Free Sports Psychology talk in Cork...Thurs 8th Nov 2012

There will be a free sports psychology talk in Rochestown Park Hotel on Thursday, the 8th of November at 7pm.  The talk will be titled........."Think About It? How to Use Psychology to Improve Sporting Performance" and is being organised by The Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) in association with the Northern Ireland Branch of The British Psychological Society (NIBPS).

To book a place at this talk, go to the following website......http://www.psychologicalsociety.ie/page/all_events/72

Dublin Marathon still looking for a title sponsor...

Despite a record entry this year of over 14,000 runners for the 2012 Dublin City Marathon, there is still no major title sponsor in the pipeline. Last May, the National Lottery ended it's sponsorship of the event with the result that TV coverage of the 2012 race had to be dropped.

In an interview on the subject of finding a new title sponsor, the race director Jim Aughney said......."We've gone through many (sponsorship) presentations and had lots of people saying how much they'd like to get involved and where they would like to take the event. But when it comes down to it, the bottom line seems to be economics and we still haven't secured sponsorship for next year. We always knew this year would be a problem as we lost the Lottery so late and it was an Olympic year, with so many sports budgets already committed elsewhere."

The 2012 race had 14,350 entries of which roughly 10,000 were from Ireland. On the day, 12,165 finished the 26.2 mile course.

New York Marathon threatened by Hurricane Sandy...

No doubt, many of you who have been watching the news will be well aware of the flooding in New York City due to Hurricane Sandy. The question now arises what impact will all of this have on the New York City Marathon which is supposed to take place next Sunday?

Flooding at LaGuardia Airport in New York due to Hurricane Sandy

As of Tuesday 30th, all of the airports in New York are closed due to flooding on the runways. The Los Angeles Times said the following........."While the course through the five boroughs mostly avoids high-risk flood areas, transportation appears to be a major issue, with nearly 20,000 amateur international runners needing to get into the country and another 30,000 American participants having to find their way to the Staten Island starting line. In addition, family and friends of the runners will be seeking to get to their viewing spots and the finish line. All of the above will be difficult or impossible if the airports, public transit and river crossings are still closed Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, it was unclear when any of those would reopen."

The New York Times said......"More than 5,700 flights have been canceled on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cancellations caused by the storm to 15,500. Travel experts said it could take several days, or even into next week, for passengers to be rebooked."

Update Wed 31st Oct...BBC News....."JFK and Newark Liberty - two of the New York area's three main airports - were scheduled to open for a limited service on Wednesday, but severe delays were expected after the cancellation of more than 18,000 flights across the affected area."

On Tuesday, the race organisers said that the Marathon was going ahead despite the face that the starting line is on Staten Island and about half the entrants normally would take the ferry and others would take buses through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Both are closed due to flooding.

Update........The New York Marathon is now going ahead. The organisers are giving people the option to cancel if they are unable to get there..........“We are going to give everyone the time to get here and if they have to cancel, we will give them the chance to cancel up to Saturday,” . Runners who can’t get to New York in time for the race will be given automatic entry into the 2013 race. The entry fee for 2012 will not be refunded. 

Video and Photos of the Dublin City Marathon...

The big event last weekend of course was the Dublin City Marathon. It was a cold but dry day...perfect for fast times.

The results link is HERE

(by the way, when you do a search for your time in the results........click on your name........and you will see video clips of yourself out along the course.......very well done)

Photos....(Updated 7am 2nd Nov)
1) William Murphy (infomatique) has two sets...one with 252 photos HERE and a small one of 17 photos HERE
2) Andy McDonnell has a small gallery of 122 photos HERE
3) Alan Murphy has 200 photos HERE 
4) Helen Mulvey has 37 photos HERE
5) Greg Finan has 50 photos HERE 
6) PJCY has 19 photos HERE
7) Simon has 57 photos HERE
8) Wendy has 57 photos HERE 
9) Peter Mooney has a large gallery of  over 400 photos HERE
10) MediCorps has 116 photos HERE 
11) Dominic Horan has 175 photos HERE
12) B.Donnelly has a large gallery HERE
13) Lindie Naughton has a gallery HERE 
14) A large Facebook gallery by Pixel Pro HERE
15) Patrick Rooney has a gallery HERE 
16) Pat Carey has 3 photo galleries......One...Two...Three... 
17) Joe Murphy has a slideshow mainly of Cork runners HERE 

 Videos.......(Updated 31st Oct 00:30am)
1) Video clips of the various pace groups at the halfway mark...3:00...3:15...3:30...3:45...4:00...4:30...5:00


Short clip around 25 miles.....


