Weather Forecast for Munster...Fri 24th to Sun 26th May 2013

Weather Forecast for Munster...Fri 24th to Sun 26th May 2013.......Mixed bag. Bright but unsettled.

Friday....Remaining cloudy with bright spells. Strong breeze from the North and temp around 13-14 deg C although it will feel cooler.

Saturday.....Best of the weather in the east of Munster, especially in the morning. Becoming cloudy in the west with spells of rain later in western counties. Winds will be much lighter with temp around 15-16 deg C.

Sunday......Best in the East again, about 14-17 deg C with the lower temperatures in the western counties and near the coasts. Bright again but with a higher risk of showers, especially in the west. More persistent rain later in the day.

Outlook.....Monday is likely to the wet. Tuesday onwards.....bright and breezy. It will remain cool, a bit more like late April than late May.

Results of the Ballyandreen 5 mile road race...Thurs 23rd May 2013

A record entry of 613 runners turned out for this year's Ballyandreen 5 mile road race, the first race of four in the Ballycotton Summer Series. That is just 2.5% up on last year's figure of 598 but a record none the same.

 It's hard to think that just five years ago, 279 turned out.

One major improvement this year was the inclusion of starting time zones. A roped off corridor was left at the side which allowed slower runners to move around the mass of others waiting and find their correct starting position.

In previous years, there was no passage and everyone arriving late had to cram into the front, an accident just waiting to happen...

Start of the 2010 Ballyandreen race

This year, there was a lot more space. Even though there were still too many slow runners too close to the front, it was a big improvement.

In the mens race, the winner was Sean McGrath of East Cork AC in a time of 25:53. The winning team were St.Finbarrs.

Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
1    0:25:53    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:10.5
2    0:26:06    MEADE, John    St. Finbarrs AC    M    05:13.1
3    0:26:09    HARTY, Michael    East Cork AC    M    05:13.7
81    0:32:06    REGAN, Maura    Eagle AC    F    06:25.1
83    0:32:07    GRANT, Karen    Midleton AC    F    06:25.3
86    0:32:14    LEONARD, Helen    Leevale AC    F40    06:26.7

Winner of the womens race...Maura Regan of Eagle AC

The womens race was a much closer affair with the result only being decided in the last 100 metres. With a mile to go, the top three women were trading places with each other and in the end, only eight seconds separated them.

The winner was Maura Regan of Eagle Athletic Club in a time of 32:06, just passing Karen Grant of Midleton in the closing stretch.

The winning womens team was also from Eagle AC...Maura Regan (32:06), Annmarie Power (32:31) and Caroline Kilty (33:26).

The full results can be seen HERE

The next race in the Ballycotton Summer Series is the Shanagarry 5 mile on the 27th of June.

Comments.........What did you think of this year's race? Was the start better? How did it compare to last year?

Hill Running Training Tutorial...Fri 24th May 2013

Notice from Munster Trail Running....
Hill Running Training Tutorial....Don't like hills?...Can't descend properly?

This coming Friday 24th May at The Galtee View Bar, Anglesborough........5 miles to the north of Mitchelstown....Meeting 7pm sharp.

Tom Blackburn will coach all you need to know about going up send downhill....Minimal fee of €5 to cover tea & sandwiches afterwards....All welcome, we would like to encourage all types of runners to attend.
 
Please bring suitable coat, hat and gloves as weather is unpredictable on the hills.
Runners with grip (xtalons or similar trail runners are advisable).

Details about the 2013 Ballycotton Summer Road Race Series...

BALLYCOTTON SUMMER ROAD RACE SERIES 2013

BALLYANDREEN ‘5’                          Thursday MAY 23rd  8.00pm
SHANAGARRY ‘5’                               Thursday JUNE 27th 8.00pm
CHURCHTOWN SOUTH ‘5’               Thursday JULY 25th 8.00pm
        BALLYCOTTON ‘5’                             Thursday AUGUST 22nd 7.30pm
 
PRIZES EACH NIGHT:
First 8 men (M); First 3 M40; First 3 M45; First 3 M50; First 2 M55; First 2 M60; First M65; First M70; First 2 under 20 (MJ). First 2 AAI club teams (first 3 finishers on team to score).

First 5 women (F); First 3 F35; First 3 F40; First 2 F45; First 2 F50; First F55, First F60, First F65.
First AAI club team (first 3 finishers on team to score).

