Friday Jigsaw: Pat Walsh & Co at the Dungarvan 10

It's been a while since I put up a jigsaw! This 150-piece online jigsaw is of Pat Walsh & company at the 2026 John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile road race last Sunday.

You can find it HERE

Notice: Karen Fenton Memorial 5k in Ballinora - Sun 26th April 2026

The Karen Fenton 5K Memorial Run is scheduled to take place this year on Sunday 26th of April 2026 @ 12:30pm. The location is for the 5k is in Ballinora which is just to the south of Ballincollig in the western part of Cork City.

Entries...You can enter online HERE

Entries will also be taken on the day for the same price.

From the organisers.....We are delighted to welcome runners and walkers back to Ballinora for this special community event for all the family! 

The Karen Fenton Memorial Run is a 5km road race, which is being organised and hosted by the Fenton Family, in association with St Finbarr's AC, in memory of Karen Fenton, who passed away from Ovarian Cancer, on the 30th of April 2017, aged 43.

Kids welcome to join for a fun walk/run. Or for those athletes amongst the kids they are most welcome to be chipped and timed.

Any additional donations are welcome as we continue to fundraise for Ovarian Cancer treatment, diagnosis and support services.

Teams are encouraged. Perhaps chat with your colleagues, form a team or teams and compete!

Visit http://www.karenfenton.ie/ for more information.

Location...Ballinora is located just south-west of Cork City and to the south of Ballincollig.

It can be accessed by taking Exit 1 on the Ballincollig bypass or going via Waterfall. See the course map below.

Course..... The 5k starts just to the north of Ballinora on a quiet country road.

The course is pretty reasonable with a gentle climb although it does have a bit of a see-saw finish...

There are two small hills at the end which while a bit testing are also quite short. An action packed last km! :o)

This is a video of the course from a few years ago...

Notice: Midleton Greenway 10-mile race - Sun 8th March 2026

The second running of the Midleton Greenway 10 Mile Race will take place on the new Midleton to Mogeely Greenway on Sunday March 8th 2026, at 11am.

Entries: You can enter online HERE

Entry Fee: €30 (+ booking fee). Please Note: Entries Limited

Online entries close midnight Thurs 5th March

The map above shows the route and it really is dead flat. The race starts at the start of the Midleton Greenway, goes as far as the old railway station in Mogeely and then turns back.

The turnaround point in Mogeely is shown below...

The route crosses one small country road and this will be manned by stewards. A view of the Greenway is shown below...

Nice and quiet. You run on the left on the way out, you run on the left on the way back.

There will also be a special beanie for all participants.

It's also worth mentioning that this is a fundraiser for a new athletics track in the East Cork region.

The group behind this is CEASC - Cork East Athletic Sporting Community. This is a big project and will take years before it's completed but this event will help to promote and fund the project.

Just one more thing. Everything is very close for the race. The race HQ is the GAA club which is across the road from the railway station. You go through the railway station and over the footbridge and you're at the start of the Midleton Greenway. More info below...

Info from the organisers.... Our second undertaking of this 10-mile race, takes place on Sunday, March 8th on the Midleton to Mogeely Greenway (that's 5 miles out and back).  This flat, fast course, with course records set by Michael Harty (50mins 16 secs) and Hannah Steeds (57 mins 33 sec) in last year’s inaugural race, will yet again attract athletes from near and far.

A vibrant atmosphere is guaranteed along the race course, and the safety of the Greenway is ideal for families to come along and support competitors on the day.

But this isn't just another race; all proceeds will go towards delivering a regional athletic sporting hub to, and for, all communities of Cork East. This sporting hub will provide all weather and all year round, fully inclusive spaces, delivering opportunities for all ages and all abilities to enhance their physical and mental health, build friendships and strengthen communities through competitive and recreational sport.

Lead group at the turnaround point in the 2025 race

Our team of race organisers have been busy planning this race for the past few months and are delighted with the support from Cork County Council, Iarnród Éireann and our race sponsor Eirgrid.