10 min clip of some of the runners over 4 hours...

3:45 pace group out along the course...


3 min clip of runners around Parnell Square who were at the back of the first wave...


Various clips of the Marathon...

Ongoing......

Results of the Bandon 10k...Sun 29th Oct 2012

L to R...Rory O'Sullivan 3rd, John Meade 1st and Ed Murphy 2nd

Results of the Bandon 10k...Sun 28th Oct 2012

Pos    Race Num    NAME    Athletic Club/Fit for Life    Cat    Gender    Time
1    86    John Meade    St. Finbarrs    M    M    34.05
2    111    Edward Murphy        M    M    35.10
3    91    Rory O'Sullivan    St. Finbarrs    M    M    35.15
4    109    Trevor Woods    St. Finbarrs    M40    M    35.29
5    82    Eamon O'Donovan    Bandon    M    M    35.45
6    53    Mark Bickerdyke    Leevale    M50    M    36.25
7    21    Thomas McCarthy    Bandon    MJ    M    38.31
8    51    Ciaran Bouse        M    M    39.10
9    88    Roy Good        M    M    39.11
10    122    Pat O'Connor    Eagle AC    M40    M    39.24
11    41    Glenn Dollard    St. Finbarrs    M    M    39.38
12    65    Mark Griffin        M    M    40.02
13    104    Deaglan O'Deargain    Middleton     M    M    40.59
14    42    Ray Harington    Eagle AC    M40    M    41.11
15    63    Michelle Kenny    Midleton     F    F    41.17
16    52    Hugh Bancroft    Clon RR    M50    M    41.25
17    35    Brian Harrington        M    M    41.29
18    46    Denise Twohig    St. Finbarrs    F    F    41.33
19    40    Michael Daly    Navy AC    M40    M    41.36
20    73    Kevin Boag    Mallow AC    M50    M    41.38
21    34    David Barry        M40    M    41.55
22    15    Brian Cotter    Bandon    M40    M    41.59
23    5    John O'Driscoll    Rising Sun    M55    M    42.08
24    81    Brian Kelleher        M     M    42.25
25    75    Mark Prendergast        M    M    42.36
26    6    Mark McCarthy        M    M    42.59
27    69    Tim O'Regan        M40    M    44.22
28    85    Tom Bogue        M    M    44.23
29    67    Daniel McMahon        M    M    44.37
30    68    Declan Histon        M50    M    44.46
31    64    Brian O'Reilly        M45    M    44.50
32    99    Derek Whelton        M    M    44.57
33    96    Deirdre Harrington    West Muskerry    F    F    45.16
34    36    Alan O'Connor        M40    M    45.24
35    59    Maria Hurley    Bantry    F50    F    45.28
36    58    Chris O'Donovan        M45    M    45.36
37    98    Declan O'Hanlon    Carrigaline    M40    M    45.58
38    2    Claire Mahon         F40    F    46.08
39    87    Charlie Bogue    St. Finbarrs    M40    M    46.26
40    90    Aidan Hennessy        M40    M    46.47
41    24    Benny McHugh        M    M    47.05
42    48    Maurice Shanahan        M55    M    47.08
43    84    Edward Brophy        M    M    47.16
44    18    Ronan Kelleher        M    M    47.35
45    120    Liam Murphy    Bandon F4L    M    M    47.43
46    74    John Donegan    Bandon    M55    M    48.09
47    32    Anne Bamford        F40    F    48.19
48    20    Deirdre McCrae        F40    F    48.21
49    106    Padraig O'Regan        M    M    48.31
50    121    Donal O'Donoghue    Little Island    M45    M    48.39
51    79    Danny O'Donovan        M40    M    48.40
52    14    Eric O'Brien        M    M    49.00
53    62    Steve Young        M45    M    49.13
54    119    John Falvey        M45    M    49.19
55    9    Adrian Kearney        M    M    49.24
56    78    David O'Regan        M    M45    49.34
57    117    Helen O'Donovan        F    F    49.37
58    8    Raymond O'Regan        M40    M    49.38
59    13    James Nagle        M45    M    49.39
60    38    John O'Leary    Leevale    M70    M    49.55
61    30    Liam Crowley        M    M    50.07
62    80    Frances Lynch        F50    F    50.09
