Preview of the Newmarket to Kanturk 5 Mile Road Race - Sun 1st May (2pm)

This race has a reputation of being one of the fastest 5 mile courses that there is with a slight fall of ground most of the way. The last time this race was held was in December 2009 when they got 131 entries which was well down on the figure of almost 200 for their previous race. It was supposed to be on again in  December 2010 but was cancelled due to the icy conditions.

It's hard to say how many will turn out this time. With the Marathon and Half Marathon in Limerick, the Half in Bantry and the sheer number of races at the moment, the numbers may be down around 130 again?



Getting there........The hardest part of the race is probably trying to find Newmarket. The easiest route if you are coming from Cork City is probably to head towards Mallow and go left at the roundabout on the main road and head towards Killarney. Just look for signposts for the turn off right for Kanturk.

Once you get to Kanturk, you come to a main junction and the signpost for Newmarket is about as clear as mud! Don't take the left here! You need to go straight ahead. You pass a garage and you should pass the finish point of the race on your right. 5 miles later, you come to Newmarket.

Entries........Entries will be taken at Hourigans Bar , New Street. This is in the middle of the town. Just follow the main road and it's on your right
Details....Newmarket to Kanturk 5 Mile Classic...Sunday May 1st. at 2pm....Entry fee ....... 15 euro...High-Vis Vest to all entrants...Reistration at Hourigans Bar, Newmarket...Prizes: First 10 Men....First 10 Women...Usual category prizes....Further details from Donie Shine 086-8149970
Bus back to Newmarket after race

Course.......You basically start in Newmarket, run the 5 miles to Kanturk and then the organisers provide a bus to take all runners back to Newmarket. Alternatively, you can go for a 5 mile warm down ;o)

As you can see from the profile, there is a gentle downhill incline for most of the race. Should be a fast one.

For a closer look, the route is up on the MapMyRun website.

Raheny AC run from Malin to Mizen this weekend...

This was something I meant to put up a while back but with all the local races, it kind of got forgotten about.

The Dublin based club Raheny AC are doing a sponsored charity run from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in Cork this weekend. They will have a relay of runners and hope to complete the distance in 65 hours. All proceed are going to the Childrens Hospital in Crumlin.

Details below...
If you would like to join us along the way to complete a marathon or just run a couple of miles please see below for details of the route with start and finish points of each marathon and main towns along the.

The purpose of the run is to raise funds for the Children’s hospital in Crumiln and donations will be welcome from anyone joining us and we would request a donation of at least €20 for anyone looking to complete a marathon in return for which you will get a commemorative medal and t-shirt.

If you can’t join us donations can be made online at http://www.cmrf.org/sponsorshipPage/show/746Route Summary:
Start Time Starts at Via Finishes at Day
06:00:00 Malin Head Malin Buncrana + 1 Friday
09:30:00 Buncrana + 1 Letterkenny Stralongford Friday
12:50:00 Stralongford Ballybofey Laghy Friday
16:30:00 Laghy Bundoran Cliffoney Friday
20:10:00 Cliffoney Sligo Ballinacarrow Friday

23:40:00 Ballinacarrow Charlestown River Glare Saturday
03:00:00 River Glare Tuam Clashroe Saturday
07:15:00 Clashroe Galway Ardrahan Saturday
11:15:00 Ardrahan Gort Tulla + 5k Saturday
14:45:00 Tulla +5K Limerick Adare (Lucy's+ 2K) Saturday
18:25:00 Adare Newcastlewest Abbeyfeale -2.2K Saturday
22:40:00 Abbeyfeale Castleisland Farranfore +6.6K Saturday

02:10:00 Farranfore +6.6k Killarney Kenmare +0.3 Sunday
05:20:00 Kenmare +0.3 Glengarrif Bantry (town centre) Sunday
08:30:00 Bantry Durris Mizen Head Sunday

The route is on MapMyRun HERE

Postscript........The run was completed in 56 hours. Photos HERE.

Results of the Cork BHAA 'Stride by the Tide' 4m...Tues 19th Apr 2011

A total of 173 turned out for this unique 4 mile beach race near Youghal in East Cork on what was a lovely sunny evening. This figure is about 60 down on last year's record number of 232 and is lower than the 2009 figure of 186 and 2008 figure of 185.

The full results can be found HERE

News...Ballycotton '10' / Clon race / Cork Marathon / Weekend events

1) BALLYCOTTON ‘10’ ROAD RACE 2011...THANK-YOU NIGHT...The organisers of the recent Ballycotton ‘10’ road race invite all those who helped out in any capacity to a THANK-YOU NIGHT at the Schooner Tavern, Ballycotton, on Friday April 29th from 8.30pm onwards....Finger food will be available and the DVD of this year’s race will be shown.

2) Ring Rowing Club are holding a 5 km run near Clonakilty in West Cork. I'm not sure how accurate the course is so it is probably more of a fun run type of event rather than an actual road race. Details...."Registration from 7.30pm in Kitty Macs, run starts at 8pm sharp. Fund Raiser for Club - entry fee €10 for runners"

3) Cork Marathon Entries....The entries fees for the Cork City Marathon and Relay will be going up on the 1st of May! So, it's time to get off the fence and make up your mind if you are doing it or not. After that, you have until the 10th of May to enter. Please note that the entries for the Half-Marathon are full so you can only enter the full Marathon or the Relay event at this stage. For entry details, click HERE

4) Weekend events....There are a number of events on this Bank Holiday weekend.
In Limerick, there is a Marathon and Half-Marathon and no doubt a good few from Cork will be travelling up to that.
In Bantry in West Cork, there is the Bay Run Half-Marathon from Glengarrif to Bantry (Pre-entry only).
In North West Cork on Sunday, there is the Newmarket to Kanturk 5 Mile road race which starts at 2pm.

