Dungarvan 10 results and photos...

Just a short post to say that links to results and photos are up on the Running in Munster website

Cork BHAA FMC 4 mile results...

The results of the Cork BHAA FMC Little Island 4 mile road race are now available. It looks like they had problems on the day with people leaving the finishing chute and people getting the incorrect times.

They issued the following statement..."You will see that there are 429 times but only 421 runners recorded at the end of the funnel. A total of 8 people left the funnel prematurely (some in spite of being asked to remain until their numbers were recorded). The result of this is that a lot of runner’s times do not correspond with their actual times. It is in everybody’s interest that this practice should not continue into the future. If it does then we have to seriously consider if it is worthwhile going to the trouble of timing our events......Yours, The BHAA Committee."

The full results are HERE

National Walks Championships...Cork...Sun 30th Jan 2011

The National Walks Championships take place at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork City on Sunday, the 30th of January 2011. While it's not exactly running ;o) it might be of interest to local runners to go and watch. From what I hear, they will be using the Monaghan Rd / Central Park Rd circuit near the Marina.
While there are a number of race walking events on next Sunday morning, the main one will be the men’s 30km and the women’s 20km race walks.

In the men’s 30km race, local Rob Heffernan (Togher AC) will be the hot favourite to claim the national title. Rob finished in 4th place in both the 20km and 50km events at last summer’s European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, narrowly missing out on a medal in both cases. Heffernan won the title last year in a competitive time of 2:14:31.

More info about the course from John Quigley of Eagle AC who measured the course....
The race starts on Monahan Road, about 200m up the road from the Showgrounds, and will involve 12 loops of the Monahan Rd/Centre Park Rd circuit.

The loop is actually approx. 2.8 metres short of 2.5k, so there is an 'adjustment', near the showgrounds, where the walkers will have to head away from the kerb, around cones. This adjustment brings the loop up to 2.5k.

Here is part of the press release...
Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Cork’s Marina this Sunday is the venue for last month’s postponed 2010 Woodie’s National Walks Championships. A wide range of events is planned for the day and it promises to be a great day out for all the family for competitor and spectator alike.

Events.....
A 5km Development race for U13 Boys & Girls
A 5km Development race for U15 and U17 Boys & Girls
A 10km Development race for Junior Men & Women

& ‘Fit4Life’ 3km Walk for Men & Women (Fit4Life is a 3km fun walk open to everyone. €5 entry fee, €10 per family, Togher AC fundraiser, Pairc Ui Chaoimh, 9am to 9:45am, the walk will be on the footpath and will be in the opposite direction to the race)

All events will be starting at 10AM sharp.

Dungarvan 10 mile road race next Sunday 30th Jan 2011

The main event next Sunday is the Dungarvan 10 mile road race in west Waterford. Every year, a very large contingent of runners from Cork take part in this race. Over the last few years, the entries have gone from a few hundred to 1,300 for the 2011 event. It has improved to the extent that it could be considered as one of the main 10 mile road races in the country.

Please note that entries are closed and you cannot enter on the day.

If you want some information on what the course is like then visit the Running in Munster website.

Eamonn Coghlan on RTE television...

On Thursday evening, RTE had a programme called This Sporting Life which covered the athletic career of Eamonn Coghlan, one of the all time greats of Irish running.

The programme which is about 27 mins long is well worth watching and is now available on the RTE Player until the 17th of February 2011.

The link to the video is HERE

GOAL Charity Mile at CIT track in Cork City...Sat 29th Jan 2011

The GOAL Mile, which had to be postponed on Christmas Day due to weather conditions, will now take place on Saturday next (January 29th) at the CIT Track in Bishopstown from 12.30pm to 2pm.
Young and old and all abilities are welcome to come along and run, jog or walk a mile (four laps of the track) and give a donation to help GOAL’s work in the Third World. Each mile session will start roughly every 15-20 minutes.

For the ‘fleet of foot’ there will be a special Elite Mile for men and women and this will be held at 1pm.

Results of the East Cork AC 3 km road race (6th of 7)...Tues 25th Jan 2011

There was a really big turnout for this 3k road race in Midleton with 177 taking part! This was the 6th race of 7 in the winter series and may be a record number for the event. I know a big problem with a short race like this is that the finishing chute can fill up very quickly and 177 must be at the upper limit of what they can handle.

The winner of the mens race was James McCarthy of East AC in a time of 8:48 (4:43/mile pace) while Niamh Roe of Eagle AC won the ladies race in a time of 10:36 (5:41/mile pace).

