The Waterford Viking Marathon 2024
On Sunday, June 23rd, Waterford hosted its 12th annual WLR Waterford Viking Marathon, drawing over 3,500 runners and featuring the first-ever Autism Friendly Run. The scenic course highlighted the city’s landmarks, including two bridges, the Greenway, Mount Congreve Gardens, and a vibrant finish in Waterford City Centre.
Alexander Wallace of St. Coca’s A.C. won the full marathon with a time of 2:26:49, while Beth O’Connor was the first woman to finish at 3:14:19. In the Half Marathon, Pat Fitzgerald led the men with a time of 1:14:00, and Linda Grogan topped the women at 1:25:49. The Quarter Marathon saw Andrew Connick winning in 33:06, with Kealey Tideswell as the fastest woman, finishing in 25:54.
The inaugural Autism Friendly Run, held in collaboration with AsIAm and Autism Friendly Waterford, began at 9:30 am, with Paul Lee being the first to cross the finish line, cheered on by friends and family. The event was widely praised as a huge success by participants, organizers, and supporters alike. With 350 volunteers ensuring everything ran smoothly, the marathon was a testament to community spirit and meticulous planning. The Waterford Viking Marathon 2024 was proudly supported by WLR, Waterford Council, Bausch & Lomb, Sunlife, Carten Controls, Joma Sports, Flahavan’s, DG Foods, Sanofi, House of Waterford Crystal, Medite Smartply, Panda, Alfie Hales, Mag 365, and Blue Butterfly Coffee, Blanco Nino.
Planning has already started for next year’s event, which is on the 22nd of June 2025. Hope to see you all there.
