New Race Series in North Cork & South Limerick...
Anyone who had been running for a while will have noticed that there are plenty of road races near Cork City and in East Cork while there is a definite shortage in the West and North of the county.

The situation in West Cork has improved greatly this year with some new races on the calendar like the Banty 10 mile in the Mealagh Valley, the 10 k race in Dunmanway and the Cork BHAA 5 km race in Macroom.

North Cork used to be an area with plenty of races before. Many moons ago, there used to be a 10 mile race in Charleville while more recently, there used to be a race series on Friday evenings during the summer months. For the last few years however there has been very little activity in the North Cork / South Limerick area.

So with that in mind, it's great to hear the news that there is a new Ballyhoura Series starting up again! The very first one is on Friday evening the 30th of April in Doneraile Park just to the North of Mallow. It's a stunning location for a race and the entry fee is only €5! More details in a later post.

For more info on the Ballyhoura series, here is some info from the organisers...


Ballyhoura ACTIVE Running & Walks Summer Series


A number of athletic clubs in the region are supporting a series of traditional style road races and walks. This series is being promoted by Ballyhoura Failte in order to boost Tourism and physical activity in the Ballyhoura region. All of the events will be held in scenic locations and it is hoped that this will add to the great friendly social atmosphere which is common at these events. The following is a list of the locations, along with the dates and times of the events;


Friday April 30th  - Doneraile Park Trails 5km     – Mallow A.C.


Sunday May 16th  - Kilfinane Ladies 2 & Mens 4 mile with Limerick Co. Road Race  – Kilfinane A.C.


Friday June 4th  - Doneraile Park Trails 5km (Sonia O Sullivan to attend) – Mallow A.C.


Friday June 18th  - Bilboa 10k Tenth Anniversary Road race  – Bilboa A.C.


Other races to follow in Liscarroll, Mitchelstown and Kilteely over July and August.


Participants who complete 5 of the 7 races will receive a high quality t-shirt as an incentive to participate in as many of the events as possible. Receiving the t-shirt will act as a momento of their achievement. It is hoped that this will be an encouragement for people who don’t normally exercise to set themselves a goal to participate in this series.


Information on the series as a whole will be available on the Ballyhoura Country website www.ballyhouracountry.com