Another Week...Another website...

When you look on the web at the various races around Ireland, you can see that there is a very wide choice of the shorter races (5km to 10km) on offer while there is a lot fewer of the longer races (10 miles to Marathon distance). Looking through the various results, it's also obvious that most people will not travel any substantial distance to do a short race. The long races are different however. A lot more people are willing to travel and are willing to train especially for that one event.

With this in mind, I started compiling a list of long races in Ireland which I thought people might be interested in. My original idea was to put it up on this blog as a post. But as per usual with my ideas, it grew legs ;o) and evolved into a seperate website!

So, another new website.......the Running in Ireland blog. It really is not going to be anything like this blog or even the Running in Munster blog. I plan to keep it simple and just keep an updated list of the long distance races in Ireland there with all of the relevant links to the various websites for these events.

Hope you find it useful......

Results of the Courtmacsherry 10km Road Race - Sat 28th June 2008
This was a new road race on the running calendar and the course was basically a run from Courtmacsherry to Timoleague and back. As you would expect with any new race, the numbers were on the low side with just 87 taking part. While the organisers have a few issues to address before the race next year (accurate course, remove the 2nd loop around Timoleague, provide after race refreshments), there is no reason why this race should not become a regular feature on the race calendar. It is after all a very nice setting for a race....a flat course in a very picturesque part of West Cork.
The organisers have very kindly sent on the results to me and I have put them up on the net. You can see them HERE.

Comments...
"This was a very nice race and very convenient for us "westerners". I hope that they keep it up....Pat O'Sullivan"

Cork Cancer Research Centre collects €27k from Ballycotton sponsorship...

I just received the following mail from Fiona in the Cork Cancer Research Centre. As many of you will remember, this was the chosen charity for this year's Ballycotton 10 road race last March.

Fiona wrote...

"I just wanted to let you that sponsorship cards are still coming in from the Ballycotton ‘10’, with 143 runners sending in their remittances. To date the event has raised €26,936.69 for the CCRC, which is fantastic! I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – thank you so much for designating us as the event’s charity this year, and thank you to all the runners. The support really is appreciated. All the best................Fiona"

Preview of the Courtmacsherry 10km Charity Run - Sat 28th June (5pm)

This 10km charity event takes place in Courtmacsherry in West Cork on Saturday evening at 5pm. From what I hear, there used to be a race in Courtmacsherry some time back. Other than the events in Crookhaven and Kinsale, there seems to be a lack of Summer road races in general in the West Cork region. So hopefully, this 10km race in Courtmacsherry will become a regular feature on the calendar.

Here is some information about the run that was supplied to me by the organisers...

The race is starting at Courtmacsherry Community Hall to Timoleague bridge, turning right under the Abbey and through Timoleague Village (passing the Centra Store) back to the bridge and finally through Timoleague once more before heading back to Courtmacsherry (along the same coastal road). The finish is at the entrance to Courtmacsherry Pier. When entering Courtmacsherry from the Timoleague side the community hall is the first building on the left hand side. We will have prizes for men and women categories, we have EUR100 for 1st place, EUR50 for 2nd and EUR30 for 3rd.
Race Details: From Courtmacsherry to Timoleague and back. The race will be starting at 5pm leaving from Courtmacsherry Community Hall. Registration is EUR10.00 and all proceeds go to the Niall Mellon Fund. Following the race we will have the prize giving, live street entertainment and a BBQ on the pier.

Note that while the organisers have done their best to make sure that the course is as accurate as possible, it has not been measured with a Jones counter. They hope to have this done for next years event. So while your time should be reasonably accurate, just don't count it as your PB! ;o)

Other events this weekend....

Just in case you can't make the run in Courtmacsherry, there are other events elsewhere in Munster this weekend. On Friday evening, there is the Dromana 5 mile in West Waterford. On Saturday morning, there is a big 10k race in Ennis in Co.Clare and at 1pm, there is a mountain race on the Galtees in SE Limerick. More information on these events can be found on the Running in Munster blog.

BHAA Results...

The results of the Grandons 5 mile have now been mailed out to registered runners. They are not on the Cork BHAA website yet. If you are an un-registered runner and you did the Grandons race in mid June, I have put the results up so you look at them. Click HERE.

Results of the Shanagarry 5 Mile Road Race - 26th June 2008
Looking out the window today at 1pm at the wind and the rain, I was really expecting to head down to Shanagarry tonight for a good soaking. 7 hours later, the sun was shining and if anything, it was a little bit too warm. The joys of an Irish Summer! Perhaps the bad weather earlier might have deterred a few of the less hardy from making the trip yet still 281 turned out to set a new record attendance for the race. As always, the Ballycotton crew had everything down to a fine art.....parking, entries, stewarding.........and the weather!

Comments...
"Can I just say the speed of the results from Shanagarry 5 show the excellence once again of Ballycotton Running Promotions....well done and keep up the the good work...........Anonymous"

