Cork City Sports Athletics award for the month of October 2009...

This piece of news came to light at the end of last week. John Walshe of Ballycotton Running Promotions was the recipient of the Cork City Sports Athletics award for the month of October. Anyone that takes part in the local races on a regular basis will know that John Walshe is involved in organising many of them as well as of course organising the hugely popular 'Ballycotton 10' every March.

Here is the clip from the AAI website...

It is surely safe to say that John ‘Mr. Ballycotton’ Walshe is as worthy a winner as any of the great athletes who have been honoured at this event in the past.

Speaking at the lunch reception in Jurys, Evening Echo Sports Editor John McHale told the gathering that in all his years as Editor he had not come across a more humble and obliging person as John Walshe.

John Walshe has been organising road races in and around his beloved Ballycotton for decades. As a race organiser he is regarded by everyone as an athletes man and no step is left unturned by him in his efforts to ensure that everything possible is done to make their racing experience the best ever.

John is probably best known throughout the length and breadth of Ireland as the organiser of the famous Ballycotton 10, a race that was there long before the running boom began, and a race that has grown in stature year after year, so much so that there are now entry limits, and that limit is reached within hours of the entry forms becoming available.

Evening Echo Editor John McHale was glowing in his address about John Walshe, as was Cork City Sports Chairman Dick Hodgins.

In reply John Walshe said he was honoured and humbled to be the recipient of this prestigious award, following in the footsteps of Derval O’Rourke in September and Olive Loughnane in August. He thanked everyone for the award as well as his family and friends who had supported him so well over the past 30 years.