63    27    Paul Kingston    Bandon    M45    M    50.54
64    95    Derek Holland        M    M    50.55
65    94    Neille Leary    Belgooly AC    M65    M    51.09
66    10    Ted Hallissey        M    M    51.12
67    12    Miriam Casey    Bandon F4L    F    F    51.21
68    100    Yvonne Sheehan    Middleton     F    F    51.24
69    4    Finton Kiely        M     M    51.36
70    89    Gearoid Buckley        M    M    51.56
71    61    Ian McCarthy    Bandon    M    M    52.03
72    101    Valerie Lynch    Garda    F    F    52.47
73    28    Mike McKeon    Bandon    M50    M    52.52
74    110    Shonagh Ryan        F    F    52.54
75    1    Des McCarthy          M40    M    53.09
76    76    Mick Weldon    Bandon    M50    M    53.31
77    45    Geraldine Corcoran    Bandon F4L    F    F    53.46
78    93    Shona Power        F    F    54.04
79    66    Margaret Coughlan    F4L    F40    F    54.09
80    105    Ivan Hutchinson        M    M    54.12
81    77    Jayne Walley        F    F    54.13
82    23    Ciara McHugh        F    F    54.28
83    55    Mari Burke    Bandon F4L    F    F    54.36
84    97    Shirley Kelly    Bandon F4L    F40    F    54.53
85    108    Tomy Sheehan        M    M    54.59
86    26    Gavin Humphreys        M    M    55.00
87    71    Conor Goold        M45    M    55.13
88    50    Michael Hanrahan        M40    M    56.00
89    44    Mary O'Connell    Bandon F4L    F    F    56.12
90    103    Alex Jeffers        M40    M    56.47
91    102    Robert Merrick    Bandon    M40    M    56.47
92    72    Daniel Stafford        M    M    57.48
93    112    Elizabeth O'Dell        F40    F    57.50
94    60    Diarmuid Hurley    Bantry    M50    M    58.00
95    3    Linda Hodnett    Bandon F4L    F40    F    58.01
96    31    Gillian Crowley    F4L    F    F    58.03
97    83    Deirdre O'Callaghan        F    F    58.30
98    7    Sinead O'Connell        F     F    58.33
99    107    Mary Lowney        F55    F    59.08
100    29    Claire Crowley    F4L    F    F    59.14
101    25    Michael O'Flynn        M    M    59.48
102    49    Chris Donaghey        M    M    60.00
103    70    Elaine Power        F    F    60.43
104    56    Yvonne Kelly    Bandon F4L    F    F    60.46
105    54    Ciara Prendergast    Bandon F4L    F    F    60.46
106    22    Gloria Helen    Bandon F4L    F    F    60.54
107    11    Cora Regan    Ballincollig F4L    F40    F    62.30
108    37    Jonathan Kelly        M    M    62.36
109    57    Marie McCauliffe    Mallow AC    F40    F    63.41
110    16    Emily Fitzgerald    Bandon F4L    F    F    64.13
111    39    Siobhan Williamson        F    F    64.25
112    92    Helen O'Leary        F50    F    68.40
113    33    Finola Fox        F40    F    69.41
114    118    Maureen Murphy        F    F    72.41
115    43    Kathleen Delaney        F55    F    73.38
116    19    Paul Mathews    Bandon    M    M    74.19
117    47    Mark O'Neill    F.A.I    M    M    104.21

Looking ahead to the 2012 Dublin City Marathon...

Looking at a national level, the big race this weekend is of course the Dublin City Marathon. As well as being the National Marathon, it is also the largest Marathon in the country with some 14,000 runners taking part.

Weather Forecast........(Updated Sat 10pm)...The current weather forecast is that it will be cold and mainly dry with a northerly breeze. There is a chance of a few showers.

Course......Click on the map below for a more detail image...

Video of the course......

Preview of the Bandon 10k...Sun 28th Oct 2012

The next race locally is the Bandon 10k next Sunday (28th Oct 2012) at 1pm. Starting in the town of Bandon itself, the race is mostly run on quiet country roads to the south-east.