Overall positions...
The overall standings after the 2nd race in the Ballycotton 5 Mile Summer Series can now be seen at this LINK.
Results...
Ballycotton Summer Road Race Series 2008 - SHANAGARRY '5' - Thursday 26 June 2008
Place Time Name Team Race Age Category min/mile
1 0:26:22 ZAKIS, Raivis West Waterford AC M 05:16.3
2 0:26:39 MCGRATH, Sean East Cork AC M 05:19.7
3 0:27:04 O'CONNOR, Tim Riocht AC M 05:24.7
4 0:27:19 MCCARTHY, James East Cork AC M 05:27.7
5 0:27:21 MAHER, Patrick Grange-Fermoy AC M 05:28.1
6 0:27:23 DORAN, James Riocht AC M 05:28.5
7 0:27:32 O'CONNELL, Cathal St. Finbarrs AC M45 05:30.3
8 0:27:47 GIBBONS, Paul Sliabh Buidhe Rovers AC M 05:33.3
9 0:28:06 O'SULLIVAN, Gary Grange-Fermoy AC M 05:37.1
10 0:28:19 SIMCOX, Shane Mallow AC M 05:39.7
11 0:28:41 O'LEARY, Fergal Eagle AC M 05:44.1
12 0:28:43 CURTIN, Noel Youghal AC M40 05:44.5
13 0:28:49 O'REGAN, Noel Midleton AC M40 05:45.7
14 0:29:13 O'DRISCOLL, James Skibbereen AC M 05:50.5
15 0:29:18 MCCARTHY, Denis East Cork AC M45 05:51.5
16 0:29:31 LENISTON, Jonathan Gneeveguilla AC M 05:54.1
17 0:29:36 HEGARTY, Brian East Cork AC M 05:55.1
18 0:29:50 MEADE, Eric East Cork AC M40 05:57.9
19 0:29:55 COTTER, Liam Kilmichael M40 05:58.9
20 0:30:00 O'LEARY, Kevin Glenbower AC MJ 05:59.9
21 0:30:04 LYNCH, Rhona Eagle AC F 06:00.7
22 0:30:09 SMITH, Kevin Ballinacurra M 06:01.7
23 0:30:12 RYAN, Jeremiah Florida M 06:02.3
24 0:30:22 COAKLEY, Donal Togher AC M 06:04.3
25 0:30:23 DESMOND, John Eagle AC M40 06:04.5
26 0:30:24 PARNELL, Carmel Leevale AC F50 06:04.7
27 0:30:25 LUCEY, Tim Bandon AC M40 06:04.9
28 0:30:26 HENNESSY, John Midleton AC M 06:05.1
29 0:30:29 CODY, Tom Midleton AC M50 06:05.7
30 0:30:50 KELLY, Joe West Waterford AC M 06:09.9
31 0:30:51 O'MAHONY, John Cork M 06:10.1
32 0:30:58 CARROLL, Denis Eagle AC M45 06:11.5
33 0:30:59 BRANAGH, Seamus Ballyduff M 06:11.7
34 0:31:00 MCCARTHY, Padraig Skibbereen AC M40 06:11.9
35 0:31:07 BRODERICK, Donal Midleton AC M40 06:13.3
36 0:31:10 TIERNEY, Conor East Cork AC M 06:13.9
37 0:31:12 MURPHY, Dermot Eagle AC M 06:14.3
38 0:31:16 CURLEY, Paul Youghal AC M40 06:15.1
39 0:31:17 HOLLAND, Ann-Marie Eagle AC F 06:15.3
40 0:31:19 O'DWYER, David East Cork AC M 06:15.7
41 0:31:23 PATTERSON, Robert Dunmanway M 06:16.5
42 0:31:31 BENNETT, Tom Lismore M 06:18.1
43 0:31:34 COONEY, Kevin Midleton AC M45 06:18.7
44 0:31:37 WALL, Fergus Kinsale M40 06:19.3
45 0:31:38 O'MAHONY, David Ballincollig M 06:19.5
46 0:31:41 GRIFFIN, John Grange-Fermoy AC M 06:20.1
47 0:31:43 MOORE, Ger Ladysbridge M 06:20.5
48 0:31:51 MANGAN, Simon Killarney M 06:22.1
49 0:31:52 BRENNAN, Kieran Ballymore-Cobh AC M40 06:22.3
50 0:31:56 SAVAGE, Mark Midleton M 06:23.1
51 0:31:58 O'MAHONY, Brendan Fermoy M 06:23.5
52 0:32:00 FLEMING, Jim West Waterford AC M40 06:23.9
53 0:32:05 O'REILLY, Martin St. Finbarrs AC M 06:24.9
54 0:32:07 RYAN, Michael St. Josephs AC M 06:25.3
55 0:32:10 HOGAN, Dave Eagle AC M 06:25.9
56 0:32:11 KEARNEY, Stephen Doheny AC M 06:26.1
57 0:32:12 O'RIORDAN, William St. Brendans AC M50 06:26.3
58 0:32:14 RUSSELL, Brian St. Finbarrs AC M 06:26.7
59 0:32:18 TWOMEY, Tim East Cork AC M55 06:27.5
60 0:32:20 O'CALLAGHAN, John Rising Sun AC M 06:27.9
61 0:32:30 CURTIN, Martin Cork M 06:29.9
62 0:32:35 O'CALLAGHAN, David Eagle AC M40 06:30.9
63 0:32:37 COTTER, Brian Bandon M 06:31.3
64 0:32:41 FITZGERALD, John Grange-Fermoy AC M 06:32.1
65 0:32:43 O'REGAN, Billy Grange-Fermoy AC M40 06:32.5
66 0:32:48 O'NEILL, Niall Midleton AC M40 06:33.5
67 0:32:56 HIGGINS, Terence Eagle AC M 06:35.1
68 0:32:58 FLAVIN, Diarmuid Enniskeane M 06:35.5
69 0:33:03 DUNPHY, John Rising Sun AC M 06:36.5
70 0:33:06 O'SULLIVAN, Billy Midleton AC M 06:37.1
71 0:33:09 TAIT, David Whitegate M 06:37.7
72 0:33:13 O'LEARY, Liam St. Finbarrs AC M60 06:38.5
73 0:33:20 O'DONNABHAIN, Donnchadh Cobh M 06:39.9
74 0:33:29 SCHMIDT, Michael St. Finbarrs AC M 06:41.7
75 0:33:32 KEVANY, Sinead Eagle AC F 06:42.3
76 0:33:33 HEALY, Brian Midleton AC M45 06:42.5
77 0:33:36 KELLY, Alan Midleton AC M 06:43.1
78 0:33:41 BULMAN, Mark Donoughmore AC M40 06:44.1
79 0:33:44 KELLEHER, Hanorah Donoughmore AC F40 06:44.7
80 0:33:45 CLEARY, Paul Whitegate M 06:44.9
81 0:33:47 MCEVOY, Eamonn St. Finbarrs AC M50 06:45.3
82 0:34:07 GEARY, Kevin Ladysbridge M 06:49.3
83 0:34:13 DOOLAN, Mary St. Josephs AC F 06:50.5
84 0:34:14 O'SULLIVAN, Noel Carrignavar M45 06:50.7
85 0:34:24 HELLEN, Denis Glanmire M 06:52.7
86 0:34:26 DUGGAN, Paul Cork M40 06:53.1
87 0:34:28 LANE, Alan Glenbower AC MJ 06:53.5
88 0:34:28 PRENDERGAST, Rick Castlemartyr M40 06:53.5
89 0:34:29 KIRWAN, Fidelma Eagle AC F40 06:53.7
90 0:34:36 KELLER, Maurice Waterford M 06:55.1
91 0:34:38 O'DONOVAN, John Cork M 06:55.5
92 0:34:39 O'MAHONY, Tony West Waterford AC M40 06:55.7
93 0:34:44 WAKEFIELD, Brian Cork M45 06:56.7
94 0:34:45 OWENS, Ken Togher AC M 06:56.9
95 0:34:47 DRENNAN, Sally Midleton AC F40 06:57.3
96 0:34:50 FINNEGAN, Timothy Mallow AC M40 06:57.9
97 0:34:54 O'BRIEN, Tony Ballincollig M45 06:58.7
98 0:34:58 QUINLAN, Fergal Cobh M 06:59.5
99 0:35:12 LONG, Simon Rochestown M 07:02.3
100 0:35:20 GYVES, Paddy Mallow AC M60 07:03.8
101 0:35:22 MURRAY, Tom Agherla M 07:04.2
102 0:35:24 BARRY, Assumpta Glanmire F35 07:04.6
103 0:35:26 MURPHY, Patrick Ladysbridge M 07:05.0
104 0:35:27 BARRETT, Stephen Cork M 07:05.2
105 0:35:28 COONEY, Shane Midleton AC M 07:05.4
106 0:35:29 LISTON, Brighid Eagle AC F 07:05.6
107 0:35:32 MCGRATH, Phil East Cork AC M55 07:06.2
108 0:35:33 KIELY, Victor Blarney M 07:06.4
109 0:35:36 BULMAN, George Youghal AC M50 07:07.0
110 0:35:38 KEARNEY, Batt Leevale AC M50 07:07.4
111 0:35:45 COURTNEY, Laurence Eagle AC M45 07:08.8
112 0:35:46 MULLANE, Kieran Cork M 07:09.0
113 0:35:51 HARTIGAN, Irene Cork F 07:10.0
114 0:35:54 BENT, Nick Donoughmore AC M45 07:10.6
115 0:35:55 BARRY, Anthony Glanmire M 07:10.8
116 0:35:59 O'MAHONY, Pat Cork M 07:11.6
117 0:36:00 CONNOLLY, Vincent Midleton AC M50 07:11.8
118 0:36:03 O'HANLON, Clare Eagle AC F 07:12.4
119 0:36:04 FLANAGAN, Eamon Youghal AC M 07:12.6
120 0:36:06 FLYNN, Darren Grange-Fermoy AC M 07:13.0
121 0:36:09 O'DRISCOLL, Patrick Eagle AC M 07:13.6
122 0:36:13 DONOVAN, Liam Glanmire M50 07:14.4
123 0:36:14 KELLY, Brendan Cork M 07:14.6
124 0:36:17 MAHER, Shane Grange-Fermoy AC M 07:15.2
125 0:36:18 O'HANLON, Don Cork M 07:15.4
126 0:36:19 O'SULLIVAN, Patrick Cloyne M55 07:15.6
127 0:36:21 MURPHY, Jeff Cork M50 07:16.0
128 0:36:22 KELLY, Tom Ballymore-Cobh AC M50 07:16.2
129 0:36:28 WALSHE, John East Cork AC M55 07:17.4
130 0:36:33 O'CALLAGHAN, Clare Midleton F 07:18.4
131 0:36:34 MURPHY, Michael Carrigtwohill M 07:18.6
132 0:36:37 GALVIN, James Doheny AC M 07:19.2
133 0:36:38 O'MAHONY, Sylvie Youghal AC M50 07:19.4
134 0:36:39 COLLINS, Trevor Naas AC M 07:19.6
135 0:36:49 MURPHY, Esther St. Finbarrs AC F35 07:21.6
136 0:36:54 GEOGHEGAN, Stephen Eagle AC M 07:22.6
137 0:36:55 COTTER, Gillian Cork F 07:22.8