PLEASE NOTE: MASTERS/VETS (M & F) AND JUN (M) PRIZES OUTSIDE FIRST 3 INDIVIDUALS – MASTERS/VETS CAN ONLY WIN PRIZE IN CATEGORY ENTERED (AGE ON NIGHT). JUN – UNDER 20 ON 31/12/13. PRIZE-WINNERS TO SCORE ON TEAM.  IMPORTANT - ALL PRIZES MUST BE COLLECTED ON NIGHT OF RACE.

OVERALL PRIZES: (Decided on cumulative time for the four races) –
First 6 men; First 3 masters/veterans (any age); First junior; First 5 women.

John Buckley Sports & Trophies  / Egan Coaches  / 

Tri ‘n’ Run / Army Surplus Store / MacQuillan Tools

                              A SPECIAL T-SHIRT WILL BE AWARDED TO THE               
                    FIRST 50 MEN AND FIRST 20 WOMEN OVERALL  

ALL RUNNERS COMPLETING THE FOUR RACES
WILL RECEIVE SOUVENIR PLAQUE

ENTRY FEE: €5.00 per race, taken on night of race.
(Final race €6.00, of which €1.00 is donated to designated charity).

Ireland's Original Road Racing Series

Programme on RTE TV about drugs in sports...

Last Summer, RTE Television aired a programme called Faster, Higher, Stronger which about the use of drugs in sports. Last Tuesday the 21st of May, it was re-broadcast again.


Description......"In a brand new sports science documentary, journalist Ian O'Riordan examines how athletes are using science and technology to enhance their performance, asking whether or not we can ever again truly believe in the purity of sport.

The Olympic Games are meant to represent all that's good and pure about sport- heroic acts of courage, fair play, being all that you can be. But ever since Ben Johnson failed a drug test in 1988, the biggest sporting show on earth has been dogged by scandal and suspicion. And now, with the curtain about to rise on London 2012, Ian O'Riordan of The Irish Times looks at the growing impact science and technology has on sport - legal and illegal - and wonders if sport can ever regain our trust.

In Faster, Higher, Stronger, Ian looks at a range of performance enhancement techniques, both legal and illegal, to discover if science has become more important than good old-fashioned hard graft and talent. He spends time with members of the Irish Olympic Team for 2012, to get inside the mind of the people that go to extraordinary lengths to gain a competitive edge.

Ian meets race-walker Colin Griffin, who's living in a bespoke altitude house in Limerick, fitted out to mimic the air density of Kilimanjaro. While Rob Heffernan, another walker, has to make do with a tent over his bed to get the same effect. Ian asks if this method of manipulating the body's make-up is really fair, using the example of a banned swimsuit as an instance technology was outlawed.

He reconnects with Martin Fagan and Geraldine Hendricken, two Irish athletes who received bans for failed drugs tests. He looks at the world of sports supplements, asking if these are really just legal performance enhancers.

Faster, Higher, Stronger is a comprehensive exploration of performance enhancement that combines an in-depth look at the science of sport with a personal search for the truth about fair play."

The programme is 50 minutes long and can be seen on the RTE Player service until the 12th of June.

Preview of the Ballyandreen 5 mile road race...Thurs 23rd May 2013

The Ballycotton 5 mile Summer Series starts at 8pm on Thursday evening with the Ballyandreen 5 mile road race in East Cork. This is the first of the 4 races in the series and there is a special plaque for anyone who goes on to complete all 4 races. In addition, there are Top 50 T-Shirts for the top 50 men and Top 20 T-Shirts for the top 20 women in the series when it concludes in August.

Location / Getting there......this piece is for the new runners. Ballyandreen is located a few kms to the west of Ballycotton. If you don't know that area then follow these directions...

Take the main road to Ballycotton in East Cork. It is well signposted from Midleton. Just as you enter the village, you will see an old church on your right....

Take the right here and drive up the hill. Keep going for about 2 kms and you will get to a crossroads where you will be directed to a parking area by the race stewards. It's very simple, you can't get lost.

Entry.......
1) The entry fee is €5. Try and bring the exact amount as it helps speed things up.
2) If you are new, they will need a few details from you like your age, club or area where you live, etc.
3) The location for entries is in a small yard just off the road. Note.........this is about 600 metres from the parking area.

Time.......the thing about Ballyandreen is that things are spread out a bit. The parking is about 600 metres from the registration point and it's about another 200 metres down to the start line.

The best option and the one that would really help the organisers would be to arrive early....say before 7pm. You have loads of time then to wander down to enter...head back up to your car.....get changed.....and then head down to the start line.

