It's that time of year again.......the Ballycotton 10 Mile Road Race Entry Derby!!

Here we go again....it's Ballycotton 10 entry time and it has been revealed that the entry conditions are the same again as last year! So, here's the low down.......

Entry Forms.......here is how you get them.

a) You can send the organisers an SAE during the month of November and they will post an entry form back to you on the weekend of Friday Nov 28th/Sunday Nov 30th

b) The entry form will be put up on website www.ballycottonrunning.com on Monday evening, the 1st of December, also in John Buckley Sports (Cork), Ger Wyley Sports (Dungarvan) and local shops (Ballycotton and Shanagarry) that same afternoon.

Type of entrant...

a) Elite runners.......that is, very fast. Doesn't concern us mere mortals.

b) Members of AAI registered athletic clubs OR any person who did one of the 4 Ballycotton Summer Series races.......Ballyandreen 5m (May), Shanagarry 5m (June), Churchtown South 5m (July) or the Ballycotton 5m (Aug). They have until Tuesday the 16th of December to get their entries in.

c) Genuine Overseas Runners........They have until Thursday, the 8th of Jan 2009 to get their entries (No Icelandic bank drafts please!! ;o)

d) Anyone who does not qualify under any of the above. For them, it will be a mad scamble to get their entries in on time. The organisers will set a limit of 2,500 entries. Once that limit is reached, it is only open to a), b) and c) above.

If you are in the d) camp above, you really need to be on the ball for this one. Last year, they reached the quota of 2,500 in just 5 days!!! That's right....the forms came out on the Monday and it was closed by the Friday. You really need to post that entry as soon as you can.....i.e. on Monday evening or on Tuesday morning. Considering the increase in the numbers of people running, it is very likely that the 2,500 limit will be reached earlier this year.

Last year at this time when this website was getting 2,000 hits per month, I could be pretty confident in saying that if you followed the guidelines that I had set out about posting early, you would be ahead of the pack and get in 100%. This year?? ..with 8,000 hits, a lot more people are going to see this. All I would say is that this year, if you post on Monday or Tuesday, you are LIKELY to get in, no guarantees. Certainly, if you wait until Wednesday or Thursday, it's less likely and if it's Friday, forget it!

Suggestion.........what about joining an athletic club?? Maybe you have been thinking about it and putting it off. I know if you are a beginner, you might think that clubs are only for 'serious' runners' but it's not like that at all. Most clubs have a wide mix of runners, men and women, fast and not so fast ;o) I'm sure most of them would be delighted to hear from you. Why not go to the Cork AAI website and see if there is a club in your area. If you join a club in November, the closing date for you will be the 16th of December.

Other than that, there is no panic for the moment. You just need to decide if you are going to send off a SAE or will you wait for the forms to come out. Over the next month, I'll be putting reminders up here anyway so keep checking.

Here is the official entry procedure from the Ballycotton Running Promotions Website......

BALLYCOTTON ‘10’ 2009 ENTRY PROCEDURE
The following is the entry procedure (similar to 2008) for next year’s race:

1) People apply for forms anytime during November (up to Friday 28th) by sending a SAE to: Ballycotton Running Promotions, Ballycotton, Co Cork (see note below).
2) All forms will then be posted out on the weekend of Friday Nov 28th/Sunday Nov 30th - ideally to arrive with applicants by Mon/Tue, Dec 1st/2nd.
3) Entry form will be put up on website www.ballycottonrunning.com on Monday evening (Dec 1st), also in John Buckley Sports (Cork), Ger Wyley Sports (Dungarvan) and local shops (Ballycotton and Shanagarry) that same afternoon.
4) The first 2,500 postal entries opened will be accepted.
5) All bona fide AAI (Athletics Ireland) registered club members will be accepted (by post) up to Tuesday December 16th along with any runner who has competed in one of the four 2008 Ballycotton Summer Series 5-mile races.
6) All bona fide overseas entrants (by post) accepted up to Thursday January 8th.
7) As usual, a limited number of elite athletes will be accepted up to near race day.

PLEASE NOTE: When applying for forms, please enclose a large (A4) SAE with the correct postage, stating the number of forms required (if more than one form is going to the same address, one envelope is sufficient). However, if the correct postage is not on the envelope we cannot be held responsible for postal delays. Also, we prefer people to enter on the official form, so ask for enough – there is no need to photo-copy!

Comments.....

"Hi John, just to say thanks for this information on Ballycotton race 2009. I entered last year but did not get in so I found your information really helpful. Many thanks .........Chrissie Gaffney"

"Hi John, have you any idea what the entrance fee will be this year for ballycottton 10??.......Anonymous"

"On the guide to entries for next years race, Ballycotton Running Promotions make no mention of the actual entry fee for next years race. I presume they may not make it public until the forms are actually released.....John Desmond"