This is an Athletics Ireland registered event, hosted by hosted by Aghada Running Club in association with CEASC.

Route: The race will start on the new Greenway which is on the north side of the Midleton train station (Eircode: P25 RX85). Participants will then head east along the Greenway to Mogeely where they will turn and return to Midleton. This is as fast a course as you could get.

Start Area: Midleton Greenway at North Side of Midleton Train Station

Race HQ & Registration: Race HQ, Registration and Post Race Refreshments will be Midleton GAA Club (Eircode: P25 TD73) which is directly opposite the main entrance to Midleton Train Station.

Main Entrance to Midleton Train Station &  Race HQ Midleton GAA Club

Also the train from Cork which stops in Little Island, Glounthaune and Carrigtwohill will bring you directly to the race start and Registration HQ.

Prizes: Male and Female Overall: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place

Note: The 1st place Male and Female prizes will be doubled if the winning athlete breaks the course record.

Category Prizes:  Female: 1st and 2nd place in each of the following age categories: O35, O40, O45, O50, O55, O60 and O65

Male: 1st and 2nd place in each of the following age categories: O40, O45, O50, O55, O60, O65 and O70

Loads of Spot Prizes

Note: This is a community fundraising event. Tickets will be non-refundable

More details on the CEASC Website... https://www.ceasctrack.com/

Midleton 5k parkrun is 1-year old

The Midleton 5k parkrun started on the 2nd of February 2025 and it is now one year old! The numbers are shown in the chart above and it really has been a great success. Let's have a look at some stats.

a) The first event had 636 finishers.

b) There were 51 events in the first year and the average number of finishers per week for the full year was 165.

c) The most obvious aspect of the chart is the large initial surge in numbers. If we take out the first four events, we get an average of almost 147 for the rest.

d) Looking at the chart, it seems to take about 8 weeks for the novelty factor to wear off so if we ignore those first 8-weeks then we get an average of about 140. This could probably be considered to be what the real average is for the event at present. 

e) Looking back at my own stats, I put up two posts on the blog about this parkrun starting... one in Dec of 2024 and one in Jan of 2025. The associated posts I put up on the Running in Cork Facebook page got about 43,000 and 89,600 views respectively. It's obvious that there was a lot of interest in this new event in Midleton.

The 'Surge Problem'... This is a problem facing new 5k parkruns starting up near urban areas.

Parkrun tourism is a thing and some people will travel far and wide to take part in inaugural events. Hence, the huge spike of 636 finishers.

Add to that, you have the novelty factor as people try out a new parkrun for the first time to see what it like. In the case of Midleton, it seems to have taken about 8-weeks for this to end and for the numbers to level off at a more natural level.

Problems... The caveat here is that the Midleton example is a sample size of one but it's a useful template for what other new events would experience.

a) Parking... Can a new event cope with the influx of cars for the inaugural event and the first few weeks?

b) Course capacity... Is the course wide enough to cope with all of those people for the first few weeks? 

c) Volunteers... While experienced volunteers from nearby parkruns are likely to help out with the start of a new parkrun, the core team of any new parkrun are a group of people learning the ropes while the numbers are at their highest.

The big numbers put a lot of stress on the system... timekeepers trying to count all finishers, the person trying hand out all the finish tokens, the funnel person trying to keep everyone in sequence and all of the barcode scanners trying to record everyone.

Solution???... I have heard that some new parkruns try to keep the inaugural event quiet and not to announce it in advance. A small number of local people know about it and they manage to get the first event completed without any big numbers or drama.

It's only a partial solution however as after the inaugural event, the cat is out of the bag and the novelty factor kicks in.

Looking forward, there's talk of a new 5k parkrun in Carrigaline and they are likely to experience some of the same issues as Midleton.

At least these are 'good problems' to have, it would be worse if the numbers were so poor that there weren't enough volunteers for an event to be viable or carry on.