138 0:36:56 LINEHAN, Frank Togher AC M55 07:23.0 8
139 0:37:00 RAMSELL, Ned Midleton AC M 07:23.8
140 0:37:04 BARRY, David Killeagh M 07:24.6
141 0:37:06 RING, Pascal Lombardstown M 07:25.0
142 0:37:08 GILMARTIN, Paul Limerick M40 07:25.4
143 0:37:13 BUCKLEY, Patrick Mallow AC M 07:26.4
144 0:37:16 O'MEARA, Fergal Midleton M 07:27.0
145 0:37:17 WALSH, Des Cork M 07:27.2
146 0:37:18 ARNOTT, Pat Youghal AC M50 07:27.4
147 0:37:20 O'SULLIVAN, Martin Ballincollig AC M50 07:27.8
148 0:37:20 KENNEDY, Dan St. Finbarrs AC M55 07:27.8
149 0:37:21 MONAHER, Liam Cork M 07:28.0
150 0:37:24 BYRD, Charlie Cork M40 07:28.6
151 0:37:25 O'LEARY, John Leevale AC M65 07:28.8
152 0:37:26 O'CONNOR, Noel Cork M 07:29.0
153 0:37:27 MERRIMAN, David Cork M40 07:29.2
154 0:37:29 RING, Gerard Midleton AC M 07:29.6
155 0:37:32 BURKE, Stephen Cork M 07:30.2
156 0:37:33 WALSH, Adrian Midleton M 07:30.4
157 0:37:34 MCGRATH, Micheal Midleton M40 07:30.6
158 0:37:39 MCCARTHY, Danny Midleton AC M55 07:31.6
159 0:37:42 DOYLE, Brid Grange-Fermoy AC F 07:32.2
160 0:37:47 O'SULLIVAN, Jim Carrignavar M 07:33.2
161 0:37:50 MURPHY, Austin St. Finbarrs AC M55 07:33.8
162 0:37:51 HARNATT, John Clare M 07:34.0
163 0:38:00 UI CHUIRRIN, Josie West Waterford AC F45 07:35.8
164 0:38:06 KEARNEY, Darren Midleton M 07:37.0
165 0:38:08 MURPHY, Gillian Cork F 07:37.4
166 0:38:09 COONEY, Tony Ballincollig AC M50 07:37.6
167 0:38:10 O'CONNELL, Donie Midleton AC M55 07:37.8
168 0:38:15 HANLON, Fran Midleton M 07:38.8
169 0:38:16 POWER, Kevin Youghal M 07:39.0
170 0:38:17 FORRSTAL, Sally St. Josephs AC F 07:39.2
171 0:38:22 BURNS, Finbarr Cork M 07:40.2
172 0:38:23 HISTON-DEBARRA, Mary Rising Sun AC F35 07:40.4
173 0:38:29 DELANEY, Susan Cork F 07:41.6
174 0:38:31 CALLANAN, Liam Whitechurch M 07:42.0
175 0:38:32 TWOHIG, Monica Eagle AC F40 07:42.2
176 0:38:34 GHELFI, Andre Carrigaline M 07:42.6
177 0:38:35 RYAN, James Killeens M40 07:42.8
178 0:38:45 TROY, Monica Midleton F35 07:44.8
179 0:38:46 CAHILL, Breda Midleton AC F35 07:45.0
180 0:38:50 O'DONOVAN, Conor Cork M 07:45.8
181 0:38:54 HENNESSY, Michael West Waterford AC M60 07:46.6
182 0:38:58 BARRY, Dave Midleton M 07:47.4
183 0:39:01 COUGHLAN, David Cork M 07:48.0
184 0:39:03 O'REGAN, Padraig Ladysbridge M 07:48.4
185 0:39:06 COFFEY, Bridget West Waterford AC F35 07:49.0
186 0:39:08 O'LEARY, Andrew Wexford M 07:49.4
187 0:39:09 MULCAHY, Mary St. Finbarrs AC F45 07:49.6
188 0:39:10 WALSH, Cyril Cork M 07:49.8
189 0:39:25 MURPHY, Kieran Midleton M 07:52.8
190 0:39:30 DUFFY, Ben Dublin M 07:53.8
191 0:39:44 O'LEARY, Humphrey Macroom M 07:56.6
192 0:39:45 NICHOLSON, Gordon Youghal AC M45 07:56.8
193 0:39:46 WIGGINS, Frances Ladysbridge F35 07:57.0
194 0:39:49 PHELAN, Kevin Eagle AC M 07:57.6
195 0:39:53 CURRAN, Raymond West Waterford AC M40 07:58.4
196 0:39:54 DUCHNICZ, Adam Carrigtwohill M 07:58.6
197 0:39:58 O'CALLAGHAN, Denis Glanmire M 07:59.4
198 0:40:03 DOOLEY, Jacqueline Glanmire F35 08:00.4
199 0:40:12 HENDERSON, Liz Eagle AC F35 08:02.2
200 0:40:19 NAGLE, Dan Mallow AC M60 08:03.6
201 0:40:21 STAVROU, Amanda St. Finbarrs AC F45 08:04.0
202 0:40:25 O'HALLORAN, John Glounthaune M55 08:04.8
203 0:40:26 GUINANE, Elaine Cork F 08:05.0
204 0:40:28 NEILAND, Tony Watergrasshill M 08:05.4
205 0:40:30 FENNELL, John West Waterford AC M 08:05.8
206 0:40:41 THOMAS, David Midleton M 08:08.0
207 0:40:46 O'CALLAGHAN, John Glanmire M40 08:09.0
208 0:40:48 O'MAHONY, Philip Michigan M 08:09.4
209 0:40:51 CARROLL, Catherine East Cork AC F 08:10.0
210 0:40:59 MONAHER, Steven Cork M 08:11.6
211 0:41:02 SEXTON, Michael Cork M 08:12.2
212 0:41:05 O'DRISCOLL, Christopher Cork M60 08:12.8
213 0:41:08 FOLEY, Brendan Midleton M 08:13.4
214 0:41:09 BARRY, Margaret Midleton AC F55 08:13.6
215 0:41:33 O'DRISCOLL, Kevin Eagle AC M55 08:18.4
216 0:41:41 O'DOHERTY, Maura Midleton AC F35 08:20.0
217 0:41:42 SISK, Bernard Cork M60 08:20.2
218 0:41:47 LYNCH, Grainne Minane Bridge F 08:21.2
219 0:41:53 GARVEY, Colette Eagle AC F 08:22.4
220 0:42:23 O'HALLORAN, Orna Glounthaune F 08:28.4
221 0:42:40 O'MAHONY, Willie Youghal AC M60 08:31.8 21
222 0:42:50 AHERN, Deirdre Midleton AC F 08:33.8
223 0:42:58 NEILAND, Karen Watergrasshill F 08:35.4
224 0:43:04 SHARKEY, Canice Ballyshane M 08:36.6
225 0:43:05 DUGGAN, Craig Cork M 08:36.8
226 0:43:06 COSTELLO, Catherine Waterfall F 08:37.0
227 0:43:11 FITTON, Marion Cork F45 08:38.0
228 0:43:13 SHERIDAN, Catherine Midleton F 08:38.4
229 0:43:32 GRIFFIN, Billy Midleton AC M70 08:42.2
230 0:43:33 DUNNE, Maggie Grange-Fermoy AC F60 08:42.4
231 0:43:34 O'MAHONY, Emer Cork F 08:42.6
232 0:43:41 MEANEY, Pat Cork M 08:44.0
233 0:43:57 LAWLOR, Michael Belgooly AC M60 08:47.2
234 0:44:04 O'CONNELL, Rachel Kilkenny F 08:48.6
235 0:44:12 KING, David Youghal AC M 08:50.2
236 0:44:23 O'DRISCOLL, Glen Cork M 08:52.4
237 0:44:24 O'CONNOR, Frances Cork F45 08:52.6
238 0:44:25 BRADY, Carmel Cork F 08:52.8
239 0:44:35 HENNESSY, Elaine Midleton F50 08:54.8
240 0:44:53 MURPHY, Marie Youghal F 08:58.4
241 0:44:59 QUIRKE, Anne-Marie Cashel F 08:59.6
242 0:45:07 CREEDON, Marie Cork F45 09:01.2
243 0:45:30 BRODERICK, Patricia Cork F45 09:05.8
244 0:45:42 O'CALLAGHAN, Rosanne Glanmire F 09:08.2
245 0:45:43 FITZPATRICK, Laura Glanmire F 09:08.4
246 0:45:44 SHERIDAN, Anne-Marie Midleton F 09:08.6
247 0:45:53 HEGARTY, Linda Midleton AC F 09:10.4
248 0:45:56 KELLEHER, Frank Cork M65 09:11.0
249 0:46:10 ARNOTT, Evet Youghal AC F 09:13.8
250 0:46:17 LYONS, Pamela Rochestown F 09:15.2
251 0:46:19 O'BRIEN, Eoin Cloyne M 09:15.6
252 0:46:42 BROPHY, Padraig Kildare M 09:20.2
253 0:46:47 O'DONOVAN, Michelle Ballycotton F 09:21.2
254 0:46:59 O'MAHONY, Fiona Midleton F 09:23.6
255 0:47:05 O'KEEFFE, Aine Ballycotton F 09:24.8
256 0:47:06 O'KEEFFE, Niall Ballycotton M 09:25.0
257 0:47:10 MORGAN, Kieran Whitechurch M 09:25.8
258 0:47:26 MANN, Lorraine Carrigaline F 09:29.0
259 0:48:14 GHELFI, Nicola Carrigaline F 09:38.6
260 0:48:17 MULCAHY, Antoinette Cork F 09:39.2
261 0:48:24 MCCARTHY, Joan Midleton AC F50 09:40.6
262 0:48:32 O'KEEFFE, Mary Midleton AC F40 09:42.2
263 0:48:57 MCMURTRY, Jim Midleton AC M60 09:47.2
264 0:49:09 GLAVIN, Bernice Cork F45 09:49.6
265 0:50:19 O'BRIEN, Denise Ballyclough F 10:03.6
266 0:50:21 DONEGAN, Margaret Ovens F 10:04.0
267 0:50:27 SWIFT, Geradine Westmeath F 10:05.2
268 0:51:04 O'LEARY, Clare Midleton AC F 10:12.6
269 0:51:12 FAHERTY, Joan Macroom F35 10:14.2
270 0:52:00 VENNER, Ger Cork F 10:23.8
271 0:52:05 O'SULLIVAN, Valerie Cloyne F 10:24.8
272 0:52:06 JONES, Mary Cloyne F35 10:25.0
273 0:52:08 FITZGERALD, Nicola Clare F 10:25.4
274 0:53:16 KILCOYNE, Marian Dublin F 10:39.0
275 0:54:57 KENNEFICK, Mary Ballymacoda F40 10:59.2
276 0:56:28 TOHER, Mary Midleton AC F50 11:17.4
277 0:57:21 DAY, Orla Clonmel F 11:28.0
278 0:57:23 POTTS, Clancy Chicago F 11:28.4
279 0:57:26 HENDERSON, Claire Dublin F 11:29.0
280 0:59:24 TRIGGELL, Cathy Cobh F45 11:52.6
WHEELCHAIR: FORDE, Jerry Blarney-Inniscarra AC M55 46:56

