Relentless pace of the running boom shows no sign of slowing down

Detailed summary

With Athletics Ireland membership hitting another record high, many young athletes are left feeling the squeeze ...

If there were certain news events which caught you by surprise this week, rest assured the announcement by Athletics Ireland that its club membership has reached another record high is continuing along entirely predicted lines.

Indeed, when set against some of those unlikely headlines from around the world – Trump’s Republican downfall in the US, Bob Dylan meeting the Pope in Rome – this may not even be much of a story. Except that it does further reflect not only the healthy growth of athletics in this country, but also the relentless pace of the global running boom.

The November registration – and the point at which Athletics Ireland counts its annual membership – now sits at 76,507, another milestone for the governing body of the sport which has existed under various guises going back to the Irish Champions Athletic Club, founded in 1873.

This time last year, membership surpassed the…

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