Preview of the Dungarvan 10 Mile Race - Sun 3rd Feb 2008 (1pm) (Updated Sun 3rd Feb 10am)

The 2nd race of the 4 part Munster 10 mile Classic series takes place next Sunday, the 3rd of February in Dungarvan, West Waterford. With over 500 runners taking part in the 1st race in Mallow in early January, the 2nd race in Dungarvan has the potential of attracting an even bigger entry. Last year, they got 516 entries and if the weather co-operates, I see no reason why they won't break the 600 mark.

Registration...
The registration point for this race is the Crystal Sports Centre which is just off the main N25 road in Dungarvan. The race starts at 1pm so considering the big numbers, you would really need to be there by 12 noon to make sure you're not rushing. Entries on the day cost €20. If you want to have a look at the entry form, here is the LINK. If you are not sure where the Sports centre is, then read on.

Course...

The race starts just a few hundred metres West of the Sports centre. You run back towards the Sports centre, then out and left onto the N25 for a short distance. Soon, you leave the N25 again, do a loop around to the West and you end up back near where the race started. Here, you are just following the stewards directions until you get onto the nice quiet roads around the 2 mile mark. The next 4.5 miles for me, are the best part of the course. Nice quiet roads with nothing much except trees and fields on either side.

Just before the 7 mile mark, you re-join the N25 main road again. Now, you are running inside the hard shoulder and you begin a long but gentle climb after the 7 mile mark. After the 8 mile mark, the hard shoulder gets a bit narrow so you need to be careful here. From then on, just follow the stewards instructions as you get closer to the finish. Just a quick word about the finish...last year, it was in the Sports centre where you registered. That is, it is about 40 metres in off the main road. Check it out when you register so you know exactly where the finish of the race is.

There are 2 maps available of the course....

I have put the course up on the MapMyRun website (as shown up top). Here is the LINK and just zoom IN and OUT to get your bearings.

West Waterford AC have an ordnance surveymap up on their website with the course. You can't zoom in or out but you might find it a little clearer. The Crytsal Sports centre is also shown there. Here is the LINK.

Weather Forecast...(Updated Sun 3rd Feb 10am)
The current forecast looks like Sunday will be hit or miss when it comes to the rain. It now looks like a cold front will arrive very early on Sunday morning and there will be a few hours with a lot of rain and high winds. I think that it will probably be ok for the race. I reckon you could look out the window tomorrow morning around 9am and see heavy rain with strong Southerly winds. According to the map above, they expect the worst of the weather to have cleared by mid-day. Once this front has cleared, there might be the odd shower with a light Westerly breeze. Honestly, I think if you put off going to Dungarvan because it looks wet tomorrow morning, you'll be making a mistake. The only thing you can really be sure of tomorrow is that the day will improve as it goes on. By the way, they are predicting that the temperature might only be around 6 deg C around the time of the race. It might be no harm to bring a thermal vest and gloves just in case.
See the rainfall radar map below...it is now clearing from the West and the start of the race should be ok.
So, keep those fingers crossed ;o)
Last year...
By the way, if you did last year, you can find your time HERE.