Cork clubs fail to turn out for Munster Cross Country - Nov 2023

I usually don't bother with cross country races as there isn't much interest in them. However, someone sent me an email to draw my attention to the Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championships which were held last Sunday.

Normally these Munster XC events are reasonably small events and it's normal for say 3 to 4 of the 6 Munster counties to appear in the adult races. Usually, they're made up mainly of runners from the host county with a smattering from the other counties.

This year, the Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championships were held near Riverstick in Co Cork. Results HERE

In the women's race, there were just 18 participants from all of Munster. Despite the fact that Cork was hosting the event, not one single club from Cork City or County managed to field a team of 4 women.

Clonmel AC and Ennis Track managed to fill the Gold and Silver team positions with no team finishing 3rd for Bronze.

The person that sent me the email noted that the Cork Athletics Board have spent well in excess of €300,000 for a dedicated cross country course that grows grass for silage for most of the year. When there is an event on, they can't even get the local clubs to turn out to support it.

Imagine if that money had been used instead to help develop proper track facilities around the county by way of grants. There have been quite a number of new 400m tracks around the country being completed which can be used by adults and children all year round.

Running in Cork News Bites - November 2023

Sometimes I come across some news items of interest but I don't have the time to put up individual posts about them. I'll collect these here every month under the new News Bites post.

Here are a selection of short news items that I came across during the month of November 2023.

29th Nov 2023 - No Cork Ironman in 2024... The Ironman organisation has announced that there will be no Ironman event in Youghal in 2024. This follows the two tragic deaths during the swim leg in 2023. It is provisionally supposed to go ahead in 2025.

23rd Nov 2023 - New 5k & 10k race in Bandon in 2024... While I was updating the race calendar, I noticed that there is going to be a new 5k & 10k race in Bandon on Sunday 28th Apr 2024. For many years, Bandon AC used to organise a 5-mile road race on New Year's Day. It also had a half-marathon event about a decade ago. In recent years, the club has been very quiet on the road race scene so this is their first event in quiet a few years.

21st Nov 2023 - Tralee Junior parkrun is almost 7-years old... On the 3rd of December 2023, the 2km junior parkrun in Tralee will be 7-years old. Looking at the stats, it has an impressive average of 90-finishers per week.

21st Nov 2023 - New 5k parkrun in Galway... This one might be of interest to those of you who like new parkruns. The University of Galway 5k parkrun is starting on Saturday 2nd Dec 2023. Info here... https://www.parkrun.ie/universityofgalway/

21st Nov 2023 - Beat the Train for Down Syndrome 10-mile... Another 10-miler was weekend was the Beat the Train event in Kilmeaden in Co Waterford with an out and back course on the Waterford Greenway. This is always a popular event and 366 crossed the finish line. Results... https://my.raceresult.com/268921/results

21st Nov 2023 - Gap of Dunloe Marathon & 10-mile... Last weekend seemed to be a particularly busy one for road races with at least four 10-mile events in Munster. One of these was the Gap of Dunloe Marathon & 10-mile in Co Kerry which had 51 finishers in the full marathon and 111 finishers in the 10-mile. Results... https://my.raceresult.com/269627/results

20th Nov 2023 - Glen River is 5k next weekend... This coming Saturday is Glen River parkrun's fifth birthday! The first 5k parkrun in the Glen was on the 24th of Nov 2018.

20th Nov 2023 - Clon 5k cancelled... Due to the Clonakilty Waterfront marathon, there will be no 5k parkrun in Clonakilty on Saturday 25th Nov 2023.

10th Nov 2023 - parkrun Ireland is 11-years old... This weekend (11th Nov 2023), parkrun Ireland will celebrate 11 years in operation and, with over 405,000 people registered. Since November 2012, and as of 6 November 2023, parkrun Ireland has held 28,463 5k events. With the recent addition of Fenit Greenway parkrun, there are now 106 5k events throughout Ireland. 

8th Nov 2023 - New 5m race in Clonakilty... Clonakilty Road Runners are organising a new 5-mile road race in Clonakilty on Sunday 28th January 2024. With a €25 entry fee, it's quite expensive but the proceeds are going to both Cancer Connect & the Irish Red Cross.

