Google+ Running in Cork, Ireland

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Results of the Mallow 5 mile Road Race - Friday 25th Apr 2008
A modest crowd of 91 runners turned out for this 5 mile race in Mallow on what was a dull evening. This was a race that I had hoped to get to however the thought of having to cross Cork City through rush hour traffic put me off. Maybe next time.

The results are up on the Mallow AC website. The link is HERE.

Photos... (updated Mon 28th Apr)
Paudie Birmingham of Mallow AC now has a set of 64 photos up on his photo page. The link is HERE.
Race Report... (updated Mon 28th Apr)
Donal O'Donoughue has very kindly written a short race report on the Mallow 5 race.

"In comparison to the race in Ballynoe on Thursday, it was dull and overcast when leaving Cork, which threatened to rain down on us. This and the early start at 7:30pm may have deterred some people from travelling. I was actually worried about getting soaked, so I changed from tee-shirt to yellow jacket at the last moment. However the rain held off until 20:30. So I sweated instead! The temperature was a reasonable 12 degrees C.
The Gardai held traffic for a few minutes at the start, but traffic began to flow again before we reached the left-turn off the N72. We had to run the first two miles on the hard shoulder, which was not in the best condition. Also there were a few small areas on the N72 near entrances, where a small kerbed area covered the hard-shoulder. One could miss seeing these, and almost run into them if one wasn't paying full attention.
Also complicating matters were pedestrians out for an evening walk, on the same hard-shoulder, going in the same direction, and unable to see runners approaching from behind.
At the first turn, we passed a sign warning of flood risk after heavy rain. This reminded me of a picture of a flooded Mallow racecourse that appeared in the papers a few months ago.
The second-half twisted and turned somewhat, and people were crossing from one side to the other, to take the shortest route, but one compromises safety somewhat. The last 2 miles had some footpath, but this was rather narrow at the beginning. There were plenty of race marshals, and an ambulance on patrol.
There was one odd part at 3.5 miles where we passed a small river, where a section of wall was missing. One minor slip-up and one could have ended up in the river! I don't know if there was any hall at the back of the pub, but there was an area at the front of the pub with tea and biscuits, and even Jaffa Cakes!
This is the first time I've run competitive races on successive days, and it really shakes one up. I needed it!..........Donal O'Donoughue"

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