Mini-Marathon to be launched in Ballina this week
Participants in last year's Mini-Marathon, which was held in Castlebar. The event returns to Ballina for 2026. Picture: James Wright Photography
St Mary’s Secondary School in Ballina will host the official launch of the 2026 Mayo.ie Western People Women’s Mini Marathon this week.
Now in its 17th year, the event, which was founded by the and co-organised with Mayo Sports Partnership and Mayo.ie, returns once again to north Mayo on the May Bank Holiday weekend as part of the Mayo Day celebrations.
The race will be held on Sunday, May 3, in Ballina and the launch event will be held in St Mary’s Secondary School this Friday, February 13, at 2pm.
The mini-marathon was held in Castlebar from 2010 to 2022, apart from 2020 and 2021 when it had to be held virtually due to the Covid-19 lockdown. It was held in Ballina in 2023 and 2024 before coming back to Castlebar last year and now returns to Ballina once again.
Other partners in the event will include Ballina Municipal District and the local athletics clubs.
Popular podcaster Laurita Blewitt, of The Tommy and Hector Podcast with Laurita Blewitt, will be the MC for the event, (while a representative of Sport Ireland will also be in attendance.) Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead and former Ireland women's rugby union international Nora Stapleton will also join up for the launch day.
“Ballina is delighted once again to be hosting the Mayo.ie Western People Women’s Mini-Marathon,” said commercial manager Aidan McNulty. “We’re asking the people of Ballina to get behind it. St Mary’s always have a great representation in the event and it is a fitting place for the launch.”
More than 2,000 women and girls took part in the 2025 event along with almost 800 national school kids taking part in the Mini Mini event, with 15-year-old Freya Renton, a winner at last weekend’s Western People Mayo Sports Star Awards, making history as the youngest ever winner of the event against an experienced field that included several previous winners. Freya’s twin sister Holly finished in fourth place.
The early bird registration for this year’s women’s mini-marathon opens this Friday at noon and you can register for the event at www.westofirelandwomensminimarathon.com.
Full coverage of this Friday’s launch will be in next week’s edition of the and online.