6th Nov 2023 - Ballyvourney Bypass opens... The final stage of the Macroom and Ballyvourney bypass finally opened on the 6th of November. It is expected to cut travel times between Cork City and Kerry by about 15 minutes. This in effect brings road races in Kerry closer for runners in Cork and vice versa.

6th Nov 2023 - Clonakilty Marathon Entries Closed... Entries for the 2023 Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k have now closed.

4th Nov 2023 - Fenit 5k parkrun off to a flying start... The inaugural Fenit 5k parkrun in Co Kerry was held on Saturday 4th of November 2023 with 206 finishers. This event takes place on the Fenit Greenway and could be a model for other parkruns around the country that don't have a suitable local park but there is an available Greenway.

4th Nov 2023 - Border Half-Marathon in Limerick sells out... The organisers of the Borders Half-Marathon in Corbally to the NE of Limerick city have announced that their event has just sold out. The event takes place on the 3rd of December 2023. This event doesn't have an Athletics Ireland permit and it doesn't seem to have made any difference. If people want to do a race, they'll do it regardless of any Atheltics Ireland permit.

4th Nov 2023 - Adare 10k sells out in just 2-days... There was a very strong demand for the 1000 entries for the next Adare 10k which takes place on the 25th of February 2024. The additional €2 for the Athletics Ireland 'one-day licence' seems to have little if any impact on races which are popular anyway.

3rd Nov 2023 - Consultation to be launched for proposed Abbeyfeale Greenway Connection... Limerick City and County Council have invited members of the public to make their views known on proposals for an Abbeyfeale Greenway connection to the Limerick Greenway via a cycle and pedestrian facility. The Greenway was opened in 2021 and stretches 40 kilometres along the former Limerick to Kerry train line, connecting the three market towns of Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West and Rathkeale. The old railway station in Abbeyfeale however is located about 800m north of the town and the town is essentially bypassed. There is a footpath alongside the busy R524 but the road isn't very bicycle friendly. It's hoped that this Greenway spur might encourage more visitors into the town from this popular route. Story HERE 

1st Nov 2023 - Dungarvan 10-mile entries to open at the start of December... West Waterford AC have announced that entries to their popular John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile road race opens for AI club members on the 1st of Dec and for everyone else on the 8th of Dec. See this post.

1st Nov 2023 - Vernon Mount Bridge finally opens... After a long wait, the new Vernon Mount bridge linking the Tramore Valley Park to Frankfield opened on Friday the 1st of November. Photos in this earlier post.

News Bites archive

Notice: Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 3rd Dec 2023

This popular 5 km road race is coming up in the town of Newmarket in North-West Cork on Sunday the 3rd of December 2023. This is a fast 5k course and gets a good turnout every year. The race starts at 1pm.

Entries HERE

As you can see from the race flyer above, one of the main attractions this year is that there is a long sleeve dry-fit top included in the entry.

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 25th Nov 2023

The 13th edition of the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon was held on Saturday 25th November 2023 with a total of 1237 runners taking part across the three events. The weather was cool and dry which contrasts with some of the previous years which were very wet.

As can be seen from the chart above, the numbers were well down on previous years. The marathon with 240 finishers was well down on the 400 or so which normally take part but at least it didn't get cancelled. The half-marathon had 594 finishers which is a steep drop from the usual 900 or so. The 10k had 402 finishers which is down on the 500 of last year.

Why the big drop???... First off, there was the whole debacle of where the event would be held? Going from Clonakilty to Courtmacsherry and back again.

However, the primary reason for the drop was probably the fact that entries only opened with 10-weeks to go. At that stage, a lot of people will have committed to other events and that's not even looking at the expense of trying to book accommodation in Clonakilty at the last moment. Events like this should be opening at least 6-months in advance.

The Clon Crew get a lot of criticism from a number of people but any event that can manage to attract over 1200 runners to Clonakilty on a cold day at the end of November isn't doing too bad.