More details in a later post.

Results of the East Cork Road Championships - Thurs 28th Apr 2011

The East Cork AAI Road Championships took place in the village of Ballynoe this evening on what was a lovely sunny evening.  The mens 5 mile race was won by Frank Hayes of East Cork AC while Ann Geary of Midleton AC (No.471 above) won her first road race in the womens 2k.

Results...
East Cork Road Championships..Thursday 28 April 2011. 8:00pm

MEN 5-Mile
Place Time Name Team Race Age Category min/mile
1 0:28:03 HAYES, Frank East Cork AC M40 05:36.5 125 1
2 0:28:58 TIERNEY, Conor East Cork AC M 05:47.5 93 2
3 0:29:27 CURTIN, Noel Youghal AC M45 05:53.3 33 3
4 0:29:38 HENNESSY, John Midleton AC M40 05:55.5 122 4
5 0:29:41 O'REGAN, Noel Midleton AC M40 05:56.1 154 5
6 0:30:02 DALTON, Marc Midleton AC M 06:00.3 54 6
7 0:31:00 O'DWYER, David East Cork AC M 06:11.9 45 7
8 0:31:27 CAHILL, Maurice Youghal AC M 06:17.3 31 8
9 0:32:22 MCCARTHY, Denis East Cork AC M45 06:28.3 26 9
10 0:32:29 GRIFFIN, John Grange-Fermoy AC M40 06:29.7 161 10
11 0:32:48 O'DRISCOLL, Brian Midleton AC M 06:33.5 165 11
12 0:33:09 CASHMAN, John Midleton AC M45 06:37.7 131 12
13 0:33:54 O'LEARY, Ted West Waterford AC M40 06:46.7 173 13
14 0:34:25 COONEY, Kevin Midleton AC M45 06:52.9 15 14
15 0:35:24 NICHOLSON, Eddie Youghal AC M 07:04.6 39 15
16 0:35:56 MCGRATH, Phil East Cork AC M60 07:11.0 82 16
17 0:35:58 HAYES, Kevin St. Catherines AC M 07:11.4 105 17
18 0:37:02 MURPHY, Pat Ballymore-Cobh AC M45 07:24.2 27 18
19 0:37:32 O'MAHONY, Sylvie Youghal AC M55 07:30.2 100 19
20 0:37:33 CHAMBERS, Darren Youghal AC M 07:30.4 32 20
21 0:38:35 WALSHE, John East Cork AC M55 07:42.8 17 21
22 0:38:41 MCCARTHY, Danny Midleton AC M60 07:44.0 73 22
23 0:38:54 O'DONOGHUE, Donal unatt/Little Island M40 07:46.6 157 23
24 0:38:59 KELLY, Thomas Ballymore-Cobh AC M50 07:47.6 66 24
25 0:39:51 AHERNE, Barry Midleton AC M 07:58.0 78 25
26 0:39:52 BLAIKLOCK, Adam unatt/Conna M 07:58.2 138 26
27 0:44:00 KEARNEY, Batt Leevale AC M50 08:47.8 160 27
28 0:45:06 O'CONNELL, Donie Midleton AC M60 09:01.0 107 28
29 0:46:23 MULLANE, Philip Midleton AC M 09:16.4 113 29
30 0:48:16 O'MAHONY, William Youghal AC M65 09:39.0 64 30
Team:
1 Midleton AC (4, 5, 6, 10) 25
2 East Cork AC (7, 9, 14, 19) 49
3 Youghal AC (8, 13, 17, 18) 56


