Kilkenny's marathon man! Peter Lynch breaks national record again!
Kilkenny City Harriers athlete set a new Irish best at the London Marathon
Peter Lynch is Ireland's fastest marathon runner - again!
The Kilkenny City Harrier smashed the national record, and in some time, clocking a time of 2:06:08 as he finished ninth in the London Marathon.
The 28-year-old crossed the line in ninth place and was the first European finisher, taking over three minutes off his previous best of 2:09:36. That time was set at the Düsseldorf Marathon in Germany in April 2025 when he broke the national record for the first time. That time was then eclipsed by Youghal's Fearghal Curtin, who ran 2:07:54 in October of last year, but Lynch has now reclaimed the crown by almost two minutes.
Breaking the record for the second time is a huge step forward for the Kilkennyman who is coached by former Irish 5000m and 10,000m record holder Alistair Cragg as part of the Puma Elite Running Team in North Carolina.
Lynch placed third at the Irish Cross Country Championships in Donegal in November 2022. He then ran for Ireland at the 2022 European Cross Country Championships in Turin, Italy. His move to North Carolina saw Lynch set a new Irish record over 10 miles in Washington, then break the marathon record.
He has since run for Ireland at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, and this year ran 59:52 to place fifth at the New York City Half Marathon in March 2026, setting him up for that record run in London.