This 6 mile race is one of the longest established road races in the Cork area. Considering that it is 6 miles, the numbers tend to be down on what you might expect for say a Cork BHAA 5 km race. Last year, they got 276 runners, up from from 215 the previous year. And this year?? Will they break the 300 mark??
Registration...
The registration point for this race is the Pfizers Sports Centre which is located near Ringaskiddy. From Cork, take the main road for the Car Ferry and Ringaskiddy. As you go through Shanbally, you will pass through a small roundabout. About 400 metres later, you'll see the first turn off to the left. Take this and there will be stewards there directing you towards the car park. The entry fee is €5 for registered runners and €8 for non-registered.
The registration point for this race is the Pfizers Sports Centre which is located near Ringaskiddy. From Cork, take the main road for the Car Ferry and Ringaskiddy. As you go through Shanbally, you will pass through a small roundabout. About 400 metres later, you'll see the first turn off to the left. Take this and there will be stewards there directing you towards the car park. The entry fee is €5 for registered runners and €8 for non-registered.
Course...
The start is about 300 metres up the road towards Ringaskiddy. After an inital slight climb up towards Shanbally, there is a good bit of downhill running in the first mile. Then you turn left and for the next mile and a half, you have a number of small climbs and falls in the road but nothing serious. Just after the 2.5 mile mark, you join the back Carrigaline to Ringaskiddy road and the road is pretty flat until about the 4 mile mark. Here, there is a short climb until you reach the entrance to Novartis. After that, it's reasonable until there is a steep drop by the 5 mile mark. The last mile is a very gradual uphill section all the way to the finish.
Overall...It's not the flatest of courses but there are no serious hills to worry about. If you have only done short races up to now, you'll have to pace yourself a bit to do the 6 miles comfortably.
Perhaps the extra distance might deter a few runners from turning out but they really shouldn't let that put them off. With a 5km race, it really is a case of going out hard and hanging on. You can't do that for 6 miles. Pacing it correctly becomes a lot more important and makes the race a lot more interesting.
In terms of refreshments afterwards, this one is amongst the best on the Cork BHAA calendar.
If you want to have a closer look at the course or get your directions, I have put the route up on the MapMyRun website.
A flyer for the race can be seen HERE
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