Preview of the Doneraile Park 5k race - Friday 1st June 2012

This 5k race in Doneraile in North Cork is the first race of 11 in the Ballyhoura ACTIVE Summer Series. While it's described as a trail race, it is in reality mostly on narrow roads and paths within Doneraile Park. It would be wrong to think that it's some sort of cross country race and that you need to run through mud or long grass.

Doneraile is located just to the north-east of Mallow so access is very easy from the N20 Cork to Limerick road.

If you are coming from say South Tipperary, then it's just off the N73 Mitchelstown to Mallow road.

Sign-on for the race is at the Nagle Rice School. The race fee is just €5 and all proceeds go to Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland. The race starts at 8pm just inside the park.

The 5km course is on small roads and trails with the grounds of the park. You should treat this the same as you would an ordinary road race...i.e. wear your normal running shoes. The only thing you may need to watch out for is exposed roots but again, theses are a minor affair. There are a few pulls out along the course but they're small. Expect to set a reasonably fast time.

Please note that the car park within the Park itself closes at 8pm. Make sure you park over near the school. Prizes and refreshments afterwards in the school as well.
 

As for Doneraile Park itself, it really is a lovely spot. It's basically an old country estate and is now a grassland park with some small forested areas. If you have never been here before then you soon see that Doneraile Park is really an outstanding spot, especially if the sun is shining.

Overall...Doneraile is a stunning spot for a race. If you are taking part in the Cork City Marathon or Half-Marathon next Monday then it would be best to use it as an easy slow run. Great race to kick off the series.

Tickets for film 'Town of Runners' available on the 1st of June

This all started back in late April when I came across a radio interview with Jerry Rothwell, the director of the new film 'Town of Runners'. The film follows the lives of two young athletes in the small town of Bekoji in Ethiopia. Perhaps like it's Kenyan equivalent of Iten, this Ethiopian town is noted for having produced many of that countries world class athletes. (trailer in the April post). When I looked at the various screenings, there were some in Dublin but none in Cork. So I made some enquiries and the film will now be shown on Wednesday, the 20th of June at 7pm in the Gate Cinema in Cork City.

I put up a poll on the blog a few weeks back asking if anyone was interested in going to the screening. The poll has just closed and 110 people expressed an interest. As with all polls, a lot of people may not have noticed or voted so the number going may well be higher. The film will be shown in Screen 1 which has a capacity of 250 people.

Ticket info...
1) Tickets are available from Mahers Sports from Friday, the 1st of June (Store on Olivier Plunkett St)
2) The tickets are FREE!
3) Should you require more than one ticket, they have a limit of two per person.
4) They will also have a draw on the night for a NIKE GPS watch as well as a couple of other prizes.

So that's it. If you want to watch the film for free on the big screen, go into Mahers Sports and get your ticket asap! Needless to say, if all of the tickets are given away, there will be no access to those just turning up on the night.

Cork Marathon...Locations, Expo, buses, info...

Here is some additional info with regards to the Cork City Marahton.......we'll start off with details for those of you not from Cork and just show you where everything is.....

Getting to the City Centre...There will be major traffic restrictions throughout the city on Bank Holiday Monday, but the general advice is to use the city’s Ring and Link roads when possible. You can drive into the city centre but allow plenty of time. Contra-flows will operate in the Jack Lynch Tunnel, on the South Ring Road to Mahon and on the South City Link.

Parking........As you might expect, a major event like a Marathon will result in a lot of road closures. There is plenty of parking areas within the city but if you are coming from outside Cork then using the Black Ash Park & Ride might be the easiest option.

When you arrive in Cork from say Kerry or from Waterford / Dublin, you will end up on the South Link Road. At the Kinsale Road roundabout......which has a flyover.......you will see signposts for the city centre. The Black Ash Park & Ride facility is just off this and is well signposted.

The Park & Ride service from the Black Ash centre, on the South City Link (N27), into the city centre will operate every 10 minutes from 07.30 to 19.15. The service costs €5 for the day. Participants and spectators are urged to use this facility and leave your car outside the city centre. The bus will bring you into the centre, a minute’s walk from the City Hall and a few minute’s walk from the marathon start and finish line.

This is a map showing the city centre. As you can see, the Park & Ride bus stops on Lapp's Quay....just across the river from the City Hall. It only takes a few minutes to walk from the City Hall to the start / finish line on Patricks Street (Maylor St is the most direct route....narrow rd).