Marathon - Top 3 men & women...
1 Tudor MOLDOVAN 2:30:58 1 M MS Clonliffe Harriers A.C.
2 Mike SHEEHY 2:49:31 189 M M40 West Limerick A.C.
3 Mike GRIFFIN 2:52:06 310 M M40 Mayo A.C.
1 Dolores DUFFY 3:39:04 1449 F F50 Watergrasshill A.C.
2 Kate SMITH 3:42:11 55 F FS
3 Emily AHERNE 3:44:36 201 F FS

Half-Marathon - Top 3 men & women...
1 Niall SHEIL 1:16:52 1463 M St. Killians A.C.
2 John O'BRIEN 1:19:35 1475 M Ballymore Cobh A.C.
3 Dan O'SULLIVAN 1:21:11 1690 M Donoughmore A.C.
1 Lorna WOLFE 1:26:24 1547 F Leevale A.C.
2 Karen WALSH 1:30:09 1146 F
3 Anita LOCKE 1:30:25 1657 F St. Finbarrs A.C.

10k - Top 3 men & women...
1 Mihai SPRINCEAN 29:51 2442 M Clonliffe Harriers A.C.
2 Mark WALSH 30:40 2438 M Leevale A.C.
3 Nathan Ryan O'HEHIR 32:46 824 M St. Finbarrs A.C.
1 Catherine MURPHY 36:24 2402 F Eagle A.C.
2 Genevieve COLLINS 42:22 2238 F Beara A.C.
3 Kate WALSH 43:14 2019 F

The results of all three events can be found HERE

Photos...

1) MyRunResults has a small gallery HERE

2) The organisers have a number of galleries out on the course...

a) Album 1 b) Album 2 c) Album 3

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 25th Nov 2023

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 25th Nov 2023. Approximately 775 runners and walkers took part in the 9 events in Co Cork.

Report... Conditions were cool but dry for this weeks nine 5k parkruns in Co Cork. Clonakilty was cancelled this week due to the Clonakilty marathon.

Glengarriff... Congratulations to Anna Spandrzyx who completed her 100th 5k parkrun! All 100 of Anna's parkruns were in Glengarriff.

Glen River... The Glen River 5k parkrun was 5-years old today. Short report with photos at the bottom of this post.

Ballincollig Regional Park: 250 this week, 255 last week. Long term average 284

First 3 men & women...

1 Darren MCCANN Male VM35-39 17:10

2 Enda GRANDFIELD Male VM40-44 17:49

3 Alan O'SULLIVAN Male VM40-44 18:40

6 Niamh CRONIN Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 19:41

21 Siobhan HOLLAND Female VW45-49 Eagle A.C. 21:51

27 Mairead PEREZ Female VW50-54 Eagle A.C. 22:22

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/302/

Tramore Valley Park: 155 this week, 182 last week. The long term average is 171.

First 3 men & women...

1 Barry TWOHIG Male VM40-44 St Finbarrs AC 16:07

2 Ken INCE Male VM40-44 Eagle A.C. 17:17

3 John O MAHONY Male VM45-49 St Finbarrs AC 17:40

4 Nicole DINAN Female JW15-17 17:47

9 Aoife QUIGLEY Female VW35-39 Crusaders Athletic Club 19:11

19 Clodagh CREEDON Female VW40-44 St Finbarrs AC 20:57

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/83/

Glen River: 78 this week, 53 last week. The long term average is 74.

First 3 men & women...

1 Loic GAREL Male VM40-44 St Finbarrs AC 19:18

2 Joe MEAGHER Male SM30-34 20:28

3 Kieran RUBY Male VM40-44 St Finbarrs AC 20:32 

17 Ailsa BERKELEY Female VW40-44 Blackrock AC 24:18

18 Rosemary MILTON Female VW35-39 Wibbly Wobbly Wonders 25:04

19 Gillian COTTER Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 25:22

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/182/

Mallow Castle: 52 finishers this week, 55 last week. The long term average is 62.

First 3 men & women...