Imokilly Oil/East Cork Road Championships
WOMEN 2000 metres
Place Time Name Team Race Age Category min/mile
1 0:07:52 GEARY, Ann Midleton AC F 06:19.7 471 1
2 0:07:56 DRENNAN, Sally Midleton AC F45 06:22.9 470 2
3 0:08:14 HOUGH, Joan Midleton AC F50 06:37.4 477 3
4 0:08:18 AHERNE, Deirdre Midleton AC F 06:40.6 488 4
5 0:08:26 MURPHY, Marie Midleton AC F 06:47.0 492 5
6 0:08:39 DELANEY, Susan Midleton AC F 06:57.5 478 6
7 0:08:57 PERRY, Anne-Marie Midleton AC F35 07:12.0 486 7
8 0:09:13 LANDERS, Martina Youghal AC F35 07:24.8 479 8
9 0:09:20 TWOHIG, Margaret Midleton AC F40 07:30.5 489 9
10 0:09:22 O'DOHERTY, Maura Midleton AC F35 07:32.1 491 10
11 0:09:28 MORRISON, Moira Midleton AC F40 07:36.9 484 11
12 0:09:44 O'RIORDAN, Kate St. Catherines AC F 07:49.8 476 12
13 0:09:45 TWOMEY, Bernie Midleton AC F40 07:50.6 490 13
14 0:09:51 HARRINGTON, Kim unatt/Glanworth F 07:55.4 775 14
15 0:09:57 MCPHERSON, Nicola Midleton AC F 08:00.2 469 15
16 0:10:00 BARRY, Margaret Midleton AC F60 08:02.7 487 16
17 0:10:28 KEANE, Mary Midleton AC F40 08:25.2 485 17
18 0:10:28 BUCKLEY, Susan Midleton AC F 08:25.2 473 18
19 0:10:40 IVERS, Sinead Midleton AC F 08:34.8 472 19
20 0:10:55 SHEEHAN, Ger St. Catherines AC F 08:46.9 482 20
21 0:11:08 MCCARTHY, Isabel Youghal AC F 08:57.4 480 21
22 0:11:10 MCGRATH, Marie Midleton AC F40 08:59.0 483 22
23 0:11:13 CROWLEY, Donna unatt/Glanworth F 09:01.4 773 23
24 0:11:19 CURTIN, Patricia Youghal AC FJ 09:06.2 481 24
25 0:11:26 DUNNING, Nuala St. Catherines AC F40 09:11.8 493 25
26 0:11:43 O'KEEFFE, Therese St. Catherines AC F35 09:25.5 777 26
27 0:11:56 BARRETT, Marian unatt/Glanworth F 09:36.0 776 27
28 0:13:16 RECKMANN, Johanna St. Catherines AC F 10:40.3 475 28
29 0:13:58 DUNCAN, Mary St. Catherines AC F 11:14.1 474 29
30 0:13:59 O'HALLORAN, Stephanie unatt/Glanworth F 11:14.9 496 30
31 0:15:13 BARRETT, Aine unatt/Glanworth F 12:14.5 772 31
32 0:16:31 MCCORMAC, Valerie unatt/Glanworth F 13:17.2 494 32
33 0:16:32 MCCARTHY, Sinead unatt/Glanworth F 13:18.0 495 33
34 0:16:33 FLYNN, Sylvia unatt/Glanworth F 13:18.8 774 34
Team:
1 Midleton AC (4, 5, 6) 15
2 Youghal AC (8, 20, 22) 50
3 St. Catherines AC (12, 19, 23) 54

Organised by the East Cork Athletics Board of AAI
Results produced by Ballycotton Running Promotions.

Preview of the East Cork Road Championships...Thurs 28th Apr 2010

Normally Championship races are confined to members of athletic clubs only. This one however is open to anyone who wishes to take part. The numbers taking part are usually small and the entry fee is usually very modest.

East Cork Road Championships........
Directions.........Take the N25 to Midleton and on the main street, take the turn off left (R627....This is signposted "Dungourney 10 ; Tallow 26"). After 9 kms, you reach Dungourney and keep going towards Tallow. Later you will pass Leahy's Open Farm and then you need to take a left at the next crossroads. This is signposted "Ballynoe 5 ; Conna 9". From there, it's a straight 5km run into Ballynoe. If you're coming from Fermoy direction, you most likely need to go via Conna. Note that Ballynoe is a fair distance from Midleton so plan your journey, and allow plenty of time to get there.

Registration...........Registration, changing, refreshments and results are at the "Ballynoe Community Centre".This is at the north end of the village, opposite the Church.

There are two events......1) The Ladies’ 2000m (7:30pm) and 2) The Men's 5 mile race (8pm).

Info from the organisers....The East Cork Road Championships are on in Ballynoe on this Thursday 28th - the ladies race at 7.30pm 2K and mens race over 5 miles at 8pm.  There is a really tough hill which the men meet 4 times as it is a 4 lap course.  Team and individual medals to be won in both races.  Entry is normally low although outside runners do sometimes participate.  Medals obviously confined to runners from East Cork region.

Results of the Clonakilty 10k road race...Mon 25th Apr 2011

A total of 152 people took part in this 10k road race in Clonakilty in West Cork, well up on the small numbers that they got last year.

The full results can be seen HERE

Preview of the Cork BHAA 'Stride by the Tide' 4 mile Beach Race - Tues 26th Apr (8pm)

Just a reminder that the Cork BHAA 'Stride by the Tide' 4 mile beach race in on Tuesday evening the 26th of April at 8pm.

This is as far as I know one of the few beach races in the country.

Directions...

Take the main road for Youghal from Cork. As you approach Youghal, do not go on the Youghal bypass but take the left just before it, go under the bypass and head towards the town. After a few hundred metres, look out for and take the turn off right. It should be signposted as the R633 for Ballymacoda. After 1.5 kms on this road, you come to a crossroads. Turn left here. You should see the signposts for the Quality Hotel anyway. See the map above.

Entry...
As per normal at Cork BHAA events, it is €5 for registered runners and €8 for non-registered. Try to arrive early (7pm) and avoid the peak at 7:30.

Course...
From what I remember, it is basically two and a half laps of a course that is marked out on the beach. It is a very unusual race in that as you take the sharp turn at the end of each loop, you are watching everyone else who is ahead and behind you. It's a bit like running a race and spectating at the same time. The race is run on a part of the beach which is between the low tide and high tide mark. As a result, you are not running on soft sand although you might hit the od patch. You should have no problem doing it in your normal runners.

Overall...
The fact you can watch a race at the same time as running in it makes this a special and unusual event. The softer surface, while ok for running on, definetly means that your time for this 4 mile race will be slower than usual. The sand seems to absorb most of the energy when you foot hits the surface and you need to put more effort in than you would on the road.

Last year, they got over 200 runners for this race and they should get a similar number again this year.

If you want to see where the race is, have a look at this link...

http://pininthemap.com/27c8f39995f0d9723

Results of the Boherbue Kiskeam 4m road race - Mon 25th Apr 2011

A total of 65 took part this year, down 11 on last year's figure of 76. (2009 = 90, 2008 = 72)

Results........