Registration......Registration is at Cork City Hall on Saturday 2nd (11am-6pm) and Sunday 3rd (12-6pm) June.

Race Day – Monday 4th June.......Changing Facilities......On race day, the City Hall and the Millennium Hall (same area) will be available for changing and leaving your bag for later collection. All bags must have a label (available in the halls) with your race number clearly written on it. Please do not leave valuables in the halls. The halls are open from c. 7.30am to 5pm.

Buses......Buses will go to the three outlying relay changeover points.
Relay Changeover Point  FIRST Bus       LAST Bus
Silversprings                            08.00   08.30
Ringmahon Road                      09.15   11.00
Model Farm Road                     10.00   13.30
The Half Marathon starts on the Ringmahon Road at 11.00am. Access to the start area is from Skehard Road only. Parking is very restricted and there are extensive road closures in the area, so buses will be provided from City Hall to the Skehard Road. You can also use the relay buses for Ringmahon but priority will be given to relay participants. The first bus leaves City Hall at 9:30am and last half-marathon bus will leave City Hall at 10.30 sharp. The bus journey is approx. 20mins and will drop you opposite the CSO on Skehard Road, five minutes walk from the starting area at the east end of Skehard Road.

Timing Chips........Each full and half-marathon participant will wear a timing chip. Don't forget it!!

Start Line.......The marathon and team relay start in the city centre at 9am on St Patrick’s Street. The wheelchair marathon sets out a few minutes before that. The start area will be zoned into your predicted time for the race – please respect these zones. For safety and comfort, walkers in particular are advised to start towards the back of the field.

Medals..........Everyone who finishes gets a medal. The marathon and half-marathon medals will be given immediately after the finish line. The finishing relay member must go to City Hall to collect their team’s medals.

Course Time Limit & Roads......The course time limit is 6 hours for the marathon and relay and 3.5 hours for the half marathon. After that, the Gardaí may ask you to move onto the footpaths but the finish line will stay in place for 7 hours.
All competitors should note that while most of the course is closed to traffic, there will be traffic on two main roads: the Wilton Road and the Carrigrohane Road. In both cases, the Gardaí will operate a stop/go system for traffic to give you priority to cross the road to traffic-free lanes. Although all other roads are officially closed to traffic, please remember that essential traffic will be guided through the course by the Gardaí and that there is always the possibility of traffic straying onto the course inadvertently.
The Jack Lynch Tunnel is a critical link in the city’s traffic network. If you haven’t reached the tunnel by 11.30am, you will not be permitted through it.

Toilets...........There will be portable toilets at the start area, on St Patrick’s Street, at the start of the half marathon and just before each of the Relay Changeover points.

L'Atitude 51...Post Marathon treats and Facebook Competition...

On Monday 4th of June from 4 pm till 7 pm, L'Atitude 51 Wine Café situated at the corner of 1 Union Quay and Anglesea St next to city Hall, will be serving free canapés and petits fours in the bar downstairs for all the Marathon, Half-Marathon and Relay race participants.

As a prize for a competition on the Running in Cork Facebook Page, they are offering a prize of a  meal for two with two glasses of wine.
The question is...

What will be the winning time for the first woman in the 2012 Cork City Marathon?

Rules...
1) The first woman in the Cork City Marathon cannot win the free entry.
2) One guess per person. In the case that two people guess the same time, the person who guessed first wins. The closest guess wins. If two people are the same distance away, the person with the lower guess wins.
3) Entries close at 10pm on Sunday, the 3rd of June.

Results of the North Mon PPU 5k...Wed 30th May 2012

The North Monastery Past Pupils Union 5k road race in Gurranabraher in the North side of Cork City attracted a small field of 69 runners.The winner of the mens race was Chris Harrington of Leevale AC in a time of 15:54. The first woman home was Janet Forrest of Carraig na bhFear AC in 22:47.

    Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
    1    0:15:54    HARRINGTON, Chris    Leevale AC    M    05:07.0
    2    0:16:11    TWOMEY, Tim    Leevale AC    M    05:12.4
    3    0:16:12    WALSH, Karl    Leevale AC    M    05:12.7

    27    0:22:47    FORREST, Janet    Carraig na bhFear AC    F40    07:19.9
    42    0:25:40    WALSH, Denise    Leevale AC    F    08:15.5
    43    0:26:31    DALY, Teresa    unatt/Cork    F    08:31.9

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos and Video of the John Buckley 5k race - Tues 29th May 2012

A huge and almost certainly a record crowd turned out for the 2012 Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k road race in Cork City on Tuesday evening (29th May).