Notice: Skibbereen 10-mile & 5-mile road races - Sun 8th February 2026

Skibbereen AC are holding their annual 10-mile road race in west Cork on Sunday the 8th of February 2026. There is also a 5-mile option for anyone preferring a shorter distance.

This is very much a traditional type of road race with loads of refreshments afterwards (i.e. tea, coffee, sandwiches, cakes, etc) and there are hot showers in the GAA club changing rooms.

Proceeds from both races go towards the Palliative Care Services in Skibbereen Community Hospital and St Patrick's BNS classes for children with autism.

Entries HERE

Registrations will also be taken on the day at the O Donovan Rossa GAA pavilion from 10:30am onwards. The entry fee for the 10 mile is 25 Euros while the entry fee for the 5 Mile run is 20 Euros.

The 10 Mile race will get underway at 1pm with the 5 Mile Run starting at 1:15pm.

Results & Photos of the John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile road race - Sun 1st Feb 2026

In contrast to some previous years, the weather was stunning for this years John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile road race with blue skies and sunshine. Almost 3000 runners took to roads for this race in west Waterford, the largest of its kind in Munster.

Despite what the final times might suggest, there was a real tussle in the men's race for first place. From my elevated vantage point, I could see that at about 9.5 miles that both Jake O'Regan and Killian Moon were running together. However as you can see from the photo I took above with about 450m to go, Jake had opened up a commanding lead on the final hill.

In the women's race, Emily Sisson from the US was the clear winner with a time of 53m 22s. Emily has a marathon best time of 2h 18m.

Top 10 men & women...

1 Jake O'REGAN 48:47 2102 M MS St. John's A.C.
2 Killian MOON 50:04 2123 M MS Donore Harriers A.C.
4 Paul MOLONEY 50:41 2118 M M45 Mallow A.C.
5 Evan FITZGERALD 50:45 2122 M MS West Waterford A.C.
6 Kane COLLINS 51:07 2099 M MS Donore Harriers A.C.
7 Sergiu CIOBANU 51:32 782 M M40 Clonliffe Harriers A.C.
8 Damien MADIGAN 51:48 552 M MS North Cork A.C.
9 Sean DAVIN 51:56 298 M MS St. Finbarrs A.C.
10 Mark WALSH 52:09 2097 M MS Leevale A.C.
1 Emily SISSON 53:22 4458 F FS New Balance
2 Jessica COYNE 55:56 4140 F FS Leevale A.C.
3 Dee GRADY 56:41 4456 F F35 Ennis Track A.C.
4 Kealey TIDESWELL 59:22 3248 F F40 Clonmel A.C.
5 Lauren DERMODY 59:28 3015 F FS Castlecomer A.C.
6 Niamh STAUNTON 59:36 4257 F FS St. Abbans A.C
7 Elle O'DRISCOLL 1:01:20 4182 F FS Liffey Valley A.C.
8 Carol FINN 1:01:37 3601 F F35 Leevale A.C.
9 Caroline HASSETT 1:01:54 3189 F F40 Templemore A.C.
10 Mollie O'DONNELL 1:02:13 3565 F F35 Liffey Valley A.C.

Full results HERE 

Photos... (Updated 2nd Feb 21:13)

1) There are about 1600 photos up on the Running in Cork Facebook page...

a) Pre-race b) Just after the first loop - 1 of 3 c) Just after the first loop - 2 of 3 d) Just after the first loop - 3 of 3

e) Last hill 1 f) Last hill 2 g) Last hill 3 h) Last hill 4 i) Last hill 5 j) Last hill 6 k) Last hill 7 l) Last hill 8 m) Last hill 9 n) Last hill 10 o) Last hill 11 p) Last hill 12 q) Last hill 13 r) Last hill 14 s) Last hill 15 t) Last hill 16 u) Last hill 17

2) MyRunResults have a small gallery of some of the faster runners HERE

3) Mick Dooley has loads of high quality photos... a) 1-mile mark b) 3-mile mark c) Top finishers d) Finish line

4) Sportsphoto Ireland has about 500 photos HERE

5) John Troy has plenty of photos HERE

6) Maurice Cronin has a batch of photos... Start ... 9m mark ...