1 Ruairi MANNING Male SM20-24 17:16

2 Conor LAVERY Male SM20-24 18:40 

3 John KELLY Male VM50-54 Mallow AC 19:30

5 Grace FINN Female SW25-29 Clapham Pioneers 19:59

8 Niamh LAVERY Female JW15-17 22:14

9 Ailbhe MCDAID Female VW35-39 22:30

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/110/

Youghal (Pobalscoil ne Tríonóide) : 50 this week, 48 last week. The long term average is 56.

First 3 men & women... 

1 Peter HOWIE Male VM35-39 Ballymore Cobh AC 17:00

2 Al O'DOWD Male VM50-54 Balbriggan and District AC 19:14

3 Finbarr KELLEHER Male VM35-39 20:33

7 Ornaith KEANE Female SW25-29 22:53

10 Shannon SOTOK Female SW30-34 23:21

11 Ingrid O'DOWD Female VW40-44 Balbriggan and District AC 23:44

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/89/

Macroom Castle Demense: 40 this week, 35 last week. Long term average is 51.

First 3 men & women...

1 John O'DONOGHUE Male SM30-34 18:18

3 John HORGAN Male SM25-29 21:40

4 Enda O'FLAHERTY Male VM40-44 21:59

2 Martina KIELY Female VW40-44 St Finbarrs AC 19:16

12 Claire CURTIN Female VW35-39 24:33

14 Carmel PURCELL Female VW45-49 West Muskerry A.C. 25:28

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/453/

Clonakilty: 22 this week, 28 last week. Long term average 36.

First 3 men & women... CANCELLED THIS WEEK DUE TO THE CLONAKILTY MARATHON

Clonakilty results... 

Glengarriff Woods: 71 this week, 68 last week. The long term average is 60.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Trevor MCGUIRK Male VM40-44 20:48

2 Stephen O'SULLIVAN Male VM50-54 21:06

3 Liam BREEN Male VM40-44 21:48

7 Deirdre HARRINGTON Female VW50-54 Durrus Athletic Club 24:01

8 Marian MINEHANE Female VW40-44 24:02

9 Breda MCELHINNEY Female VW55-59 24:10

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/324/

Bere Island: 23 this week, 24 last week, long term average of 46. 

First 3 men & women... 

1 Ben MURPHY Male VM40-44 21:34

3 Breandan MURPHY Male SM20-24 26:59

4 Russell BURGESS Male VM60-64 Skipton AC 27:09

2 Michelagh MURPHY Female SW18-19 21:49

5 Laura WALSH Female SW18-19 27:33

6 Mags O NEILL Female VW45-49 Beara AC 27:38

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/414/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 28 finishers this week, 14 last week. Long term average 28.

First 3 women & men...

1 Ciarán BOUSE Male VM40-44 Eagle A.C. 20:37

2 Florence FITZGERALD Male SM30-34 21:16

3 Danny MANNING Male VM45-49 22:54

5 Emma O' SULLIVAN Female SW30-34 23:31

11 Marie KELLY Female VW35-39 St Finbarrs AC 27:43

14 Deirdre O'BRIEN Female VW45-49 Bantry Athletic Club 28:44

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/335/

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

Guest report from Mick Dooley... The Glen River Parkrun celebrated its 5th anniversary parkrun this morning with all the regulars showing up for the party. 

One group of regulars with over 650 parkruns completed between them and still going strong .

Guest Post: The vital 5 weeks ...by Pat Walsh

 ** The vital 5 weeks **

Just a few weeks left in the Year and who knows what 2024 has in store for us?

Something nice I hope.

From now until the end of the Year can go a long way to starting on the right foot in January.

It is always a difficult time to train with bad weather and a post Christmas hangover can lead to a very poor January if you have been totally inactive.

How to counter it.

Get out now. Run a few miles whenever you can. Set a target of 2, 3 or 4 runs a week. Don’t be worrying about distance or pace, just get out there.

What you are trying to achieve is maintaining some base level of fitness that can then be worked on in January. 

This is far easier and will have much better results than a start from scratch, where are my running shoes hidden approach...!

Little and often also helps with the inevitable Christmas binge that most of us indulge in. You are not trying to improve your fitness, all you are doing is stopping it falling off a cliff.