BOHERBUE-KISKEAM '4'...Monday 25 April 2011. 2:00pm

Place Time Name Team Race Age Category min/mile
1 0:19:45 CIOBANU, Sergiu Clonliffe Harriers M 04:56.2 783 1
2 0:20:44 MURPHY, Ed Gneeveguilla AC M 05:10.9 789 2
3 0:21:40 LINEHAN, Adrian Duhallow AC M35 05:24.9 584 3
4 0:22:34 O'BRIEN, Billy Riocht AC M35 05:38.4 586 4
5 0:22:53 O'KEEFFE, David Gneeveguilla AC MJ 05:43.2 815 5
6 0:23:03 DARCY, Kevin Kilmurry-Ibrickane NC AC M 05:45.7 223 6
7 0:23:28 MCFADDEN, Liam Sportsworld RC M35 05:51.9 198 7
8 0:24:04 MURPHY, Humphrey Riocht AC M45 06:00.9 715 8
9 0:24:16 BARRY, Fergal Gneeveguilla AC M40 06:03.9 773 9
10 0:24:25 FEEHAN, Maurice unatt/Newmarket M 06:06.1 777 10
11 0:24:25 O'MAHONY, Stephen Skibbereen AC M45 06:06.1 794 11
12 0:24:27 MACKEY, Tom Kilmurry-Ibrickane NC AC M50 06:06.6 774 12
13 0:24:33 MANGAN, Mike Star Of The Laune AC M50 06:08.1 819 13
14 0:24:39 CARROLL, Denis Eagle AC M50 06:09.6 800 14
15 0:24:56 O'CALLAGHAN, David Eagle AC M45 06:13.9 816 15
16 0:25:02 ROGERS, Roland unatt/Tralee M40 06:15.4 592 16
17 0:25:33 CODY, Thomas Midleton AC M55 06:23.1 813 17
18 0:25:45 KIELY, Catherine Gneeveguilla AC F 06:26.1 784 18
19 0:25:58 FITZGERALD, Tom Kilfinane AC M50 06:29.4 589 19
20 0:26:13 O'HANLON, Colman Mallow AC M35 06:33.1 799 20
21 0:26:44 O'CONNOR, Mary Riocht AC F40 06:40.9 587 21
22 0:26:51 CRONIN, Denis Mallow AC M45 06:42.6 787 22
23 0:27:02 O'RIORDAN, Dan unatt/Newmarket M50 06:45.4 588 23
24 0:27:23 GUERIN, John Gneeveguilla AC M40 06:50.6 779 24
25 0:27:32 O'RIORDAN, Packie West Limerick AC M50 06:52.9 202 25
26 0:27:38 GOGGIN, Jonathan Liscarroll AC M 06:54.4 197 26
27 0:27:43 DALY, Siobhan Riocht AC F 06:55.6 596 27
28 0:28:07 ANGLAND, Matty Gneeveguilla AC M50 07:01.6 786 28
29 0:28:09 O'MAHONY, Sylvie Youghal AC M55 07:02.1 792 29
30 0:28:20 STACK, Brid Gneeveguilla AC F35 07:04.9 594 30
31 0:28:40 DONOVAN, Tina Riocht AC F40 07:09.9 595 31
32 0:28:46 SHINE, Donie Duhallow AC M55 07:11.4 796 32
33 0:28:49 CURTIS, Peadar Mallow AC M55 07:12.1 780 33
34 0:28:53 MURPHY, Caroline Gneeveguilla AC F45 07:13.1 775 34
35 0:29:19 CAREY, Pat unatt/Tralee M60 07:19.6 778 35
36 0:29:31 O'SULLIVAN, Dermot unatt/Mallow M40 07:22.6 817 36
37 0:29:49 TWOMEY, Con unatt/Millstreet M45 07:27.1 776 37
38 0:30:08 ROGERS, Christopher unatt/Tralee MJ 07:31.9 593 38
39 0:30:15 FLYNN, Bridget Gneeveguilla AC F 07:33.6 739 39
40 0:30:18 MCCARTHY, Danny Midleton AC M60 07:34.4 814 40
41 0:30:31 WALSHE, John East Cork AC M55 07:37.6 191 41
42 0:30:46 DINEEN, Micheal Gneeveguilla AC M50 07:41.4 585 42
43 0:31:04 FINN, Mary Millstreet AC F50 07:45.9 820 43
44 0:32:17 MURPHY, Aine unatt/Kerry Pike F50 08:04.1 590 44
45 0:32:43 CRONIN, Kathleen Mallow AC F45 08:10.6 788 45
46 0:34:12 O'DONOGHUE, Orla unatt/Killarney M 08:32.9 785 46
47 0:34:21 TWOMEY, Jerry Duhallow AC M55 08:37.9 797 47
48 0:35:16 BROWNE, Shane Duhallow AC M40 08:48.9 798 48
49 0:35:56 LANGAN, Jim Tullamore Harriers M65 08:58.9 199 49
50 0:36:05 O'CONNOR, Esther Gneeveguilla AC F 09:01.1 782 50
51 0:36:22 BUCKLEY, Michael Gneeveguilla AC M 09:05.4 791 51
52 0:36:27 MALLON, Colette Riocht AC F40 09:06.6 628 52
53 0:37:42 MURPHY, Ann Gneeveguilla AC F 09:25.4 781 53
54 0:37:43 BARRETT, Breeda Gneeveguilla AC F45 09:25.6 795 54
55 0:37:44 BUCKLEY, Tim-Joe Donoughmore AC M60 09:25.9 818 55
56 0:38:05 SEXTON, John Duhallow AC M45 09:31.1 790 56
57 0:38:30 CASEY, Marie Gneeveguilla AC F45 09:37.4 793 57
58 0:41:05 QUINN, Sile unatt/Kiskeam F 10:16.1 195 58
59 0:41:06 QUINN, Noreen unatt/Kiskeam F35 10:16.4 196 59
60 0:42:56 O'SULLIVAN, Joan Gneeveguilla AC F50 10:43.9 200 60
61 0:54:52 BUCKLEY, Finbarr unatt/Millstreet M65 13:42.8 591 61
62 1:01:01 SHEEHY, Breeda Liscarroll AC F45 15:15.1 190 62
63 1:01:01 LINEHAN, Anita Liscarroll AC F35 15:15.1 188 63
64 1:01:01 SHEEHAN, Regina Liscarroll AC F 15:15.1 189 64
WHEELCHAIR: FORDE, Jerry Blarney-Inniscarra AC M55 36:24