East Cork AC 3Km Winter Series Race 6 25/01/11

1 James McCarthy East Cork AC 8.48
2 Sean McGrath East Cork AC 9.00
3 Tony Kelleher Togher AC 9.30
4 Rory Sexton Grange Fermoy AC 9.44
5 Denis Lyons Cork 10.01
6 Mark Bickerdyke Leevale AC 10.03
7 Frank O'Carroll East Cork AC 10.05
8 John Hennessy Midleton AC 10.08
9 Denis McCarthy East Cork AC 10.19
10 John Lynch East Cork AC 10.22
11 Denis Coughlan St Finbarrs 10.26
12 Niamh Roe Eagle AC 10.36
13 Annette Quaide Leevale AC 10.39
14 Stephen Carr East Cork AC 10.40
15 Sinead O'Connor Leevale AC 10.42
16 Kevin Geary Eagle AC 10.42
17 Adam Duchnicz Midleton AC 10.45
18 Ronan O'Shea Eagle AC 10.48
19 John O'Connell Midleton AC 10.50
20 Denis Dunne Eagle AC 10.56
21 Niamh Walsh Youghal AC 10.58
22 Jonathan Finn Carrigtwohill 11.02
23 John Dunphy Eagle AC 11.03
24 Philip O'Neill Midleton 11.07
25 David O'Dwyer East Cork AC 11.12
26 Josh O'S-Hourihan Midleton College 11.12
27 Matt Chojan Cork 11.14
28 Fergal Curtin Youghal AC 11.15
29 Romund Figielus Carrigtwohill 11.17
30 Anne-Marie Holland Eagle AC 11.18
31 Martin O'Reilly St Finbarrs 11.19
32 John Griffin Grange Fermoy AC 11.24
33 Brian Parkinson East Cork AC 11.26
34 AJ Murphy Ballinacurra 11.27
35 Eugene McCarthy Midleton AC 11.30
36 Paul Cleary East Cork AC 11.34
37 Cillian Lynch Midleton CBS 11.35
38 Trevor Collins Naas 11.37
39 Dave Creedon East Cork AC 11.40
40 Roger O'Mahony Glounthaune 11.41
41 Eric Owers Midleton AC 11.49
42 Patrick Dunlea Midleton GAA 11.50
43 Aisling Moran UCC AC 11.51
44 Mike Hallahan Midleton AC 11.51
45 Paul Spitere Midleton 11.53
46 Dermot O'Sullivan East Cork AC 11.54
47 Pat Fogarty ESB 11.55
48 Damien Cotter Castlemartyr 11.57
49 Karol Watson Midleton AC 11.57
50 Tara Rhatigan UCC AC 11.59
51 Denis O'Sullivan Midleton 12.01
52 Alan Carr East Cork AC 12.02
53 Nick Parkinson East Cork AC 12.12
54 Fergal Quinlan Cork 12.13
55 Darren Flynn Grange Fermoy AC 12.16
56 Caolan O'Brien Midleton AC 12.18
57 Ted O'Leary West Waterford AC 12.20
58 Aine Moran UCC AC 12.23
59 Brendan Cantwell Castlemartyr 12.25
60 Ned Ramsell Midleton AC 12.27
61 Simon Thompson Midleton AC 12.36
62 Colm Egan Midleton AC 12.37
63 Declan Kearney Aghada 12.38
64 Mary Histon de Barra Rising Sun AC 12.38
65 Ava Gaffney UCC AC 12.39
66 Liam Stack Midleton AC 12.39
67 Jimmy Murray Rising Sun AC 12.40
68 Killian Deady Midleton CBS 12.42
69 Dave Moloney Whitegate 12.43
70 Kieran Mulcahy St Finbarrs 12.45
71 Shane Ruddle Ballinacurra 12.51
72 Aidan O'Herlihy Whitegate 12.53
73 Padraig Hannon Carrigtwohill 12.56
74 Tim McCarthy Carrigtwohill 12.57
75 Eadaoin O'Neill East Cork AC 12.58
76 Dermot Cashman Carrigtwohill 13.01
77 Paul Kierans Midleton AC 13.07
78 Finbarr Lyons Midleton 13.11
79 Pat Walsh Midleton GAA 13.13
80 Leo O'Donovan Ballinacurra 13.13
81 Michael Travers Glounthaune 13.15
82 John Walshe East Cork AC 13.16
83 Clodagh Delahunty UCC AC 13.19
84 Dave Fleming Midleton 13.21
85 Kevin Hayes Conna 13.22
86 Liam Morrissey Saleen 13.23
87 Richie Power West Waterford AC 13.24
88 Mary O'Keeffe Midleton AC 13.25
89 Caroline Fletcher Midleton AC 13.34
