Ballycotton '10' Entry Forms out Tuesday 30th Nov...

The moment has arrived....It's time for the annual Ballycotton '10' entry derby with everyone in a mad panic to get in before the 2,500 limit is reached!! Why the mad rush? The Ballycotton '10' is the 2nd largest race in Cork and is one of the largest 10 mile road races in the country. It attracts not only local runners but also runners from the rest of Ireland and the UK. Entries open about 3 months before the race in March and the open section with 2,500 entries fills up in about 3 days.

The 2011 Ballycotton '10' race will take place on Sunday, the 6th of March.

First of all, a quick recap...
Just in case you are seeing this for the first time, a quick look to see what group you are in when it comes to entries...

A) Any AAI club member OR anyone who ran in all 4 of the Ballycotton Summer Series races can avail of a 2 week window to get their entries in (closing date Dec 16th).

B) Anyone living overseas can avail of a 6 week window (closing date 10th Jan)

C) If you do NOT qualify for one of the above conditions then you have to try and be one of the first 2,500 entries!!!

More details in an older post HERE

OK....now for the lowdown...

For those of you who opted for the SAE option then the entry forms should have been posted on Monday, the 29th and with any luck, you should receive it on Tuesday morning, the 30th. Going on a poll last year, quite a number of people didn't get the SAE the following day so I'm not so sure it is the best option to get a form, especially if you want to be one of the first 2,500 entries.

If you did not send off for an entry form then you can pick one up in the following retail outlets on Tuesday evening...John Buckley Sports (Cork), Ger Wyley Sports (Dungarvan) and local shops in Ballycotton and Shanagarry that same afternoon.

The best option is if you can download the entry form off the Ballycotton Running Promotions website on Tuesday evening and print it out.

Once you get the entry form, you need to fill it out CAREFULLY and you have to get it in the post straight away. Don't wait......just post it.

If you read my earlier post then you should have a postal order/cheque for €15, an envelope and a stamp ready to go.

If you are one of the category C) runners as listed above (i.e. non-club, non-series, non-overseas) then going on previous years, if you post your entry form on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon before the last post is collected then I'd be reasonable confident that you'll get in ok.

Post it Wednesday night, Thursday morning or Thursday afternoon and you are in the 'maybe' bracket. Post it on Friday and you are likely to be too late. If you take the approach of 'Ahh sure.....I'll post it next weekend'..........that's fine except the entries will be well closed by next week!!
Don't forget that the fact you are reading this on a Monday or Tuesday means that you are ahead of most. There will be loads of people who will not have checked the details in time and will miss out. That's why if you can follow the instructions here, post it Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning then you're probably as good as in.

Please note that you can only enter by post. There is no online entry and you cannot drop your entry in to someones house. By having postal entries only, everyone has the same chance of getting in.

The entry form....when you get it, cut off the section for entries only. DO NOT RETURN THE WHOLE FORM! I think the organisers have a pretty good idea of what the entry conditions are at this stage and they don't need you sending them the whole form to remind them ;o)

Read the advice given by Ballycotton Running Promotions below on what to do with the entry form. Read it CAREFULLY.....it would be a shame to go to all that trouble in sending off a form early only to be disqualified because you filled out the form incorrectly.

BEFORE YOU FILL OUT THE FORM…...Instructions from Ballycotton Running Promotions


Read all of it carefully – all the information you need is there.


Each person should fill out their own individual form – when people fill a form for someone else, it invariably leads to mistakes in spelling, date of birth, etc which causes problems to the information already on the data base.

Fill out the form in sequence (surname, first name, age on day of race, date of birth, male/female, etc.) Please write in BLOCK CAPITALS



Remember the club is AAI club – Athletics Association of Ireland (not BHAA, soccer club, GAA club).


Telephone/email contact is convenient for checking mistakes!


If you ran in ALL FOUR of this year’s Ballycotton Summer Series 5-mile races, tick the box.
Sign your name on the bottom… by doing this you also agree NOT to transfer your number to another runner in the event of being unable to run.


Please detach (tear, or cut off if form is downloaded) the section of the form with your details and only send this along with the entry fee of €15 to: Ballycotton Running Promotions, Ballycotton, Co. Cork.


Entry fee is €15. Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to Ballycotton Running Promotions. Don’t staple cheque to form. Cash is sent at your own risk.


Do not send a stamped addressed envelope - you can also send more than one form in the same envelope if required.

Using registered post won’t make any difference – it either gets there in time or not.

The first 2,500 postal entries opened are automatically accepted. After that, any AAI club member or any runner who ran in all four of the 2010 Ballycotton Summer Series or those who were unable to run last year’s race AND returned the ChampionChip will be accepted up and including Thursday December 16th. Anyone living overseas will be accepted up to and including Monday January 10th.

As soon as the first 2,500 entries have been received, a notice will be posted on this website and on local radio. Unless you qualify under the above headings, please do not continue to send in entries. It only causes extra work and expense to send them back.


Remember, not everyone will get in. If rejected, don’t take it too bad – there is now no shortage of races at a variety of distances in Cork and throughout and country! ...........but there's only one Ballycotton '10' ! ;o)