Gallery & Race Report: Mintern & Casey Win at Cobh Jailbreak Triathlon 2026

The iconic Cobh Jailbreak Triathlon delivered yet another memorable day of racing on Sunday as athletes from across Ireland descended on Cork Harbour for one of the country’s most unique triathlon events.

Hosted by Cobh Triathlon Club, Jailbreak once again lived up to its reputation, with competitors taking on the famous 1.6km swim from Spike Island to Cobh before tackling a 40km looped bike course, and a 10km run along the coastal streets of the town.

Mintern sets new course record in the open race

In the open race Chris Mintern set the standard, crossing the 1.6km from Spike Island in just 21:51. West Cork’s Sebastian Helka second at this point in 23:31, East Cork Tribe’s Daniel Freund third, Michael Monahan and Cork Tri’s Donncha Kiely rounding out the top five.

The bike course proved influential, Mintern opening up a gap of over six minutes with a blistering 48:27 split, and Tralee’s Denis Hegarty moving through the field into second. Always a contender, Donncha Kiely moved into third.

The order then stayed the same all the way to the line, with Cobh’s Chris Mintern beating his own course record on the day, beating his previous 2018 effort.

Piranha’s Conor Talty was fourth, and Naas’ Michael Monahan in fifth.

Casey makes it three in a row

Deirdre Casey has started her season with purpose, following up wins in Clonmel and Schull with another display of form at Cobh Jailbreak on Sunday.

Out of the 1.6km swim, Casey led closely followed by National Triathlon Centre athlete Isabella Chidlow. Vanessa Fenton held third at this point.

Casey’s lead extended on the bike course, but it was behind her that the action was taking place. Always a strong biker, Waterford’s Aine Kinsella put down the fastest split of the field (58:03) to make up a two minute deficit after the swim and move into second position. Piranha’s Megan Roberts put in the fastest bike run combination with a blistering 35:31 for 10k in the coastal heat to claim her third place on the podium.

Isabella Chidlow (South Coast TC) came home in fourth, and Vanessa Fenton (Piranha TC) in fifth.