'King of Pana'....a different kind of race!

It's time to clear the decks and concentrate on the Cork City Marathon & Relay!! Over the next few days, I hope to have loads of  info on the event so keep checking back.


First off, here is some info about a fun event on next Sunday morning, the 6th of June........a race up Patrick's Hill!!

Here is some info...
In conjunction with the Cork City Marathon, there will be a friendship run on Sunday 6th June at 10:30 am and it's being called the "King of Pana" race. The start is on St Patrick's street, goes across the bridge and up St Patricks Hill (yes the one where Lance Armstrong got off and walked!) and finishes at the top of the hill. The distance is just shy of a mile but it has a cracking hill to make it a little tough!

The basic details are
1. Open to anyone participating in the marathon and especially to all the volunteers who are working the marathon. If they have space, they'll accept others as well.
2. Entry is FREE - yep a free race!
3. Entries will be taken in Mahers sports on Maylor street from 9:00 - 10:00 on the morning of the race) and are strictly limited to 250 entrants in this first year. Entries on a first come first served basis.
4. There will be some refreshments afterwards (probably in the Camp field at the top of the hill) and they would encourage people to being along old race teeshirts that don't fit to swap while they enjoy the refreshments and hopefully some craic. The whole idea of this event is to meet a few people and enjoy a very gentle pre race run. Leave your competitive side for the real race on the Monday!
5. There are no prizes for this race


There is no doubt about it...it might be short but it's a tough race! If you have ever driven up Patrick's Hill then you'll notice that it's steep from the start but about two-thirds of the way up, it get's steeper all of a sudden! You can forget about the mile PB's on this one ;o)


Who is going to be the 'King of Pana'???

Results of the Cork BHAA 'Grandons' 5 Mile Road Race - Mon 31st May 2010

It looks as if the Summer Monsoon arrived in time for this one with a dark and dreary evening. A total of 309 hardy souls turned out for this race in wet conditions which was well down on previous years as you would expect........378 in 2008 and 460 in 2009. Still though, 309 isn't exactly a small crowd.


The full results are now available HERE

Preview of the Cork BHAA 'Grandons' 5 Mile Road Race - Mon 31st May 2010

We have 2 races this week before the Cork City Marathon and this is the first one. This 5 mile race was usually the first race just a week or so after the Marathon. This time, it's a week before. With just one week to go, this is not the time to go racing if you hope to run the full Marathon in a weeks time. Jog around by all means but exerting yourself this close to the big day would be a mistake.


Directions......
From Cork, just go to Glanmire village and continue on towards Riverstown. After the major crossroads with traffic lights, you'll see the GAA clubhouse with pitches on the right (shown as X in the map below). There is a limited amount of parking at the club house while you should be able to park between there and Grandons garage which is about 800 metres further on.

If you wish to get your bearings, check this link......http://pininthemap.com/df8f7258ca2d1cd45

Entries........as per usual with Cork BHAA events, it's €5 for registered runners and €8 for non-registered. Last year, they got a huge turnout of 460 runners for this event. Perhaps with the Cork Marathon & Relay event so close, a lot of people might give this one a skip?? However, I have a feeling that the numbers will still be large. As always, get there early if you can. The race starts at 8pm.

Course...The start is up the road near Grandons garage. From the start, you run slightly downhill and past the GAA club house where you signed on. Through the next traffic lights, past the 1 mile mark and then left. Now you are on to pretty quiet residental roads. There are a few small falls and climbs as you go, up a little hill to a road junction and then right. Past the 2 mile mark and under a bridge for the main Cork-Dublin road. From here, you go around the next loop. I know there is a bit of a hill there, you pass the 3 mile mark and you come back under the bridge again. Now from the bridge, you have a 1 mile run through a residental area as the road climbs and falls. Around 4.5 miles, you are back onto the main road again as you take a right. Watch for the stewards here as this can be a busy road and you need to cross it. Once on the left hand side, it's about 800 metres from here to the finish beyond the GAA grounds.

Overall...a 5 mile course with lots of little pulls and drags. It's probably not the most scenic or fastest of courses but it should still get a big turnout.

If you would like to have a look at the course in more detail, I have put it up on the MapMyRun website.

Cork City Marathon Relay - Appeal for Cancer Survivors to Run

John Quigley and a very special group of runners are taking part again in the 2010 Cork City Marathon Relay. Please read on....