You can enter a Spring race knowing that it is achievable with some speed work and specific distance runs. 

You can have optimism and confidence about the Year ahead.

You will be keeping the body in some sort of shape and not lose the routine of running and training. 

We cannot go hard 12 months of the year but it is good to just maintain a decent level of fitness. That can mean so many different things to different people, but apply it to your own situation. 

Get out but go easy. 

Be January Ready.

Am I a killjoy, Am I a scrooge, Am I a realist hoping to help?

#pwr

Friday Jigsaw: Cork BHAA Clearstream 5k - Nov 2023

For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a group photo from the recent Cork BHAA Clearstream 5k in Cork City.

This one has 294-pieces so it's a bit harder than usual. You can find it HERE

Training programme for the 2024 Cork City Marathon

The Cork City Marathon is coming up on Sunday 2nd June 2024. I have a standard 18-week training programme starting on the 29th of January which costs €135. 

If anyone feels that they need more time to prepare then I have a 22-week programme starting on the 1st of January for €165 and a 26-week programme starting on the 4th of December for €195.

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.

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 BHAA calendar for 2024 announced

The Cork BHAA have released their provisional calendar for 2024 and there are 19 events listed. They compares to 17 events in 2023 and 14 events in 2022.

Here are a few of the things that I've noticed...

1) New Races... The two new races are the Amazon 5k in the Tramore Valley Park in late March and the Thermo Fisher 5k in Currabinny at the end of July.

2) UCC 10k... There's no sign of the UCC 10k this year. This was one of the oldest BHAA races on the calendar but hasn't been held since March 2019. It looks as if this one is gone for good.

3) Cork to Cobh... Another one on the missing list is the Cork to Cobh 15-mile. It was put on the calendar for the last two years but I think that was out of hope more than anything else. It looks as if this is another one gone for good as well.

4) 10am is the new 11am... For long as I can remember, nearly all the Cork BHAA races on a Sunday morning have been at 11am. It now looks as if the new de facto start time on Sundays is 10am. It's probably a good move as the roads will be a bit quieter an hour earlier.

5) Tramore Valley Park... You'll notice that the Tramore Valley Park is going to be used twice for races in 2024. One of the challenges of holding a race in or near Cork City is trying to find a quiet and safe course. The Tramore Valley Park has plenty of parking and the course is safe. I wouldn't be surprised if we see more 5k races in there in the years ahead.

Here is the list of events for 2024. Note that it's provisional so there might be some changes.

Sun 7 Jan 10am ESB Cross Country Challenge 5km Beaumont Park, Blackrock
Sun 21 Jan 10am Dupont – IFF 5km Little Island
Sun 11 Feb 10am Janssen Pharmaceuticals 5km Little Island
Sun 3 Mar 10am MTU 5km MTU, Bishopstown
Sun 24 Mar 10am Amazon 5km Tramore Valley Park - NEW

Wed 10 Apr 7.30pm PwC 5km 1 Albert Quay, Cork
Wed 8 May 8pm Pfizer’s 6 Miles Ringaskiddy
Tue 21 May 8pm John Buckley Sports Online entries 5km Lee Rowing Club
Wed 12 Jun 8pm Musgrave 5km Cork Boat Club
Wed 26 Jun 8pm DePuy Synthes 4 Miles Ringaskiddy
Wed 3 Jul 8pm Sterling 5km Sterling (formerly Novartis)
Wed 17 Jul 8pm Gas Networks Ireland 5km Cork Boat Club
Wed 31 Jul 8pm Thermo Fisher 5km Currabinny - NEW
Wed 14 Aug 7.30pm Stryker 4 Miles Community Centre, Carrigtohill
Wed 28 Aug 7.30pm Cork Mental Health (Martin Lawlor Memorial)  5km Little Island

Sun 29 Sep 10am Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa Cork 5km Little Island
Sun 13 Oct 10am Defence Forces 5km Tramore Valley Park
Sun 17 Nov 10am Clearstream / Deutsche Börse Cork Marc O’Sullivan Memorial Race 5km Marina
Sun 15 Dec 10am Cork Simon Christmas Run 5km Blackrock Hurling Club Proceeds Cork Simon

If there are any changes, I'll update the race calendar.