(..........with thanks to John Walshe of Ballycotton Running Promotions for the above results)

Preview of the Shanagarry 5 Mile Road Race - Thurs 26th June (8pm)

The 2nd race in the Ballycotton 5 Mile Road Race Summer Series takes place in the small village of Shanagarry in East Cork on Thursday evening at 8pm. Going on the numbers at recent races, it looks like there might be another record number.

Directions...

If you are coming from Cork, take the N25 East and from the roundabout on the Midleton bypass, take the 3rd exit and follow the main R629 Midleton to Ballycotton road. Shanagarry is located on the main road between Cloyne and Ballycotton. If you are coming from Waterford, take a left at Castlemartyr for Ladysbridge and Garryvoe and follow the road on towards Shanagarry. Parking should be available at the GAA grounds in the centre of the village. Just follow the stewards directions. See map above.

Entries...

The event centre for this race is the small boxing hall which is located between the GAA grounds and the petrol station. Inside, there will be 2 queues....

Queue 1)...Any runner who ran Race 1 of the Ballycotton Summer Series (Ballyandreen ‘5’) last month is automatically entered for Shanagarry. The race number corresponds with the runners’ finishing position in the first race. The full list, in surname order, can be seen at this LINK. Please join the correct queue in the hall and ask for your number from the list, which will also be posted on the wall.

Queue 2)...Any new runners can enter as normal. This is not a BHAA race, so if you are not a member of an athletics club just say where you are from (Cork, Charleville, Cloyne). The entry fee is €5 and having the correct amount ready helps to speed up the process. It also helps if you can try and get there early so they have plenty of time to get everyones details onto the laptop.

Course...

The race starts just outside the petrol station at the main road junction on the Ballycotton road. It then drops slightly into the hollow by the GAA entrance, up past the road junction where the finish will be, past the church, down again into another slight hollow and up a bit of a pull until the road flattens out as you head towards the 1 mile mark. A pretty fast mile with no major drags.

The 2nd mile is pretty flat. You run down to Garryvoe next to the beach, around a sharp bend and head inland again. A flat fast mile.

To get a flavour of it...a video!! Here is a clip from the 2006 race at Garryvoe...

The 3rd mile is not so easy. It is basically a long gentle uphill section until you turn off left onto a quiet country road and the 3 mile mark. You can expect to lose some time on the long climb.

The 4th mile starts easy. The first half mile is along a flat road with a great view to the left over the East Cork countryside. At the next road junction, you take a very sharp left and then the road drops rapidly. It's almost too steep to really run on comfortably. Then it flattens out for a short section and then, you hit the hill! Not as bad as the 'Beast of Ballyandreen' but a nasty one all the same. After the initial shock, the gradient reduces as you hit the 4 mile mark. A tough mile.

For the start of the 5th and final mile, there is still a gradual climb for about 300 metres after the 4 mile mark. Then it flattens out as you negotiate a series of bends with matures trees on either side of the road providing plenty of cover. The last half mile is very fast as it is slightly downhill all the way to the finish.

Notes...

For anyone who is not joined an athletic club and is interested in doing next year's Ballycotton 10 race (March 2009), you might consider doing the Shanagarry race. For the last 2 years, if you complete at least one of the four Ballycotton Summer Series 5 Mile races, you have 2 weeks in which to enter the Ballycotton 10 once the entry forms come out. Otherwise, it can be difficult to enter. Last year, the entries for non-club runners closed in just 4 days!!

Weather forecast...(Updated 4:15pm)

Dull, wet and dreary on Thursday. The persistent rain is currently clearing from the West (Kerry and West Cork). There is a chance that the clearance may reach East Cork by 8pm. Showers after the clearance are possible.

Runner attempts new Mizen to Malin record...
I'm not sure if this link will work or for how long! It's a short video clip from RTE news about someone trying to run from Mizen Head to Malin Head and set a new record.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0623/9news_av.html?2390739,null,230

Richard Donovan of Galway also has a website which has details about his 2005 event which went from Malin to Mizen.

New Poll....Should headphones and MP3 players be banned???

A few months ago, headphones were banned in most road races. As far as I know, this was because the company that provided the liability insurance for the races felt that if someone was running with headphones, they were not paying full attention to what was going on around them. As such, they were unlikely to hear other runners or traffic and were more likely to be involved in an accident.

A visitor to this website left the following comment recently...

"Hi John. I have heard that they are starting to ban headphones at races. Is this true and could some one tell me why as I have never heard of anyone getting hurt at a race with or without them? I have been running for only 4 years but do a lot of long distance running with 8 marathons to date. I am not fast either and still have to break 4 hours so if they ban them, there is no way I will run. I think others will feel very strong about it as well.....Maurice"

Now, if the insurance company has decided they should be banned, then that's it. But I thought it would be interesting to find out what people think. Do you agree or disagree? Click on the new poll on the right to vote or leave a comment below saying why they should or should not be banned.

Races in Cork and Munster this week - Tues 24th to Sat 28th June

This week, there are quite a number of races. On Tuesday evening, there is a 4 mile road race in Ballynonty is SE Tipperary. More details on this race can be found on the Running in Munster blog. On Thursday evening, there is the Shanagarry 5 mile, the 2nd race in the Ballycotton Summer Series and I'll preview it here on Wednesday morning. On Friday, there is a 5k in Dromana in West Waterford. Again, I'll provide more info on this on Wednesday morning on the Running in Munster blog. On Saturday, there are a number of races....there is a 10km in Courtmacsherry in West Cork, a very big 10k in Ennis in Co.Clare and a mountain running event in the Galtees. More info to follow later in the week........

Title: Sure, I’ll put you down.............by Michael Sexton

(The following piece was written for a Toastmasters meeting by Michael Sexton. It recounts his first road race which was the John Buckley 5k in June 2007 and I'm sure many of us had similiar experiences when we first took to the road! The photo below is not of Michael and his friend but it seemed appropriate ;o)

Read on.........)

Sure, I'll put you down................by Michael Sexton
I knew I was right to be nervous when I agreed to run in a 5 kilometre road race last June around the Marina in Cork city. This was the first time I had ever run or should I say participate in a road race. Should I hope to win or hope to finish faster than the fastest woman or hope just to finish. I just had this feeling in my bones that this was going to be something different.

What happened was that at our last club Toastmasters meeting in May I received a slap on my back which was followed by John Buckley who is a member of our club and also happens to own a sports store with a twinkle in his eye saying:

We have our 5K road race this Thursday around the Marina. It’s only around the corner from you. Sure, I’ll put you down. There is a free reception afterwards which I’m sponsoring.

