Paul Pollock (born 25 June 1986) is an Irish Marathon runner from Holywood, Northern Ireland. He competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing the marathon in 32nd position, in a time of 2.16.24. He was the first Irishman home, followed by his teammates Kevin Seaward and Mick Clohisey. His time was the third-fastest by an Irish runner at an Olympic game. He also competed in the men's marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
He first competed in a major championship in 2004 when representing Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo, Australia. He finished 4th in the 1500 m. By 2017, he had 15 Irish caps, as well as having represented Northern Ireland on numerous occasions. He has competed on the world stage at each of the major global championships – Commonwealth Games, World Championships, European Championships, and Olympic Games.
In 2018, Pollock qualified to run in the Commonwealth Games marathon, but was forced to withdraw due to injury during training in Australia.
Following his participation in the 2013 World Athletics Championships, he continues to write a monthly blog detailing his races and training. Having originally been a member of Abbey AC (Newtonabbey, Northern Ireland), he now represents both Annadale Striders (Belfast) and Kent AC (England). He continues to train, coach, and compete, alongside working part-time as an Emergency Medicine doctor.
Championships Record
2004 Commonwealth Youth Games Bendigo, Australia 4th 1500m 2005 European XC Championships Tilburg, Holland 46th XC (Junior)2008European XC ChampionshipsBrussels, Belgium57thXC (U23)2011European XC ChampionshipsVelenje, Slovenia25thXC2012World Half MarathonKavarna, Bulgaria34thHalf marathon2013World Outdoor ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia21stMarathonEuropean XC ChampionshipsBelgrade, Serbia26thXC2014European Outdoor Championships Zurich, SwitzerlandDNSMarathonWorld Half Marathon Copenhagen, Denmark30thHalf marathonCommonwealth GamesGlasgow, Scotland16th10000mEuropean XC ChampionshipsSamokov, Bulgaria23rdXC2015European Indoor ChampionshipsPrague, Czech RepublicHeats3000mEuropean XC ChampionshipsHyeres, France45thXC2016Olympic GamesRio, Brazil32ndMarathonEuropean Outdoor ChampionshipsAmsterdam, Holland17thHalf marathonWorld Half MarathonCardiff, Wales14thHalf MarathonEuropean XC Championships Chia, Sardinia36thXC2017World Half MarathonGifu, Japan42ndHalf marathonWorld MarathonBeppu-Ōita, Japan18thMarathon2018World Half MarathonBarcelona, Spain28thHalf marathonIAAF World Half Marathon ChampionshipsValencia, Spain77thHalf marathonCommonwealth GamesGold Coast, AustraliaDNSMarathon
References
External links Paul Pollock's Marathon blog