90 Matt Geraghty Cloyne 13.35
91 Padraig O'Regan Ladysbridge 13.38
92 Lorraine Carr East Cork AC 13.41
93 Batt Kearney Leevale AC 13.42
94 Ronan Lynch Midleton AC 13.45
95 Stephen McCormack Cloghroe 13.46
96 John Carey Midleton AC 13.47
97 Kevin Dunne Ballinacurra 13.48
98 Camilla O'Connor Midleton AC 13.49
99 Elga Ryan Midleton AC 13.50
100 Paul Cahill Cloyne 13.51
101 Vincent Murray Glanmire 13.52
102 Sheila Byrne Eagle AC 13.55
103 Trish Murphy Midleton AC 13.57
104 Frances Maunsell Midleton AC 14.00
105 Donie O'Connell Midleton AC 14.00
106 Donal O'Donoghue Little Island 14.02
107 Barry Ahern Midleton AC 14.03
108 Christine Murphy Midleton AC 14.04
109 Denise Hickey Midleton AC 14.07
110 Brian Healy Midleton AC 14.09
111 Vincent Connolly Midleton AC 14.10
112 Danny McCarthy Midleton AC 14.13
113 Catriona McGregor Midleton AC 14.17
114 Ines Figielus Carrigtwohill 14.25
115 Jacuk Luczak Carrigtwohill 14.25
116 Con Warren Carrigtwohill 14.29
117 Glen Harty Midleton CBS 14.29
118 Colm Harrington Glanmire 14.30
119 Philip Mullane Midleton AC 14.32
120 Margaret Twohig Midleton AC 14.35
121 Jack Hallahan Midleton AC 14.36
122 Yvonne Kennedy Midleton AC 14.38
123 Andrew Williams Midleton CBS 14.40
124 Vicky Cleary Midleton AC 14.42
125 Julian Drennan Midleton AC 14.46
126 Eoin Cashman Midleton AC 14.46
127 Sally Drennan Midleton AC 14.47
128 Elaine Hennessy Midleton AC 14.50
129 Karen O'Brien Cobh 14.57
130 Fiona O'Callaghan Aghada 15.00
131 Patrick Cotter Tower 15.02
132 Mary Mulcahy St Finbarrs 15.03
133 Lochlan McCarthy Midleton 15.06
134 Helena Creedon Midleton 15.06
135 Zac O'S-Hourihan Ballyandreen 15.06
136 Paul O'S-Hourihan East Cork AC 15.07
137 Michael Cahill Cloyne 15.18
138 Ciara Fitzgerald Carrigtwohill GNS 15.44
139 Rachel Carey Youghal AC 15.45
140 Katie Nolan Youghal AC 15.56
141 John Corcoran Ballynoe 15.57
142 Tom Cusack Midleton 15.59
143 Noreen Emmerson Midleton AC 16.03
144 Marie Magan Midleton AC 16.04
145 Sinead Ivers Midleton AC 16.11
146 Marian Cotter Midleton AC 16.13
147 John Delaney Glanmire 16.15
148 Jim Curtin East Cork AC 16.19
149 Isobela Figielus Carrigtwohill 16.22
150 Noreen Fitzgerald Midleton AC 16.32
151 Billy Caball Cork 16.40
152 Ben O'Neill Midleton 16.52
153 Vincent O'Neill Midleton AC 16.52
154 Fiona O'Mahony Midleton 16.53
155 Joy Sexton Midleton AC 17.03
156 Sinead Buckley Midleton AC 17.10
157 Grainne O'Flaherty Midleton AC 17.12
158 Colette Barry Midleton AC 17.15
159 Mike Dorney Midleton 17.16
160 Helen Gilroy Midleton AC 17.16
161 Catriona Brennock Midleton AC 17.16
162 Donna Sexton Midleton 17.21
163 Grainne Murphy Inniscarra 17.25
164 Joan McCarthy Midleton AC 17.32
165 Sean Emmerson Midleton 17.48
166 Bill Emmerson Midleton 18.14
167 Frances Steele Midleton 18.15
168 Jake Holmes Cloyne 18.19
169 Jim McMurtry Midleton AC 18.23
170 Gavin O'Brien Lisgoold 18.28
171 Hannah Kierans Carrigtwohill 18.29
172 Mags Mulcahy Midleton AC 18.44
173 Noelle McCarthy Midleton AC 18.45
174 Mary Cashman Midleton AC 18.51
175 Kathleen O'Connell Midleton AC 19.30
176 Mary Toher Midleton AC 20.44
177 Darragh Cashman Ballintotis 22.58