At this I said ‘pencil me in’, only to find out that the free reception was tea and sandwiches. Of course I couldn’t let on that I was only interested in free booze. So I made a mental note to recommend John to the club Toastmasters nominating committee next April as Educational Vice President. Consequently for his pleasure John could be organising each and every one of the twenty meetings the following season. If 5KM was three and a bit miles I was wondering whether maybe I could skip the 3 miles and run the bit part instead.

On a bright summer’s evening Thursday 8th June I drove the 200 metres down to the Marina as I wanted to keep my energy for the race. I queued and for the princely sum of seven Euro I paid the entrance fee at the registration desk and received a number in return taking a safety pin at the same time.

As I left the registration desk I met Danny Murphy who was in scouts with me when I was younger. We were inseparable back then. We talked for a little while and then I said that I would be waiting for Danny at the finish line. To which Danny replied:

Yea Mikey boy, looking up no doubt from the bottom of an oxygen tent

I made my way to the starting line and did some warm up exercises. A little stretch here, another stretch there. Checked out the opposition. From looking around it was easy to spot the professional athlete. For a start he or she is …. Thin, is wearing a singlet with thin shoulder straps, a little NIKE logo, has four safely pins tying up their number neatly, wears loose fitting light airy shorts, below ankle length socks and runners that look that bit large, maybe a little shiny.

So there I was amongst this crew of Olympians at the front in my white Italia ’90 T-shirt – Ole, Ole, O’Leary, St Bernard Special Edition. I had one safety pin for my number, so it was flapping in the wind – I was too embarrassed to ask anyone for a loan of their safety pins. I was wearing heavy cotton rugby shorts from around 1995, thick striped yellow and black Colaiste Ignais Ri knee length woollen GAA socks and a pair of dirty sneakers in which I had dug up from the bottom of the closet.

I felt a little out of place. To top it off I felt even more out of place being at the top amongst all these hotshots.

And then the starting gun went off and we were off. I led the 3000 athletes in John Buckley 5K for …. 2 metres before I was bundled out of the way.

Gradually I fell down the field. Very quickly I started getting pains in joints I didn’t know I had. I was overtaken by glowing twenty-two old young things, forty-year-old perspiring men and then the ignominy of it some seventy-year old sweaty geezer wearing sandals. I tried to speed up but my feet said

Fat chance buster! You never asked us whether we wanted to run in this race did you?

All I could do was look up and see this unconventionally heeled pensioner just run off like a mirage into the distance with the glowing twenty-two year olds and the perspiring men in tow.

Thereafter for God knows how long I was in a trance, in a world of my own; barely able to put one foot in front of the other, petrified to stop in case rigor mortis set in. When all of a sudden I turned the corner and saw the finish line in the distance – mana from heaven – the Promised Land was near!

Since I wanted to appear at my best crossing the end – you never know someone might have a camera – I dug even deeper than before. My vanity helped me find that reserve tank of fuel labelled ‘for looking good while crossing finishing line’.

I lengthened my stride and quickened my pace. I overtook one person, overtook another, then …. I was overtaken by … my so called friend forever Danny Murphy who whisked passed me with a swagger saying Hiya Mikey boy.

Some people say that there is nothing like a grudge to get an Irishman going. I remember when Danny put blackcurrant jam on my hair while on scout camp in Duncannon, Co. Waterford when I was twelve. Danny started to get faster. Danny must have remembered the time when I put marmalade in Danny’s hair in Kilcully scout camp the following year. I overtook Danny. Danny overtook me. I’d say we’d both have overtaken Derval O’Rourke over the last fifty metres, hurdles or no hurdles. We were belting it now, bursting a gut each, overtaking everyone in sight like supercharged rhinoceroses heading for the finish when whoosh.

We fell over the line. 27:05 and 27:06. ... I … lost. There we were – hands on knees, breathing like beached whales, aaah – huh, aaah- huh we raised a hand and shook promising to do the same again next year. My grudge would live to grace another day.

To conclude we queued up to make our way to the water station. At the waterstation John Buckley was giving out the fluids and John knew everyone. John, Mary, Tony, Finbarr, Eleanor, Joan. Of course then the penny dropped then on where did the other two thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine athletes bought their running shoes.

As I stood there punch drunk feet falling off me, legs like jelly, hanging onto the table with the one hand for dear life, unable to talk and parched John gave me a firm handshake and while still holding my hand and with that twinkle in his eye John started rabbiting on:

Michael Sexton, you were great. They way you came over that line – some going. Before I give you the water, let me tell you that the Glanmire Five MILE race is on this Wednesday week. It would be no bother to you. We’re meeting outside Grandon’s Garage at 7.30. Sure, I’ll put you down!

Results of the Clashmore 5 Mile and Bilboa AC 10km - Fri 20th June 2008...
For anyone that did these races, the results are now up on the Running in Munster website.

Results of the Cork BHAA 'John Buckley Sports' 5km race - 19th June 2008
A record crowd of around 490 turned out for this very popular race near the centre of Cork City. There was a bit of a delay with it starting due to a certain Shayne Ward playing alongside in the Marquee. I know...Shanye Who?? Guess you need to be a certain age....(under 14 ;o)

Results... (Updated Thurs 3rd July)
The results are now up on the Cork BHAA website. The link is HERE.

In the meantime, here are the category results...
JOHN BUCKLEY SPORTS 5km
1 A O’Shea (HSE) 14:55; 2 S Turea (AIBP) 15:15; 3 C Murphy (temp-reg) 15:31; 4 E Heffernan (Heffernan Plastering) 15:46; 5 D O’Callaghan (HSE) 15:47; 6 C O’Donovan (O’Donovan) 15:50; 7 T O’Connor (JF Supple) 16:02; 8 J Grufferty (Bio Pharma) 16:04; 9 T Kelleher (CSO) 16:09; 10 E Murphy (Duhallow Enterprises) 16:12.
M40: 1 T Laffan (HSE) 16:39; 2 N Curtin (Quality Hotel) 16:54; 3 V Neumerzhitskiy (AIBP) 17:12.
M45: 1 T Shanahan (Kerry Foods) 17:29; 2 D Carroll (Blarney Woolen Mills) 18:21; 3 E O’Sullivan (Midleton UDC) 19:31.
M50: 1 E McEvoy (Dept of Educ) 17:07; 2 P Murphy (UCC) 18:15; 3 W Hayes (An Post/Eircom) 18:45.
M55: 1 J Gough (Milleveen Fine Foods) 17:35; 2 T Twomey (D Twomey & Co) 18:55.
M60: 1 L O’Leary (Cork City Co) 19:35.
M65: 1 J O’Leary (Bookdeal) 23:06.
Team: (Grade A) AIBP 46; 2 UCC 69; 3 EMC 131. (Grade B) 1 An Post/Eircom 97; 2 Phoenix Clinic 149; 3 HSE 153. (Grade C) 1 Midleton UDC 164; 2 Midleton News 183; 3 Dept of Educ 189.
Women: 1 S O’Doherty (temp-reg) 17:19; 2 R Lynch (GE Healthcare) 17:37; 3 L Cavanagh (School Completion Prog, F35) 17:41; 4 N Roe (Dept of Educ) 17:48; 5 O Ryan (temp-reg) 17:54; 6 H Leonard (Child Care, F35) 17:56; 7 C Parnell (Parnell, F50) 18:07; 8 J Vonhatten (Glanmire Pharmacy) 18:23; 9 A-M Holland (Travel Ire) 18:33; 10 A-M Healy (HSE, F35) 18:36.
Team: (Grade A) HSE ‘A’ 18; 2 UCC 37; 3 HSE ‘B’ 43. (Grade B) 1 EMC 53; 2 BoI 68; 3 HSE 88.

My Comment...
I know that some people have left comments here on this blog about how slow the BHAA results are. Under the current system, the results are generated on a manual basis and then someone has to enter all of the data into a computer. It is a very time consuming process. Someone mentioned before about why they released the category prizewinners before the main results. That's because it is easy for someone to pick out a few individuals and type that out. It's something else to enter the details of 400 to 500 runners into a PC. It's obvious that the Cork BHAA will have to go to a computerised entry system eventually but that is for them to decide. In the meantime, just remember that all of the excellent work that the Cork BHAA do is on a voluntary basis and without them, we would have a lot fewer races.
During the prize giving after the race, the chairman of the Cork BHAA Mick Dooley, mentioned that they were looking for more volunteers to help out. They only have a limited number of people at present and with the big numbers, they badly need more help. So, if you think you can help and would like to give something back to the sport, why not send an e-mail to me and I'll forward on your details to Mick. My e-mail address is shown on the right hand column of this page..............John Desmond.

