Preview of the Midleton 5 Mile Road Race - Thurs 5th May (8pm)

The 'Joe Hourigan' 5 Mile road race takes place in Midleton in East Cork, on Thursday night at 8pm. This is the 3rd year of this race using the new route in the countryside to the south-west of the town and most agree that it is a big improvement on the old course.

Entries......The sign-on point for this race is in the GAA clubhouse which is just off the Mill road. To get there from Cork, you need to take the turn-off from the Midleton bypass. The easiest way from there is to take a left at the 1st set of traffic lights and use the new relief road to go around to the Mill Road at the north-west of the town. At the junction, turn right....and cross the railway track On the next left is a narrow little road which will bring you up to the Midleton GAA grounds (see the dot on the map above). In this general area, there is a limited amount of parking. Note from the organisers....
With numbers continuing to increase at the race in recent years, Midleton AC are also pleased to confirm that they have now acquired the use of a new car park area.  Thanks to Hurley’s Super Valu, ample parking is now available at Super Valu (new Car Park) which is located just behind the Mill Wheel Bar on the Mill Road.  This is just a short walk to Race HQ.  Competitors are advised NOT to park in the original Super Valu Car Park adjacent to the store.
Changing and shower facilities will be available at Midleton GAA Club. After race refreshments and prize giving will also be located here.

The new Midleton train station is located just across the road from the Race HQ. Trains leave Kent Station at 5.15pm and 6.15pm and depart Midleton Station at 9.45pm and 10.45pm.
 
Note that the start point for the race is almost a mile away so make sure you arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to get there. The entry fee is €10

Headphones........Please note that headphones are banned in this race.

The start.......The start line is on Dwyer's Road which is the road next to the Midleton Park Hotel. Note that the start line is at least 1 km from the GAA grounds so you can use this as part of your warm-up. If you are not sure where it is then just follow the other runners.

The course......From the start, the course goes south from this residential area and underneath the Midleton Bypass along a narrow road. Just after the bridge, the race route takes a sharp right onto a private road which will be opened especially for the race. Note that there is a bollard in the middle of the road here so look out! Then back on public roads again, through a road junction and west towards the 1 mile mark....overall, a pretty flat and fast first mile.

From here, the route heads into the countryside to the south-west of Midleton. There are a few hills but nothing too serious. The worst one is between the 3 and 4 mile mark.

Eventually, the race loops back towards the north and back onto that private road again. The finish line is near the end of this road, just before you get back to the bridge. Note that the finish line is just over a mile from the GAA grounds so you can use this as part of your warm-down.

Overall........This race went very well last year on the new route and this year should be a good one as well. Midleton AC always put on a good spread afterwards and it's sure to attract a big crowd.