Where people get caught every year is that they arrive at say 7:20-7:30......it takes about 8 minutes to walk down to the registration point.......big queue.......then they are in a mad rush to get back up to the car, get changed and get back down to the start on time.

So get there early or if you can't help arriving late, then get changed beforehand and jog down to the registration with the €5 entry fee in your hand.

Course...........The start point is near the registration point. The initial half mile has a good bit of uphill running it with a downhill section near the 1 mile mark. After that it's not too bad although there is a very steep downhill section near the 2 mile mark, almost too steep to really run on properly. Then it's out onto the main road and head west towards the 3 mile mark. The 4th mile is without doubt the hardest. There is a bit of a drag just after the 3 mile mark but you are soon running downhill again.

However, just after 3.5 miles, you take a sharp left and the 'Beast of Ballyandreen' welcomes you!!

Panoramic view from the top of the 'Beast'....high above the valley floor....

...although at this stage, you'll probably be half-dead and unlikely to notice

It basically is a 500 metre slog up a tough 'little' hill. You'll be glad to see the 4 mile mark because after that, the last mile is a complete contrast. After an initial flat stage, you soon start running downhill, through the crossroads, past where the race started and all the ways towards the finish near the coast for what will probably be your fastest mile.

Overall........A 5 mile road race in the quiet countryside of East Cork. If the term classic applies, then this is it.

Park Run comes to Cork...

Introduction.....Parkrun is an organisation that holds weekly timed 5 km runs throughout the UK. In more recent times, events have been introduced into Ireland. Old post in 2011 HERE 

It basically works by registering online and then getting a bar code to print out which you wear at any event you go to. Your bar code is then scanned at the end of each run and your time is updated to a results database.

Back in January, I had a post up about whether it was time for Park Runs to come to Cork? It generated a fair bit of debate with some holding different views on whether the concept was good for running or not.

The first event in Cork got underway in Macroom last Saturday, the 18th of May with 64 people taking part. This will be held now every Saturday in the Macroom Castle Demense at 9:30am. To take part, you need to register online first. More info HERE

The main idea behind the concept is that it is not a race but a timed run. You can do the exact same course a few weeks apart and you can see if your fitness is improving or not. You could also just use it as a training run or a casual run, whatever you feel like doing.


Looking at some of the other Parkruns in Ireland, here are some stats....
Enniskillen, Co.Fermanagh (Pop. 13.6k).....Numbers taking part 35 to 58
Cookstown, Co.Tyrone (Pop 11k).....Numbers taking part 18
Portrush, Co.Antrim (Pop 6k).......Numbers taking part 19 to 105

Macroom by comparison has a population of about 3,500 which is quite small.

The question now is how successful will it be in the long term? I have no doubt that there will be good numbers early on but what about in 6 or 12 months time when the novelty has worn off? Will people travel from Cork City and other towns to take part in it on a regular basis? Will it impact on local races? Will the glut of local races impact on it? Lots of questions with no answers. Only time will tell.

Latest info about Cork City Marathon entries...

The latest info from the organisers of the Cork City Marathon is that entries for the Half-Marathon are now full and they have extended the closing date for the full until Tuesday.

From the organisers......
(1) Marathon and Relay online entry will stay open until Tuesday 21st May. If your marathon or team hard-copy entry is in the post to arrive on or before Wednesday, we'll also be able to accept that. We'll also accept Youth Team entries until Wednesday, but you'll need to contact the marathon office for entry forms.

Online entry for the HALF MARATHON is now closed.

If you have a half entry in the post and we receive it on or before Tuesday 21st, we should be able to get you a place. Please note that we're dealing with a large backlog of paper entries. We will contact you only if we DON'T have a place for you. We'll get the backlog in over the next few days and get postal confirmation out to everyone as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.

(2) A very late-night update after a weekend of struggling through postal entries! Our marathon and relay online entries are open through this Tuesday. The half online is closed. We'll see what the postal entries are like today and Tuesday and will, of course, reopen entry if we have places left. At the moment, there are about 60 places so we'll update you on that as soon as possible.
BTW - apologies to people who think we're not answering the phone. Our system apparently doesn't give an engaged tone when we're on another call...and it's been busy!

Results of the Emer Casey 10 km road race...Sun 19th May 2013

A record 540 people turned out for this year's Emer Casey 10 km road race in Youghal, an increase of almost 12% on 2012. Considering that last year had been up 26% on the 2011 number and that there were even more events on this week as well, it's a remarkable number.