Top 5 registered men...
1) Mark Hanrahan 15:16, 2) Philip Harty 15:28, 3) Chris Harrington 15:38, 4) Ravis Zakis 15:43, 5) Kevin Wilmot 15:56

Top 5 registered women...
1) Lizzie Lee 17:05, 2) Emma Murphy ?, 3) Sinéad Ní Chonchúir 17:43, 4) Niamh Roe 17:48, 5) Julie McGrath 17:52

With the large numbers, I presume it may take a while before the full results come out.

Photos.....

1) Gearoid O'Laoi has 306 photos HERE
2) Doug Minihane has 360 photos HERE

Video......

1) Front of the field near the 1.5 mile mark...

2) The main field just after the start.........

5th leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

5th Leg of the 2012 Cork City Marathon Relay...

Course...Leg 5...So this is it...the 5th and final leg of the Cork City Marathon Relay and also the easiest at 4.5 miles. It starts at the relay changeover point at around 21.7 miles on the Model Farm Road. There is a very slight pull from here to the 22 mile mark by the County Library.

Mile 22......Carry on past the County Council Library on the left and then soon, you will begin the steep descent by the Tennis Village. Around the left bend, along the flat and onto Inchagaggin Bridge.

In previous years (2007-9), you had to run up the steep hill on the other side followed by a long drag. With the introduction of the long riverside section in Mahon in 2010, this hard section is now gone. So you turn right just after the bridge and along a flat section until you join the Straight Road. You'll see the County Hall way off in the distance but not as far as in previous years. Soon, you'll come to the 23 mile mark.........(~mile 10 in the Half-Mara). An easy mile.

Mile 23......This is an easy mile. Dead flat. The county hall starts off in the distance but you are right alongside it at the 24 mile mark.....(~mile 11 in the Half-Mara)

This is where there was substantial flooding back in late 2009 when this area was under water. On the left is the Kingsley Hotel which was very badly effected.

Mile 24..........It starts near the County Hall and proceeds to Victoria Cross. A slight pull over the bridge and then left at the traffic lights and then right onto the Mardyke....past the sports ground.....past Fitgeralds Park....and at the end, you turn left onto the public walkway and on to the distinctive pedestrian bridge.

The 25 mile mark is here......A flat and easy mile. (The 12 mile mark for the Half-Marathon is on the other side of the bridge on the walkway)

Mile 25......Now you are onto a public walkway. Across the new Mardyke bridge and then a sharp right onto the riverside walkway. Here things can get a bit congested. Runners running 3 or 4 abreast can completely block your path. The whole area is wooded so it makes a change from the open roads. After a few hundred metres, you're back out on the North Mall and the wide public road again. Along the North Mall until you get to the junction with Shandon Bridge.

Be careful here. The should be a Garda and /or stewards here stopping traffic to let the runners cross. Just be warned....it's a dangerous junction. Now, onto Popes Quay with the Marathon runners re-tracing their steps of their 2nd mile.

On past St.Mary's church and down the quays to the 26 mile mark. A flat easy mile although a bit narrow in places.

Grand Finale...Starting on the 26 mile mark, you now have 352 metres to go to the finish....

This is the sight that everyone wants to see.....Patrick's Bridge.....the last bridge....with Patrick's Street with the finish line on the other side. It's about here that you begin to hear the noise coming from the finish.  You cross over the bridge and onto Patrick's Street with the crowds on both sides. It's about here that the Half-Marathon runners will pass their 13 mile mark. Up the main street and the finish is just around a slight bend.

That's it, all done. For Marathon runners, you've just completed 26.22 miles and a full marathon. Well done!!

That's it. All 5 stages. All 26.2 miles of the Cork City Marathon. If you've read through all 5 previews, you'll probably feel tired already ;o)

 Now, it's time to run it.

4th leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

This is the 4th stage of 5 and is 5.2 miles in length. Of the five, it is one of the hardest legs even though it isn't the longest. For Marathon runners, this stage starts at roughly 16.5 miles on Victoria Road.

Course...Leg 4.....Mile 16.5......Just after the Relay changeover point on Victoria Road, it's left onto the quays, past Carey's Tools and left again onto Albert Street. Now the road really opens out as you go past the next 2 bends, past Brownlows and onto the South Link Road. From here, there is a slight climb up to the next junction as shown below.

