Runners get ready - the Streets of Kilkenny 5k is on the way

The city is all set to rumble to the sound of hundreds of feet pounding the tarmac as this year’s Streets of Kilkenny explodes on to the running calendar.

Organised by the Kilkenny City Harriers (KCH) the 2023 version of the popular event hits the Marble City in its traditional Holy Thursday slot (April 6).

Close to 700 participants have signed up for the sixth offering of the Streets, which has gained a great reputation for its fast and flat two-lap course which takes runners through the city centre.

“It’s incredible to think back to the first Streets of Kilkenny,” said KCH chairman John Maye, recalling the first event in 2017.

“The tar was practically bubbling on the Francis Bridge, it was so new. Fast-forward and we’ve seen the event grow even bigger and better, take on a new course and become a staple of the local athletics scene.”

Part of the Peugeot Race Series, the Streets will see Ireland’s top runners looking to claim a slice of the overall €31,000 prize pot. However, the event isn’t just for the elites - the course makes for a great way to introduce people to running.

“The pandemic brought a new wave of runners,” said Maye. “A lot of people engaged with exercise and made that time for themselves. A 5k is a lovely distance and is so achievable for everyone, from your top racer to the person who started out in January with a little acorn of a dream and thought ‘I’d love to do the Streets and do two laps of the city’ and why not? “There’s lots of people cheering you on and a real buzz about the place,” he added. “We’ve been so lucky each year that there’s been a real crackle, a fizz there on the night, and I hope we get to keep that for many years.

“It’s something I’ve always said after each race that I’d love to run it, to feel that buzz as you hit Rose Inn Street the second time around - the atmosphere on the streets and noise on the footpaths as you climb towards Rinuccini’s for the finish line is something special.”

And the atmosphere is sure to be electric as Kilkenny hopes will be carried by an athlete who has stormed to victory on the Streets in the past. Eoin Everard has turned home comforts into a real advantage. The winner of the inaugural Streets in 2017, Everard also won last year’s event. Having won the first race of this year’s Peugeot Race Series, when he stormed to victory in Portlaoise on St Patrick’s Day, he will be looking to add another crown in the Marble City.

“Eoin is in prime form right now,” said Maye. “If you were writing the schedule you’d have to say he’s lined up just right for this race. He had a good 5k win in Portlaoise and then a World 3k win which will really have turned those gears over that Eoin has.

It would be super if we had a hometown winner again.”

The Streets of Kilkenny begins at 7.30pm, but the evening doesn’t end once the last runner crosses the line - for some that’s when the real fun begins!

“We get such great support from Kilkenny Co Council, the Gardaí and the Order of Malta,” said Maye, thanking the many people and organisations who make the event a success.

“People understand the value the race brings to the city - you could have 2,500 or 3,000 people in to the city on the night, with a large number decamping to Langton’s for the after-race party, which has become something of a legend among runners.

The race is a big part of the Streets of Kilkenny - but so is the party. And no-one does that better than Langton’s!”

Entry for this year’s Streets of Kilkenny is open through popupraces.ie