Organised by Gneeveguilla Athletic Club

Results produced by John Walshe of Ballycotton Running Promotions.

Races on Monday 25th of April 2011

There are 2 road races coming up on Easter Monday in Cork.....the Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile and a 10km race in Clonakilty.

Boherbue to Kishkeam 4 mile road race...Mon 25th Apr...2pm......You enter first in the hall in Kiskeam and then you get a lift to the start in Boherbue which is 4 miles away. I don't have any details on this years event. In previous years, it was €15 to enter and there was a cotton t-shirt given out as well.

The course is on the R577 which is the main road from this part of Cork to Castleisland / Tralee. I did this course a few years ago and found it to be very busy. There is one main hill to get over on the route but nothing major. You could expect to get a reasonable time considering that the 2nd half is mostly downhill but it's unlikely that you'll make up what you lost on the uphill section. Just watch the traffic!

In previous years, some of the prizes have been vouchers for a shop in Boherbue. If this is the case and you are lucky enough to win one, make sure you spend it before you leave the area.

Clonakilty 10k....11am...
This is the 2nd year of this race and should attract a lot more runners than last year. The run will be held at 11am on Monday 25th April 2011. Entry € 15 with part of the entry going to local Simon Communities and Primary Schools. Registration between 9:30 and 10:30.


The race route is to the south of the town of Clonakilty and should be reasonably flat.
The course will be certified to 10k according to the organisers.
 
There is a race flyer HERE

Video of the Ballintotis 4 Mile Road Race...

A nice 15 minute video clip put together by the race roganisers which really captures the flavour of the event.

The video was put together by Denis Barry while John Cashman of Midleton AC provided the commentary.

Results of the Ballintotis 4 Mile Road Race - Wed 20th Apr 2011

A huge entry of 559 runners turned out for the Ballintotis 4 mile road race in East Cork. This was the first evening race on the calendar and in running terms, marks the start of the summer season. The numbers are well up on last years figure of 436, an increase of some 28%. Attracting that many runners for a race on what is a busy race calendar is a remarkable achievement.

The winner of the mens race this year was once again the 2010 winner James McCarthy of East Cork AC in a time of 19:34. In 2nd place, Sandis Bralitis of West Waterford AC was just 20 seconds behind in a time of 19:54.....which coincidently was the time that James ran last year to win the race. In 3rd place, Chris Harrington of Leevale AC ran 20:47.

In the ladies race, it was a clean sweep by Eagle AC runners with the club taking all 3 of the top spots. Niamh Roe ran 23:27 to take 1st position. In 2nd place, the 2010 winner Rhona Lynch ran 23:58, just 10 seconds down on her time last year. In 3rd position, Ann-Marie Holland ran 24:18 having recovered from winning the Great Island 10 Mile race last Sunday.

T-Shirts.....Due to the larger than expected numbers, there was a shortage of T-Shirts. See message below....
Due to the large gathering (556 race and 96 walk), we ran short tee shirts. The details of those who did not receive tee shirts have been recorded and we hope to supply the additional tee shirts at the Midleton AC race in 2 weeks time. Confirmation to follow..........John Cashman, Ballintotis Committee

Results..........
The full results can now be seen HERE

Photos.....
A gallery of 168 photos can be seen HERE

Preview of the Ballintotis 4 Mile Road Race - Wed 20th Apr 2011

This 4 mile road race in the village of Ballintotis near Castlemartyr in East Cork is the first evening race of the Summer season. Starting at 8pm, this is the 2nd year of this race and replaces the old 4 mile race in Castlemartyr which was partly run on the side of a busy main road.

The entry fee is €10 and a T-shirt is included in that price.

Location.....
Ballintotis is just off the main N25 Cork to Waterford road. It is located just a few kms west of Castlemartyr. If you are coming from Cork City then look for the turn off right about 5 kms after Midleton. There is a green signpost showing that the turn off is coming up. If you are coming from the easterly side then drive through Castlemartyr and take the first left after Lough Aderra which you can't miss.

Parking.....
There will be 2 main car parks.
1 - a field just off the Main N25 Road – just next to the turn off for Ballintotis - this car park is approx 450 metres from the race HQ (which is located in the Church Car Park)
2 - a field located just beyond the Race HQ and approx 200 meters from race start.

There will be a one way system from Car Park 2 after the race - exiting from this car park will not be allowed immediately after the race. So. if you wish to make a hasty exit, using Car Park 1 is the best advice.

RACE HQ
A marquee for changing will be erected in the Church Car Park on the green beside Loughaderra Lake. Entries will be taken at another marquee in Church Car Park from 6.15pm. Refreshments/prize giving will also be located in the Church Car Park.