C Team – Cancer Survivors 2010....by John Quigley

C Team – Cancer Survivors is a unique relay team consisting solely of Cancer survivors.  We’ve all been ‘through the mill’ and been given a second chance and ..... we’d like to give something back. 

In 2009, there were six of us on the team; Joe Deane, John Ryan, Dan Byrne, John Quigley, and we doubled up on the last leg with Joe Dineen and Mossie Shanahan. C Team finished in 406^thposition, from 1138 teams, in a time of 4:01:24.

This year, there are only four of us; Marianne Murphy (Endometrial Cancer), John Quigley and Joe Dineen (both prostate Cancer) and Mossie Shanahan (Skin Cancer).  We will be running in distinctive red singlets kindly donated by Maher Sports.  We have one place left on the team, and, if necessary, will make that up between us, but we’d love to hear from other Cancer Survivors who might run with us, no matter how slow they feel they are.  (This is NOT about time!)

C Team – Cancer Survivors main aims are:

1) To raise the profile and awareness of cancer survivors. We're still here and getting on with life. (It may not be easy, but, bugger it, we're dealing with it)

2) To show those facing cancer, whether diagnosed or supporting someone who is dealing with cancer, that we’re getting on with life… and they can too.

3) To give the Medical Professionals who treated us an idea of what their work has achieved.

4) To make contact with other cancer survivors who might join with us in future events and

5) (Maybe) raise a bit of money.

We are running for three charities and hope that you’ll consider donating to one of the charities involved, and also pass the links on to your friends:

Cork ARC, The Irish Cancer Society and Cork Cancer Research.  Alternatively go to mycharity.ie, click on Sponsor a Friend and enter the word Survivor – that’ll bring up the same links.

This year, 30,000 people in Ireland will be diagnosed with Cancer – that’s the size of a large town.  Every one of us knows someone who has been affected by cancer.

If you’d like to get involved with C Team – Cancer Survivors, even if not this year, please contact John Quigley at eagle262@eircom.net or 087-6261178.

[Sadly Dan Byrne, who ran with C Team in 2009, succumbed to his illness on Wed May 12^th2010. He had said that he would be too weak to even walk this year.  Danny was a fighter and a runner, but first and foremost, he was a gentleman.  We will miss him. R.I.P............John Quigley]

Problems with dogs while running...

A few days ago, I received the following e-mail from someone who was training for the Cork City Marathon...


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I`ve had a couple of near misses over the years with dogs while running. Yesterday while on my 2nd  6 mile loop my Cork Marathon journey 2010 was ended prematurely I fear.

The loop I was doing was starting by the boat club down the Marina on to Blackrock Castle all around the walkway and back the old railway line to Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

There was some women with 3 dogs walking towards us. They heading Marina>Passage direction. Dogs going crazy running all over the place with no leads on.

While trying to avoid one dog another ran in to me knocking me to the floor. Some scrapes and grazes to both hands and elbows - grand ,  but the biggest problem being a blow I took to the knee. It is out like a balloon now and I fear the worst.

This was to be my last 20 miler before the Marathon. Looks like it will be 2011 now.

I was not sprinting either , pace being maybe 8 1/2 min/mile. The guy I was running with had a near miss only 2 miles earlier.

So I don`t know John , maybe you could advise runners through your website to exercise with caution , especially down there. There is a lot of preparation for the 26.2 and I would hate anybody to share my faith.  

P.S.  To be fair to the lady owner in question she was very apologetic but that's not much good to me . 


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Now just to be clear on this, the local laws and by-laws on this are very clear. A dog owner must have control over their dog at all times in public places. In effect, that means they must be on a leash.


The conditions for Cork County Council are HERE and you can complain HERE


The conditions for Cork City Council are HERE (Section 3), contact numbers HERE


Has anyone else had a similar problem??

Spirit of the Marathon - Part 10 of 10

This is the final part of the Spirit of the Marathon series. It's shows what make the Marathon special....ordinary runners achieving their personal goals after months of training. The media tend to concentrate on on the fast runners but it's the army of slower runners that make the Marathon a special event.



Hope you enjoyed this 10 part series here.............or was I the only one watching them? ;o)

Results of the Ballyandreen 5 Mile Road Race - Thurs 27th May 2010

There was a huge turnout for the first race in the Ballycotton Summer Series with 520 runners taking part in the Ballyandreen 5 on Thursday evening, the 27th of May. To put that into perspective, they got 411 in 2009 and 279 in 2008. That's almost a doubling of numbers in the space of 2 years! Where are all of the new runners coming from? Cork Marathon Relay? It's not like the organisers had a big advertising campaign handing out loads of flyers at earlier races. This Summer Series seems to have taken on a new life of it's own.