After running on the flat for so long, this will test the Marathon runners to see if they can maintain the pace. You hit the 17 mile mark around here....(Approx mile 4 for the Half-Mara runners). An easy mile with plenty of commotion in the middle!

Mile 17......Then it flattens out as you run out the link road. Again, there is another railway connection here as you are running along the route of the old Cork to Bandon railway line. Soon, you'll see the 2nd overhead bridge. So, it's under it and then take a left for a very steep short climb. A steep part of the course but it's only 50 metres or so long. Then left, over the bridge, through the next junction and a short steep downhill section to Turners Cross. Left at the junction here and onto the Curragh Road. Out along here is the 18 mile mark. An easy enough mile but that short sharp climb can be difficult on tired legs.

Mile 18......Now, the road is pretty flat as you head for the Kinsale Road and pass the turn off for Ballyphehane. Just after this is another water station. As well as offering plain water, they may have sports drinks here as well. If you are doing the relay, you don't need to take them. If you are doing the full marathon, you should consider taking one as the glucose from the drink will help you to conserve your bodies own supply. Note that sometimes Sports drinks don't agree with everyone, especially when they are running. The glucose will also take a while to get into your system.....perhaps 2 to 3 miles later.
On to the junction by Woodies, right onto the Tramore Road and past the back of the Musgrave Park rugby grounds. A  slight downhill and then a long flat secton. Right at the next turn off and a slight pull uphill......keep straight ahead until you hit the 19 mile mark at the distinctive red brick church in Ballyphehane.....(Mile 6 for the Half-Mara runners)

A reasonable mile but some small little pulls in it.

Mile 19.........Left at the church and the road goes slightly downhill towards the Lough. Now onto Hartlands Avenue and there is a slight uphill section from here until the next set of traffic lights and the 20 mile mark. A reasonable mile but the uphill section at the end is a bit tough on tired legs.

Mile 20.........After the left at the traffic lights, the next half mile or so is downhill. It starts pretty gradual until there is a steeper downhill section at the end near the junction near Clashduv road. Almost immediately after the junction (...shown below), the road climbs again past St.Finbarr's Cemetary.

It's a fair climb and will certainly slow you down. Then it's right into Liam Lynch park and there is a short steep climb as seen below as you exit by Bishopstown Credit Union onto the Wilton Road.

Right here and a gradual downhill section to the 21 mile mark.......(~Mile 8 for the Half-Mara). Not an easy mile, plenty of extra effort required.

 Mile 20......Left at Dennehy's Cross  by the church and onto Model Farm Road. Now, there is a gradual uphill section for about 600 metres......

Nothing steep but enough to make you work that bit harder. Coming where it does in the Marathon, this is possibly the hardest hill in the entire route.

After the 2nd set of traffic lights, the road falls rapidly and then flattens out as you approach the final Relay changeover point. The 21 mile mark is about 500 metres beyond it.....(~mile 9 in the Half-Mara).

So, that's the 4th leg. It was 5.3 miles in length and it probably is the hardest leg. Loads of small pulls which will have an impact on tired legs. Expect to lose time here.

3rd leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

3rd Leg of the 2012 Cork City Marathon Relay...

The 3rd leg starts at the Relay changeover point in Ringmahon and as in previous years, you head towards Blackrock castle. Just before the castle however note that the course splits!

Marathon and Relay runners turn off right into a car park and on to a walkway. If you reach this point by say 11:05am........(~4:46 hour Marathon pace) then you're fine. If you are running at 5 hour pace or slower then you may get caught up in the Half-Marathon runners when they start at 11:00am. Note that they will be going straight ahead. Make sure you know which way to go. More info on the Half-Marathon in an earlier post.

The walkway follows the waters edge for about 2 kms and you have a great view out over the inner harbour. For those of you not familiar with it, it may seem a bit narrow but the Marathon and Relay runners will be well spaced out at this stage so it shouldn't be a problem.

This is a really nice part of the Marathon route and is very popular with runners in Cork. Towards the end of it, you'll notice a very large radio mast which is no longer in use. The Half-Marathon mark is very close to this point. Just after that, the walkway ends in a slight ramp as you run up onto another pathway which heads back in towards the city. First of all, theres a little matter of a bridge to cross over.

This is the narrowest part of the course and without doubt, the steepest. It is however pretty short and very soon you'll be running down the other side and onto a dead straight walkway.

