Updated Fri 18th Feb 8pm....This 5 mile road race which is organised by Eagle AC starts at
11am on Sunday the 20th of February 2011. Coming 2 weeks before the Ballycotton '10', it's a good way to check your level of fitness before the big day.
Directions & Parking...Carrigaline is located 6 miles to the South of Cork City and is clearly marked from the South Ring Road.
As you approach Carrigaline, take the relief road going left towards Crosshaven. Stay on this until you come to the next major junction.
The Community Centre is about 200 metres to the left / East of this junction. However, there is very limited parking there. There is plenty of parking if you drive straight ahead. Go through the junction and after 300 metres, there is a large car park on the right. If that gets full, there is another large car park at a local Lidl store just ahead. Both car parks are a very short walk from the Community Centre.
Registration....The race HQ is in the local community Centre as shown below. As you can see, it is only a short walk across a small park from the Car Park to the Hall.
The entry fee for 2011 is €8. One Euro of this will be donated to
Carrigaline Meals on Wheels. Once you enter the hall, you will have to fill out a form with your details before you register for the race.
If you have pre-registered, go straight to the Pre-Entry desk where your number will be waiting for you.
The Course...It's not the flattest of races with a few drags out along the course but nothing too bad. You start about 500 metres East of the Community Centre in a housing estate (When you come out of the community centre, turn right and follow everyone else to the start).
The road is fairly wide at the start....
...and by the time the runners reach the main road, the field should be well spread out. There is nothing special about the first 2 miles. It's pretty flat with a few tiny hills and you can expect your first mile time to be very fast. Note that the road here is not closed so watch out for any cars. Just before the 2 mile mark, you turn left.....
...and then into probably the most serious hill of the race which is about 400 metres long.
It's not so bad if you take it handy. Then through 2 kinks in the road and down into the village of Shanbally. Left past the church, climb slightly and then fall downhill to the 3 mile mark, all inside the hard shoulder of the main road. At about 3.5 miles, you turn left off the main road and then you have the next climb.....
It's pretty short but enough to get you into trouble if you push too hard. Then you run downhill to the 4 mile mark which is in a hollow and then climb back out at the other side. This is the 3rd real hill in the race and the least serious. After that, nearly all of the running is flat or slightly downhill as you finish through the housing estates. After the last corner which is a sharp left....
....the finish is about 70 metres away so you should see it in plenty of time.
So overall, probably not a course for getting PB's but it's not too bad either. The 11am start is a good idea. It means people can go there, do the race, go home and still have the afternoon free.
If you want to have a closer look at the course, you can find it on the
MapMyRun website.
A flyer for the race is available
HERE.
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