Directions........Please note that if you are coming from Cork City, there are road works on the south link road due to the removal of the pedestrian bridge. You should allow extra time for any delays. As you enter Bandon, take the relief road left at the first roundabout. Follow the direction for Clonakilty and this will take you to the local Gaelscoil...see map below.

Gaelscoil is just off the relief road near the top of the hill

Registration....There is plenty of parking at the Gaelscoil. Registration opens at 10.30am. The entry fee is €10.


ENTRY FEE: Adult €10, Children €5
EMAIL: bandon10k@gmail.com

Walk.......The walk starts at 12:30pm from the Gaelscoil. Walkers have the option of doing the short route or the full route if they feel up to it. Note that there is also a 0.85 mile walk from the finish line back to the Gaelscoil so take that into account also.

Course......The race starts in the town itself, about 700 metres from the Gaelscoil...just down the hill and left and down to Market Steet.

As you can see from the photo, the start just across the road from the steps up to the church. Once the race starts, you veer right and west. The course here is flat as it runs parallel to the river. Then it's left over a bridge, past the GAA grounds and the start of a long climb which is about 1.2 kms in length.

Passing the GAA grounds

Leaving the town, the climb continues

A tough first mile. At 1.2 miles, you turn off left....

...and from here, the road begins to level off and it gets easier. Pretty soon, you are at the highest point of this particular part of the race......

........and you begin a long downhill run to the crossroads just after the 2 mile mark.

At this junction, the walkers go straight ahead. For the runners, they turn off right and start a long climb which lasts about 1.5 miles.

Turn off left at approx 2.8 miles

The climb finishes near this junction at approx 3.5 mile miles

From there, the road eases off and at approx 4 miles, the road begins to fall away slowly...

This is one of the main features of this race. The last 2 miles are a gradual downhill and are very fast.

At 5 miles, you pass the junction where the walkers will rejoin the course...

The finishing section from here is the same as the usual 5 mile race course. The last mile goes through a winding valley and finishes at the next junction...

From the finish line, it is 0.85 miles back to the Gaelscoil. Go up the hill via the relief road, not back through the town.

Overall.......A 10k race run on quiet country roads to the south-east of Bandon. The last two miles of the race are very fast but the trick is to keep something in reserve so that you can exploit it. Remember that there are two long climbs in the first half of the race. If you can do these at a steady pace rather than flat out then you should get a good time overall.

Sitting for long periods 'is bad for your health'

Recent research shows that sitting for long periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and even death! The research, from the University of Leicester and published in the journal Diabetologia, combined the results of 18 studies and nearly 800,000 people. It found that prolonged sitting doubled the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and that the risk wasn't eliminated for those people who took regular exercise. Sitting is a low energy activity and it may be risky because it makes our bodies think we are in energy storage mode. This makes our bodies resistant to insulin (which mops up glucose), increasing the level of glucose in the blood and reducing levels of good cholesterols while increasing levels of bad ones. All of these changes increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.


The research team, led by Dr Emma Wilmot from the Diabetes Group at the University of Leicester, says while going to the gym or pool after work is better than heading straight for the sofa, spending a long time sitting down remains bad for you. Each of the studies they assessed used different measures - for example more or less than 14 hours a week watching TV, or self-reported sitting time of less than three hours a day to more than eight.  The researchers said that while it is not possible to give an absolute limit for how much sedentary time is bad for you, it was clear that those who sat the most had a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and death than those who sat the least. An Australian paper in the Archives of Internal Medicine of more than 200,000 people aged 45 or over found that those who sat for 11 or more hours a day had a 40% increase in risk of dying over the next three years, compared with those who sat for only four hours a day. The study took into account how healthy they were, as well as their levels of physical activity and weight.

Dr.Wilmot said......."If a worker sits at their desk all day then goes to the gym, while their colleague heads home to watch TV, then the gym-goer will have better health outcomes. But there is still a health risk because of the amount of sitting they do. Comparatively, the risk for a waiter who is on their feet all day is going to be a lot lower. People convince themselves they are living a healthy lifestyle, doing their 30 minutes of exercise a day. But they need to think about the other 23.5 hours."

Dr Wilmot said the study's message could help those at high risk of diabetes, such as obese people or those of South Asian ethnic origin, because it was an easy lifestyle change to make.