Video...

1) Anthony Foley has an aerial view of the start HERE

6.000 EURO DONATED TO CHILDRENS HEALTH FOUNDATION CRUMLIN BY RUNNERS OF THE DUNGARVAN 10

From West Waterford AC... "This year our charity partners at the John Treacy Dungarvan 10 was the Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin and we were delighted that you the runners through your generosity and also from the race organisers West Waterford AC donated 6,000 euro to this most worthy charity.

Our thanks to Catherine Sheehan Community Engagement Executive children’s foundation Crumlin came along on Sunday and was presented with the cheque on behalf of all who donated to the cause." 

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 31st Jan 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 31st January 2026. Approximately 1340  runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

Report... After weeks of ice and rain, it was a lovely day for this weeks 5k parkruns in Co Cork and the numbers swelled to over 1300 finishers across the eleven events.

Tramore Valley Park... Well done to Catherine Lordan who completed her 100th 5h parkrun this weekend! 47 of these were at TVP while 50 were in Ballincollig.

Ballincollig... Well done to Jane Moffat who earned her 250th parkrun volunteer credit this weekend!

ONGOING

If I missed anyone who passed a notable milestone like 100, 200, 250 or above parkruns then let me know.

Upcoming milestones....

a) Glen River #300 in late Feb

b) Youghal #200 in late Feb

***

Ballincollig Regional Park:  345 this week, 224 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Unknown   

2 Shane BUCKLEY Male SM30-34 18:39

3 Tony MC KEON Male VM35-39 18:44

20 Fiona KAVANAGH Female SW25-29 21:49

31 Lauren CLARKE Female JW15-17 Westport AC 22:37

43 Maressa MILLS Female VW40-44 23:35

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/410/

Tramore Valley Park: 300 this week, 206 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Oisin WHYTE Male SM20-24 18:10

2 Michael O REGAN Male VM50-54 18:40

3 Kevin PURSER Male VM50-54 Sinfin RC 18:57

16 Carmel CROWLEY Female VW55-59 20:28

21 Isabelle CROWLEY Female JW11-14 20:39

42 Tania HELEN Female SW30-34 22:24

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/187/

Glen River: 69 this week, 58 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Loic GAREL Male VM40-44 St Finbarrs AC 20:08

2 Ciarán MURRAY Male VM40-44 Togher AC 21:15

3 David CLARK Male VM35-39 21:35

10 Mags HASSETT Female VW50-54 St Finbarrs AC 23:42

15 Magdalena SMIGAJ Female SW30-34 24:27

17 Caroline GREENOUGH Female VW55-59 Steel City Striders RC 24:42

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/296/

Midleton Greenway: 178 this week, 85 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Noel CONROY Male VM40-44 18:42

2 Jamie BUCKLEY Male SM30-34 18:58

3 James 0 MAHONY Male VM35-39 19:10

8 Emma BELL Female SW18-19 20:49

11 Nollaigh O'NEILL Female VW50-54 21:06

17 Lily MURRAY Female SW20-24 21:59

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/51/

Mallow Castle: 88 this week, 67 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Thomas BROWNE Male SM20-24 16:53

2 Vinny GRIMES Male SM30-34 19:49

3 Noel O DONOGHUE Male SM25-29 20:04

18 Elaine O'CALLAGHAN Female VW40-44 23:41

22 Sadhbh O LEARY Female JW11-14 24:20

25 Aoife O FLYNN Female VW35-39 24:28

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/214/

Youghal (Pobalscoil ne Tríonóide) : 45 this week, 20 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Alan COLEMAN Male VM35-39 19:48

