5k Races Ireland 2026-2027
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The 5k race calendar for Ireland: 84 races in 2026 and 2027, with dates, start locations and entry links. For most Irish runners the 5k is where it all started: the first target after a couch-to-5k plan, the distance of the club's summer series and the fun run that sits beside the county 10k. The quickest are home in around a quarter of an hour, while the bulk of the field jogs and walks it in 30 to 40 minutes. Filter by date or by place below, or take the calendar a month at a time.
What is in this calendar
The list covers every event in Ireland with a 5k on the programme, on the road for the most part, occasionally on a park loop or a beach. Often the 5k is the shorter option at a bigger race, run before or alongside a 10k or a half marathon, and the race page sets out all the distances with start times and the link to the organiser's entry system. Charity 5ks, ladies' runs, school fun runs and the Christmas and St Stephen's Day runs all belong here. If a 4k or a 6k would suit you better, widen the distance slider at the top of the page and they join the list. One thing you will not find here is parkrun: the free Saturday morning 5k is not a race, but once you fancy a chip and a bib number the events below are the next step.
The 5k season in Ireland
Spring is the busiest stretch, when the couch-to-5k groups graduate and every town seems to put on a run for a local cause. From May the evening series take over, with club-run 5ks on flat out-and-back courses that produce quick times and a crowd at the finish. Autumn brings the 5ks that share a weekend with the big city races, and December ends the year with Santa runs and the St Stephen's Day and New Year's Day 5ks that have become a tradition in many towns. Entries for the popular ones fill early, so keep an eye on the race page.
5ks around Ireland
Dublin has the widest choice, with Phoenix Park as its regular venue. Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford each stage well-supported 5ks through the year, and the seaside towns of the west lay on some of the most scenic short courses anywhere. An Athletics Ireland permit means a measured course and results that count, which matters if you are after a time rather than a t-shirt.
Other distances
Moving up from the 5k? The 10k calendar is the obvious next stop, and the full running calendar covers Ireland at every distance, along with the half marathon calendar, the marathon calendar and the trail running calendar. Running a 5k that is not in the list yet? Click the + Event button at the top of the page and add it.
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