Comments...???
"Who is Shane Ward?Any idea on the numbers there last night? Twas a massive crowd. Couldnt even get a hang-sangich after, the queue was out the door.....Anonymous"
"Hi, Shane Ward was GREAT and there was 4,000 on their feet.....Anonymous 14 year old"
"Hi John, just wondering do you have any more info on this 10k run in Courtmacsherry?I havn't seen any fliers or heard anything about it anywhere.....Anonymous"
"I sent them an e-mail but got nothing back. I'll put up the limited info I have on the website on Friday morning after the Shanagarry race.........John Desmond"
"I just recieved some more info so I'll post whatever I have on this website on Friday morning.....John Desmond"

Events this weekend...20th to 22nd June 2008

The next road race in Cork after the Cork BHAA 'John Buckley Sports' 5k is the 5 mile race in Shanagarry in East Cork next week. In the meantime, there are 3 events on over the weekend outside of the county. On Friday evening the 20th, there is a 5 Mile race in Clashmore in West Waterford and a 10k race in Cappamore in East Limerick. On Sunday, there is a charity event at 4am in the morning near Dungarvan. Yes, that's 4am, not 4pm!! More details about these events can be found on the Running in Munster website.

Preview of the Cork BHAA 'John Buckley Sports' 5 km Road Race - Thurs 19th June (8pm)
This is one of the most popular races on the Cork road race calendar and if the weather is kind, it should attract well over 400 runners. It is also one of the most central in that it is only a short distance from the city centre and yet it is run on mostly quiet roads.

Registration...The event centre for this race is in the Lee Rowing Club building on the Marina. This is located just alongside the Pairc Ui Chaoimh GAA stadium. There is plenty of parking in the area....outside the club house, along the quayside or outside the GAA stadium. See map below. Considering that the number of entries will be high, it might be no harm to get there early. There is also a concert at the Marquee which is nearby and this is bound to mean that the local traffic will be heavy.

Cost...As usual for BHAA events, it is €5 for registered runners and €7 for non-registered. There will be 2 queues...just make sure you get into the correct one.

Course...This is probably the flatest and fastest 5 km course in Cork. The start is on the Centre Park Road, about half a mile from the club house. With so many people running, the start will probably be a bit squashed but the road is wide enough that the field will soon thin out. Just one word of warning here...a lot of heavy vehicles use this road and the surface is a bit rough in places. It's not so easy to see what is up ahead when the field is bunched.

So, from the start, you run towards the city centre, left at the roundabout and onto the Monaghan Road. The 1 mile mark is half way down this road. For the 2nd mile, you go left at the next juction, back onto the Centre Park Road, past the start point and on to the 2 mile mark. For the 3 mile, you just retrace your footsteps as you repeat the same route except at the end when you approach the Centre Park Road again, you turn right instead of left. Here, you enter a tunnel of Green foliage as the mature trees on both sides of the road block out the light. Along here, you pass the 3 mile mark and the finish is about 150 metres later.

Overall.....Dead flat and as fast a 5 km course as you can get. If you want to try for a personal best, this is the place to try for it.

If you want to have a closer look at the course or get your bearings, I have put the route up on the MapMyRun website.

Comments...
"John, just to leave you know that there is a concert on Thursday night in the Marquee, so traffic will be heavy in the area. People would be advised to arrive early for the 5k......Terry H."
"Thanks Terry......John Desmond"
"Ah the concert is only Shane Ward!!! Traffic shouln't be that bad ;0) ...........Dave L"

Cork City Marathon release the team results...

The team results for the 2008 Cork City Marathon are now up on the Marathon website.

The top 3 Mens teams were...

1st - St Finbarrs (17 pts) - 3 Cathal O'Connell St Finbarr's AC, 6 Derek O'Leary St Finbarr's AC, 8 Cathal Kelly St Finbarr's AC
2nd - East Cork (63 pts) - 1 Roy Fahy East Cork AC, 16 Brian Hegarty East Cork AC, 46 Ian O'Sullivan East Cork AC
3rd - Clonmel AC (63 pts) - 7 Vasiliy Neumerzhitskiy Clonmel AC, 25 Richard O'Gorman Clonmel AC, 31 Valera Turcan Clonmel AC

The top 3 Womens teams were...
1st - Eagle AC (394 pts) - 37 Sinead ni Chonchuir Eagle AC, 94 Ann Marie Holland Eagle AC, 263 Ann Cashman Eagle AC
2nd - Grange Fermoy (986 pts) - 61 Orla Ryan Grange Fermoy AC, 281 Mary Fitzgerald Grange Fermoy AC, 644 Terri Hennessy Grange Fermoy AC
3rd - Ennis Track Club (1128 pts) - 328 Ita Hanrahan Ennis Track, 276 Patricia O'Brien Ennis Track, 524 Hilda O'Connor Ennis Track

The full list of teams can be found at this LINK.

Lies.........Damn lies........and Statistics.......

Will this be one of my last posts about the 2008 Cork City Marathon & Relay? Possibly but I doubt it! Looking through some of the results and comparing them to last year, some of you may be interested (...or not ;o) in the following statistics.

So, on with the anoraks and here we go...

1) Marathon finishers......In 2007, there were a total of 1355 finishers. In 2008, it was only slightly lower with 1338 runners finishing the event. So, no great change there but as an event, the numbers did not grow despite the fact that a lot of Relay runners from 2007 probably came back in 2008 to run the full event........or did they???

2) Relay event........The huge change this year was in the Relay event. In 2007, there were 634 relay teams. In 2008, that number had risen to 833 teams, an increase of 31%. By doing a VERY rough calculation, I'd estimate that the average relay team consists of about 4 runners (3.8 to be more precise!). So, that suggests that in 2007, about 2,400 people took part in the Relay event while in 2008, about 3,200 people took part. An increase of about 800 runners.

3) Totals.......Just going on the figures above, roughly 3,750 took part in 2007 while roughly 4,550 took part in 2008.

4) Women........In 2007, around 25% of the Marathon runners were women. This year, it was down to 21.3%. This drop is so small that it may be just a natural variation in numbers rather than suggesting any particular trend.

5) Sub 3 hours........In 2008, a mere 2.1% of the field managed to get in under the 3 hour mark. This was slightly down from the figure of 2.4% in 2007.

6) Sub 3.5 hours..........A modest increase in numbers this year with 14.6% getting inside 3 hour 30 minutes while 11.7% did it in 2007.

7) Sub 4 hours............In 2007, 35.9% got under the 4 hour mark while in 2008, 40.5% did it. It's a sobering thought to think that even after 4 hours, roughly 60% of Marathon runners are still out on the course.

8) Sub 4.5 hours.....At this stage of the Marathon, they are finishing in droves. In 2007, 58.5% finished under the 4 hour 30 minute mark. In 2008, it was 63.8%. At this stage, roughly 40% are still out on the course during what was probably the hottest time of the day.

Notes.....Looking through the numbers, the numbers finishing this year seem to be a bit faster than last year. Reason...??? Maybe the fact it was a bit cooler?? Was it because the water stations were better???

Comments....

Videos of the 2008 Cork City Marathon...
Two weeks have now passed since the Cork City Marathon & Relay and as expected, some videos have appeared on the net of the event.

(Note...you will probably need to have broadband if you are watching these from home)

1) This first video shows a runner finishing. The quality isn't great but it gives a flavour of what the finish area was like on the day.



2) The 2nd video is a bit on the long side, almost a whole 6 minutes!! It basically is a set of still photos that are set to music. It gives an overview of the day for a group of runners who are doing the Relay & Marathon. It's a bit slow to start off but it's well made and there are some shots of the Marathon in the centre.

Cork City Marathon publish full list of prize winners...

If you are interested in finding out who got what in the 2008 Cork City Marathon, there is now a list of all the individual prize winners up on the Cork City Marathon website. The link to the PDF document is HERE

Races this weekend and a new website!!!
For those of you who are regular visitors to this website, you'll have noticed that I have been expanding the content of the site over time. I have recently started to mention some of the races outside of Cork with some maps for the following reasons...
a) I know that a certain small percentage of Cork based runners might be interested in doing races in adjoining counties.
b) While the majority of visitors to this website are from Cork, it also gets quite a number of visitors from others counties as well.
c) I have received several e-mails from people outside of Cork asking for details of races in their areas.

However, I know that the majority of visitors are mainly interested in Cork events. It is after all called the Running in Cork Blog!! The question is how do I find the correct balance? I was reluctant to put up too much non-Cork related material.

