. "I definitely think times are out the window for this one," he said. "I'm just going in with an open mind, and just focusing on beating as many people as possible." He has never run New York before and said he has watched footage of the last three or four editions to learn where the climbs fall. He has also spoken with Puma teammate Patrick Dever, who raced there last year.

A top-10 finish would give Irish distance running a presence at the front of the elite men's race that has been absent for more than 20 years. Mark Carroll placed sixth in 2002, the last Irishman in the top 10. John Treacy finished third in 1988 and again in 1990.

Lynch's preparation since London has shifted toward altitude and higher volume. He spent close to three months training at Park City, Utah, up from four weeks before London, partly because of heat in North Carolina. Weekly mileage rose from an average of 110 to 120, with several weeks at or near 120 miles. The 28-year-old joined the Puma Elite Training Team in Raleigh after graduating from the University of Tulsa in 2024 and works under coach Alistair Cragg.

He ran the New York City Half Marathon in March, finishing fifth in 59:52 to become the first Irishman under 60 minutes for the distance. Lynch said he aims to stay near the front and race over the final 10 kilometers. "I got top 10 in London, so top 10 again in New York would be really, really good," he said. Defending champion Benson Kipruto of Sweden's Andreas Almgren, the European half-marathon record holder making his marathon debut, also lines up Sunday.

Lynch landed in New York on Thursday morning after a 90-minute flight from Raleigh. The race covers 26.2 miles across the five boroughs and finishes in Central Park.