The Emer Casey Memorial...7th EMER CASEY MEMORIAL '10K'...Sunday 19 May 2013

Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
1    31:35    O'SHEA, Alan    Bantry AC    M    05:04.9
2    31:54    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:07.9
3    33:10    TWOMEY, Tim    Leevale AC    M    05:20.1
8     35:18    LEE, Lizzie    Leevale AC    F    05:40.7
14   36:27    MCCANN, Angela    Clonmel AC    F40    05:51.8
19   37:31    HOLLAND, Ann-Marie    St. Finbarrs AC    F35    06:02.1

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...(Updated Mon 20th @8am)
1) Doug Minihane has a gallery of almost 400 photos HERE
2) A slideshow of photos by Irene Hartigan HERE

(Photo courtesy of Doug Minihane)

Results of the Passage West Community 10 km road race...Fri 17th May 2013

This was a brand new race on the calendar and 200 people turned out for it. Considering that this was one of four local races in a space of four days, it was great to see so many people turn out for this race which raised much needed funds for a good cause.

Position #    Time    Name    Category    Club
1    33:53    John Meade    S    St Finbarrs
2    34:08    Michael Harty    O30    East Cork
3    34:57    Michael Dullea    O30   
15    41:17    Sineád Paley    O40    St Finbarrs   
28    43:07    Ann Marie Healy    O40     St Finbarrs
55    46:26    Rachel O'Callaghan    O30    Fitnessworx

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos.......(Updated Mon 20th @9am)
1) Mick Dooley has a small number HERE
2) Damien Quirke has a gallery HERE 
3) Martin Collins has a gallery HERE

Comments? Did you do this race? Any feedback? .........and what about the 'hills'! ;o)

Race report from Mick Dooley of the Cork BHAA.......
Took part in tonight's race in Passage, it was a very enjoyable event with a great turnout, think about 400 hundred in total made up of 250 entries in the 10k run and 200 hundred taking part in the 5k walk. Many of the 300 may not have run but paid the fee anyhow, think about 200 finishers in the 10k.

In relation to the 10k event, it was certainly a very challenging course. The first 3 miles were fast and flat along the seafront and after that, a never ending 2.5 miles uphill to finish with a downhill to the finish. The 10k was won by John Meade in a time of 33-50 and the ladies race won by Sinead Paley ahead of Ann Marie Healy.

After the race Kate Lonergan's Dad spoke about the progress Kate was having after a series of operations and was emotional when he saw 4 year old Katie take her first steps during the week with the help on an aid. John Lonergan, a Tipperary man living in Piltown Co Kilkenny was over come by the hugh local support for his daughter and praised the people that traveled from Tipperary and Kilkenny and indeed some people from England also. Johns sister Ann Quaid now living in Passage West is the family link in Cork and was delighted  to see her friend Francis Mc Elhinney a juvenile coach in Passage West club put together such a wonderful event. Francis thanked all the community and clubs for the support they had given. Race winner John Meade spoke afterwards of his appreciation and all he more the privilege it was for us to be able to run, and support the cause for Katie Lonergan.

Like any event the the after race party is very important and this one  did not disappoint........drink energy bar and bananas at the finish and then back to the club house for an abundance of fresh made sandwiches and home baking ,presentation of prizes and a lively session of live music, top marks I'd say.

(Photo courtesy of Damien Quirke)

Looking ahead to the Emer Casey 10k road race on Sunday...19th May 2013

Coming up this weekend, we have the Emer Casey 10 km road race in Youghal. Looking at the weather forecast, it looks as if most of Saturday will be a washout but things get a lot better on Sunday. If it seems wet very early on Sunday morning then don't let that discourage you, there should be a big improvement in the weather by the time the race starts.

The organisers sent on this following info... 
"The twin goals of the Emer Casey Foundation are to fund the best research and provide practical assistance to women diagnosed with gynaecological malignancy. The Foundation has funded 3 Research Scientists at T.C.D to the value of €500,000. The Emer Casey Foundation is now funding a Gynaecological Oncology Liaison Nurse at C.U.M.H. The position has been filled by Vickie Cleary who is a member of Midleton Athletic Club. Every cent raised by this race goes to carry out the work of the Foundation. Registration takes place on Saturday from 12 to 2 and on Sunday from 11.am at Pobalscoil Na Trionoide."........Juliette Casey

2013 race...1st male and female finisher get a set of SKINS as well as a cash prize.