Prof Stuart Biddle, of Loughborough University, who also worked on the study, said: "There are many ways we can reduce our sitting time, such as breaking up long periods at the computer at work by placing our laptop on a filing cabinet. We can have standing meetings, we can walk during the lunch break, and we can look to reduce TV viewing in the evenings by seeking out less sedentary behaviours."

Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said people should not be discouraged from exercising. He added: "What is clear is that anyone who spends lots of time sitting or lying down would benefit from replacing some of that time by standing or walking. Aside from any direct effect reducing the amount of time you spend sitting down may have, getting more physical activity is a great way of helping maintain a healthy weight, which is the best way of minimising your risk of Type 2 diabetes."

The solution.....What you can do to help will depend on your workplace. If you can, make sure you get up once an hour and walk briskly somewhere. Instead of emailing someone several desks away, speak to them in person. Stand up when taking a phone call – it uses more calories than sitting. Shun the lift and take the stairs. If you walk, you use four times as much energy as when you sit.

After work, try not to spend most of the evening watching television. Another Australian study, in the October issue of The British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests that each hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces life expectancy by 21.8 minutes.

2013 Berlin Marathon sells out in 3.5 hours!

Registration for the 2013 Berlin Marathon opened on Thursday, the 25th of October. Within three and a half hours, all 40,000 places had sold out! Last year, the entries closed in early December. The previous year, it was February.

Lance Armstrong's NYC Marathon times to be erased...

Now doubt, many of you will be well aware of the news that Lance Armstrong was stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles. Now, the organisers of the New York City Marathon are likely to erase his times in that event as well. Armstrong, 41, finished the 2006 marathon in 2 hours, 59 minutes, 36 seconds and shaved almost 13 minutes off that result with a time of 2:46:43 in 2007 for 214th place among men.

Mary Wittenberg, president and chief executive officer of race organizer the New York Road Runners, said in an interview..."I anticipate the results will come out of our archives. Lance doesn’t have a place in running because we will stick to the rules and support USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency).”

USADA stripped Armstrong of his Tour de France wins and barred him from Olympic-related sports in August after the Texan opted not to contest doping charges in arbitration. USADA’s stand was upheld then by the International Cycling Union, known by the French acronym UCI. The UCI decision came after USADA released a 202-page summary of its findings on Oct. 10, which stated that Armstrong “engaged in serial cheating” throughout his career.

Bus from Cork to Dublin for the Marathon...

Local club St.Finbarrs AC are organising a bus to the Dublin Marathon next weekend and there are some places available.

The cost will be €20.00 return departing at 11.00am on Sunday morning from the back of the Metropole Hotel and going directly to RDS for registration.  Bus returning to Cork on Monday afternoon after the Marathon.

Anyone interested should contact Maria Collins at 086 0226850

(By the way, the bus might look a bit better than the one shown in the photo ;o)

Simon Community are looking for used running shoes...

Cork Simon, a charity for homeless people are looking for used running shoes.

For anyone who does a lot of running, you will know that after a while, shoes lose their 'bounce' and they should be replaced. By the time that happens, the shoes overall can still be in pretty good shape....i.e. not good enough for running but perfectly fine for walking.

The shoes should have no holes/damage and be clean. So if you can see your toe sticking out the top then that's a no-no ;o)

There is now a collection point in John Buckley Sports. The shop is located just across the river from Cork Opera House. You'll find a map in this earlier post.

This initiative is ongoing so drop those old shoes in whenever you get a chance.

Thanks to Ruairi O'Mahony for the above info.

Mallow AC signs up two new members...

Some new members turned up to collect their new Mallow AC singlets last weekend...

Olympic 800m Gold medalist David Rudisha with his coach Br.Colm O'Connell being presented with their new singlets.

Shane Simcox....Mallow AC coach with the 800m World Record holder David Rudisha

Photos courtesy of Steve Murphy of Mallow AC...

Cork Runner looking for sponsorship for cancer charities...

John Quigley, who is the chairman of Eagle AC, a local club in Cork, is running in the Dublin City Marathon next Monday and hopes to raise funds for two cancer charities. You might consider making a donation to these fine causes...