My solution....start another website!! So, I have put together another blog and naturally enough, I have called it the 'Running in Munster' blog. It's not my intention to go into the same level of detail there as I do with the Cork blog but I hope to put up some brief information about the races in Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and Waterford on that site. So, in future for races outside of Cork, I'll give a brief mention on the Running in Cork site and then link to the main content which will be up on the 'Running in Munster' site.

The new website is at....http://munsterrunning.blogspot.com/

Races this weeekend...There are 2 races of offer on Friday, the 14th of June. One is a 6 mile race in the Gaeltacht area of Ring, just South of Dungarvan in West Waterford. The other one is a 7 km race in Thurles in Tipperary. Both races start at 8pm.

Comments...

"Hi John, this is great news for me personally as I have run a few races outside of Cork. It is much appreciated that you have decided to start this new blog and I'm sure others will start to head to races around Munster because they will have more info on them. Good luck with this new venture. I'm heading to Ring tomorrow night and I'll give you a bit of info on it Saturday......John Dunphy, Rising Sun AC"
"Great idea, it's often very hard to find out about these races. I'm living in Co. Limerick and travel to all the races in Cork. It's just as easy for me to travel to Tipperary and Waterford. This might even result in more races cropping up. I know the mountain running races need more promotion maybe they could be included as well. It's annoying to miss out on a race just because you didn't know about it. Keep up the good work.....Anonymous"

"Congrats and well done on the Munster Blogspot! Great to see someone putting so much back into the sport!Take a (big) bow!............John Quigley"

"Thanks Mr. Quigley, good to see you are back in action ;o) ........John Desmond"

Results of the Cork BHAA 'Grandons' 5 Mile road race - Wed 11th June 2008
Just to keep things in sequence, I am putting up this post for the results now. The full results probably won't be ready until maybe Friday at the earliest, maybe next early next week.

This was one race that I missed out on as I'm still resting up after the Marathon. Would anyone like to comment on or do a review of this race? Course? Hard or Easy? Overall? Click on that comment link below...

Results...
The Category Results...
GRANDON MOTORS 5-Mile Road Race (Cork BHAA), Glanmire, Co Cork
1 S Urea (temp-reg) 25:11; 2 D O’Callaghan (HSE) 26:31; 3 T O’Connor (temp-reg) 27:01; 4 D Smith (Team adidas) 27:02; 5 J Grufferty (Bio Pharma) 27:19; 6 J McCarthy (Richard McCarthy) 27:24; 7 P Gibbons (temp-reg) 27:42; 8 S Simcox (Workout Express) 27:51; 9 T Woods (UCC) 27:57; 10 V Turcan (temp-reg) 27:58.
M40: 1 V Neumerzhitskiy (ATBP) 28:38; 2 N Curtin (Quality Hotel) 28:47; 3 L Cotter (Kerry Foods) 29:38.
M45: 1 S Byczek (Dairypower) 29:31; 2 D Carroll (Blarney Woolen Mills) 30:57; 3 T O’Flynn (Cork Garda) 31:39.
M50: 1 T Cody (Midleton UDC) 30:49; 2 L Donovan (Janssen) 34:51; 3 T Linehan (Plant Hire) 35:51.
M55: 1 P Twomey (UCC) 32:18; 2 D Kennedy (DPS) 32:50; 3 D Cotter (Cork Painters) 35:05.
M60: 1 P Gyves (ITW-Hi Cone) 34:41; 2 J Cotter (ESB) 37:27.
M65: 1 J O’Leary (Bookdeal) 38:30.
Team: (Grade A) 1 Midleton UDC 100; 2 UCC 105; 3 Midleton News 136. (Grade B) 1 EMC; 2 CSO. (Grade C) 1 Kearney & Cavanagh 116; 2 Pilz 116; 3 IPS 118.
Women: 1 R Lynch (GE Healthcare) 29:45; 2 J Vonhatten (Glanmire Pharmacy) 31:09; 3 H Kelleher (CSO, F40) 32:53; 4 D Twohig (HSE) 32:59; 5 M Sheehan (Carrig Court, F50) 33:06; 6 F Kirwan (Sensory Labs, F40) 33:17; 7 A Murphy (UCC) 33:20; 8 L Geary (BoI) 33:30.
F35: 1 G Mullaney (Musgrave) 33:59; 2 A Barry (BoI) 35:53; 3 G Murphy (BoI) 38:34.
F40: 2 S Drennan (Midleton News) 35:30.
F45: 1 A Stavrou (Private Hospitals) 39:37.
F55: 1 M Barry (Midleton News) 40:35.
Team: (Grade A) 1 HSE 7; 2 Musgrave 19. (Grade B) 1 Cope 49; 2 EMC 56.

Full Results...
Thurs 3rd July...The full results have now been put up on the Cork BHAA website. The link is HERE.

Review of Grandon 5 Mile Race............by Simon Long
"While it looked like threatening to rain before during and after the race the rain held off. Other parts of the city weren't as lucky. We seemed to just escape in Glanmire. On arrival it was obvious that this was going to be a big turnout. I believe they ended up with just under 400 in the end which presumably is due to the increased numbers giving the local running scene a go after the marathon, especially first timers and relay runners. Great to see and there was a great buzz around the place last night.
The race started a couple of minutes late but considering the numbers this was to be expected. There was quite a comical moment at the start just before the off. Grandon's had one of their small cars (New Fiat 600 I think) beside the start line. It was full of balloons which were released just before the start. However they were not Helium filled and ended up strewn across the road in front of the start. As the race started people were wading through, kicking and nearly tripping over ballons. There was one guy near me who nearly fell. Thankfully everyone got through unscathed!
The course itself was enjoyable and fair. The only really tough bit was the hill at around 2.5. While it was steep it was quite short and there was a nice gradual downhill for about half a mile once we turned left off the top of the incline so this was a good chance for the lungs to recover a bit. The course doubled back on itself with approximately the first 2 miles and last two miles being the same with a loop at the end. There was more downhill on the way back which was nice. Quite a fast course overall I'd imagine. The stewarding as always was excellent considering there was quite a bit of traffic around. I think it's races like this that the headphone ban really makes sense.
Another nice thing to see was the amount of support out. I suppose this is due to the fact that we passed by quite a few housing estates. However it was nice to see people out making the effort. A few people even had their kids handing out cups of water.
All in all an enjoyable evening and a very good course. Testing and varied but fair."

(Thanks Simon for the review.......John Desmond)

Comments...
"As the car with the balloons at the start line drove off, it hit one of the balloons and we thought it was the start gun! This was greeted with ripples of laughter at the startline.
I found the race tougher that the Midleton 5 as there were more drags but it was very enjoyable and the locals gave great support. I and a few others made the mistake of going off too fast as the first mile was slightly downhill - this made the last 2 miles very tough and I lost a few places (will know better next year). Very well run with parking in a nearby field and loads of stewards on the road.....Anonymous"
"400 is a large entry for that race. That's 100 more than last year. Going by that increase in numbers, there could be well over 500 for the John Buckley 5K next week. (400 there last year)........Derek"
"One thing that always annoys me at theses races is how fast people run the first mile. I thought I was running 8 min miles off the start as there were so many people ahead of me. Got to the first mile marker in 5:45. How many people went through the first mile sub 6 minute mile pace and then died a death? If these people went off a bit slower, they'd pr for sure.
Here's an idea, how about getting paced runners wearing a T-shirt with pace on the back. You could have a 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00 etc groups. Don't know who would volunteer but it would improve times no end.........Anonymous"
"John, I do this at a lot of races, however I only do it for my two sisters to help them achieve their goal time, they find it very benifical. Very good idea for offical time runners in the race.....Anonymous"
"I know they use paced runners in some of the big Marathons but I've never heard of it in a shorter race. I doubt if there would be much of a demand for it though. I could see some problems with it...
1) The person setting the pace running at the correct speed. It's a lot easier to do in a long slow run but in a 5 miler??
2) No big demand for it. For anyone new to running, it's so easy to go way too fast at the start. But after a few races, you begin to recognise some of the names and the faces of the people finishing around you. After a while, these are the people in 'your' group. Once you start a race, you look for these people and they will help you run at your correct pace. That's one of the best things about the road races, the very people you are competing against in a friendly competition are also helping you to get the best out of yourself.......John Desmond"
"Maybe if they just gave the normal list of results as soon as possible and give the category and team results and a later date,as this takes more time, it would make more sense as I think most people are simply interested in their times and position. A week is a long time to wait for that particular piece of information.........Anonymous"
"Thurs 19th 2008, and still no sign of results????????????? ................Anonymous"
"Fri 27th.....Results are now out. See link above.........John Desmond"

New record peak for Cork Running Blog traffic...