Truth be told, the Ballyandreen venue really struggles to handle that size of crowd. It shouldn't be  underestimated just how much work is involved in organising a race like this on the narrow roads of Ballyandreen and still managing to get the race started only a few minutes late. Full credit to the members of Ballycotton Running Promotions for pulling it off.

The narrow start for the 2010 Ballyandreen 5 Mile Road Race

...and they're off....all 500 plus runners

The mens race was won by James McCarthy of East Cork AC in a time of 25:16. This was 27 seconds ahead of the 2nd man home. The ladies race however was a much closer affair with Lizzie Lee of Leevale AC  winning in a time of 28:29, just 3 seconds ahead of Claire Gibbons-McCarthy of St.Finbarrs AC.

Close finish to the Ladies race in Ballyandreen

The full results are now available HERE

Photos.....and we have loads of them!
The first batch is a small gallery of 35 photos on the Eagle AC website
A slideshow of photos HERE from Gearoid Lee
Paudie Birmingham of Mallow AC has 2 galleries........31 pictures from the start........and 224 pictures from around the 4.3 mile mark at the start of the long downhill finish.

Preview of the Ballyandreen 5 Mile Road Race - Thurs 27th May (8pm)

The Ballycotton 5 mile Summer Series starts on Thursday evening with the Ballyandreen 5 mile road race in East Cork. This is the first of the 4 races in the series and there is a special plaque for anyone completing all 4 races. In addition, there are Top 50 T-Shirts for the top 50 men and Top 15 T-Shirts for the top 15 women. 
More info on the series HERE


Getting there.......If you are a regular then you know the way already. If you're not sure then read on.


Ballyandreen is a small town land to the west of Ballycotton itself. It's not a village so there is no point looking for signposts. If you are not sure where to go then take the main road into Ballycotton itself. Just as you reach the outskirts of Ballycotton, you'll see an old small church on the right hand side (...see 2 mile mark on the map below). Take the right here and keep driving for about 2 kms until you come to a crossroads. Turn left here. It's that simple.....church - turn right - 2 kms - crossroads - left. Follow the stewards instructions and park where directed.


Signing on...........NOTE THE CHANGES!!!
The organisers will not have the use of the usual house/hall down near the beach/finish line! Entries and changing will be at a marquee about 100m above the start (near the farmhouse on the right going down) for changing. Entries will also be taken near here in a smaller marquee.

Parking will be in a field on the right and toilets will be positioned here and also at the finish. Refreshments will be available in a local house just above the finish which will signposted.

As usual, people are asked to come early and it would help if they had the right entry fee (€5) ready. Also, the details required at the entry desk are: name, club (AAI), or town/village, and age category (35 up for women, 40 up for men).

Course...
The start point is near the registration point. The initial half mile has a good bit of uphill running it with a downhill section near the 1 mile mark. After that it's not too bad although there is a very steep downhill section near the 2 mile mark, almost too steep to really run on properly. Then it's out onto the main road and head West towards the 3 mile mark. The 4th mile is without doubt the hardest. There is a bit of a drag just after the 3 mile mark but you are soon running downhill again. However, just after 3.5 miles, you take a sharp left and the 'Beast of Ballyandreen' welcomes you!! It basically is a 500 metre slog up a tough 'little' hill. You'll be glad to see the 4 mile mark because after that, the last mile is a complete contrast. After an initial flat stage, you soon start running downhill, through the crossroads and all the ways towards the finish for what will probably be your fastest mile.

Overall...It basically is a 5 mile road race on narrow country roads in a quiet corner of East Cork. Last year, they got 411 runners and I'd expect the number to something similar again this year. Having that many cars and runners in a small area causes it's own problems and you should expect queues. The one thing you can do to make this event run smoother is to arrive early.........and have €5 ready!

And finally...
For anyone interested, I have the route up on the MapMyRun website.

Joanne Fearon from Cobh completes the Malin to Mizen run

At roughly 8pm this evening (Wed 26th), Joanne Fearon reached Mizen Head in West Cork after setting out from Malin Head in Donegal early last Friday morning. Joanne...who lives in Cobh and works in UCC...completed the 550 km trip in a time of 5 days 13 hours and 44 minutes and raised a substantial amount of money for Carers Ireland in the process.