John Quigley.........."As some of you may be aware, I am a Cancer Survivor, having had a Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer. That was in May 2008. I'm running the Dublin City Marathon again next Monday. This will be my third Marathon since then and I will again be running Dublinwith my "Cancer Survivor" strip on my singlet.
 
I have opened two charity pages which are in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and Cork ARC. 

My Irish Cancer Society fundraising page

My Cork ARC fundraising page
Cork ARC Cancer Support House is a voluntary organisation and registered charity located at O’Donovan Rossa Road, Cork. ARC standing for Aftercare, Research, Counselling was established to provide a holistic centre in which people with cancer and their families can find emotional support and practical help. Our aim is to provide therapies that complement the medical model, so as to make a difference to the lives of those affected by cancer. All Services are provided free of charge and supported through fundraising initiatives.

Both of these charities provide wonderful services, help and assistance to those facing Cancer.

I found them both badly needed and wonderful when I required most help, and now, in turn, do what I can to help them.  I am a mentor for Prostate Cancer, through the Irish Cancer Society FREEFONE Helpline  1800 200 700.

One of my main aims is to demonstrate that there can be life after a Cancer diagnosis, and to provide inspiration and hope to those faced with Cancer in their daily life. Cancer diagnosis is a traumatic event for everyone, patient and those who care for them. Some of us get a second chance - this is my way of saying thanks!

Any donation no matter how small is hugely appreciated. Many thanks in advance for your support........John Quigley

PS both pages will remain open for donations until Nov 29th.

Facebook competition for Ron Hill Jacket/Hat/Gloves

With the Dublin City Marathon coming up next Monday, it's time for another competition!

This time Mahers Sports are offering a free prize of a Ron Hill Jacket with gloves and hat included.

Mens Jacket offer (S-XXL) https://mahersports.ie/product_info.php?cPath=303&products_id=2872
Womens Offer (8-16) https://mahersports.ie/product_info.php?products_id=2873

From Mahers Sports....A free hat and glove set will be shipped or can be purchased in store while stocks last. Value of set is €22 and the jacket is €60 and you now get the gloves and hat for FREE!

The Dublin City Marathon is coming up next Monday, the 29th of October. Just guess the winning time for the first man and woman....First Man XX:XX:XX /// First Woman XX:XX:XX

A Ron Hill jacket / hat / gloves will be given to the closest guess for each. If you are unable to collect your prize directly, Mahers Sports will post it out to any address in Ireland.

Entries close at 10pm on Saturday, the 27th of October.

Check out the Running in Cork Facebook Page to enter.

Bus Marathon cheat faces another race ban...

Late last year, I had a post up about an English runner named Rob Sloan who had hopped onto a bus to finish third in the Kielder Marathon. After he was caught, he was banned from all future races in Kielder.

Well, it seems as if is back in the news again this year and faces another ban. Now the former Sunderland Harrier is being investigated for breaking the rules at the Great North Run after he allegedly ran last month’s half marathon under a friend’s name, disguising himself with sunglasses.

Mr Sloan, who works as a mechanic, said: “I will maintain my innocence. I had won the 10k at Kielder last year by two-and-a-half- minutes, but I’m not remembered for that. It is difficult to sit at the weekend knowing the race is going on at Kielder and I can’t defend my title. I’m still running and my next race is the Newcastle Stampede. I train every day and run between 100 and 120 miles a week. I’m banned from the races owned and run by Steve Cram, which are the Kielder 10k and marathon and the Sunderland 10k and marathon, but the rest I can enter. I ran this year’s Great North Run but I ran under a friend’s name. I didn’t want the Press there asking questions, I didn’t want to get the attention. I don’t want this mentioned as I don’t want to be banned from the Great North Run as well. I don’t know if it is against the rules to run under another name, but I ran under a friend’s name, who is also a runner, but I don’t want to get him into trouble.”

Race organisers are now investigating the allegations. If true, Mr Sloan and his friend could both now be disqualified from future events. David Hart, communications director for the Great North Run, said: “We have heard internet rumours that Rob Sloan was entering the run under a false name. We are now investigating this. If it is true I am disappointed he has done that. The reason we do not allow people to run the race under a different name is for the health and safety of runners. We have to know who is running the race in case there is a problem. He wasn’t banned from running the race. He could have entered the ballot like everyone else and run the race under his real name.”

