While the main media outlets have plenty of photos of the damage done by Storm Éowyn around the country, there were plenty of places where the damage didn't make the news.
At the Ríocht AC athletics track in Castleisland, Co Kerry, a lighting pole toppled over and crashed onto the track as shown above. At the time of writing, it's not clear if there was any damage to the track surface.
There was also some damage to the gym building with a door smashed by the high winds.
In two previous posts in March of 2024, I covered the story of the closure of the UCC athletics track at the Mardyke in Co City based on safety concerns.
The ongoing saga of the Mardyke athletics track - March 2024
Mardyke track shut down with immediate effect due to safety concerns
The latest news is that on the 22nd of Jan 2025, UCC issued a tender for the replacement of the existing damaged track.
"UCC hereby issues this information for Stage 1 Pre-Qualification Stage of a Two Stage Restricted Procedure for the Appointment of Works Contractors for Mardyke Track Refurbishment. The proposed works comprise the refurbishment of existing 8 lane non-porous athletics track comprising the removal and off-site disposal of all existing polymeric track and supply and installation of new track."
Link HERE
I'm not sure what the timeline is for this project but they usually take a lot longer that people expect. Late 2025? 2026?
The annual Run Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k is coming up this year on Saturday the 17th of May 2025. This event is popular with a lot of runners as it's a scenic route and many use it as a weekend away in Killarney.
Entries and info on the event website... https://runkillarney.com/
The Half-Marathon starts at 8am while the 10k starts at 9:30am.
From the organisers... "Run Killarney has 2 great races on the same day to suit all levels of fitness:
Run Killarney gives competitors the chance to run one of the world’s most breath taking and scenic routes. Routes subject to change.
The races are open to everyone, men and women alike, at all levels of running experience, walkers, newcomers and people who just want a challenge and a great day out.
This is a professionally run event and every effort has been made to ensure that all competitors needs are looked after.
2025 ROUTES TO BE CONFIRMED"
UPDATE - 23rd Jan 2025: The Half-Marathon is now sold out.
The race entry includes an event medal as well as dry fit running tops... a long sleeved one for the half and a short sleeved one for the 10k.
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Derek O'Keeffe recently put a video up on YouTube about a Cross Country race in Fermoy in 1979. Some might recognise the faces in the video which was held over 40 plus years ago.
Leave a comment if you recognise any of the faces.
This was probably the heyday of cross country running as the numbers taking part and watching are way bigger than would be seen in recent times.
Update: John Walshe kindly sends on the following information...
***
Thanks to the Denis McCarthy archives (and the following month’s Marathon Magazine), the short video shown is of the BLE Inter-Counties Cross-Country & BLOE Championships which took place at Fermoy on Sunday December 16th, 1979.
Held on the course used for the Grange International C-C on the Dublin side of the town, the video must have been taken by the local promoting Grange-Fermoy club as several of their young members and mentors are shown.
The senior race over at least 7.5 miles (12km) was won by John Treacy in a time of 39:59. The Waterford-man was then a double world champion, having won the titles at Glasgow (1978) and Limerick (1979). With Gerry Deegan second and Ray Treacy (brother of John) fourth, Waterford easily won the team title on 64 points with Limerick second on 96 and Cork third on 113.
First Cork athlete was local man John Hartnett in third and the other scorers for the Rebel County were: Donie Walsh (6th), Mick Walsh (18th), Richard Crowley (20th), Mick Lawton (22nd) and Pat O’Riordan (34th). Frank O’Meara – later to become a two-time world indoor champion – was back in 46th, one place ahead of another man who would go on to greater things, Liam O’Brien.
The women’s race was won by Mary Purcell from Deirdre Nagle and Jean Whitson, all Dublin. Purcell had a wide range of accomplishments, from competing over 800m at the 1972 Munich Olympics to winning the Dublin Marathon in 1983. In seventh place was another Dublin athete, Carey May, who would go on later that year of 1980 to become the winner of the inaugural Dublin Marathon.
The Cork team who finished second at Fermoy were: Catherine Hourihan (4th), Marie Buckley (8th), Marion Lyons (10th) and Valerie O’Mahony (14th).
The men’s junior race went to Andy Ronan from Wexford ahead of future three-time world indoor champion, Marcus O’Sullivan, only the third man after John Walker and Steve Scott to run over 100 sub-four-minute miles (total of 101).
Cork finished second in the junior race behind Dublin with O’Sullivan (2nd), John Hurley (12th), Joe O’Sullivan (15th), Martin Farmer (24th), Kieran Stack (29th) and Chris Lawor (30th). The man who provided the date and venue of this event from all of 45 years ago - Denis McCarthy - finished in 60th position of the 110 finishers.
And just for the record, last Sunday week Denis picked up another bronze to add to the near-100 county medals he has won when finishing third in the M60 category at the Cork Masters C-C in Bweeng.
The Cork BHAA IFF 5k was held in Little Island on Sun 19th Jan 2025 on what was a dry, overcast and mild morning. This was the first race of the year on the Cork BHAA calendar after the ESB Cross Country race earlier in January was cancelled.
Looking at the numbers, there were 356 finishers this year. As can be seen from the chart above, this is well up on last year and down a bit on 2023.
Looking at my results post for 2024, I noted that the numbers were probably down then due to the wind and rain on the day and that they would likely recover. Sure enough, the numbers for 2025 were up 90 on last year which is about a third.