The 7th and final race in the series is on Tuesday the 15th of Feb at 7:30pm

Category Results of the Cork BHAA 'FMC' 4 Mile Road Race - Sun 23rd Jan 2011

A record number of around 430 turned out for the first road race in the 2011 Cork BHAA road race calendar. Despite the low temperatures and harsh overnight frost, the roads had cleared by the time the race started just after 11am.

Looking at the numbers for this race over the last few years, you can see that the numbers increased dramitically in 2008 and have been around the 400 mark for the last 4 events.

Sean McGrath winning the mens race with Colin Merritt chasing hard

Partial Category Results...
1 Sean McGrath (McGrath Landscaping) 20:16; 2 Colin Merritt (Army, M40) 20:22; 3 Ed Murphy (temp-reg) 20:29; 4 John Meade (Joyce Wolfe Physio) 21:30; 5 Cathal O’Connell (UCC, M45) 21:35; 6 W Walsh (Army) 21:44; 7 M Murphy (temp-reg) 22:12; 8 M Dunne (Cork Garda) 22:17; 9 Kieran McKeown (temp-reg) 22:20; 10 Noel Curtin (Quality Hotel, M45) 22:22.


Team :
(Grade A) 1 UCC 35; 2 Cork Garda 41; 3 Army 59.
(Grade B) 1 Cork City Co) 111; 2 Naval Service 132; 3 Quality Hotel 141.
(Grade C) 1 Statsol 335; 2 ESB 378; 3 Cork City Co) 461.

Women: 1 Michelle Nolan (Midleton News, F35) 24:56; 2 Deirdre Nagle (temp-reg) 25:19; 3 Gillian Cotter (UCC, F35) ; 3 E O’Connell (De Puy) ; 4 D Twohig (HSE, F35) ; 5 A Geary (UCC) ; 6 K Fitzgerald (temp-reg) .
 
The full results are now available HERE.
 
(....with thanks to John Walshe for the above results)

Preview of the Cork BHAA 'FMC' 4 Mile Road Race - Sun 23rd Jan 2010 (11:00am)

With all of the recent cancelled races, no doubt a lot of runners are currently suffering from 'cabin fever'. It seems like ages since we had a major race in the Cork area and there should be a huge turnout for this one, the first road race in the Cork BHAA calendar for 2011. It takes place in Little Island next Sunday, the 23rd of January at 11am. The registration point is the community centre which on the map above, is more or less exactly at the 1 mile mark.

Directions...If you are coming out of the city, the best way to get there is probably to enter Little Island from the Tunnel roundabout on the North side of the Jack Lynch tunnel. The Little Island/ Tunnel Management road is just to the left of the tunnel entrance, so one needs to be in the left-most lane, when approaching the tunnel....

At the top of this short road, there is a small roundabout. Take the exit marked "Little Island Ind Estate". Keep going for about one mile.You will pass Pfizer's, Henkel/Cognis, and Punch Industries (all on the left). You will see a small ruined castle and a mobile phone mast on the left. The Little Island Sports Complex is next (next to the 1 mile marker)....

The advantage of this route is that one will pass over both the Start and Finish lines, and you should have less difficulty finding that Start line, after registering.

Parking.....There is ample parking in front of, and behind the Sport Complex, so there is no need to park on the main road. There is plenty of space accross the road in the industrial estate as well.

Registration....Inside the hall, there will be 2 queues....one for registered runners (€5) and one for non-registered (€8). Considering that this is the first race of the year, the non-registered queue is likely to be very long. With the big crowd expected, it might be no harm to get there early especially if you are a non-registered runner.

Course...First a word of caution for new runners...you will need to run/jog 1 mile from the community centre back to the start line which is not too far from the Jack Lynch tunnel. The course is reasonably flat with no real hills. There are a few slight inclines but nothing worth talking about. As you can see from the map above, it really is a case of running along the main road in Little Island, a loop around an industrial estate and back the same way. One unique feature of the race is that near where the race loops around, you can see others in the race going the opposite direction...it's a bit like running a race and spectating at the same time!!

Overall...It's not exactly the most scenic of routes but this race always seems to get a good turn out. It's almost as if most people use it as their first race of the year. Last year, they got just over 400 entries and they should get something similar this year.

Extra notes...If you want to have a closer look at the course, I have put it up on the MapMyRun website. If you zoom in there and press the SATELLITE button, you will see an aerial photo of the course and you can see the Community hall with it's car park.

Full entry list for the 2011 Ballycotton '10' now out...

At last! The full entry list for the 2011 Ballycotton '10' is now out and it looks as if there are 3,192 entries. On race day of course, there will be a large number of 'no-shows' so it's probably likely that around 2,300 will run.

Interestingly enough, the total number of entries was down slightly this year. Last year, they got 3340 while this year, it's 3,192....about 150 less. Then again, that's only roughly a 3% drop so it's not a whole lot anyway.

Onto the lists....
The list in numerical order is HERE

The list in alphabetical order is HERE

Some points from the organisers...
We would ask people to please take note of the following points:



(1) The race packages (number, programme, etc) will be posted out approx two weeks before the race day of March 6th – on the week commencing February 20th


(2) We do not have a waiting list. We allow for a certain percentage of ‘no shows’ and therefore accept more than we can accommodate.


(3) We do not refund people who are unable to run.


(4) You cannot give your number to another runner. Last year, despite our warnings, a few runners again ignored this rule. As a result, we took the unprecedented step of publishing pictures of people not wearing the correct number on our website. We are prepared to do the same this year and also will not accept entries from the offending parties for next year’s race. So don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Under Age athletics in Cork...

Somone left a comment under another post asking the following question....

Hi John,



My 14 year old daughter and a few of her friends are interested in trying out athletics. Which clubs in Cork are good for youth training?


Thanks!
 