That time if verified will be a new record for the distance by a margin of 30 minutes. While there has been some debate elsewhere about what constitutes a record, how it is achieved or who verifies it, this run is still an incredible achievement for Joanne and her team of supporters. When you consider that it works out at roughly 100 kms per day then that really puts it into perspective.

Following her progress for the last few days was a bit like watching a soap opera! It had elements of everything.......heat, blisters...(multiple!), getting lost, GPS watches flying around, abusive car drivers, hills....lot's of hills, TV coverage, Press coverage, running in the dark, running through the night!........and that's to say nothing about the sheer physical effort and mental exhaustion.

Even while Joanne was running, a piece appeared on the BBC News website about a runner from Tyrone who is running Malin to Mizen for the 3rd year in a row! In the UK, there are multiple events from John O'Groats to Lands End every year. With all this extra publicity, I get the feeling that Malin to Mizen could be taking on a life of it's own?

No doubt Joanne is now taking a well deserved break after her epic run. She has plenty of sleep and eating to catch up on...........after a warm-down of course ;o)

Well done Joanne...

Ballycotton Summer Series starts on Thursday.....27/5/10

The next big race locally is the Ballyandreen 5 Mile road race next Thursday, the 27th of May. This is the 1st race of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series. This is one of the oldest race series in the country and locally is easily one of the most popular.

More info on the series can be found HERE

A full preview of the Ballyandreen will be post here later this evening.....and there are changes!!

Alan O'Shea of Cork finishes 2nd in Copenhagen Marathon

Alan O'Shea of Bantry AC finished 2nd in the Copenhagen Marathon last Sunday, the 23rd of May. The West Cork athlete who won the Cork City Marathon back in 2007, finished in Copenhagen in an impressive time of 2:22:52........a mere 23 seconds behind the winner and nearly 3 minutes ahead of the 3rd placed runner. That time of 2:22:52 works out at an average pace of 5:27 per mile!!

Alan's time at the Half-Marathon mark was 1:10:36 which works out at 5:23 per mile.

It's one thing to win a race over a short distance but to sustain that kind of pace over the full Marathon distance  is really impressive.

Spirit of the Marathon - Part 9 of 10...

Part 9 of 10.......this section covers the conclusion of the mens and womens race. For some of the slower runners, they begin to struggle with the distance...

Results of the 'Emer Casey' 10 km road race in Youghal - Sun 23rd May 2010

Conditions for this 10 km race in East Cork were almost identical to last year with blue skies and sunshine all day. Despite the heat, there was still a big turnout for this charity event.

The mens race was won by Sandis Bralitis of West Waterford AC in a time of 31:08, a full 32 seconds clear of fellow club member Raivis Zakis.

The ladies race was won by Lizzie Lee of Leevale AC who was over a minute clear of her nearest rival.

The results for the first 300 finishers can be seen HERE

Cork based runner attempts to set new Malin to Mizen record

Joanne Fearon who lives in Cobh, Co.Cork is currently running from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in Cork in an attempt to set a new record time for the distance. Joanne, who works in UCC in Cork, plans to run in the region of 70 miles a day and is raising funds for the Carers Association. A special website has been set up for this attempt at http://malintomizenrun.blogspot.com/

Media.......
The following media outlets had pieces on this event...
Irish Independent
Irish Times
RTE
TG4.........video clip...fast forward to 7:40

Progress....
Joanne started the run on Friday, the 21st of May from Malin Head. She completed the first Marathon in a time of 3:52 with the 2nd one in roughly 4:21. Overall, Joanne covered roughly 75 miles on her 1st day! On the Saturday, she covered around 60 miles over a very hilly route.

Update...Sun 23rd @9pm.......Approx 40 miles today and finished just south of Athlone. Obviously the heat is a huge factor. A video clip on the Nuacht today........(fast forward to 4:30)

Update....Mon 24th @ 10pm....Approx 60 miles today and finished near Newport to the NE of Limerick City. Feet suffering from blisters but still running.

Update.....Tues 25th @ 7pm......Another piece in todays Irish Times.

Update......Wed 26th @ 8pm.......Joanne Fearon reached Mizen Head at 19:44:45 !!

The original plan has gone out the window so it's hard to say where exactly Joanne will be. A VERY rough guide might be.......