This blog set a new record for traffic last May with over 8,700 hits for the month. This beats the old record of 7,445 which was set last March (...time of the Ballycotton 10). No doubt, this was mainly due to the Cork City Marathon but the overall trend still seems to be upwards.

For those of us used to the local road running scene, it's easy to assume that everyone knows what websites to go to for information on the local races. What I am finding is that a lot of the visitors that come to the Cork Running Blog are coming from the Google search engine. They are using terms like 'Cork Race', 'Glanmire Race' or even "Ballycotton Mini-Marathon" !! It's a big change from 12 months ago when the blog was on page 12 or so of Google and it used to get as many visitors in 1 month that it now gets in 1 day. It's obvious that there are a huge number of people out there who are just interested in doing the occasional race to help them improve their fitness or to compliment some other sport that they are involved in. So hopefully, we'll see this extra level of traffic translated into larger numbers at the local races soon.

Comments...

"John, The reason the traffic is up is two fold.

One: increased interest in running

Two: the very high quality of your blog. I think it is a major credit to you. The site is always timely and relevant and I take my hat off to you........Eoin McGettigan"

"Thanks Eoin. I would guess that one of the main reasons for the extra traffic, going on the mails that I recieve, is that there is a constant stream of new runners out there who are looking for race information.....John Desmond"

More photos from the Cork City Marathon...

Alan Bannon of Eagle AC took a series of 62 photos of the Cork City Marathon and they have been uploaded onto the Eagle AC website. Some of them are from the end of the South Mal, some from the start of the Lower Glanmire Road and some from Patricks Street.

The link to the photos is HERE.

There is another set of 30 photos also up on the Mallow AC website. While they are mostly of Mallow AC members, there are a few others in there as well. The link to their website is HERE.

Preview of the Cork BHAA 'Grandons' 5 Mile Road Race - Wed 9th June (8pm)

The first race in Cork since the Cork City Marathon & Relay takes place next Wednesday, the 9th of June at 8pm in Glanmire, just East of the City. The event centre for the race is the GAA club house right alongside the main road.

Directions...

From Cork, just go to Glanmire village and continue on towards Riverstown. After the major crossroads with traffic lights, you'll see the GAA clubhouse with pitches on the right (shown as X in the map below). There is a limited amount of parking at the club house while you should be able to park between there and Grandons garage which is about 800 metres further on.

If you wish to get your bearings, check this link......http://pininthemap.com/df8f7258ca2d1cd45

Course...

It's been a while since I did this race so I'm not 100% sure if I have the course drawn exactly but I think it's pretty close. The start is up near Grandons garage, the main sponsor of the event. From the start, you run slightly downhill and past the GAA club house where you signed on. Through the next traffic lights, past the 1 mile mark and then left. Now you are on to pretty quiet residental roads. There are a few small falls and climbs as you go, up a little hill to a road junction and then right. Past the 2 mile mark and under a bridge for the main Cork-Dublin road. From here, I just can't remember if you go clockwise or anti-clockwise around the next loop. I know there is a bit of a hill there, you pass the 3 mile mark and you come back under the bridge again. Now from the bridge, you have a 1 mile run through a residental area as the road climbs and falls. Around 4.5 miles, you are back onto the main road again as you take a right. Watch for the stewards here as this can be a busy road and you need to cross it. Once on the left side, it's about 800 metres from here to the finish beyond the GAA grounds.

Overall, a 5 mile course with lots of little pulls and drags. Probably not the fastest of courses.

Unless of course, I'm completely wrong and the course is somewhere else!! You have been warned... ;o)

If you would like to have a look at the course in more detail, I have put it up on the MapMyRun website.

New Runners...

For anyone new to the running scene (maybe some of the Marathon Relay runners???), this race like other local races is open to everyone. You do not need to be registered or a member of a club. There should be around 300 runners in this race, from the very fast to the not so fast. Don't worry, you'll almost certainly find someone near your own standard to run with. The entry fee for non-registered runners is €7.

Marathon Runners...Behave yourselves!!!... ;o)

A 5 mile road race just 9 days after running a Marathon is way too soon. Rest up or just jog around. There's plenty of other races coming up.

Comments...

"Hi John. I remember this one from last year as it was my first ever road race,as you said start at Grandons after the first mile or so you take a left you pass the Glanmire Gaa Club and head towards the main road to Knockraha. When you come to the junction, you swing right, you run for another mile or so and take a left up a steep hill. It doesn't last long. When you reach the top of the hill, you swing left heading back towards Glanmire. You will rejoin the main road again, turn right at the junction and head towards Glanmire at the rounadabout, keep left and head towards the main old Cork to Dublin road. Go right here at this junction and it's straight ahead to the finish line, hope this is of some help to you. Thanks for highlighting the Kilmacow road race, fine event, very enjoyable day out.........John Dunphy Rising Sun AC"

One week after the Marathon.....
Now that the Marathon is over and the sore legs have recovered, it's easy to think that everything is back to normal and we can all go back running as normal. The general rule of thumb after a Marathon is that you should take it easy for 26 days, one day for every mile.
Have a look at this link to the BBC website to get some idea of why those legs were so sore after the Marathon......http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/6576637.stm

Runners World UK offer the following...
"What you do in the days following a marathon is just as important as what you did before. Running 26.2 miles places high demands on the body and you're likely to end up with depleted fuel stores, accumulated fluid in the muscles, dehydration and perhaps some damaged muscle tissue. So, not surprisingly, you will be susceptible to injury and infection after the race. "
"Muscle SorenessDelayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) can begin eight or more hours after the race and may linger for up to a week after the marathon. For the first 24 hours after the race, apply ice (wrapped in a cloth) frequently to any painful parts of your legs, keeping it on for about 12 minutes at a time. Elevate your feet and legs for at least an hour after the marathon and for 30 minutes a day for the following week. "
"The stress of running a marathon can depress your immune system, leaving you susceptible to colds, flu and other upper respiratory tract infections in the days immediately following the race. Self-care is the best way to reduce your risk of contracting a virus, so make sure you get plenty of sleep, eat well-balanced meals and drink lots of water."
"A general lack of energy in the week following marathon is perfectly usual. Try to eat meals comprising 50-60 per cent carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen reserves, and foods rich in protein to assist your body in repairing muscle and tissue. Indulge any cravings you might have - these could be your body's way of telling you what it needs.""Scientific research also indicates that many marathon runners lose around 3mg of iron (about the amount in a serving of beef stew) per day for up to five days after the marathon, so eat foods rich in iron - including meat, spinach, beans, peaches, parsley and peas - during your post-marathon week. To promote iron absorption, drink orange juice or consume other rich sources of vitamin C with your meals. "

Comments...
"Does this mean I should give the Glanmire race a skip. Just did one 4 mile easy run since marathon. Legs felt fine but I was a little bit tired afterwards( as if I had ran harder than I actually did). Heart rate was normal for this kind of run. Can't make up my mind whether to run or not!!!!!.........Cheers AJ"
"Hi AJ.....Considering that the BHAA race in Glanmire is just 9 days after the Marathon, I'd say that it is too close. It would be fine to do the 5 miles at a slow pace but not anywhere near race pace. Otherwise, you risk getting injured and you'll be out of action a lot longer. Maybe the John Buckley 5k on the 19th? This is 17 days after the Marathon, it's flat and it's only 5 kms (3.1 miles) long........John Desmond"
"Hi again John. Think I'll give it a skip. Going on hols thurs so it's easy street for a couple of weeks and pick it up again towards end of the month.Time to be sensible for a change!! Thanks again......AJ"

ASI Photos Europe release their photos of the Cork City Marathon...

The professional photos from ASI are now out. Go to this link http://asiphoto.net/recent_events+M5b7bae03553.html . Just enter your surname or race number. Note that this is a professional service. They will show you samples with their logo in bright Green accross the front. You have the option of then buying them in their original format.

More photos from the Cork City Marathon & Relay...

Paudie Birmingham of Mallow AC has just put up a gallery of 205 photos of the 2008 Cork City Marathon. Most of them are taken just after the 1 mile mark and after the 3 mile mark along the quays. Because the field is still bunched together, a lot of runners can be seen in each photo.

They can be found at the following address... http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/padraicbirmingham/CorkMarathon2008

Each photo has been reduced in size to conserve memory. If you would like a copy of the original picture in high quality, Paudie can e-mail them to you. Just take a note of the web address of the picture or the number of photo (...say 30 of 205). Then send me an e-mail and I'll forward on your details to Paudie. You can find my e-mail address on the right hand column of this page.