Note - Arrive early – a non competitive walk is also taking place over the same route, beginning at 6.30pm sharp. Any enquiries should be directed to 086-8778182
A flyer for the race can be seen HERE

Course.....
Basically, it is a loop course with the start and finish area overlapping by about 200 metres. The start line is very close to the church and right next to the lake...

The start is on the narrow approach road. 200 metres later, you pass the church in Ballintotis and race hq....

...then it's right at the next junction. Two junctions later, you pass Ballintotis Castle and then you are onto the quiet country roads in the area. The photo below shows what you can expect....

.......narrow roads with a hedgerow on either side....

At around 3.5 miles, you come back onto the hard shoulder of the M25 road as you pass Lake Aderra. Then it's next left and finish just outside the church.

Overall.....a race on nice quite country roads. No real hills to speak of so you can expect to get a fast time.

If you want to have a closer look, I now have the course up on the MapMyRun website

Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya wins Boston Marathon in 2:03:02...

Only last week, I put up a post about a BBC article that asked if a sub 2 hour Marathon was possible and sure enough, there was a hint of it in Boston on Monday. The Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai won the Marathon in a time of 2 hours 3 min and 2 seconds.

While this was 57 seconds faster than the current Marathon record of 2:03:59 set by Haile Gebrselaissie in Berlin in 2008, it won't count because the route doesn't qualify.

It does however suggest that the current record may be broken soon?

Results of the Great Island 10 Mile Road Race - Sun 17th Apr 2011

A total of 398 runners turned out for this 10 mile road race in Cobh on what was a warm sunny day. That is a good bit down on last years figure of 513. I'm not exactly sure why that might be the case? Perhaps last year had a bit of a novelty factor in that it was the first year of the race? Perhaps the choice of so many races on the calendar? Or was it as someone suggested in a recent comment due to the time of the race? 1pm as opposed to 11am last year?

With an 11am start, people have the option of doing the race and still having the afternoon free to do something else. When it's a 1pm start, the race can become the day's event leaving no time for other things.

The winner of the mens race this year was Sandis Bralitis of West Waterford AC in a time of 52:52. In 2nd place, Colin Merritt of Carrig na bhFear AC finished in 53:08 while last years winner George Waugh finished in 3rd place in 54:30.

The winner of the ladies race was Ann-Marie Holland of Eagle AC in a time of 64:18. Margo Dinan of St.Finbarr's AC finished 2nd in 68:03 with Karen Prendergast finishing 3rd in 68:30.

The full results can now be seen HERE

Photos...........(Updated Thurs 5th May)
The Cobh Edition Online Newspaper have 3 photo galleries on their Facebook page. Please note that you do NOT have to sign into Facebook or create a Facebook account to view these....
1) 173 photos HERE
2) 171 photos HERE
3) 171 photos HERE
4) John Hennessey has a small gallery HERE

Results of the Leevale Open Sports Day...Sat 16th Apr 2011

Looks like they got a nice turnout for this event in CIT in Cork City.

The full results can be found in PDF format HERE

Preview of the Great Island Run (10 Miles) - Sun 17th Apr 2011 (1pm)

This is the 2nd running of this 10 mile road race. Last year was a great success with over 500 runners and it had the feel of a well established race rather than one that was organised for the first time.

The entry fee is €15 with all proceeds going to the Irish Cancer Society.

Where to go?.......
The race HQ is the Great Island Community Centre which is located up high in the town of Cobh. They will have areas for car parking so follow the stewards instructions on the day.

The easiest way to describe where the Community Centre is to follow the road straight up from the catheral. As you can see from the photo below, it's a large building and easy to find.

Please note.....The race starts at 1pm.

Considering the large number of people likely to turn up, the entry desk will probably be very very busy. Getting there between 11:30am and 12am and entering early would help a lot.

Preview of the Course.......

Start to Mile 2.....You start just a few hundred metres from the Community Centre on a wide secion of road (See above). At a crossroads, you take a left.....

.....and you finish the 1st mile on a steep downhill section. A very fast first mile. Continue on down to the T junction, right and along the road down to Cuskinny. There is a slight fall all the way until just short of the 2 mile mark....

Overall, a very fast first 2 miles. However, you're also near sea level. You've just lost all of your height advantage and you still have 8 miles to go.

Mile 2 to 3.....This course has 2 tough hills. If you were out for a training run, you might take them in your stride. At race pace however, it's a different story. So you start at mile 2 and climb a steep hill....

....which will leave you panting if you are running at any kind of pace. Top of the hill and you turn off right. This is a lovely quiet section of road with loads of trees. The running is easy here as you recover from that hill.

Mile 3 to 4.....It starts nice enough. Loads of trees, quiet road...what could go wrong? Then the incline begins to increase a bit and you might notice the rev counter climbing. Up ahead is the T-junction.....
Get to the T-junction....turn left....look....and then leave out several expletives!.....

This is the 2nd big hill......about 400 metres long and tough. After that, on through the quiet village of Ballymore. I could say you'll enjoy the surroundings but you may well be on your hands and knees at this stage.

Mile 4 to 6.....There is some good running here. There are a few small hills but nothing major. This is a nice quiet road which is up high and there are some nice views of the surrounding countryside.

Mile 6 to 8....This is another fast 2 mile stretch. Mile 6 starts on what is usually a very busy road. There is a slight fall of ground down to the junction......

........and then right onto the Tay Road. This should be a fast enough section until you hit the T-junction around the 8 mile mark.

