Preview of the Bandon 10k - Sat 12th May 2012

The Bandon Half-Marathon and 10k is coming up next Saturday, the 12th of May. Online entries for both races close at 10pm this evening, Thursday the 10th of May. To enter, visit the race website.

The 10k race starts at 10:15am, 45 minutes after the Half-Marathon. Registration and number collection on Friday (11th May) in the rugby club from 5pm-9pm or before the race from 7:00am-9:00am.

Bonus for Course records...As an added incentive, the race committee is offering bonus prizes if someone breaks the course record in the 10k. Chris Harrington, Leevale (34.08), Nollaig Hunter, Leevale (40:16).

First off, we'll have a look at where everything is and then the 10k course.

Race HQ is at the local Rugby Club which is just to the west of the town. If you are coming from Cork then just follow the signs for the N71 to Clonakilty. As you are leaving the town and it starts to become more rural, the Rubgy club is on the right, straight across the road from a Kia dealership....see pic.

The distance from the club grounds to the start of the Half-Marathon is about 600m. The 10k start is 800m to 1km away depending on which route you take. The short cut in the middle is through a car park of a pub....

So on to the 10k course...

The 10k route is basically a shortened version of the Half-Marathon in that it doesn't go as far west of the town. The race starts roughly in this area...

...before going out to join the main road and then heading west....

The road from here to the 1 mile mark is almost dead straight and there is plenty of space to pass people out as the field begins to thin. At about 0.6 miles, the road kinks very slightly to the right...

...and there is a small climb here. Looking at the OS Map, it's something like 10 metres over a distance of about 500 metres so I don't know if it would have any real impact. The 1 mile mark is along this section of road...overall, should be a fast mile.

From here, the road continues straight and then turns slightly again. Nothing really changes until you hit the turn off right at about 1.7 miles...

...and then it's onto nicer and quieter country roads. After a short stretch, you come to the 2 mile mark near here...

....another fast mile even if there was a slight uphill gradient. From here, the course changes in that the inclines get a little bit steeper. From the 2 mile mark, the road climbs slightly until you hit a crossroads around the 2.2 mile mark....

This is a significant point for both the 10k and Half-Marathon in that you will be running on this next section of road twice. As you can see from the picture above, on the way out you will be staying to the left and on the way back, you will be turning off left. It's likely that along section, the faster 10k runners coming back will see the slower runners still coming out.

As the road flattens out again, you come to the 2.5 mile mark...

Here, you turn off left and it's a sharp but short climb. The road eases off again before you have to tackle another slight hill again on a long straight section. From the top of the hill, it's down rapidly to the next crossroads...

Here, the 10k and Half-Marathon routes diverge. The Half-Marathon will continue straight ahead while the 10k runners will turn right....

Just after the crossroads, you hit the 3 mile mark along this downhill section of road. Probably not as fast a mile as the first two.

After the 3 mile mark, the road rapidly descends to the next junction...right...

...and then it's a case of an uphill climb again. Soon, you rejoin the piece of road where you turned off at 2.5 miles and then it's back to the crossroads. On the way out, it was at 2.2 miles, now it's 3.8.

Up to now, the hills have been reasonably short or small. Now after turning off left onto a quiet road, you face the toughest part of the course....

The ascent is roughly 25m over the next 900m or so.  Not long after the start of the hill, you pass the 4 mile mark. Probably the slowest mile so far.

After a long climb, you hit the top of the hill around 4.8 miles with a golf course on both sides of the road...

After this, the road drops rapidly as you pass the 5 mile mark. Considering how long the hill was, it must be the slowest mile of the race.

You continue the rapid descent as you lose about 40m in altitude over the next 500m and you end up next to the River Bandon. Here, the road flattens out before the last sting in the tail...another short climb. After this last testing section, you enter the outskirts of the town around the 5.5 mile mark...

The road now stretches straight ahead and as you approach the 6 mile mark, it drops downhill...

...allowing for a very fast finish.

Overall...probably not the fastest of 10k races. If you set a PB on this course then it's certainly one to be proud of. Nice countryside route to the west of the town.

It's 1.5 miles from the finish line back to the Rugby grounds which would make for a nice warm down or else, you can take the shuttle bus that's provided.

After the race, there will be full refreshments (BBQ) before the prize giving.

It's worth pointing out that Bandon AC are using this race and the Half-Marathon to help raise funds for a proper running track for the area. Having a decent track in Cork City is all very well but it's just too far for a lot of people in West Cork. It is hoped that a new track like this in Bandon will give a much needed boost to athletics in the region in the years to come.