3 Pj AHERNE Male VM35-39 23:19

4 Tim LLEWELLYN Male JM10 24:32

2 Éadaoin COLEMAN Female VW40-44 22:14

8 Josephine O SULLIVAN Female VW45-49 24:52

10 Claire MURPHY Female VW50-54 25:54

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/196/

Macroom Castle Demense: 79 this week, 55 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Henry BROWNE Male VM45-49 18:54

2 Conor LUCEY Male VM40-44 19:03

3 Tony OSULLIVAN Male VM45-49 West Muskerry A.C. 21:29

19 Mary MCHUGH Female VW40-44 24:55

27 Margaret LUCEY Female VW45-49 26:30

28 Carmel PURCELL Female VW45-49 West Muskerry A.C. 26:37

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/562/

Clonakilty:  8 this week, 25 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Alex O SHEA Male VM50-54 St Finbarrs AC 19:15

2 Tadhg COFFEY Male JM10 21:20

3 Noah O'SHEA Male JM15-17 21:50

8 Anna O'NEILL Female VW55-59 23:15

13 Eileen MCCARTHY Female VW55-59 Galway City Harriers 23:55

14 Marie PIGOTT Female VW35-39 24:07

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/518/

Glengarriff Woods: 100 this week, 88 last week.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Peter LITTLE Male VM50-54 20:06

2 Darren ALLMAN Male SM20-24 20:42

3 Finn CONNER Male JM15-17 21:14

5 Genevieve COLLINS Female SW30-34 21:28

10 Meave QUINLAN Female VW40-44 24:45

26 Mary MANNION Female VW60-64 29:26

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/439/

Bere Island: 56 this week, 41 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Michelagh MURPHY Female SW20-24 21:15

3 Julia O SULLIVAN Female SW18-19 24:26

7 Emma FENTON Female JW11-14 24:54

2 Cyril MCNAMARA Male VM60-64 21:45

4 Tadhg HOBBS Male SM18-19 24:35

5 Edward STEL Male VM55-59 24:44

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/530/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 22 finishers this week, 14 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Patrick O'DRISCOLL Male VM35-39 19:08

2 Florence FITZGERALD Male VM35-39 21:46

3 Stephen CONNOLLY Male VM45-49 23:47

4 Sharon LEVIS Female VW45-49 26:22

9 Kamila JAKUBOWSKA-SWITAJ Female VW45-49 Fota Island Running Club 28:40

11 Sharon POULTER Female VW45-49 29:20

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/450/

For more information about the weekly 5k parkruns in Co Cork, go to this page HERE.

Notice: Ballintotis 4-mile road race - Thurs 23rd April 2026

As the evenings gradually begin to get brighter, it's good to look forward to the Ballintotis 4-mile road race in east Cork. The race is on Thurs 23rd April 2026 at 7:45pm.

Enter HERE

From the organisers... All Set For Year 15 In Ballintotis

As the evenings gradually begin to get brighter, it's good to look forward to the Ballintotis 4-mile road race in East Cork. This year's race is on Thursday 23rd April 2026 and please note it will begin at 7:45pm. This is an important consideration if you're coming from the city and going through the tunnel. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time.

At the ready - the start of the Ballintotis 4 Mile Road Race in 2025

Entries opened on Sunday February 1st at https://eventmaster.ie/event/LdBbtp3H76.  It's year 15 this time around with another very big line up expected to take part - the 2025 race saw exactly 1,200 finishers - the second highest in the history of an event which is organised by the Ballintotis Road Race Committee in association with East Cork AC. 

A year ago three former race winners led the honours list as Leevale's Ryan Creech won the race for the second time in a new course record  of 19:05, getting the better of Sean Doyle of Cork City AC by 16 seconds, with East Cork's Michael Harty finishing third in a high class field.  Fiona Everard of Bandon AC, made a winning debut at the venue to take the ladies honours and has since gone on to enjoy a stellar cross country season at home and away.  

