Preview of the Churchtown South 5 Mile Road Race - Thurs 24th of July (8pm)

The 3rd race in the Ballycotton Summer series takes place next Thurdsay evening, the 24th of July at 8pm. Going on recent races, I'd expect that they should get between 250 and 300 for this one.

Directions...If you are new to the local race scene, try the following route. From Cork, take the usual route to Ballycotton (...shown above in Yellow). When you get to the centre of Cloyne, the main road takes a 90 degree left. You need to take the turn off which is straight ahead past the old round tower. Just stay on this road (...shown above in Orange), follow the signposts for Ballycotton and you will end up in Churchtown South.

Entries...The event centre for this race is the small community hall which is located next to the road junction on the Cloyne side of the village. Inside, there will be 2 queues....
Queue 1)...Any runner who ran the first 2 races of the Ballycotton Summer Series (Ballyandreen ‘5’ & Shanagarry '5') is automatically entered for Churchtown South. The race number corresponds with the runners’ overall position after the first two races. The full list 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...It is roughly 2 laps of a 2.5 mile course. When you run the course, you would think that it should be a fast course as there seem to be very few hills. However, while there are no obvious steep hills like Ballyandreen or Shanagarry, there are some long drags in it which have the same net effect. For my money, it is as tough a course as either of the first two in the series.

If you want to have a look at the course or see where Churchtown South is, click on the following link....http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/ireland/cork/453940448