In this interview, Conor sits down with one of the best-known figures in Irish athletics, Fintan Reilly.

Fintan has seen the sport from almost every angle: as an athlete, coach, commentator, international team manager, former Chair of Athletics Ireland’s High Performance Committee and now Deputy President of Athletics Ireland.

We chat about Ireland’s remarkable recent success, managing the next generation at European U18 (Rieti, 2026) and World U20 level (Oregon, 2026), why County Louth continues to punch above its weight reflecting the meteoric rise of its most famous daughter, Kate O’Connor.

There’s also a more personal side to the conversation, as Fintan talks about the Reilly family’s relationship with athletics and the progress of 3 of his children: Neasa, Finn and Clíodhna.

From grassroots clubs to international championships, this is a wide-ranging conversation about where Irish athletics has come from, where it is now, and where it might be heading next.

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Thank you !

Conor

In this interview, we head to the French Pyrenees and the altitude training base of Font-Romeu to catch up with two of Ireland’s most talented distance runners, Callum Morgan (Candour Track Club) and Eimear Maher (Dundrum South Dublin AC).

Callum and Eimear join Conor to talk about life at altitude, the thinking behind their training, and the work that goes on away from race day. We look back over their 2026 seasons. The races that went well, the ones that didn’t quite go to plan, and what they’ve learned along the way.

There’s plenty of training talk too: mileage, sessions, recovery, periodization and how they approach the balance between building fitness and being ready to race when it matters.

And, as Callum and Eimear are also a couple, we get into what happens when running and life overlap: training together, travelling to races, supporting each other through good and bad performances, and whether having another serious athlete in the house makes the whole thing easier…or occasionally more complicated.

We also talk about the attraction of Font-Romeu, what altitude training actually feels like day-to-day, and what both athletes hope to take from the camp into the next phase of their racing.

Two athletes, two different journeys and an interesting insight into the work behind the performances.

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Conor Curran, Mark Malone, and Gerard Heaney reunite for the first show to talk training, Irish running news, and the week’s biggest talking points.

Gerard shares an update from Sydney as he builds fitness back toward bigger mileage and regular sessions.

Mark talks through managing a hernia and keeping his running easy, while Conor reflects on his own training week, track sessions, and winter racing plans.

Elsewhere, the boys discuss Dublin Marathon’s new entry price, the launch of the splits.ie results platform, the Armagh Road Race’s expanded women’s programme, and standout Parkrun performances from around Ireland.

Plus: shoe chat, race news, Melbourne Marathon, and a preview of the upcoming interview release with rising Irish distance talents Callum Morgan and Eimear Maher.

Timestamps

• 00:00

– Welcome and introductions

• 04:58

– Gerard's Sydney training update

• 09:51

– Mark’s injury update

• 14:41

– Conor’s training week

• 20:34

– Running news and Spotted on Socials

• 25:07

– splits.ie

• 29:13

– Dublin Marathon pricing

• 33:18

– Armagh Road Race update

• 36:19

– Parkrun (Ireland) results

• 41:43

– The week ahead

• 44:32

– Wrap-up and giveaway

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There's really not much entertainment value in these 12 minutes but we promise our upcoming Episodes and Interviews will be a lot more informative !

We've got some great guests lined up for October.

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The Final Split
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