Preview of the Tramore Valley Park 5k - Sat 26th Nov 2011

This 5k race is hopefully the first of many in this location. The Tramore Valley Park is the name for Cork City's newest grassland park. Located just off the South Link road, it is very easy to access even for runners coming from further afield.

The race is organised by Bishopstown Lions Club in association with East Cork AC. The entry fee is €8 and ALL proceeds are going to Marymount Hospice. Please note that the race starts at 11am.

The main sponsor for the race is the Edge Sports Shop. They will be sponsoring all prizes for the race. They are actually located very close to the new park and are right alongside the Kinsale Road Roundabout. Shown on map below...

The Edge Sports shop Specialises in Running, Cycling, Swimming and Triathlon.  All sales staff participate in at least one but generally 2 or more of the sports and are able to give excellent advise to customers.  The new Superstore boasts a large Running Department and Swimming Department on the 1st floor; with stacks of bikes, clothing, accessories and electronics on the ground floor.  Keen runners for the respective clubs - Robert Patterson (St. Finbarr's AC), Dave Lyons (Mallow AC) and Barry Donovan (Leevale AC) rotate between the two shops depending on the day of the week.  Video Running Gait Analysis is available on demand at both shops to help customers select the best shoe for their running needs.

Current Sales promotions include for example a Free running T-Shirt with any pair of running shoes at the North Main Street Shop, and the Garmin Forerunner 110 at a Special Offer price of 160 Euro (without Heart Rate) and 190 Euro (with Heart Rate).

A final word - there is plenty of parking and customer toilets at the Superstore location.  Bike servicing is also carried out at very reasonable rates.  All of the full time mechanics have cycled for Ireland as well as having a background in bike mechanics.

Opening Hours:
Superstore:
Monday - Wednesday: 9.30 - 6.00pm
Thursday - Friday (LATE): 9.30 - 8pm
Saturday: 9.00 - 6pm
Sunday: 12 - 6pm

North Main Street:
Monday - Friday: 9.30 - 6.00pm
Saturday: 9.00 - 6pm

You can find their online store at http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/

The exact location of their store can be seen on Google maps .

They also have a smaller shop on the North Main Street in Cork City. All contact details are on their website.

Update!.....The Edge Sports Shop are giving away a Free Sponser gel (worth 1.25 Euro) with ANY purchase to any customer mentioning "Cork Running Blog"; strictly only 1 gel per customer.

Getting there.......
1) If you are coming out of Cork City on the South Link Road then easy enough, just turn left into the park.
2) If you are coming from the direction of the Kinsale Road Roundabout...which is probably the majority....then please note...you CANNOT turn right off the South Link Road and into the park...See the red X and the green dots.

Take the exit which will take you down past Harvey Normans, right at the next junction...past the entrance to the Black Ash Park and Ride...straight through the traffic lights and into the park.

Notes from the organisers...
The only entrance is off the South Link Road - either directly across from Woodies/Park and Ride or left turn coming out from the city. There is no right turn off the carriageway going from the Kinsale roundabout to the city.
Follow instructions/directions to the car park once inside the park. There are overflow parking facilities if the numbers are large.
Registration (€8), light refreshments after the race and very limited changing facilities will be in a marquee near  the city council offices
Toilet facilities will be available near the start/finish area. There will be water available near the finish.
Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the park.
Prizes: First 5 individual men and ladies thereafter category prizes for men and ladies Over 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60.
Other Facilities: Ample parking facilities near the Start/Finish area. Toilets will also be available. Note that only very limited (if any) changing facilities are available. Please come prepared. Light refreshments served afterwards.
Access Permission granted by Cork City Council
Athletic Permit granted by Athletics Ireland
Certified measured course using Jones Counter by John Walshe (Ballycotton Running Promotions)
Race results produced by Ballycotton Running Promotions

The Course.........
The course consists of 2 laps of a 2.5km route. About 70m after the start there is a sharp left hand bend. But the road is wide here and this should not be a problem. In general, the road surface is good. There are 2 sections where the surface is hardcore (like a forest road)......the top right of the map before the 2 mile mark and the stretch just before the the finish line. Otherwise, it is a flat course with a short slight drag at the one and half mile and two and three quarter mile marks (before the start line).

The park is not open to the public. It is still in a state of development. But spectators are welcome on this occasion and should fine good vantage points in order get a view of how the race develops.

There is a swale (large open drain) alongside (but well off the road) for some of the race route. The level of water will be deep enough at this time of the year. It should be regarded as dangerous and out of bounds.

Please note that the map above is an old one. The route as shown is reasonably accurate although one slight bend just after the start is omitted. The photo which is from ~2009 shows the site being capped. This is now all grass.


Overall........This is going to be a 'must do' race for a lot of people. The entry fee is only €8........it's for a worthy cause...reasonably fast and accurate course.......the curiosity of what the new park looks like.....and the fact that it won't be open to the pubic for several months yet should mean that it will get a good turnout. The current forecast is that it will be breezy but dry.