For the last few years, the Cork BHAA 'ESB' 5k was held in Mahon near Cork City. This year, it moves to a new location and will be held in conjunction with the Fota Island hotel. Registration / Prizegiving / Refreshments will be in the hotel while the 5 km race is on the roads nearby.
Getting there...Coming from Cork City, take the N25 east (Midleton Rd). Follow the signposts for Cobh and take the turn off at Cobh Cross near Carrigtwohill. The entrance for the hotel is on the main road to Cobh.
Note that the entrance for the hotel is on the right while the race will take place on the roads to the left.
Hotel entrance...hard to miss!
Follow the stewards instructions / direction and follow the roads inside to the parking area.
Registration.........as per usual with Cork BHAA events, the entry fee for non-registered runners is €8 and for registered runners, it's €5. There will be seperate entry desks for each.
Time.........Please note that the hotel is located about 1 km from the main road. Allow plenty of time for the queues at registration and for time to get back to the start line.
The race starts at 11am
Race route.......Basically, it is an 'out and back' course with a small loop at the end. The photo above shows the start / finish area as seen from the main road.
The first mile is reasonably flat. At around 0.7 miles, you take the left at the large sweeping bend. On past the 1 mile mark and you'll see the small road junction ahead...
This is the start / finish of the small loop. On the way out, you carry on straight ahead and up the small hill. After this, you just keep turning left. First a long straight section and then you turn left and down a small narrow road and past Barrycourt Castle...
Continue on the narrow road....up a short sharp hill...turn right and back onto the larger road....pass the 2 mile mark and retrace your steps back towards the finish.
Overall...a reasonable course with a 2 small climbs but nothing too serious. Please note that there are some potholes near the start / finish so watch out for these. As you can imagine with an 'out and back' course, you may meet runners going in the opposite direction so follow the stewards instructions.
Cork BHAA are also looking for helpers so if you are not running on the day, why not turn up early on the day and lend a hand?
If you want to see a map of the route, I have it up on the
MapMyRun website. Click on the + / - there to zoom in and out.
John pardon my attention to detail but what time is that race on? Its probably there in the post but its early and I havent had coffee yet?
ReplyDeleteNo coffee required....I forgot to put it in! Opps ;o)
ReplyDeleteIt starts at 11am. Best time to get there is about 10:15-20am. No rush then to get resistered and over to the start.
A quick question (late in the day!)? Its going to be my first race, do I just arrive and register?
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance!
Yes. Just get there around 10:20-10:30am and join the non-registered queue. The entry fee is €8 for you. You do not need to be a member of a club or anything like that.
ReplyDelete