Mile 8 to 10.....You are now on the main road to Cobh and anyone who does the Cork BHAA 'Cork to Cobh' race every year should be familiar with this last section. It starts dead flat and as you get closer to 9 miles, there is a slight incline up to the railway bridge. It's hard to call it a hill when you consider the other two 'beauties' that you tackled earlier.

Onwards towards Cobh but a slight change after 9 miles. You'll be taking a slight diversion right....

....and using a flatter and quieter road into the town. Anyone who has ran the old 'Streets of Cobh' 5 k race will be familiar with this section. Down past the train station and.........

........on towards the finish in the middle of the town.

Overall........It's not the fastest of courses but it is still a nice route. You spend a lot of the time up on high ground and there are some nice views of the harbour area. The entry fee is modest for a 10 mile race and with all proceeds going to the Irish Cancer Society, it's well worth doing.

Just get there early!

Update....
Coral Leisure Centre Cobh have kindly offered their Leisure Centre to anyone wishing to avail of a Shower, Swim and Steam after the event for €2. All money collected from runners will be kindly donated to the Irish Cancer Society.

IMRA Claragh Mtn race - Sun 17th Apr 2011

There are 2 races coming up next Sunday, the 17th of April. The main event is the Great Island 10 mile road race in Cobh...more on that in a later post.

On Sunday evening, the Irish Mountain Running Association are holding a race up and down Claragh Mountain from Millstreet in NW Cork.The entry fee is €10 and the race starts at 7pm.

The race is basically an out and back route with a loop near the summit. It will be on trails and it could be described as very steep. Perhaps not everyones thing but some might be interested. Just don't wear your best shoes ;o)

More info on the IMRA website

Leevale Open Sports...Sat 16th Apr 2011

The Leevale Open Sports are on this coming Saturday, 16th April, at the CIT track in Bishopstown. Cillian O Tuama has sent on the following info which might be interest to some of the faster local runners, anyone who just wants to spectate or would like to get their children to have a go.........

"The sports are open to all juveniles U8+, junior and senior athletes. Our distance events (800m, 1500m, 3000m) usually draw a good crowd from the local road race scene, so might be of some interest to readers of your blog. The new stand at CIT also makes the track a great spectator venue, and there will be top-class sprinting action and field events, drawing athletes from across the country. If any of your blog readers have kids who are interested in trying out events before the more competitive meets start later in the summer, the Sports are an ideal low-key fixture for this also.

Entry fees are payable at the gate on the way in to CIT (Entrants & Spectators). There is no additional charge to enter events once you're inside, apart from relays. The fees are €3 (juvenile), €5 (adult), €10 (family), €5 (relays). I think we're probably fairly flexible enough on what exactly a "family" is!

The event is running all day, from 10:30am till 6 pm. The juvenile events take place first, with the senior programme starting at 2 pm. The order of events etc. are all posted on our website.
Further details are at: http://www.leevale.org/2011/leevale-open-sports-saturday-16-april-2011

Is a sub 2 hour Marathon possible???

There was a recent article on the BBC News website which asked this very question. Over the years, the record has been edging down towards the 2 hour  barrier and it currently stands at 2 hours 3 minutes and 59 seconds.

This was set by Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin in 2008 and he believes that a sub hour Marathon may be possible some time in the distant future, perhaps in 20 years time. Others however believe that the record of 2 hours 2 mins is possible after which it will plateau.

To set the current record, Haile had to run at an average of 4m 43.7s per mile whereas someone would have to run an average of 4m 34.6s per mile to break the 2 hour barrier. That's an incredible speed to maintain over 26.2 miles. Is it possible though???

The full article can be seen HERE

Dingle Marathon organisers cancel 50 Mile Ultra event for 2011

The organisers of the Dingle Marathon have announced that they are going to cancel the 50 Mile Ultra-Marathon due to the current low number of entries. They issued the following....."Bit of bad news RE 50 mile ultra. This race will not be going ahead this year. The numbers for this distance are just too low, the demand is simply not high enough. We would need at least 100. We got 70 last year but this year is has been well down. It is a great pity as it was very successful last year and was an amazing experience for all involved."

The 50 Mile Ultra was introduced for the first time in 2010. It started near Castlegregory.....went up and over the Connor Pass....through Dingle...and then followed the 26.2 mile Dingle Marathon route. The organisers are currently looking at the option of holding it every 2 years.

The Dingle Marathon and Half-Marathon will be going ahead next September as normal.

Alan O'Shea of Bantry AC runs 2:21 in Rotterdam Marathon

Alan O'Shea of Bantry AC ran the Rotterdam Marathon last Sunday (10th Apr 2011) in a time of 2:21:37. Alan, who is a former winner of the Cork City Marathon finished in 26th position out of a field of over 7,000 runners. The average pace was 5:24 per mile.

As you can see from the chart above, the 5k split times of 16:19, 16:56, 17:11 and 17:25 are faster than most runners achieve in local 5k road races.

From what I can gather, the qualify time for the Irish team for the 2012 Olympics in London is expected to be around the 2:16 to 2:17 mark so Alan's time is just 5 minutes or so off the mark. The actual qualifying time is expected to be announced soon.

In the same race, Sean Connolly of Tallaght AC finished in 15th position in a time of 2:17:23.

Running in Cork Facebook page...

For those of you who may not have noticed, I now have a Facebook page up for the Running in Cork blog. What it basically does is to allow Facebook users keep track of new posts on the blog which will then appear on their Facebook wall.