This is a hugely popular race and for some reason, the sun nearly always shines on it! You can see some of the positive comments left about the 2012 race HERE

Pobalscoil na Trionoide

Entries.......Online registration is now closed. Registration will take place on Saturday May 18th from 12-2 pm or on Sunday May 19th from 11am at Pobalscoil na Trionoide, Youghal. Numbers will also be collected at this time.

Directions......It's very easy to find the registration point and start for this race. Just take the by-pass around Youghal and at the top of the hill, take the slip road that takes you into Youghal. After a few hundred metres, you'll see the school shown above on your left hand side. Parking is available at the school and on grounds adjacent to the school. Please do not park on the road outside the school as this is part of the race route


A full preview of the course with directions and photos can be seen HERE

All entrants will also receive a t-shirt as show below by Irish Olympian Sonia O'Sullivan...

Sonia is the patron of the Emer Casey Foundation and is involved in organising other Emer Casey Memorials in Melbourne, Australia on May 26th and in Brockwell Park London on Oct 27th. The New York date will be announced later.

A recent newspaper cutting just showing what this event is all about......

Weather Forecast for Munster...Fri 17th - Sun 19th May 2013

Weather forecast for Munster....Fri 17th May to Sun 19th May

Friday...Bright day with some pleasant sunshine. Isolated showers developing later in the day, some heavy. Decreasing towards evening time. Temp 13-15 deg.

Saturday.....A days of two halves. Dry in Munster for most of the morning but persistent rain developing later in the day. The best of the weather will be in the south-west...Cork/Kerry....with the rain arriving first in the north-east (Tipperary) from about noon onwards. The afternoon and evening will be a bit of a washout. Temp 11 to 13 deg C.

Sunday....Last of the rain clearing on Sunday morning. Nice bright day with improving temperatures, a bit more like May. Temp 12-15 deg C.

Outlook for the week ahead......A hint of some milder and dryer weather ahead. Brigth and dry on a number of days.

Results of the Fota Cheetah Run 4 mile race...Thurs 16th May 2013

Weather wise, it was a strange day with downpours of rain in Cork City in the afternoon and not a dro to be seen in Fota a few miles away. The wet weather eventually arrived around 7pm but cleared just in time for the race to start.

Yet again, another huge turnout  of almost 700 runners and this year, the introduction of chip timing seemed to work a treat. The only thing missing was a bit of sunshine!

1 Ben THISTLEWOOD             M     MS     (19:42)     19:42
2 James GRUFFERTY             M     MS     (19:57)     19:57
3 Tim ODONOGHUE             M     MS     (20:08)     20:08
20 Ann Marie HOLLAND             F     F35     (24:07)     24:08
30 Sinead PALEY             F     F40     (24:58)     24:59
43 Gillian COTTER             F     F35     (25:54)     25:56

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Doug Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE

Video...

The start of the race (Video by Fota Wildlife Park)


Some of the animals having their own race...(Video by Fota Wildlife Park)



Remember, John Buckley Sports will give a 20% discount on production of your Cheetah Run Race number from Friday May 17th until Sat May 25th, i.e. for one week after the race. This discount applies to anything bought in the shop. So for example, you could buy a number of items and you will get 20% off the lot. Spend €60 and you will have saved the entry fee of the race.

Results of the Fermoy 5k road race...Thurs 16th May 2013

Race 2...STREETS OF FERMOY '5K'

1     16:16    LYONS, Michael    Grange-Fermoy AC    M    5:14.0
2     16:23    WHITAKER, Allen    St. Finbarrs AC    M40    5:16.3
3     16:26    SIMCOX, Shane    Mallow AC    M    5:17.2
24    20:01    WOODS, Sharon    Mallow AC    F    6:26.4
30    20:22    GOGGIN-WALSH, Jennifer    St. Finbarrs AC    F    6:33.2
31    20:28    HAYES, Ann-Marie    St. Catherines AC    F    6:35.1

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Graded Track & Field - Wed 15th May 2013

There was a big turn out for the first round in the John Buckley Sports Track & Field Graded League in CIT on Wednesday, the 15th of May. In the mile event alone, some 48 athletes took part spread out over three separate races.

The full results of all events can be seen HERE

Videos below from Derek O'Shea...

Mens Mile race 1


Mens Mile race 2


Women's Mile Race...


The second round is on Monday, the 24th of May and this time it includes a 3000m race on the track.

Full schedule HERE