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sport · Sunday 9 August 2026 · 1:00pm 
Ballinamore AC 10k Road Race and 5k Fun Run
At Island Theatre · Island Theatre, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, N41 K0D6
At Island Theatre · Island Theatre, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, N41 K0D6
Ballinamore Athletic Club runs its 10k road race and 5k fun run/walk through the town on Sunday, 9 August 2026, starting and finishing near the Island Theatre. The 10k is a chip-timed, certified road race with a downhill finish, while the 5k is aimed at those who want to run, jog or walk without racing the clock. A separate U14 1500m race is also on the card, making it a family morning out as well as a serious fixture on the summer road-running calendar.
Registration opens at 11:30am at the Island Theatre, with the races starting at 1pm. The 10k is run on a fast, certified course that organisers describe as having a downhill stretch on both the first and last kilometres, which makes it popular with runners chasing a personal best as much as locals doing their first road race. The 5k fun run/walk covers half the distance at a gentler pace and is open to all abilities, while the U14 1500m gives younger runners their own race rather than a shortened adult course. All races are chip-timed, so results are available shortly after finishing. Ballinamore AC, the local athletics club, organises the event, and the first 100 entrants on the day receive a free branded neck buff.
Ballinamore sits on the R202 in south Leitrim, on the Shannon-Erne Waterway, about 25 minutes from Carrick-on-Shannon and just over two hours from Dublin by car. The Island Theatre start/finish is in the town centre, an easy walk from parking on the main street.
Ballinamore became a boating hub when the Shannon-Erne Waterway reopened in 1994 after 150 years of closure, and the town’s lock is worth a look before or after the race. The Heritage Museum on the main street tells the waterway’s story, and the surrounding loughs, Melvin and Scur among them, are well known for pike, trout and perch. There is more to see in Ballinamore and across Co. Leitrim.
Heading to Island Theatre in Ballinamore? Leitrim has plenty more to see. Read the Ballinamore area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.