Claire McCarthy wins Swansea Half-Marathon in new PB time of 74:34

Claire Gibbons-McCarthy of Leevale AC was in action in the Swansea Half-Marathon in Wales on Sunday the 25th of June and crossed the line in first place! Claire's time of 1h 14m 34.5s.

1. Claire Gibbons-McCarthy - 1:14:35
2. Rachel Felton - 1:16:35
3. Carly Jones - 1:17:53

Claire will be representing Ireland in the Marathon at the IAAF World Championships in London in August of this year.

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 24th June 2017

219 turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park.

1 Conor DOLAN    17:53    SM30-34    M1   
2 Ciarán BOUSE    18:48    VM35-39    M2    Eagle A.C.
3 Jordan BELEFFI    18:55    SM25-29    M3
21 Mary SWEENEY    22:05    VW55-59    F1    St Finbarrs AC
39 Maria MADIGAN    24:00    VW40-44    F2
42 Imelda MARSHALL    24:05    VW35-39    F3

Full results

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Results of the Shandrum 5 mile...Fri 23rd June 2017

This 5 mile race in Shandrum in North Cork attracted a small field of just 64 runners.

1    P J Carey    Kilmallock AC        29:10    SM
2    Willie O Connor    Galtee Runners        31:12    SM 
3    Tony MacMahon    Kilmallock AC        32:14    SM  
14    Brigita Lukste    North Cork AC        34:35    SW 
18    Annette O Reilly    Kilfinane AC        36:19    SW
20    Deirdre O Leary    North Cork AC        36:32    SW

Photos...
1) Paudie Birmingham of Mallow AC has a gallery of photos HERE

Full results below...

Friday Fun...A Sign of the Times???

A sign of the times?? :o)

Results of the Shanagarry 5 mile road race...Thurs 22nd June 2017

A total of 559 runners turned out for this years Shanagarry 5 mile road race, the second race of four in the 2017 Ballycotton Summer Series. That's down just 11 on last year.

1 25:07    O'SHEA, Alan    Bantry AC    M    05:01.3
2 25:24    MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC    M    05:04.7
3 25:43    O'DONOGHUE, Tim    East Cork AC    M    05:08.5
13    0:28:26    COOKE, Aoife    Youghal AC    F    05:41.1 
51    0:31:16    KEVANY, Sinead    Midleton AC    F40    06:15.1
76    0:32:23    LEONARD, Helen    Leevale AC    F45    06:28.5 

Winners of the 2017 Shanagarry 5 mile road race...Alan O'Shea & Aoife Cooke

A breakdown of the larger clubs...
Midleton AC 44, Ballintotis Fit4Life AC 38, Eagle AC 27, St.Finbarr's AC 21, Watergrasshilll AC 19, Ballymore Cobh AC 18, Aghada RC 15, East Cork AC 14, Youghal AC 13, Grange-Fermoy AC 13, St.Nicholas AC 12.

Photos...
1) There are a small number of pre-race & prize giving photos up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.
2) Derek Costello of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Full results below...

Results of the Daniel Kingston Memorial 5k in Macroom...Thurs 22nd June 2017

There was a huge turnout of over 600 people for this years Daniel Kingston Memorial 5k in Macroom on Thursday the 22nd of June.Considering that it was on the same night as the Shanagarry 5 mile, that's an impressive number.

1    Kevin OBRIEN  15:56    Ages 19-34  (1)    Male  (1)
2    Joe Cunningham  16:24    Ages 45-54  (1)    Male  (2)
3    Aidan Mcswiney  16:31    Ages 19-34  (2)    Male  (3)
10    Martina KIELY  18:10    Ages 35-44  (1)    Female  (1)
13    Fiona SANTRY  18:42    Ages 19-34  (1)    Female  (2)
33    Anna O'NEILL  20:11    Ages 45-54  (1)    Female  (3)

Photos...
1) James O'Driscoll has a gallery HERE

Full results below...

Notice...Courtbrack 5k nr Blarney - Thurs 29th June 2017

This is a new race on the calendar and one that is within easy access of Cork City.

I have to admit that when I first hear of this race, I had absolutely no idea of where Courtbrack was. As you can see from the map below, it's just to the north-west of Blarney and only about 10 miles from Cork City.

Here are some details from the organisers...

⭐Race has an AAI permit.
⭐Course measured by Kevin Cummins
⭐Prizes for 1st 2nd & 3rd M/F
⭐ Prizes for categories

All in aid of the COURTBRACK COMMUNITY CENTRE BUILDING FUND

REGISTRATION FROM 6.30PM. RACE STARTS AT 8PM

€10- ADULTS. Kids free. Walkers welcomed.  Post Race refreshments

You can find directions, maps and a preview with photos of the race route HERE

Irish Times article on Cork runner Claire McCarthy

Claire McCarthy of Leevale AC is currently in training for the marathon at the IAAF World Championships in London in August. Ian O'Riordan of the Irish Times caught up with her for an interview...

