WATCH Limerick’s Ava Crean triumphs at 2025 Regeneron Great Limerick Run

Limerick’s Ava Crean triumphs at Regeneron Great Limerick Run. Photo: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick

Limerick’s Ava Crean Triumphs as the female winner of the 2025 Regeneron Great Limerick Run

Limerick’s Ava Crean stood out with an elite performance at the 2025 Regeneron Great Limerick Run as the 19-year-old was the first female to cross the finish line in the marathon just one week after running in the Manchester Marathon.

The sun filled the streets of Limerick along with a record-breaking 18,000 participants in this year’s Regeneron Great Limerick Run, with runners taking on the full marathon, half marathon, and six-mile events. Among the highlights of the day was Ava Crean’s inspired performance, which saw her win the women’s marathon.

The Limerick runner’s win was made more impressive by the fact is wasn’t part of her plan, and hadn’t aimed to race competitively in the Regeneron Great Limerick Run at all having run her first ever marathon in Manchester one week earlier, she told I Love Limerick, “After getting 2:49 in Manchester, I said to myself ‘I will do limerick for fun’ and I told everyone that I will do it easy, but inside I knew I would get competitive – but only competitive to beat my old time, I didn’t know at all I would win,” she said, adding about her quick turnaround and recovery, “It was a bit hard, but I wasn’t in pain or anything, my legs were just very tight when I ran Limerick.”

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Her journey into running is both relatable and inspiring, speaking with Richard Lynch of I Love Limerick following the race, Ava explained, “ I remember when I started running, I couldn’t even run a hundred meters without stopping or taking a break,” before adding, “ I wasn’t really training for a Marathon. I did the Manchester Marathon last week. I was training for that a good bit, but maybe 10 weeks. I started running during Covid, and I only started with like two or three kilometre runs, and I was dying by the end of it.”

Speaking about her time when she first started to run, she said, “I was scared to run outside because I thought people would judge me, but I realised no one actually cares – you’re the one running, and you should be proud you even got out there.”

Her goal to run a marathon came on her first day of university in Manchester, she said, “Running a marathon was only an aim recently, in September of 2024, I always wanted to do one but was scared to. However, the first day of uni in Manchester, I had to write a letter to my future self for when I graduate, and I remember writing ‘one day you will do a marathon’. And the second I handed up the letter, I signed up for the Manchester marathon with no time goal. I put my prediction time of 3:30.”

By the time race day arrived, Ava had quietly dropped her goal to under three hours. Finishing in 2:49, she shocked herself which is why she just aimed to go out and enjoy her time at the Regeneron Great Limerick Run.

Watching her daughter cross the finish line first was an emotional moment for Ava’s mother. “I was so shocked when I saw her coming around the corner,” she said. “My twin sister thought something might have happened to her. But when I saw that orange T-shirt, I just got so emotional. I knew she had won.”

As she reflects on her rapid rise in long-distance running, Ava remains grounded and eager to share what she’s learned, saying “To young people out there, do not feel pressured to cover a distance or get a time. Run your own race and don’t compare yourself to anyone, you’re doing it for yourself, and it shouldn’t feel like a task, I simply kept running because it made me feel good and I enjoyed it. The hardest line to cross is the start line. If I can do it, anyone can. What I say to myself is, ‘I’d rather be consistently good than occasionally great.’ When I started, I couldn’t run 100 meters without stopping.”

While Ava isn’t sure exactly what’s next, she’s hopeful, saying, “I honestly don’t know what my future holds, when I was starting to run Manchester I was scared of the time goal that did eventually cut down to 3 hrs when I gained some confidence in my abilities, I didn’t not expect to get 2:49 at all. Hopefully, I can do the Dublin marathon and maybe get in touch with Irish coaches or something, but we will have to see.”