Preview of the Kinsale 5 mile...Sun 30th Sept 2012

This new 5 mile event in Kinsale is coming up next Sunday, the 30th of September at 11am. Organised by Kinsale Rugby Club, this is the first year of this run and it is hoped that it will become an annual event. 25% of the proceeds from the run will go to the Build4Life Cystic Fibrosis charity who are aiming to build a special unit at the Cork University Hospital in Wilton. The balance is going towards the development of an underage rugby team.

Entries......You can enter at Kinsale Rugby Club on Saturday evening between 6:30pm and 8pm. Entries open on the day from 9:30am. The entry fee is €10.

Directions......As you approach Kinsale on the R600 road from Belgooly/Riverstick, you come to a crossroads at the top of a hill just before you drop down into the town. Take a left here and the Rugby club is about 1km out this road.

Course...It starts near the Rugby Club and runs back across the crossroads and up around the north side of Kinsale. The first mile is reasonable with a few short up and down sections.

After this, the second mile is a bit of a change. Initially it's mostly downhill but around 1.6 miles, you turn off right and up a short climb...

Just as it flattens out at the top, you turn off right again and start another short climb......

This section will probably be one of the hardest sections of the course. From here, the road narrows to a boreen and on to the 2 mile mark....

At the end of this narrow stretch, the road falls away as you take the next left and then drop downhill....

 ......and then it's out to a busier road......

 Some of you may be familiar with this section of road as it's between the finish line and the GAA hall in the Kinsale 5 mile road race held in early August.

It's also the end of the downhill running for the moment as you have to climb up a hill.....

.....and then left and up another short climb. A tough section.

At this stage, you are at roughly the halfway mark. The second half of the race is a complete contrast in that it is either downhill or nearly flat. First off, the long downhill section....

......which lasts until you reach the waters edge around the 3.2 mile mark. A very fast section.

From here, you follow the road back in towards Kinsale. Soon, you pass the bridge for Garretstown. From here on, traffic may or may not be an issue. Follow the race stewards instructions on the day.

As you enter Kinsale, you hit a very small hill (~4.2 miles) and then you take a right.......

 and continue on down the quay....

At the end of the quay, you pass the tourist office...right...and then right again...

 Then it's right at the next junction...

..and you finish on an flat section before the hill that goes up near the Spaniard pub.

Overall.......a route that will take you around parts of Kinsale that you may have never seen before. Lot of twists and turns and a few hills as well thrown in. Despite the fact that the start line is much higher than the finish, I have a feeling that this may not be such a fast course? The only way to know for sure is to run it ;o)

Post race, they will have a bus to shuttle runners back to the rugby club which is about 1.5 miles away. If you intend to use this as part of your warm down, make sure you go back via the quiet route and not back up the R600 road to Cork which is not suitable for running.

In the rugby club, there will be the usual prize giving and refreshments.

The organisers have their own set of photos of the various junctions out on the course. You can see it HERE

Additional info...
1) A number of hotels and restaurants in Kinsale will have special offers for the day. More information at the rugby club on race day.
2) Guided walk......for family members, there will be a 3km guided walk starting at the rugby starting at 10:45am. This will take in a countryside route and follow a waterside path to the finish line of the race. Walkers can avail of the free buses to return to the rugby grounds.