We talk to the Irishman about working to break his national marathon record in London.
Flashing in the bold and bright colors of Puma, Peter Lynch made his debut as he finished ninth (first European) in this year’s London Marathon in an Irish record of 2:06:08.
It was another significant breakthrough for the US-based Kilkenny City Harrier, who ran a national record of 2:09:36 at the Dusseldorf Marathon in April 2025, then a national record, and recently became the first Irishman to break 60 minutes for the half marathon in New York in March in 59:52.
“It’s class,” he said AW: Immediately after the race in London. “I knew from training and the New York half marathon that I had the potential to run fast, but the day I did it was really good.”
Lynch, coached by Ireland’s former European indoor 3000m champion Alistair Craig, joined the Puma Elite Running team in North Carolina in July 2024 after graduating from the University of Tulsa.
He was initially unsure of his next step, but with an interest in running the marathon, he sought advice from former Tulsa alumni Chris O’Hare (a retired British international middle distance runner) and Patrick Dever, who was already a member of the Puma team and recognized that Craig wanted to grow the marathon group, and agreed that it was worth participating. The decision to reach out to his countryman, and in turn Craig’s willingness to bring him along, paid off for both parties.
Lynch’s 2:17:40 marathon debut in Chicago that fall was disappointing, but he was having the best training of his life, and it gave him the confidence he needed to “stick with it.” Validation came in January 2025 with a 61:15 PB half marathon in Houston, and after a Dusseldorf Marathon performance that April, he agreed his first professional contract.
But as Lynch approached the final stages of the London Marathon, it was the camaraderie of his Puma teammates, not the material things, that made the difference. Unlike at the World Athletics Championships in Chicago, Dusseldorf and Tokyo, this time he was not alone.
“The big goal of this race was to get into the pace group and stay there no matter what,” said the 28-year-old, who ran with teammates Dever and Jack Rowe for most of the race. “I split it in two. One was to be aggressive and stay with the group until 30km, and based on training and my New York half, there was no real reason why I shouldn’t be able to do that, and then in the last 10km I just tried to pick it up if I felt good or just try to keep it together and be strong enough.
“We didn’t really talk much about London until New York, so the plan wasn’t to run 2:08 pace until New York, then it changed to 2:06, but I guess after turning 60 it was:
Lynch’s focus now shifts to September’s road racing world championships and the half-marathon distance in 2023 after a DNF.
For now, though, he’s content that London was a big step in his career as a marathon runner. “It was just a good feeling in the last 5km where I kind of focused the guys I was running with on trying to win,” he says. “Any marathon I’ve done before, I’ve always been in the last 10km or I’m dead, so to actually be in a position where I’m like; “Okay, I feel strong…”
Regular School Week (North Carolina, February 9-15)
The breakdowns detailed below are from post-Lynch data. Easy runs were made for feel rather than speed, and his total weekly run (also his maximum run during the nearly four weeks of the London build) was 112.
Friday is usually a turnover day. “We usually do 300 or 400 seconds on a graded hill, and there might be a three or four second difference, like 64 seconds up the hill and 60 seconds down the hill,” Lynch says, but this week coach Craig wanted to “prepare New York City for harder, faster reps.”
Sunday runs alternate between long runs (as in this example) and long run workouts. The gym is usually twice a week, focusing on core work and injury prevention, as well as obstacle training.
- Monday: (morning) 60 minutes (average: 7:08/mile)
- Tuesday. (am) 75 minutes (average 6:45/mile); (pm) 30 minutes plus steps and core
- Wednesday. (morning) 3 Mile Pace (4:46, 4:45, 4:42) – Mile (4:26) – 1200m (3:16) – 800m (2:07) – 400m (62) – Mile (4:18) – 3 Mile Pace (4:39, 4). “Wednesday workouts are usually on the track, and they’ll probably total about nine miles of work, starting at marathon pace or a little faster and then faster as the workout goes on,” says Lynch. “Another classic workout would be 4 mile pace (between half marathon pace and marathon pace) and then 4 x 1m at slightly faster than half marathon pace.”
- Thursday: (am) 75 minutes (average: 6:52/mile); (pm) 5 miles plus steps and core
- Friday (day) 3 x (3 x 300 m, 1000 m) at (48, 47, 47, 2:39), (48, 47, 47, 2:36), (47, 46, 46, 2:33); (pm) 5 miles.
- Saturday: 60 minutes (6:50/mile average)
- Sunday: 2 hours 45 minutes (5:51/mile average, 28.3 miles total). “It was the longest run we did before London, it was kind of a brutal move.”
Favorite session: “Definitely long runs where there’s a lot of marathon pace in there, or just long runs for time, where you’re out there for a while and then you’re a little dead. It’s kind of a nice feeling, like a runner’s high, I guess.”
Least favorite session. “I would probably say 5km or longer repeats at a really hard pace, but I enjoy them to be honest. I definitely didn’t enjoy the faster stuff in college, but I enjoy it more now because I’m better at it.”