Olympian Lizzy Lee from Leevale is the current ladies course record holder (21:22), with her Irish International colleague Claire McCarthy posting the second fastest time around the course.

Runners head for the Finish Line in Ballintotis in 2025

Once again another top quality athletics occasion is set to take place at the picturesque location.  The usual comprehensive prize list awaits again with entry fee priced at €15 (including service charges) for Athletics Ireland members - non members pay an additional €2.  Intending participants should note that there is an option of  number postal service for an extra cost - this option will however not be available after Tuesday April 14th.  Alternatively  race numbers can also be collected  on Wednesday April 22nd (5pm to 8pm) or on race day Thursday April 23rd from 1pm until 7pm at Ballintotis Community Centre. Just like recent years, this year's race will also incorporate the Cork County Road Championships.

The history books tell us that this 4 mile race formerly took place in Castlemartyr, but East Cork AC moved the race to Ballintotis, which has proved a hugely popular location, with the venue boasting in excess of 1,000 participants on a number of occasions. The scenic 4 mile loop includes a lap of road bordering Loughaderra Lake in the closing stages. Again this year's race offers great value for money with a very attractive prize structure of 1st to 6th overall and a full list of category prizes in all age groups (1st, 2nd and 3rd). As always all participants will receive the famous Ballintotis running buff.

Ballintotis - home of the big race on Thursday April 23rd

In the inaugural race 15 years ago James McCarthy took top spot with a time of 19:54. McCarthy went on to win the race a remarkable eight times in a row, his best time being 19:23 set in 2016. Then in 2018 ... a new man was on the podium as another East Cork A.C competitor Michael Harty won in style and in the process set a new course record of 19:15, with the previous record also being broken by Sergiu Ciobanu who was runner up. Following the 2 year covid break the race has bounced back in style and continues to be one the most popular and high profile 4 mile road races in Ireland. Ryan Creech has since broken the course record on two occasions.

Race HQ - Ballintotis Community Centre

*Finally,  please note updated info regarding this year's race with details of car parks etc will be highlighted in the week before the race..  

Email enquiries to ballintotisrace AT gmail DOT com  OR call 089 4175296

Further ongoing updates will also be available on Ballintotis Community Council facebook page

Flooding of the Clonmel parkrun course - Jan 2026

While many of the parkrun in Ireland get cancelled due to ice on the course, the Clonmel 5k parkrun has to put up with flooding as well when the River Suir bursts its banks.

Looking ahead to the 2026 Dungarvan 10-mile road race - Sun 1st Feb

The big race in Munster this coming weekend is of course the John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile on Sunday 1st of February.

Entry List... The race sold out back at the end of December 2025. The full list of the 3587 people who entered can be seen HERE

The gender split is 59% male and 41% female. 34% of the male field is under the age of 40 while 33.4% of the female field are under 40. 

I think a lot of people not involved in running think that it's a sport for young adults but the reality is very different. Most of the adults in road races and in athletic clubs are in the masters category.

Entries for this race opened on the 1st of Dec 2025 to Athletics Ireland club members only and there were 1,600 in the first week. When it opened to all on the 8th of December, the overall numbers swelled to 2600 by 5pm of that day. Overall, 48.5% of the entries are non-club entries.

Course... This is the 10-mile course...

There is a small loop at the start and then the route is mostly a big loop to the west of Dungarvan.

This is the start of the race...

The white line above show how the 3000 or so runners will be spread out for the start of the race. 

Once the race starts, the fast runners are off straight away but it will take a while before the back of the field will start moving. That's pretty normal and it doesn't matter because your time doesn't start until you run under the start line gantry.

However, it's important that the runners at the back stay on the right hand side of the road and clear the Collins Rd junction as soon as possible. A few minutes after the start of the race, the front of the race with cars, lead bikes and fast runners is going to come flying around the corner from Collins Road.

If you're going to use the portaloo then give yourself plenty of time. You don't want to be on the left hand side of the road a few minutes after the race has started and then find a wall of fast runners blocking you from getting to the start line.