So I thought it might be a good idea to put up a post about this particular subject. I know that Belgooly AC and Leevale AC train juvenille runners at the CIT track. Ages I guess would range from about 8 to about 16?
 
Belgooly AC.........CIT Track in Bishopstown......Tuesday & Thursday @7pm
 
Leevale AC...........CIT Track in Bishopstown......Tuesday @8pm
 
Are there other clubs around Cork training juvenille runners. Leave a comment or send me a mail and I'll add your club details to the list.

Registering for the BHAA races...

The first race of the year in the Cork Business Houses Athletic Association calendar is coming up next Sunday, the 23rd of January. There will be a 4 mile road race in Little Island just to the east of Cork City and this always attracts a big crowd. I'll preview the race here later in the week.

With that in mind, this is a reminder to runners to get registered for the BHAA races. The cost is €10 and that will entitle you to a €3 discount for the nearly 20 or so races in the year. If you enter just 3 races then you've almost saved your reistration fee for the year and after that, you're making a saving.

In addition, registered runners also qualify for prizes and can make up teams as well.

The form for individual registration is HERE

The form for team registration is HERE

Races this weekend....the Waterford Half-Marathon

While there are no races in Cork this weekend, the Waterford Half-Marathon is on Saturday, the 15th of Jan and it starts at 12 noon. Entries on the day cost €30.

It looks at the moment as if it may be wet & windy for it?

More details on the Running in Munster website.

New date for the Mallow '10'...

As most of you know, the Mallow 10 mile road race had to be cancelled due to the icy conditions on the 9th of January. The new date for the race is Sunday, the 27th of March. This will be 3 weeks after the Ballycotton '10' race and 2 weeks before the Kilnaboy '10' in Co.Clare.

Issues like refunds, entries, etc will be sorted out soon and I'll put the details here as soon as the info becomes available.

Race News and Looking ahead...

Race cancellations...It's pretty obvious that at this time of year, it's just a matter of luck as to whether a race goes ahead or not. The Clonakilty Marathon & Half-Marathon went ahead during a lull in the cold weather....one week either side and it would probably have been called off. The race in Bandon went ahead on Sunday the 2nd of Jan yet one week later, Mallow was cancelled when it was obvious that the roads would be like glass.

So far, we have had 3 races cancelled.....the Newmarket to Kanturk 5 mile, the Belgooly 4 mile and the Mallow 10 mile....and we still have the rest of January and February to get through. Will there be more? Whatever about the small races, it's obvious that it is a lot of work trying to re-schedule one of the larger events. For the moment, no new dates have been fixed yet for the above 3 races.

Looking ahead....Weather permitting, there are no shortage of races coming up here in Cork or in the rest of Munster.
Sat 15th....The Waterford Half-Marathon is going ahead at 12 noon. This race was originally supposed to take place in early December but had to be cancelled due to the heavy snowfall. It basically starts in Waterford city, takes in a small loop inside the the town, heads south to Tramore and returns on the same road to finish in Waterford city again. Entries are still open for this race. More details later in the week on the Running in Munster website.

Sun 23rd......The Cork BHAA races kick off a new season again with a 4 mile race in Little Island. This always attracts a big crowd as it is the first short race of the year for many. There will be a preview here just before it.

Sun 30th.......The Dungarvan 10 mile road race in West Waterford has gone from strenght to strenght in recent times and is likely to attract in excess of 1000 runners. This was going to be the 2nd race in the Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series but it is now the first one by default with the cancellation of the Mallow '10'. No doubt many people had planned to avail of the Dungarvan '10' entry desk at the Mallow 10 race but that wasn't to be. You can still enter online and you have until the 17th of Jan to get your entries in. More info on the Running in Munster website.

Race Calendars....The Cork Race Calendar and the Munster Race Calendar have now been updated and as you can see, there is no shortage of races, especially if you are prepared to travel. If you spot any errors or know of any more events then please let me know and I'll add them.

Mallow 10 Cancelled!!

Looks like the weather conditions in the North of the county are nothing like those in Cork City where there was no snow.

From the organisers....
Cancelled.


Unfortunately we have had to cancel the race, we are looking at rescheduling. There were long stretches with snow/ice and while it may thaw, we couldn't afford to leave it until later to decide. We'll be in touch with the 500+ people who had pre entered

Weather forecast for the Mallow '10'...

The weather forecast for Sunday is looking reasonable at the moment. The only danger is that there may be a heavy frost on Saturday night but hopefully by noon, this will have cleared.

Saturday night: Scattered wintry showers will die out and the fresh and gusty southwesterly winds will veer northwesterly and ease. As skies clear and winds ease it will turn very cold and frosty with air temperatures below zero away from Atlantic coasts and as low as -4 or -5 degrees in many places with a severe ground frost and icy patches likely Saturday night and Sunday morning. Sunday: A cold, bright day with sunny spells and dry apart from isolated wintry showers. Highest temperatures only 2 to 6 degrees generally

If it gets to 5 deg C then that should clear any frost. There is a light West North-Westerly wind so hopefully freezing fog won't be an issue. For the race, we will be running into this light for roughly 2.5 miles (3.2 to 5.7 miles). It will be behind the runners for most of the last few miles.