Wednesday 26th May 2010?
Liscarrol ...Kanturk ...Banteer ...Trathcoole ...Macroom ...Kealkill ...BANTRY ...Carrigboy ...Teomore ...Goleen ...MIZEN HEAD?????

As you can imagine, it must be really hard trying to run in this heat especially when they are trying to avoid the main roads which will probably mean more hills.

They are looking for runners to come out to support them along the route.......perhaps run a few miles with Joanne and be there as a witness to the event.

Preview of the 'Emer Casey' 10 km road race - Sun 23rd May

This charity 10km road race and walk takes place next Sunday in the town of Youghal in East Cork at 1:30pm. The is the 4th year of this event and it's purpose is to raise funds for cancer research. You can find out more about the Emer Casey Foundation at this link...http://www.emercaseyfoundation.com/index.php

Registration...If you are coming from Cork and as you approach Youghal, stay on the bypass. At the top of the hill, take the 1st left. You then go left again, cross over the bridge over the bypass and head in towards Youghal. (If you are coming from Waterford, take the bypass and at the highest point, take the slip road left before the bridge. Proceed towards Youghal). As you head towards Youghal, you'll see the Pobalscoil na Trionoide school where you register for the race. Seeing as how this is a charity event, the entry fee is €20 (free t-shirt included in the entry fee).

Course...The race starts on a height near the registration point. You then run towards the bypass but you turn off left before you get anywhere near it. Then, its a steady drop down until you join the main road into Youghal. The race then basically goes through the town to the far side and then turns around and returns through the town again. The only hill worth talking about is the slight drag after 5.5 miles when you need to pass the small lighthouse on the left. Then around the corner, stay left and finish near the beachfront. If you want to have a closer look at the course, I have put the route up on the MapMyRun website.

Overall...This is a fast 10 km course and the race is for a good cause. €20 might seem expensive but entry fee reflects the fact that it is a charity event and a t-shirt is included in the price.

Spirit of the Marathon - Part 8 of 10

This clip shows the start of the Chicago Marathon. It's amazing to see so many people take part in just one sporting event.

Results of the 'Cheetah Run' 4 mile race - Thurs 20th May 2010

The summer arrived just in time for this unique race in Fota Wildlife Park. With the fine weather, the park looked great while the race itself attracted around 630 entrants. As races go, that is a huge entry and just goes to show how big events can get if the location is attractive.

The video below shows the race just a few hundred metres after the start and it's suprising how long it takes the field to pass even at this early stage.



Another video below......again, it's suprising to see how long it takes 600+ runners to pass on a narrow course even just after the start. This video clip shows the start and some of the front runners near the 3 mile mark.


Results.........the provisional results are now available on the Eagle AC website.

Photos......there is a slideshow of 198 photos HERE

Did you do this race? What did you think of the event and location? Click on the 'Comment' link below and let us know what you think.

Spirit of the Marathon - Part 7 of 10

This section covers the build up to the Chicago Marathon. If you look carefully, you'll spot the Dublin Marathon stand at the Marathon Expo.

Preview of the 'Cheetah Run' 4 mile road race - Thurs 20th May 2010

This will be the 2nd year of this unique race in Fota Wildlife Park in Cork. While most races take place on country roads or around towns, this is the only race in the country in a wildlife park which is a stunning backdrop.

The basics........Last year, they got 662 entrants for this race and it was pretty crowded. This resulted in large queues at the entry desks which stretched back into the car park. Considering that, you should really try and get there as early as possible. Enter early and have a wander around the park while you wait for the start. It's a unique location so you may as well arrive early and enjoy it.

1) The entry fee is €10 and part of that goes towards some renovation work in the park.
2) The race starts at 8pm with last entries at 7:40pm. Again, try and arrive a LOT earlier.
3) If you are not sure where Fota Wildlife Park is then check out the official website for directions.
4) Headphones are banned!
5) ALL entrants must be 16 years or older. This is an AAI race over an accurate 4 mile course, not a fun run.
6) Spectators can only gain access to the park if they accompany a runner with an entry number.
7) There are limited changing facilities with no showers available.

Typical width of road within the park...

The course.......Please note that it has changed slightly from last year. It still starts up by the Cheetah enclosure but this year it heads off in the opposite direction. There is section of road in the shape of a small loop where the 2.2 mile mark and the 1 mile mark meet. It is hoped that the vast majority of runners will have passed the 1 mile mark by the time the leaders of the race come around.

