Preview of the Kilworth Camp 5 mile road race - Sun 10th July 2011

This is the 4th race of 8 on the Ballyhoura Active road race series and a brand new event on the Cork  calendar. Organised by Grange Fermoy AC, the race takes place inside the Army grounds on private roads. The race starts at 12 noon.

Getting there......Sign on for this race is at the Glocca Maura Inn which is situated at the top of the hill on the old main Cork - Dublin road. If you are coming out from the Cork city, then the easiest way is to leave the M8 motorway just after Fermoy and take the old road. If you see any signs for Corbett Court then follow those....the Glocca Maura Inn is about 2 kms up the road from there.

Entries......The entry fee is €10. There are prizes for the top 3 men and women and the top 3 in each of the usual age categories.
Course.......The race is inside the Army grounds about 1 km or so from the sign on point so you have a short jog to get to the start point. Just run down the road for 300 metres or so and take the small little road to the left and that will take you down to the start line.

Essentially, the course is roughly in the shape of a triangle and consists of 2 loops. See map up top. The roads are like narrow country roads and there will be little or no traffic.
You start at the north-west corner and you run south east...slightly uphill at first and then gradually downhill...a fast 1st mile.

Just after  the turn, you are at the lowest point of the course and you are approx 30 metres or 100 feet below the highest point which is roughly at 2.3 miles. That might sound a lot but that is spaced out over roughly 1.2 miles......so in essence for the whole race, you have 2 long downhill sections and 2 long uphill sections.

Corner near the 2 mile mark

Overall.......it should be a reasonable course with no steep hills. There are some really nice views from the top out to the west over the Blackwater valley with the Ballyhoura Mountains and the Galtee Mountains to the North.........but perhaps you should leave that for the warm down ;o)

Seems like a lovely spot for a race.

Prizes and refreshments later back in the Glocca Maura Inn.