Preview of the Cloyne 5 km road race - Thurs 9th Sept 2010

There are 2 big races coming up this week....one long, one short. Next Sunday, there is the Cork Half-Marathon  in Blarney which is sure to attract a big turnout. I'll put up a preview of that here in a day or two. In the meantime, here is a preview of a new 5 km race on the calendar.

Cloyne 5 km road race....This new road race is in aid of Cystic Fibrosis and it promises to be a flat and fast course. The entry fee is €8 and the race starts at 7:30pm.

Directions.....Cloyne is on the main Cork to Ballycotton road. Just follow the signposts for Ballycotton / Cloyne from Midleton and look for signs as you enter Cloyne. Entries will be taken at the National School which is on the right at the crossroads in the centre of the town.

Course.....The start is near the school. You run back into the town and turn right at the main crossroads. Here you pass the 30 metre high round tower which is approximately 1,000 years old and is only one of two in the county of Cork. You continue southwards on the road towards Churchtown South  and soon you hit the 1 mile mark.....a fast mile.

You continue on for a bit before turning off left onto a narrower and quieter country road. There are no real pulls as you run towards the 2 mile mark.....another fast mile.
Now the road turns back towards Cloyne and you should be able to pick out the round tower in the distance. As you approach the tower, you turn right at the junction, up a short distance to the main crossroads and then left and towards the finish line which is close to the where the race started.

Overall, the course has been accurately measured and there should be some fast times posted on the night. The entry fee is a modest €8 and all proceeds are in aid of Cystic Fibrosis and it seems likely to attract a big crowd.

I have put the course up on the MapMyRun website. Just zoom in and out to get your bearings.

A flyer for the course can be seen HERE