Pretty soon, you'll begin to see clues as to the origin of this walkway with a series of bridges. It was in fact an old railway line that went from Cork City to Rochestown, Passage, Monkstown, Carrigaline and Crosshaven.

After a while, you come to what was the old railway station in Blackrock until you reach the end of the walkway and you turn right on to the Marina.

Note......There is where the Half-Marathon route and Marathon route join again and it stays the same until the finish line.

From here, you run along a tree lined route all  of the ways to the changeover point just after the end of the Centre Park Road.

Overall, one of the longest relay sections at roughly 5.8 miles but also one of the flattest. Most of it is on walkways and quiet roads and is also probably the nicest section of the whole Marathon route.

2nd leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

This is the 2nd stage of 5 and is 5.5 miles in length. Of the 5, it is probably one of the two toughest Relay legs. For Marathon runners, this stage starts just after the 5 mile mark at about 5.3 miles between the skew bridge and Silversprings hotel on the Lower Glanmire road. For Relay runners, the mile markers for this stage will be for the Marathon. Since you are starting at 5.3 miles, the 6, 7 and 8 mile markers will be 0.7, 1.7, 2.7 miles and so on.

Course...Leg 2 of the Relay / Mile 6 of the Marathon......It starts just before the skew bridge with a slight pull over the bridge, down the other side and then join the new Relay runners. Past the Silversprings Hotel and you head East towards the tunnel on the right hand side of the road. About half way along the road between the Hotel and the Dunkettle roundabout, you'll come to the 6 mile mark. Another pretty easy and flat mile. Near the 6 mile mark, there should be a water station with bottles of water.

Mile 7......Carry on to the roundabout, through it and now there is a gradual climb up the slip road before it flattens out and then falls towards the tunnel entrance. The 7 mile mark is near here. A reasonable mile although you will have encountered your first real pull and effort. Overall, the first 7 miles of the Marathon are pretty flat and easy. Things get 'interesting' from here on.

Mile 8........... Round the corner and down into the Jack Lynch tunnel under the River Lee. Now is not a good time to start thinking about the few hundred metric tons of water above your head and start looking for leaks ;o)

Two things here.....

 1) The tunnel slowly curves away to the left. You SHOULD follow the racing line..i.e. stay on the left and take the shortest possible route. For example, in the photo above, you should stick as close to the traffic cones as possible. Every year, people are stuck to the right wall taking the long option. The course is measured over the shortest possible route. There are no medals for running longer than you have to.
 2) The mile starts with a long downhill but as soon as you hit the middle, you have to start the long climb out again. It's not steep but it is long. See the photo below....this is the pull coming back out of the tunnel.

Mile 9............The first half mile along the South Ring Road is flat and easy. Then you take the right up the steep slip road for Mahon Point.

This is the steepest section so far in the race. Then it flattens out and falls slowly towards the entrance to Mahon Point and the 9 mile mark. So, a reasonable mile with a steep climb in the middle.

Mile 10......Starts near Mahon Point but soon you have to begin climbing. See below.......this is the slight downhill to Mahon Point followed by the climb on the other side all the ways to the CSO office. Nothing serious but uphill all the same.

Then right around the corner by the CSO office and on to the Skehard Road. Along this section, you come to the next water station. Then the road falls slowly downhill and take the next right into a housing estate and the 10 mile mark. A reasonable mile with a moderate pull initially.

Mile 11........Out of the estate....then left....a flat section and then left again on to Ringmahon Road. This section is dead flat and you will pass the start point for the Half-Marathon (11:00am start). Just ahead, you'll see the mass of runners eagerly waiting at the 2nd Relay changeover point at about 10.8 miles (..or 5.5 miles for Relay runners doing only the 2nd leg).

For Marathon runners and Relay runners just starting, it's right at the next junction and head towards Blackrock Castle. The 11 mile mark is about 500 metres after the Relay changeover point. A flat and easy mile.

So that's the 2nd leg. It was roughly 5.5 miles in lenght and there were plenty of sections where you had to put in a bit of extra effort. While it has the novelty of running through the Jack Lynch tunnel, it is still one of the harder relay legs when you consider the amount of climbing from the centre of the tunnel to the high point near the CSO office.

1st leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

Just to put this leg into perspective, there are 5 stages in the Cork City Marathon Relay event. The course is the exact same as last year.

Each leg of the Relay event is more or less the same length....roughly 4.5 to 5.8 miles in length.