Results of the Cork BHAA Clearstream 5k - Sun 19th Nov 2023

The inaugural Cork BHAA Clearstream 5k road race in Cork City was held on Sunday 19th November 2023. The race was held in memory of the late Marc O'Sullivan and got a good turnout of 475 runners and walkers.

Top 3 men & women...

Pos Name Cat Prize Time Company Team
1 Niall Shanahan M1 00:15:17 Dept of Ed M-A-3
2 Aidan Noone M2 00:16:04 Dept of Ed M-A-3
3 Anthony Mannix M3 00:16:09 Dell Technologies M-A-2
27 Nadine Forde 0/40F F1 00:18:07 HSE
51 Irene Eighan 0/40F F2 00:19:43 Sterling F-A-1
53 Fiona Riordan 00:19:48 Temp Reg

Full results HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy has 4 galleries...
a) Album 1 b) Album 2 c) Album 3 d) Album 4

Results of the Skibbereen 5m & 10m road races - Sun 19th Nov 2023

On what was a busy weekend for road races, a total of 142 runners turned out for this years Skibbereen 10-mile and 5-mile road races in West Cork.

Promoted by Skibbereen AC  

5-mile - Top 3 men & women...

Place Athletes Name Club Gun Category Bib
1 Justin Ryan Tri Club     28:21 SM 236
2 Aidan Mc Carthy     30:36 SM 82
3 Enda Fitzmaurice     31:00 SM 211
9 Julie O'Brien     33:35 SW 230
10 Orla Hayes     33:36 SW 240
16 Siobhan O Leary East Cork AC     34:57 SW 98

Full results HERE

10-mile - Top 3 men & women...
1 James Dolan An Riocht     55:43 SM 436
2 Danny Mullins Bantry AC     58:08 SM 411
3 Kevin Wilmot Bandon AC     58:45 SM 439
9 Nollaigh O Neill   1:05:55 SW 416
11 Clara Ryan St Finbarrs AC   1:06:48 SW 423
20 Ann O' Driscoll   1:15:58 SW 429

Full results HERE

Results of the Cloyne Commons 4k - Sun 19th Nov 2023

The first race in the Cloyne Commons 4k series was held on Sunday 19th Nov 2023 with 258 runners crossing the finish line.

Top 3 men & women...

1 1277 Michael Furlong East Cork AC MJ 13:19
2 270 Keith Kelly Youghal AC M45 13:22
3 613 Peter Howie Ballymore Cobh M35 13:27

15 1251 Rebecca McEvoy St Finbarr's AC F30 15:01
28 423 Emma Leahy Unattached F30 15:48

31 1253 Jacqueline Hughes Cork Track F30 16:07

Full results below...

 Place Race Number Name Club Category Time
1 1277 Michael Furlong East Cork AC MJ 13:19
2 270 Keith Kelly Youghal AC M45 13:22
3 613 Peter Howie Ballymore Cobh M35 13:27
4 803 Donal Giltinan East Cork AC M40 13:32
5 925 Dinny McLean Midleton AC MJ 13:42
6 1284 Diarmuid Collins East Cork AC M35 13:53
7 1260 Paul Kearney Aghada RC M40 13:57
8 247 Paul Cotter Eagle AC M45 13:59
9 625 John O Donovan Ballymore Cobh M35 14:06
10 930 Seamus McSweeney St Nicholas AC M50 14:09

Results of the Churchtown 10-mile road race - Sat 18th Nov 2023

There were 324 runners for the inaugural Churchtown 10-mile road race in N Cork on Sat 18th Nov 2023.

From the feedback I got, the course was nice and scenic but certainly not flat. It's probably on a par with the likes of the Kinsale or Cobh 10-miler rather than Dungarvan or Mallow.

Top 5 men & women...

