Ava Crean sets Irish Under-23 10km road record in Valencia

Ava Crean sets Irish Under-23 10km road record in Valencia. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Limerick’s Ava Crean stepped into 2026 by setting a new Irish Under-23 10km road record with her performance at the Valencia 10km race

Limerick’s Ava Crean has gotten her 2026 season off to a flying start, setting a new Irish Under-23 10km road record with her recent performance at the Valencia 10km.

The record, subject to ratification, saw the young long-distance runner break the 33-minute goal in the 10km road race, improving on her under-20 record set in 2025 with a time of 33:40 set at the Fields of Athenry 10km.

Crean, making Back 2 Boston Running Club AC proud, clocked a time of 32:46 on the Valencian streets where she ran alongside some world-class competitors and was joined by her coach and teammate, John Kinsella.

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Following the event, John Kinsella said, “Ava Crean Sub 33 WOW 32:39!!! The atmosphere and course in 10kvalencia was amazing. It was great to meet all the runners and share the streets of Valencia with some of the fastest runners in the world. We will be back!! Thank you all for the support.”

Crean’s record-breaking run highlights her continued progression, having run her first marathon in 2025 in Manchester, shortly before becoming the first female home in the 2025 Regeneron Great Limerick Run, which got the young athlete national attention.

Overall, 2025 was a year to remember for Ava, when at nineteen years of age, she made history at the Dublin Marathon by becoming the youngest ever winner of the women’s national title, finishing as the first Irish woman across the line in a personal best of 2:34:11.

Ava was one of 22,500 entrants who took part in the 44th Dublin Marathon, and the sports and exercise science student from Mungret, Co. Limerick, currently studying at University Academy 92 in Manchester, finished sixth overall. Her time marked a remarkable nine-minute improvement on her previous best of 2:43:26, set this past May at the Regeneron Great Limerick Run.

At the beginning of 2026, Ava shared her story on social media, saying, “Entering 2025 with no real experience in running, was doing it for enjoyment. I always said I would do a Marathon but the real questions was when. I signed up for Manchester Marathon, and then also chose to do my home marathon a week later with no expectations, as I didn’t know what I was capable of.

“I ended up winning and and John Kinsella reached out to me after, and we met up for coffee. He started analysing my data and said these crazy fast times that I could possibly do. He was the first person who really believed in what I can do, now he is my coach, and the rest is history.

I entered 2025 with no running community, and now I’ve built relationships that I wouldn’t trade for the world. And I’m still not sure what I’m capable of, but I hope to see in 2026.”