Other than that...the first mile should be very fast with some downhill running. The second mile starts with a slight drop, a short section on the public road outside and a bit of a pull when you re-enter the estate. The 3rd mile is flat. The 4th and final mile starts with a hill up past the bison (this was near the start last year), then it's past the giraffe and cheetah enclosures and on to the finish by the Sea Eagles.

Refreshments afterwards in the restaurant while the prize giving will be at the park entrance.

The recently arrived Howler Monkeys give their opinion 

on John Quigley's running technique...

Overall........it's a unique race in the calendar in a really nice location. The course is accurately measured but the roads within the park are narrow so congestion might be a problem especially if you are running 7-9 minute/mile pace. It's probably best to forget about PB's and enjoy the race for what it is.

More info with pictures on the Eagle AC website

Spirit of the Marathon - Part 6 of 10...

Part 6 of the 'Spirit of the Marathon' series. In this section, they touch on the history of women in the Marathon and the bizarre attitude towards women participating in distance events not so long ago.

Results of the Rising Sun 1 mile road race - Sun 16th May 2010

Just under 50 runners turned out for this charity 1 mile road race over a straight section of road near Ballinhassig.  The photo above shows the start line on a lovely summer evening waiting for the start.

By the way, the runner on the far right is Ned Ramsell of Midleton AC who was running in his 3rd road race of the day having run earlier in a 5 km race in Villerstown and a 5 km charity run in East Ferry near Midleton. Obviously, one wasn't enough! :o)

The full results are now available HERE

Close finish to the 2010 Rising Sun Straight Mile Race...

Race report by Denis Looney of Eagle AC

Rising Sun 1 mile race, Ballinhassig.

48 runners turned out for this race on a beautiful summers evening.  It’s a straight mile, with quarter miles marked on the road. You sign on at the finish and jog to the start. The starter drives off in his car in front of you from the start line and beeps the horn to set you off.  Being a 1 mile sprint it’s a case of going out fast and hanging on. 

To be honest you wouldn't notice any climbs or dips. However for the sake of filling out this Race Report, the first half mile is slightly downhill, then slightly uphill, and flat for the last half mile. Then you cross the finish line.

There were loads of spot prizes at the finish, it was like the Late Late Show with one for everyone in the audience. With all proceeds going to the Lavanagh Centre this was a charity race of a different kind.

Spirit of the Marathon - Part 5 of 10...

Races coming up on Sunday, the 16th of May 2010.....
There are 4 races coming up on Sunday next and there really is something for everyone.

1) For the medium distance runners, there is the John Treacy 10 Mile Classic in Villierstown in West Waterford at 1pm. More info on the Running in Munster website.


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2) If you are interested in the new summer Ballyhoura series, there is a 4 mile race in Kilfinane in South Limerick. With the new roads, this is only about 50 minutes from Cork city.


More info on the Running in Munster website


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3) If you fancy something short and fast then there is the Rising Sun 1 mile race near Ballinhassig.
This is one of the more unusual races on the local race calendar in that it is only 1 mile in lenght and it is dead straight. As for the location, I would descibe as being in the middle of nowhere!! It's a really quiet area, very little traffic, good road surface and surrounded by fields...in fact, an ideal spot for a race! ;o) 

Directions...
Probably the easiest way to get there from Cork is to take the main road for Kinsale over the Airport Hill. After Five Mile Bridge, take the 2nd right. Keep going straight and you'll get there.

Registration...
All the registration, results, etc take place at the finishing line of the race. There is no venue available so entries will be taken at Jimmy Murray's car. The race is open to everyone and they will be giving out some prizes and some spots. The minimum entry fee is €5 and all entry fees go to the Lavanagh Centre. The race runs from east to west and there is an overall fall of ground from the start to the finish.

Course...
You sign on near the finish and run 1 mile up to the start point. The course is initially downhill and then flat. If you want to have a closer look or get your bearings, I have put the course up on the MapMyRun website.

Overall.......it's not a serious race but it can be interesting if you want to test yourself and see how fast you can run a mile in. In terms of fast courses, they don't get any better.

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4) If you just want something casual, there is a 5 km fun run from Saleen to East Ferry just to the south of Midleton in East Cork.
Details.........


Belarussian Orphange Project 5k Fun Run
Saleen village to East Ferry
Sunday 16th May
3pm sharp start (starting at Saleen Church)
Entry fee €5.........a bus will be available at finish line to bring people back to Saleen( €1 per person)
Any queries call Michele Roberts 087 9688096