More details on the Mallow 10 Mile Road Race - Sun 9th Jan 2011

Entries continue to pour in for the Mallow 10 mile road race with almost 400 runners pre-entered. At this stage, if you haven't entered already then you can still enter the race on the day for €20. All entries and number collection will be in the Youth Centre.

The race starts at 12:30pm. The organisers are saying that the last entries to be taken will be at 11:30am so that they have enough time to get all of the entries into the computer so that they can be processed.

The thing to remember with the Mallow race is that there are 3 main points in the town that you will be using...

A.....This is the location of the Youth Centre. Entries, race number collection, prizes, refreshments, etc will be here.

B......This is the START. It's about 1 mile from the Youth Centre so allow yourself time to get there.

C.....This is the FINISH. It's a short walk back to the Youth Centre.

Getting to the Youth Centre..........If you are coming from Cork City, then turn right at the main roundabout on the main N20 road and drive into the town. Keep going STRAIGHT.....shown above as Davis Street. You need to look out for the statue on the left....see pic below...

Turn left here and head up the hill. As it flattens out, you'll see a shopping centre on your right and then the road takes a sharp left. After this, the Youth Centre is just down there on the right. Park in this vicinity or just follow the race stewards directions.

Race numbers....please note that they will be collecting these at the end of the race for recycling.

Dungarvan 10......Just a reminder that West Waterford AC will also have a desk in the Youth Centre and will be taking entries for the Dungarvan 10 Mile Road Race on Sunday, the 30th of January. Entries for that race are pre-entry only.....you cannot enter on the day of the race! The closing date for entries is the 17th of Jan. The entry fee is €20.

Headphones / MP3 Players / iPods / or if you're really eager iPads.....As per usual, all of these devices are banned!

Beanie Caps.....This year we have a change of colour. Instead of the handsome Red & White Cork colours, Mallow AC have opted for Blue & White to keep the folks from the Deise happy...

 At least they're not Blue & Yellow ;o)

Pacers....This is a new and novel feature for a 10 mile road race. While pacers are now a regular feature in many Marathons, I have never heard of them being used in a 10 mile event.

There will be 2 pacers at each pace band and the idea is that they will run at a steady pace and finish in 60 mins, 70 mins, 80 mins and 90 mins. All pacers will be wearing a special bib...

....as well as a helium balloon (...with the exception of the 60 min pacers).

Pacers serve a number of functions during a race. Some people will run with them from start to finish to try and achieve their target time. Some will use them to make sure they don't start too fast  and then go and do their own thing. Some will see a pacer way off in the distance and will try and keep them in sight. Others will just want to stay ahead of certain pacers and not be caught. The biggest impact I have seen of pacers is near the end of the race when they catch up with tired runners and you'll find people making that extra effort to try and keep up. Lots of other people may have passed them but the sight of that balloon seems to get people going.

Weather....more info in a separate post...

Details about the Mallow '10' course...

On Friday, I'll have a look at some of the additional info and features regarding this race. For the moment, it's time to have a quick look at the course...

Course...See the map above....please note that the start point for the race is about 1 mile from the hall where you collect your number. Keep this in mind and plan to use it as part of your warm-up for the race.

While there are a few small hills and drags, there is nothing really bad. Some people have posted their fastest 10 mile times on this course and it is probably as fast as say the Dungarvan course.

The race starts in a residential area just beyond the garage shown above and heads out of town. The first few hundred metres are on a straight and wide road.

As you approach the bridges, you run downhill....run underneath them....and after this, there is a steady climb. Nothing too serious and considering that they are around the 1 to 1.5 mile mark then they shouldn't take too much effort. Around the 1.5 mile mark, you join the main N20 road. From here until the roundabout, you are running inside a pretty wide hard shoulder so you are not near the passing traffic.

The only spot where you have to be careful is near the roundabout where the hard shoulder gets a bit narrow.

After that, you turn left onto the main Killarney road. It's not the nicest of roads but the sheer number of runners makes the traffic slow down. The first water station is around 4 miles.

This section of road has a reasonable hard shoulder so there is plenty of space for runners. Out around the 5 mile mark however the road narrows and the Gardai usually have to control the traffic here.

Out around the 6 mile mark, you start the nicest part of the course with mostly quiet rural roads...

 ...and after the bridge over the river Blackwater, there is a gradual pull until you reach the road heading back in towards Mallow at the 7 mile mark.

The road here is pretty flat with long straight sections for the next mile or so. Just before the 8 mile mark, there is a short downhill section, a sharp right followed by a sharp left...

Just after this, there is a short flat section which is then followed by a small hill. Nothing serious but with tired legs, it can have an impact. Eventually, you should see the road and rail bridges ahead and the 9 mile mark is just beyond it....