Occasionally I may put additional info up there but it's sole purpose is to compliment the blog, not replace it. I know that a lot of people don't use Facebook because of privacy issues or are just not interested in it so don't feel obliged that you should sign up just in case you are missing out on something. However, if you have a Facebook account already then just go to the Running in Cork Facebook page and click the 'Like' button.

Empire State Building Race 2011....

Now that we have a bit of  lull in the number of road races, it's time to catch up with a few other posts.

A few weeks back, the annual Empire State Building Race took place in New York. This is one persons unique take on it. If you thought the start of the Ballyandreen '5' was narrow then this kind of puts it into perspective ;o)

Launch of Ballintotis 4 mile road race...

There was a publicity launch recently for the Ballintotis 4 mile road race which is coming up on Wednesday the 20th of April. April 20th. Included are members of Ballintotis Race Committee, last year's winners James McCarthy and Rhona Lynch along with "Fireman Sam" representing Trabolgan Holiday Centre sponsors of the first prizes of a mountain bicycle for 1st man and 1st woman.

Race flyer HERE

Join Ray for 5k...Tues 5th Apr 2011

This 5k run at the Marina circuit last Tuesday attracted hundreds of people. A small gallery of photos are now on the Today FM page......Click HERE

Results of the Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series after 3 races...

Now that the Mallow '10' is over, the overall standings after the first 3 races in the Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series have been published. This popular series which is sponsored by John Buckley Sports has become very popular and has come a long way in the last few years.

Links to the results of the first 3 races and the overall standings can be found on the series website.

The last and final race in the series is on next Sunday in Kilnaboy, Co.Clare and is likely to attract in excess of 300 entries. The race website with flyer can be found at http://sites.google.com/site/kilnaboy10/

Join Ray for 5k Fun Run - Tues 5th Apr 2011

For anyone that is interested, there is a 5k fun run at lunchtime on the Monaghan Road / Centre Park road circuit. It is organised in conjunction with Ray Darcy of Today FM and starts at 1pm. You can register between 11:30am and 12 noon at the Lee Rowing Club next to Pairc Ui Chaoimh. The fee is €5 which includes a t-shirt and a goodie bag.

Results of the Cork BHAA 'UCC' 10km road race - Sun 3rd Apr 2011

A record 441 runners turned out for this 10 km road race on the Lee Road / Straight Rd circuit. To put this into perspective, you have to look at the numbers for the last few years and it really shows how the numbers at road races have grown.

Back in 2005, 'just' 168 turned out followed by 208, 295, 336, 404 and 426 in subsequent years. That's a huge growth in numbers in what is a relatively short period of time.

As you can see from the photo above, it wasn't from Sunday but from a good few years ago ;o) .....and we've gone from the occasional grainy photo in the local newpaper and results printed out on A4 sheets and posted out to registered teams.....to the new world of the Internet with results on websites, photos on picture galleries and the odd blog :o)

The winner of the mens race was James McCarthy in a time of 32:58 with Roy Fahy 2nd (33:39) and John Meade 3rd (33:50). In the ladies race, Rhona Lynch made it two in a row by winning in a time of 37:06 having won the Cork BHAA Janssen 4 mile race the previous month. In 2nd place, Emma Murphy ran 37:36 while the 3rd place went to Helen Leonard in a time of 39:00.

James McCarthy and Rhona Lynch

winners of the 2011 Cork BHAA 'UCC' 10 km road race

Category Results...
1 James McCarthy (Runners Loft), 2 Roy Fahy (Biopharm), 3 John Meade (Joyce Woulfe), 4 Donal Coakley (Gilead Sciences), 5 Gavin Sweeney (Army)
O 40 1 Tom Laffin (HSE), 2 Noel O'Regan (Army), 3 Paddy Murphy (Crossfit)
O 45 1 Tom Sheehan (Bandon Tyres), 2 Mark Bulman (Army), 3 Eddie Byrne (IPS)
O 50 1 John Collins (Team Addidas), 2 Alan Carey (Carey Tools), 3 Denis O'Shea (Garda)
O 55 1 Pat Maloney (Army), 2 Willie O'Riordan (Army), 3 Joe Murphy (Cork County Council)
O 60 1 Jimmy Murray (HSE), 2 John Holland (An Post), 3 Paddy Gives (ITW)
O 65 1 John Cotter (ESB), 2 Paddy Daly (Army), 3 Frank Kelleher (Cork City Council)
O 70 1 John O'Leary (Bookdeal), 2 Peter Gafney (HSE)

Women
1 Rhona Lynch (GE Healthcare), 2 Emma Murphy (Cork Shops), 3 Helen Leonard (Shournagh Childcare)
O 35 1 Michelle Nolan (Midleton News), 2 Kathleen Horgan (Irish Life & Perm), 3 Edel Connor (De Puy Ireland)
O 40 1 Orla Crosbie (HSE), 2 Assumpta Barry (Bank of Ireland), 3 Mary Histon de Barra (HSE)
O 45 1 Mary Buckley (Buckley), 2 Monica Twohig (Eolas), 3 Frances Lynch (Hayden Training)
O 50 1 Frances O'Connor (Dept of Education), 2 Amanda Stavrou (Private Hospice)
O 55 1 Marion Lyons (Fit4Life)
 
Full results...the full results prepared by John O'Riordan of UCC can be found HERE
 
Photos.....(Updated Mon 4th 8pm)
1) Joanne Fearon of UCC took a huge number of photos and you can see the slideshow HERE

2) Another slideshow of photos by Roy Cummins of UCC taken about 400 metres from the finish line. Click HERE