It was about 140 down on the peak numbers in the 2012 to 2015 time period.
Full results HERE
* Personal Satisfaction (PS) *
So many people are unhappy with performance and times, so much that it takes from the overall enjoyment of being able to run. There is no long term future in that.
Elite athletes operate on a different level where their daily lives are structured around whatever type of training is required on any given day. Everything else will be made to fall into place around this. Rest, nutrition, coaching, psychology is fine tuned for maximum performance.
Us ‘normal’ runners are a different lot. We juggle daily domestic requirements, work takes another chunk of our lives and we are left to try to fit what we can into the rest of the week. We shoehorn training in around what we can get done. There is also injuries, recovery, sleep, nutrition, lack of full time physio assistance to be considered. What time will you be home to cook the dinner for us?
So before you beat yourself up after a race where you didn’t hit the time you wanted then ask yourself why?, but don’t be hard on yourself.
Maybe a better way to approach it would be, to do the best you can and then be willing to accept that and be satisfied.
Even with the best training there will be bad weather, a hilly course, or some other small thing to set you back. It isn’t a setback it is merely a recalibration of what you could possibly achieve on that day.
Some people avoid a challenging course as they will not hit a time. Forget that, make it a best performance for that course.
Before you go to your next race, try to approach it with anticipation and excitement, rather than fear and trepidation. It is much more enjoyable.
When you are asked after the next race how did you get on you can reply:-
Have a lovely weekend
#pwr
The Cork City Marathon is coming up on Sunday 1st June 2025. I have a standard 18-week training programme starting on the 29th of January which costs €144.
The weekly programme is tailored for each individual and requires weekly feedback by email. It's suitable for anyone looking to do their first marathon or for someone who wants to improve their times.
There are also 14,16 & 18 week programmes for the half-marathon.
If interested, send an email to johndesmondrunning AT gmail DOT com
If anyone is interested in training for any other race then you can find details on the coaching page... https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/coaching.html
Cork City Council has announced that a small section of the Blackrock-Passage Greenway (from Atlantic Pond to Holland Park Greenway access ramp) will be temporarily closed for 3 months to facilitate the construction of the new children’s playground and woodland walkways.
Pedestrians and cyclists will be diverted onto the Marina Promenade, rejoining the Greenway at Holland Park.
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| Raffeen with the railway crossing on the left |
The Cork BHAA MTU 5k is coming up on Sunday the 2nd of March 2025 at 10am.
The entry fee is just €5 for registered BHAA runners and €10 for non-registered. You enter on the morning of the race.
There will also be a free MTU race mug for the first 400 to enter on the day.
While Sunday the 12th Jan 2025 was a quiet day for road races in Cork, the annual Tom Walsh 10k in Caherconlish, Co Limerick attracted a large field of 416 runners.
Sharon Rynne of Leevale AC was the first woman home in a time of 36:45 while fellow team mate Conor McCauley finished 3rd in the men's race.
Full results HERE
Congratulations to Mary Sweeney on achieving her 200th parkrun this morning in Ballincollig, the Queen of road running in Cork and beyond . An amazing lady that travels the length and breath of the country to road races to represent both club and county for almost half a century.
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| Mary & friends celebrate the 200th milestone |
She reminded us all of this day 40 years ago when she won the home countries cross country in Mullingar. Mary has completed at every distance from 5k right up the marathon. And thanks to the reintroduction of the Cork City Marathon in 2007 Mary got back on the Marathon shoes to bring her Marathon total to 53 marathons.
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| Mary with photographer extraordinaire Mick Dooley! |
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| 250 parkruns for Felicity Dawson |
* Be Safe *
I didn’t run this week but then I think that might apply to most of you as well. Don’t worry about it.
We get these weeks every now and then, so it is important to accept it and don’t put yourself or anyone else in danger by taking a risk.
Losing a weeks training may be a setback. A fall or an injury picked up could have far longer consequences for your fitness.
If you take a week off in Summer for a holiday then that is ok, so put this week in perspective, it shouldn’t have a major effect.
'O Wind, if Winter comes can Spring be far behind?'...
It can be hard so early in the New Year when plans are swirling in the head and you are bursting to get going but don’t risk it.
Thanks for all the lovely comments with regards my injury. I may not be running for some time and getting my head around that has been difficult. I’m waiting for specialist appointment to plan a recovery and hopefully it will include the bike, as that will give some decent aerobic exercise and fresh air.
I’m not the first and won’t be the last to pick up a serious injury. It is the head now needs to come to terms with all of it.
I usually run a few days every week and have done since 'forever'. I have never missed an entire month and as of tomorrow I will be 6 weeks off the road. Eternity.
- Adaptations required
- Positives to it all
More time for coffee.
I’m free to cycle on the Midleton - Youghal Greenway (hopefully) so if anyone wants some company let me know.
I’m not filling the washing machine with mounds of dirty wet gear from running.
I don’t have to get up early on Saturday Mornings.
More time for reading. Santa was good to me and I have a fine stash.
Fortune saved on entry fees to races but that will probably spent on more coffees..!
‘Even if the hopes you started out with are dashed, hope has to be maintained.’ ....
Have a lovely weekend and stay safe. The thaw is on the way.
#pwr