From here, you run due east and parallel to the river. Just after the church, there is a slight downhill to the bridge as you turn left over the river Blackwater for the last time...

Then left after the bridge and run due west for several hundred metres until you see the final bend up ahead....

Once you get around this corner, there is only about 100 metres to the finish.

If you want to have a closer look at the course, Mallow AC have put up the course on the MapMyRun website.

Mallow 10 Entries / Bandon 5 video...

Mallow '10' Entries....
The first big race of the new year is coming up next Sunday, the 9th of January with the Mallow 10 Mile Road Race. This is the first race of 4 in the Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series.

At this stage, you can still avail of the cheaper entry fee of €15 by entering online. Considering that they are likely to get around 600-700 runners for this race then it makes a big difference to the organisers if you enter early. You can enter on the day of the race for €20 but the closing time for last entries is 11:30am, 1 hour before the race starts.

Online entries close at midnight on Thursday the 6th. More details in an earlier post HERE
More details about the race later here on Thursday.

Bandon '5' video....
Here is a video clip of this years Bandon 5 mile road race taken by John O'Driscoll.

Results of the East Cork AC 3km Road Race (5th Race of 7)...Tues 4th Jan 2011

There was another fine turnout for this 3 km road race with 140 running in Midleton, East Cork this evening. The conditions were cool but dry....perfect for running.

The 6th race in the series is in 3 weeks time on the 25th of January.