This map shows the early and late stages of the race...

Early stages - Yellow arrows - You can see the loop at the start... then south on the Cork road until you turn right at about 1.9 miles and up a gradual hill. You then run past the finish line area... past the 3-mile mark and the start of the loop to the west.

Late stages - Pink arrows - There is a gradual climb up from the Brickey River to the 9-mile mark and then in along the flat towards Dungarvan. Before the roundabout, you turn left and up a slight hill and then around two corners to the finish line.

Overall there are a few small pulls along the route but it's a reasonably fast 10-mile route.

Weather Forecast... It looks pretty good. The isobars are well spread out so it's likely it will be cool but dry with light winds.

Addition info from West Waterford AC...

Parkrun Cork page now updated with links to previous posts...

I recently updated the Parkrun Cork page on the site with links to all the previous parkrun related posts. See HERE   (scroll down the page a bit to see them) 

It's interesting to follow the journey of parkruns getting established in Cork... from starting about whether it might be an idea to start parkrun in Cork... to now where there are eleven.

Notice: Cork BHAA MTU 5k in Bishopstown - Sun 1st March 2026

The Cork BHAA MTU 5k in Bishopstown is coming up on Sunday the 1st of March 2026 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 waterproof technical running cap with the MTU logo for the first 400 to enter on the day.

Some key points...

• All parking will be in the tiered car parks.
• Registration/catering & prizegiving will take place in the MTU Arena and there will be pedestrian access from the tiered car parks.
• Entry is on the day, no pre-entry.
• Shower facilities will be available in the MTU Arena.
• The start of the race will be around the main entrance to the tiered carpark/swimming pool roundabout.
• The finish will be on the athletics track on the MTU campus.
•  The 5k is for over 16’s only.

From the organisers: "We are asking runners to bring their own reusable cup for refreshments after the race. MTU has a Ditch the Disposables campaign across all MTU campuses which involves removing single-use cups from all canteens as part of it’s commitment to environmental sustainability. "

Course... The course is the same as last year and it's shown below...

The first km is mostly on a public road and this gives the field a chance to thin out it goes onto the Greenway behind MTU. It's a pretty flat course and there are no real hills to speak of. 

This is always a popular event and should get a good turnout.

A look at the new course for the Carrigaline 5-mile...

The 2026 Carrigaline 5-mile road race is coming up on Sunday 14th of February 2026... see this previous post.

In this post, we'll look at the new course for the 2026 race. The old and new courses are shown below...

The traditional route was one large loop whereas the new route is shaped like a spoon with a loop at the eastern end.

If you look at the map of the old course, you can see that it started and finished in a residential area which brought its own set of problems in terms of stewarding and traffic. The new course is more on the edge of the town and is less likely to cause disruption to local residents or motorists.

Doing a rough check, the number of junctions that need to have race stewards has reduced from 9 down to 5 which should make things easier. It's also good to get away from the roundabout and traffic islands in Shanbally where the road is narrow and can be busy with traffic coming from Ringaskiddy.

The section of road on the new course from 2.3 to 3.1 miles is a nice quiet country road and hardly any cars use it so it's ideal for a road race. 

On the map for the new course, I've shown the route of the new M26 motorway which is under construction. On the old course at about the 3.8-mile mark, the M26 will eventually cut this road in two resulting in a cul-de-sac.

You can see that the new course is completely to the south of the M26 which means it should hopefully be used for the foreseeable future.

In terms of which course is harder or easier then they're both about the same, there's not much in it really.

The start for the new course is about the same distance from the race HQ in the community hall. The new finish line is a bit further away than the old one but not by much.

One issue with any type of out and back course is if the front of the race will meet the back of the field. I had a quick look at this and the tail runners should have passed Coolmore Cross at about 1.5 miles by the time the front runners reach it which is about 3.5 miles for them.