 Place Athletes name Club Gun Chip Division Bib
1 John Kinsella Bilboa AC     54:04     54:04 SM 168
2 Paul Moloney Mallow AC     54:35     54:35 SM 218
3 Niall Gilchrist Hanwell     55:54     55:53 SM 114
4 Vivian Foley Eagle AC     56:22     56:22 M50 108
5 Michael Morgan St Finbarrs AC     56:36     56:36 M45 380
27 Niamh Cronin St Finbarrs AC   1:05:44   1:05:42 SF 60
29 Breda Gaffney Mallow AC   1:06:07   1:06:05 SF 112
30 Linda Kelly Carrigaline AC   1:06:31   1:06:30 SF 158
37 Rachel Finn Friars Walk   1:08:54   1:08:50 SF 96
44 Anne Marie Halpin Clonmel AC   1:09:51   1:09:43 F45 123

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) Niamh Barrett has a gallery of about 140-photos HERE

and some photos of the first water stop HERE

2) Susan Daly Photography has a number of albums
a) Prizes & Groups
b) Finish line 1
c) Finish line 2
d) Finish line 3
e) Finish line 4

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 18th Nov 2023

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 18th Nov 2023. Approximately 756 runners and walkers took part in the 10 events in Co Cork.

Report... The numbers seem to down a bit this week for the 5k parkruns in Cork and this is probably due to misty weather. While there were a few scattered showers, I suspect it was mostly dry for most events.

Bere Island... Well done to John F O'Sullivan who has completed 100 5k parkruns! John has done 85 of the 100 on Bere Island.

Ballincollig Regional Park: 255 this week, 340 last week. Long term average 285

First 3 men & women...

1 Kevin O'SULLIVAN Male SM30-34 18:31

2 Unknown        

3 Paul KELLY Male VM45-49 St Finbarrs AC 18:42

30 Denise HALLISSEY Female SW30-34 22:41

32 Siobhan HOLLAND Female VW45-49 Eagle A.C.

38 Mairead PEREZ Female VW50-54 Eagle A.C. 23:23

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/301/

Tramore Valley Park: 182 this week, 203 last week. The long term average is 171.

First 3 men & women...

1 Conor O'NEILL Male VM45-49 17:35

2 John O'DONOGHUE Male SM30-34 18:07

3 Eoghan CORMICAN Male SM30-34 18:08

10 Sorcha KEARNEY Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 21:00

15 Siobhan WALSH Female VW40-44 Carraig na bhFear AC 21:28

21 Elizabeth O' DONOVAN Female SW30-34 22:32

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/82/

Glen River: 53 this week, 71 last week. The long term average is 74.

First 3 men & women...

1 Seamus LEDDY Male VM45-49 Abbey Runners Leeds 20:15

2 Lance DOHERTY Male VM45-49 Somerville Road Runners 20:45

3 Kieran RUBY Male VM40-44 St Finbarrs AC 20:53

12 Mags HASSETT Female VW45-49 Douglas Meet and Train 24:34

17 Emer DELANEY Female JW11-14 26:47

18 Claire MCGONAGLE Female VW55-59 26:47

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/181/

Mallow Castle: 55 finishers this week, 59 last week. The long term average is 63.

First 3 men & women...

1 Conor LAVERY Male SM20-24 19:37

2 Donal FALLON Male VM40-44 Mt. Hillary AC 19:38

3 Bill MYERS Male SM30-34 19:40

10 Caroline DENNEHY Female VW40-44 22:45

16 Marie BUCKLEY Female VW40-44 24:29

19 Muireann MURPHY Female JW11-14 24:50

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/109/

Youghal (Pobalscoil ne Tríonóide) : 48 this week, 44 last week. The long term average is 57.

First 3 men & women... 

1 Jack MURPHY Male SM30-34 Eagle A.C. 19:04

2 Toby BENHAM Male SM30-34 Crusaders A C Dublin 19:19

3 Ciaran O MATHUNA Male SM20-24 20:37

11 Ornaith KEANE Female SW25-29 23:30

12 Saoirse KINSELLA Female JW11-14 23:55

16 Claire MURPHY Female VW50-54 25:30

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/88/

Macroom Castle Demense: 35 this week, 55 last week. Long term average is 51.