East Cork AC 3Km Winter Series Race 5...4th Jan 20111 Sean McGrath East Cork AC 9.09
2 Tony Kelleher Togher AC 9.28
3 Brian Hegarty East Cork AC 9.33
4 Eoin Casey Midleton AC 9.44
5 David Murphy Midleton AC 9.53
6 Nicolas Simonin East Cork AC 9.56
7 Frank Hayes East Cork AC 9.57
8 Alan O'Reilly CIT AC 10.03
9 Mark Bickerdyke Leevale AC 10.06
10 Conor Tierney East Cork AC 10.19
11 John Hennessy Midleton AC 10.21
12 Frank O'Carroll East Cork AC 10.24
13 John Collins CIT AC 10.25
14 Denis McCarthy East Cork AC 10.27
15 John Lynch East Cork AC 10.38
16 Josh O'Sullivan Hourihan Midleton College 10.43
17 Eamonn McEvoy St Finbarrs AC 10.45
18 Ian O'Sullivan East Cork AC 10.52
19 John O'Connell Midleton AC 10.57
20 Adam Duchnicz Midleton AC 11.03
21 Brian O'Connor Grange Fermoy AC 11.07
22 Coran Swayne Midleton GAA 11.14
23 Romuna Figielus Carrigtwohill 11.17
24 Eric Owers Midleton AC 11.18
25 David O'Callaghan Eagle AC 11.26
26 Phillip O'Neill Midleton 11.28
27 Paul Cleary East Cork AC 11.29
28 Tom O'Brien Cork 11.30
29 Matt Chojan Cork 11.30
30 Martin O'Reilly St Finbarrs AC 11.32
31 Denis Coughlan St Finbarrs AC 11.33
32 John Griffin Grange Fermoy AC 11.37
33 Stephen Carr Curraglass 11.38
34 Alex Simonin Midleton College 11.52
35 Bill O'Keeffe Ballynoe 11.52
36 Eugene McCarthy Midleton AC 11.53
37 Kevin O'Reilly Midleton AC 11.55
38 Mike Hallahan Midleton AC 11.57
39 Orlagh Farmer Midleton AC 11.57
40 Billy O'Sullivan Midleton AC 12.09
41 Denis O'Sullivan Midleton 12.11
42 Dave Creedon East Cork AC 12.14
43 Don O'Callaghan Whitegate 12.25
44 Aisling Moran UCC AC 12.26
45 Dermot O'Sullivan East Cork AC 12.30
46 Roger O'Mahony Glounthaune 12.31
47 Ted O'Leary West Waterford AC 12.41
48 Emmet Foley Whitegate 12.46
49 Jimmy Murray Rising Sun AC 12.47
50 Brendan Cantwell Castlemartyr 12.50
51 Dave Smith Midleton 12.54
52 Declan Kearney Aghada 12.55
53 Darren Flynn Grange Fermoy AC 12.56
54 Darragh O'Neill Midleton 12.59
55 Tim McCarthy Carrigtwohill 13.00
56 AJ Murphy Ballinacurra 13.01
57 Mary Histon DeBarra Rising Sun AC 13.03
58 David O'Sullivan Lisgoold 13.06
59 Paul Kierans Midleton AC 13.11
60 Cara O'Brien Midleton AC 13.11
61 Sally Drennan Midleton AC 13.13
62 Aiden O'Herlihy Whitegate 13.15
63 Claire Fitzgerald Midleton AC 13.23
64 Dermot Cashman Carrigtwohill 13.27
65 Brian Kenneally Midleton AC 13.30
66 Pat Walsh Midleton GAA 13.31
67 Rebecca McEvoy St Finbarrs AC 13.32
68 Mary O'Keeffe Midleton AC 13.33
69 Matt Geraghty Cloyne 13.38
70 Caroline Fletcher Midleton AC 13.41
71 Liam Morrissey Saleen 13.48
72 John Walshe East Cork AC 13.50
73 Trish Murphy Midleton AC 13.52
74 Michael Daly Whitegate 13.54
75 Simon Fitzgerald Glounthaune 13.55
76 Batt Kearney Leevale AC 13.55
77 Kevin Hayes ??? 13.57
78 Elga Ryan Midleton AC 13.58
79 Lorraine Carr Curraglass 13.59
80 Stephen McCormack Cloghroe 14.00
81 Donal O'Donoghue Little Island 14.01
82 Paul O'Sullivan Hourihan East Cork AC 14.02
83 Shiela Byrne Eagle AC 14.05
84 Leo O'Donovan Ballinacurra 14.07
85 Camilla O'Connor Midleton AC 14.08
86 Finbarr Lyons Midleton 14.13
87 Padraig O'Regan Ladysbridge 14.14
88 Jacuk Luczak Carrigtwohill 14.15
89 Ines Figielus Carrigtwohill 14.15
90 Paul Cahill Cloyne 14.20
91 Vincent Murray Glanmire 14.22
92 Don Ryan Cobh 14.23
93 Donie O'Connell Midleton AC 14.24
94 Francis Maunsell Midleton AC 14.25
95 Catriona McGregor Midleton AC 14.26
96 Conor O'Callaghan Whitegate 14.33
97 Margaret Twohig Midleton AC 14.41
98 Rebecca O'Sullivan UCC AC 14.46
99 Elaine Hennessy Midleton AC 14.48
100 Eoin Cashman Ballintotis 14.50
101 Fiona O'Callaghan Aghada 14.54
102 Patrick Cotter Tower 15.03
103 Karen O'Brien Cobh 15.07
104 Bernie Twomey Midleton AC 15.18
105 Jack Hallahan Midleton AC 15.27
106 William Maddan Castlemartyr 15.30
107 Marie Magan Midleton AC 15.31
108 Colm Jordan Midleton AC 15.52
109 Lisa Collins Cork 15.54
110 Michael Cahill Cloyne 15.57
111 Phillip Mullane Midleton AC 15.59
112 Denis Manning Cork 16.00
113 Frank O'Brien Carrigtwohill BNS 16.01
114 Lochlann McCarthy Midleton 16.03
115 Mags Mulcahy Midleton AC 16.06
116 Ben O'Neill Midleton 16.16
117 Vinent O'Neill Midleton AC 16.24
118 Therese O'Donovan Cobh 16.24
119 Colette McCarthy Midleton 16.25
120 Jim Curtin East Cork AC 16.31
121 Norah O'Brien Carrigtwohill GNS 16.39
122 Billy Caball Cork 16.43
123 Jacinta Madden Castlemartyr 17.07
124 Colette Barry Midleton AC 17.12
125 Fiona O'Mahony Midleton 17.12
126 John Corcoran Ballynoe 17.19
127 Mike Dorney Midleton 17.24
128 Susan Colbert Whitegate 17.30
129 James Colbert Whitegate 17.31
130 Catriona Brennock Midleton AC 17.51
131 Jim McMurtry Midleton AC 17.59
132 Grainne Murphy Inniscarra 18.01
133 Helen Gilroy Midleton AC 18.11
134 Hannah Kierans Carrigtwohill 18.29
135 Jake Holmes Cloyne 18.32
136 Joan McCarthy Midleton AC 18.43
137 Danny McCarthy Midleton AC 18.44
138 Gillian Fitzgerald Glounthaune 18.46
139 Mary Cashman Midleton AC 19.12
140 Mary Toher Midleton AC 21.17
141 Kathleen O'Connell Midleton AC nt

Last closing date for Ballycotton '10' entries coming up...

The Ballycotton '10' Mile road race will take place on the 6th of March 2011 and always attracks a large number of runners from the UK.

This is a reminder for anyone living outside of Ireland and visiting this blog that the final closing date for entries to the 2011 Ballycotton '10' race is Monday, the 10th of January. If you live in the UK then you should enter by post straight away.

More details in an earlier post HERE

The entry form in PDF format can be found HERE

By the way, if you are visiting this website for the first time, the entries for Irish entries closed at the start of last December.

Results of the Bandon 5 Mile Road Race - Sun 2nd Jan 2011

Just under 200 runners turned out for this 5 Mile road race in Bandon on what was a cool but mild day. The mens race was won by James McCarthy of East Cork AC in a time of 25:19 while the ladies race was won by Michelle Finn of Leevale AC in a time of 28:53.

The full results can be found HERE

Photos.....a slideshow of some photos can be seen HERE