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.