East Cork AC announce the start of the their 'Winter Series' 3k road races....

This series has been going for a good few years and the numbers have continued to get bigger over the years. Originally, the series was supposed to be for runners in East Cork to help them train over the winter months. In more recent times, it has attracted more runners from further afield and the numbers have now grown to a stage where it is almost getting too big. The space is limited at the start and as the numbers go over 100, it is getting more difficult for the organisers.

What is it???...........Basically, the race itself is 3 loops of a 1km circuit just to the South of Midleton in East Cork. No prizes, no refreshments or anything like that. It's just a 3k run. Entry fee is about €3 I think. The first race is next Tuesday, the 14th of October. The next one is 3 weeks later on the 4th of November and so on until the 7th and final race is on the 17th of February of 2009. The start time for each race is 7:30pm.

Note of Caution....If you are doing this race, remember it is in a residental area. The organisers depend on the goodwill of the local residents so that this race can continue. Please keep this in mind when parking, warming up and so on.

Reflective vest........Part of this race is on the hard shoulder of the Midleton to Whitegate road. The organisers request that you wear a reflective bib or vest for the race.

Publicity.......Considering the numbers that they were getting last year, I'm a little concerned about saying too much about this event! Considering the level of traffic that this website now gets (~1,500 to 2,000 hits per week), I don't want to post something on say Monday and then have 200 people turning up on Tuesday!! So, what I am going to do this year is that a) I will update the 'Race Calendar' in the right hand column here, b) I will leave a link under 'Race Flyers' if someone wants more info and c) I will post the results after each race. I won't preview each event before it happens. So if you are interesting in doing any races in the series, it's up to you to keep track of when they are on.

If you want more info, you will find the flyer for the series HERE and more information about the course HERE.

Food for thought...........While I was writing this post, I wondered if there would be a demand for an event like this in or near Cork city? Maybe a 3k race on the same night as the Midleton event which would the pressure off the numbers there. I know they hold a very successful series of night races every year in Dungarvan so why not Cork? Obviously it would require an area that is quiet, well lit and with plenty of space for parking. Perhaps some industrial estate? What do people think............is there a demand for this kind of event closer to Cork city???

Comments......?????

"The marina would be ideal for a 3k as it is quiet and flat and as long as you stayed on centre park road and Monaghans road you would have public lighting. Parking is also straightforward.......Richard"

"Just a point of interest Richard, that loop you describe is approx 2.5 kms in lenght........John Desmond"