In conclusion... The route of the new M26 motorway is going to cause problems with a number of road races in this area and the Carrigaline race is no exception. As time goes on, it's getting harder and harder to get permission for suitable race routes near populated areas. 

This new route looks like a good solution and should mean that there is a 5-mile road race in Carrigaline for years to come.

Talk in Kinsale by Sean Clifford about his run on the Wild Atlantic Way - Fri 30th Jan 2026

Sean Clifford from Kerry will be one of the speakers at a special free event in Acton Hotel in Kinsale on Fri 30th Jan 2026 at 7:30pm.

Sean completed all 2700kms of the Wild Atlantic Way in 30-days in 2025 and finished in Cork.

Talk - From Beara to Kinsale: The Cork Finish to Ireland’s Greatest Endurance Run

Sean writes... "FREE EVENT INVITATION :

I've been asked to speak in Cork about my crazy Wild Atlantic Way run, and I'll pop down to Kinsale to give a talk and answer any questions. 🏃‍♂️💨
there is alot that can be said about those 30 days ... but i will break down :
🌊 1. “The Night I Nearly Didn’t Start the Next Day 
There was one night on the Wild Atlantic Way where everything in me — physically and mentally — said stop.
Not dramatic… not heroic… just brutally human.
I’ll share what was really going on behind the scenes — and the one thought that got me back on the road after dawn.

🧠 2. “The Mental Trick That Got Me Through 2,700km”
It was not planning.
It wasn’t fitness.
It wasn’t toughness.
And it definitely wasn’t motivation.
There was one simple mindset shift I used over and over again — a trick that works just as well in normal life as it does when you’re shattered on the side of a windy Atlantic road.
I’ll break down exactly what it is and how anyone can use it.

🚗 3. “The Moment I Knew I Was Going to Finish”
Believe it or not, it didn’t happen near the end.
It happened weeks earlier — in the middle of a place where most people would have quietly quit.
I’ll tell the story of that turning point… the conversation… and why that moment changed everything.
=====
I'll also be joined by Daragh Morgan, who swam around Ireland – it should be good craic! 🏊‍♂️😂
Event Details: Free Entry 🎟️ (organized by the AMAZING Kinsale Triclub )
Location: Actons Hotel & Weddings, Kinsale 📍
Time: 7:30 PM on Friday, January 30th 🗓️ 
Let me know if you plan on coming! 📩
And as much as im looking forward to answering questions I am excited about being with people like Riona Courtney and Alicja Pilarska on the night ..... who kept me moving and believing day after day"

Approx 4,000 runners turn out for the 2026 Raheny 5-mile road race - 25th Jan 2026

The big road race in Ireland last weekend was the Raheny 5-mile in Dublin. As can be seen from the start line above, it's a huge race but I wasn't aware of just how big a race it is.

The chip timing results show a total of 3993 finishers which is incredible for a 5-mile race. It just shows that some of the races in Dublin are on a different scale altogether.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Jonas STAFFORD 23:08 6 M MS UCD
2 Colm ROONEY 23:10 3610 M M40 Clonliffe Harriers A.C.
3 Hugh ARMSTRONG 23:27 2 M MS Ballina A.C.
1 Michelle FINN 26:35 5 F FS Leevael A.C.
2 Faye DERVAN 27:04 4 F FS Dublin City Harriers A.C.
3 Maria MCGEE 27:07 4780 F FS Rosses A.C.

Full results HERE

As can be seen from the results above, the first woman was Michelle Finn from Cork in a time of 26m 35s.

First 3 women (L-R)... Faye Dervan 2nd, Michelle Finn 1st & Maria McGee 3rd

Looking back at the race calendar, this race had a headline entry fee of €30. Allowing for some no shows on the day, the organisers took in about €130,000 in entry fees alone which just gives an idea of some of the sums involved.

There were 2422 non-club runners in the results so Athletics Ireland would have made about €4,500 for this race alone with their one-day licence.