"Although Claire McCarthy reckons the benefits are probably more practical, or else something to do with her own persistence. As the mother of four sons – aged 12, 10, six and two – and back training twice daily for the women’s marathon at the World Championships in London in August, the practicalities alone have certainly helped make her a better runner."

You can read the full article here...

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/claire-mccarthy-staying-up-and-running-after-motherhood-1.3128268

Races on Thurs 22nd June 2017...5k in Macroom & 5m in Shanagarry

This is the choice of races in Cork on Thursday the 22nd of June. In Macroom, there is the annual Daniel Kingston 5k and in East Cork, there is the Shanagarry 5 mile road race. Check out the links below for previews including the race numbers for the Shanagarry race.

Cork...Thurs 22nd (8pm)...Daniel Kingston Memorial 5k, Macroom...€10... info...

Cork...Thurs 22nd (8pm)...Shanagarry 5 mile road race... €5... Race 2 of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series...

Notice...MMRA Mt.Hillary Trail Race near Banteer - Wed 21st June 2017

The Munster Mountain Running Association are organising a 8.8km trail race on Mount Hillary near Banteer on Wednesday the 21st of June 2017. The race starts at 8pm and you will need to allow some time to get from the registration point to the start.

Event page HERE

This race is open to all and the cost is €5. Registration will be open at 18:45 and close at 19:45, sharp, to give everyone time to get to the race start. If you have already run an IMRA race this year, bring the race number given to you at that race as it is valid for the full year. However, if this is your first IMRA race this year, you must purchase yearly IMRA membership for €10 per person.

Directions....You can find maps and directions to this event here... http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/03/misc008.html

Results of the Upper Glanmire NS 5k...Mon 19th June 2017

The annual Upper Glanmire National School 5k was held on Monday the 19th of June 2017.

John Meade    329    Male    St Finbarrs AC    16.01
Mark Walsh    316    Male    Leavale AC    16.14
Nigel Sheehan    347    Male    Youghal    16.42
Shannon Ryme    480    Female    Kilmurry Ibrickane AC   19.22
Fiona Meade    432    Female        20.34
Linda O'Sullivan    411    Female        20.45

Photos...
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE


Full results below...

Guest article...Last on the Road by John Walshe

LAST ON THE ROAD...By John Walshe

Winning a marathon is an honour that few attain, and when it happens there is no disputing the identity of the first man and first woman across the line. Finishing last is a different matter, and less easy to determine.

Although all the major marathons have a cut-off point of seven or eight hours, there are still people who persist in keeping going, at their own risk, to make it home as darkness falls. This year in London you had the case of Tom Harrison who crawled the course on his knees dressed as a gorilla, taking over six days to complete the distance. So was he the last finisher?

Forty years ago, things were much simpler, as you’ll discover if you read on. The BLE National Marathon of 1977 took place from the Galway town of Loughrea on the Bank Holiday Sunday of June 5th. As no major games places were up for grabs, there wasn’t as much at stake as the previous year in Limerick when the race acted as trial for the Montreal Olympics.

Results of the MMRA race in Kilworth Woods...Wed 11th June 2017

Catching up on another recent result. This trail race in Kilworth Woods organised by the Munster Mountain Running Association was held on Wednesday the 11th of June 2017. It attracted a field of 75 runners, up from the 42 of 2016.

NAME    CAT    TIME    % OF WINNER    CLUB    COUNTY
1 Alexis Granneau    M    0:18:47   
2 Tom Blackburn    M50    0:19:01    Mooreabbey ...  Limerick
3 Damien O Brien    M40    0:19:03    watergrassh...
16 Mary Louise Ryan    F    0:21:12    Mooreabbey ...    Tipperary
33 Marie O'Shea    F40    0:22:59    MooreAbbey ...    Tipperary
35 Ide Kelleher    F40    0:24:11    Mallow AC    Cork

Results... https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/1484

Notice - Run Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k...Sat 22nd July 2017

One of the biggest races in Kerry is the annual Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k and it's coming up on Saturday the 22nd of July 2017.

The half marathon starts at Moll's Gap at 8:30am and follows one of the most scenic roads in the country to the finish line at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney.

The link for online entries is HERE

 

The 10k starts at 10am and finishes at the Gleneagle Hotel and takes in a loop inside the national park near Muckross House.

Participants in the half marathon will be taken by bus from Killarney to the start line at Moll's Gap.

Entry for each race includes...Customised finisher medal...Dry fit T-shirt...Chip timing... Prizes... Massage at finish line... Hot tubs... Post-race party... Officially measured course

Note that the road from Molls Gap to Killarney will be closed to traffic and it's the only time of the year that you can run on this busy road.

The video clip below gives a feel for what the course looks like...



For more info, go to the Run Killarney Website

The link for online entries is HERE

Results of the Glandore 6k run/walk...Sun 11th June 2017

This 6k run in Glandore in West Cork was held on Sunday the 11th of June and 106 took part.

Results below...