The Relay runners will start at 9AM on Patrick's Street along with all of the Marathon runners.

Course...Relay Leg 1Mile 1......It starts on Patricks Street, turns into the Grand Parade, then the South Mall, into Parnell Place and then left along the Quay's. Just as you pass Patricks Bridge, you see the 1 mile mark, a very flat and easy first mile.

Mile 2........You stay on the quays until Shandon Bridge, cross the river and turn right onto Popes Quay. Past the church, John Buckley Sports and then left onto Leitrim Street and Murphys Brewery. The road should have barricades in the middle here as you'll be returning back down on the other side shortly. If perhaps you're not running so fast, you might even see some of the faster runners returning.

Soon, just where you turn off for the Watercourse road, you'll see the 2 mile mark, another flat and easy mile.

Mile 3......So, on to the Watercourse Road, left at the next junction followed by an immediate right onto Great William O'Brien Street. Carry on until you need to do a sharp turn just after the church. There was a great band here last year playing African drum music which really added to the occasion. So, past the church again, onto the Watercourse Road and head back towards the City Centre. Now there is a slight kink here just to add the required amount to make sure that the full Marathon is the correct distance. See picture.....runners are approaching from the top of the picture.....the old 2009 route is yellow, the new route (2010/11/12) is in blue.....


At the N20/New Mallow Road to Watercourse Road junction, runners will turn left to complete a small loop to add a little extra to the course to make it accurate. After that, it's on towards the 3 mile mark, not too far from the 2 mile mark on the other side of the road. Overall, a pretty flat mile.

Mile 4............Back down to the quays as you see some of the slower runners on the other side head towards the 2 mile mark. Then left onto Patricks Quay and then onto Horgans Quay as you follow the River Lee through the City.

Where the quay is open on the right for ships, you'll soon come to the 4 mile mark. A very flat and easy mile.

Mile 5............ Back to the 5th mile. Continue along Horgans Quay until the end. Then left and then right onto the Lower Glanmire Road. Here as you run alongside the river, you'll see the Marina and Pairc Ui Chaoimh on the other side. A bit before the skew bridge, you'll see the 5 mile mark. Another flat and easy mile.

There is a slight climb up to the skew bridge and a slight fall after it and very soon, you see the mass of Relay runners eagerly looking for the approach of their running partners. If you are doing the full Marathon, this will be the first of 4 Relay changeovers stages that you'll run through and you'll see why the Relay event generates so much excitement!

That's it, roughly 5.2 miles and a pretty flat and easy leg. Now, only 20.8 miles to go....!!

Fionnuala Britton qualifies for 5,000m in Olympics...

Having already qualified for the 3,000m steeplechase and 10,000m in the Olympics in London, Fionnuala Britton has now qualified for the 5,000m. In a race in Rabat, Morocco last Sunday (27th May 2012), the current European Cross Country Champion ran 15:15.69 to finish in 6th place.

5000 Metres - Women  (Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme, Rabat, 27/05/2012)          
1 Alaoui Selsouli , Mariem         MAR   14:45.91
2 Kisa , Janeth                    KEN   14:57.68
3 Cherono , Priscah Jepleting      KEN   14:59.53
4 Godfay , Afera                   ETH   15:01.20
5 Gebru , Azemra                   ETH   15:11.91
6 Britton , Fionnuala              IRL   15:15.69 
7 Noujani , Nadia                  MAR   15:16.50
8 Moukim , Rkia                    MAR   15:21.88
9 Masai , Magdalene                KEN   15:28.48
10 Belete , Almenesh                ETH   15:32.68
11 Ghézielle , Bouchra              FRA   15:32.89
12 Mekasha , Waganesh               ETH   15:36.64
13 Mwangi , Joyce                   KEN   15:37.09
14 Mohammed , Alia Saeed            UAE   15:40.81
15 Bleasdale , Julia                GBR   16:00.75

This time which I presume was set in very warm conditions was well inside her previous best of 15:21.45 achieved in a mixed race last year. The qualifying Olympic 'A' standard is 15:20.

At the same meet, 20 year old Ciara Mageean ran 4:13.10 to finish 8th in the womens 1,500m. While this was much better than the 4:21.61 that she ran at the Leevale Track Meet in Cork in April, it is still well behind the 4:07.45 that she ran back in August 2011.

She is currently trying to achieve the Olympic 'A' standard of 4:06.00.