First 3 men & women...

1 Padraig SHEAHAN Male VM55-59 Millstreet Athletic Club 20:21

2 Rory MCELROY Male JM15-17 West Muskerry A.C. 21:22

3 Matt MURPHY Male SM18-19 21:43

15 Noreen STEWART Female VW40-44 25:04

17 Marie MCCARTHY Female VW45-49 27:04

19 Lucy O Female VW35-39 27:15

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/452/

Clonakilty: 22 this week, 28 last week. Long term average 36.

First 3 men & women... 

1 Niall O'CONNOR Male VM45-49 Ranelagh Harriers 20:46

2 Mejdi NCIRI Male VM35-39 22:04

3 Karl LEWIS Male SM30-34 22:28

6 Sandra WALSH Female VW50-54 24:03

12 Liz O'DONOVAN Female VW55-59 Footloose & Fancy Free 29:40

14 Aoife CONNOR Female SW30-34 31:44

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/406/

Glengarriff Woods: 68 this week, 66 last week. The long term average is 60.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Unknown

2 Darragh COPPINGER Male JM11-14 21:00

3 Trevor MCGUIRK Male VM40-44 21:05

6 Catherine AIREY Female SW30-34 Highgate Harriers 22:50

21 Denise O'SULLIVAN Female VW50-54 28:20

26 Jacquie O'SULLIVAN Female VW40-44 29:35

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/323/

Bere Island: 21 this week, 26 last week, long term average of 46. 

First 3 men & women... 

1 Michelagh MURPHY Female SW18-19 21:51

4 Carol HURLEY Female VW50-54 Beara AC 27:16

5 Orla MCCARTHY Female VW55-59 27:42

2 Ciarán O'SULLIVAN Male VM50-54 23:20

3 Breandan MURPHY Male SM20-24 25:54

6 Rory MCCARTHY Male VM60-64 29:25

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/413/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 14 finishers this week, 20 last week. Long term average 28.

First 3 women & men...

1 Florence FITZGERALD Male SM30-34 21:18

2 Brendan CROWLEY Male VM40-44 22:16

3 John O'MAHONY Male SM25-29 24:05

8 Frances LYNCH Female VW60-64 Sanctuary Runners 30:38

9 Celine BUCKLEY Female VW50-54 Castlehaven GAA 32:11

11 Spah MBALI Female VW35-39 34:07

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/334/

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

Guest Post: PWR ...Pat Walsh

 ** PWR **

And the question is, have I disappeared of the face of the earth? No

Have I been kidnapped and taken to an alien planet? No

Am I still in love with running? Yes

Does running still love me? I hope so

Will I ever race again? Yes

Folks lots going on and I took a little break / hiatus from running and posting. Life, family, other interests get thrown in the mix. Couple of slight injuries and impending old age are no help either.

I’m fine. (and thanks for a few lovely messages enquiring xx). I have cut back running a little but also have thrown myself into some other passions. 

Personal info, I’m from Castlemartyr Village in County Cork and I have been part of a Committee to help celebrate a 100 years of GAA in the village. 1924 – 2024. My Dad was an officer for more than 50 years when he died a few years ago so I am proud to help. Running is important but GAA is in the blood.

It was a welcome distraction. The body cannot operate for 12 months of the year at full throttle. You need up times and down times if you want to stay running long term. Up can be hard training and racing while down can be slow easy jogs, some stretching and generally being easy on yourself. 

I’m hoping to finish the year with Beat the Train 10 mile and Waterford Half Marathon to just keep the body in action. The Christmas indulgence can then be tackled without a major guilt trip. But I stress, the body isn’t ready for racing so they can be treated as a distance run with lots of company. Keep an eye on the back markers.

If you can empathise with any of this then I’m happy. I want to show you we cannot be Duracell Bunnies all the time. Fluctuations in energy and mood is natural and learning to read it and adapt it for yourself is crucial.

What will next Year bring? No idea..... but that last few Years have thought me not to over plan it, just live it.

Keep the faith

#PWR