Cork clubs dominate at the Munster Novice Cross Country Championships...

The Munster AAI Under 23 and Novice Cross Country Championships were held in Beaufort, Co.Kerry on Sunday, the 21st of Oct 2012. In both the men's and women's competitions, the Cork teams had a clean sweep. In the club competition, the clubs from Cork took all of the podium finishes as well.


Novice & Under 23 Men
1 Damien Landers St. John's Clare, 2 Kevin Moore Dundrum, 3 Colm Sheehan Leevale Cork

Club Team Points
Place Club Positions Points
1 Leevale 2, 4, 18, 22 46
2 Togher 5, 6, 7, 30 48
3 St. Finbarr's A 9, 13, 14, 21 57
4 West Limerick 3, 11, 19, 24 57
5 Farranfore Main Valley 10, 35, 42, 70 157
6 Limerick AC 32, 40, 56, 61 189
7 Grange Fermoy 16, 57, 58, 63 194
8 North Cork 17, 50, 62, 65 194
9 Kilfinane 33, 38, 64, 73 208
10 Youghal 44, 46, 68, 74 232

County Team Points
Place County Positions Points
1 Cork 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13 39
2 Limerick 3, 11, 19, 24, 32, 33 122
3 Tipperary 8, 12, 27, 29, 45, 48 169
4 Kerry 10, 15, 35, 41, 42, 47 190

Novice & Under Women...1 Carol Finn Leevale Cork, 2 Valerie Vaughan  St. Finbarr's Cork, 3 Niamh De Hora Farranfore Main Valley Kerry

Club Team Points...Place Club Positions Points...1 St. Finbarr's 2, 6, 7, 17 32.....2 Mallow 10, 12, 13, 21 56
County Team Points...Place County Positions Points...1 Cork 1, 2, 5, 6 14.......2 Kerry 3, 4, 9, 19 35

Novice Women...Position Name Team Name County...1 Carol Finn Leevale Cork, 2 Valerie Vaughan  St. Finbarr's Cork, 3 Niamh De Hora Farranfore Main Valley Kerry

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Rebel Run 10k...Sun 21st Oct 2012

The inaugural Rebel Run 10k was a great success with 471 runners taking part, a huge number for first time out.

Place    Bib    Last Name    First Name    Gun Time    Chip Time    Pace    Age Group    Club
1    432    Meade    John    33:18    33:18    5:22/M    SM    St. Finbarr's A.C.
2    271    Kelleher    Tony    34:12    34:12    5:31/M    M40    Togher AC
3    423    O'Carroll    Frank    35:50    35:50    5:47/M    SM    East Cork AC
1    448    Murphy    Emma    37:25    37:24    6:02/M    SF    St. Finbarrs AC
2    200    Holland    Ann Marie    38:05    38:04    6:09/M    SF    Eagle AC
3    502    Regan    Maura    40:10    40:06    6:29/M    SF   Eagle AC

The full results are HERE

David Rudisha visits Mallow in North Cork...

One of the world's greatest athletes stopped off in Mallow this evening with his coach, Brother Colm O'Connell. David Rudisha is the current Olympic and world record holder in the 800 metres, as well as the current World and Olympic Champion at the distance. He holds the three fastest, six of the eight fastest, and half of the twenty fastest times ever for this event.

In a recent interview, the former world record holder, London Olympics 2012 chairman and double Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Coe said that David Rudisha's performance at the Summer Games was "the most extraordinary piece of running I have probably ever seen".

In front of a crowd of about 200 people, Brother O'Connell gave a short speech outlining how he had coached David since he was a small boy and how he watched him grow to be one of the world's best. He spoke about how David was not only an inspiration and role model to young athletes in his native Kenya but internationally as well. He also conferred the title of 'Honourary Mallowman' on David.......although I think David might have to work on the accent a bit ;o)

In his short speech, David Rudisha spoke of how he started off in athletics as a small shy boy. How he was inspired by his father Daniel Rudisha who won a silver medal at the 1968 Mexico Games as part of the Kenyan 4 x 400m relay team. He also mentioned how he had wanted to come to Ireland to visit Br. O'Connells home and family........and looked around at the assembled crowd and remarked that he was suprised that Colm had so many relations ;o)

Also in attendance was Irish Olympic race walker Rob Heffernan with his wife Marian. Rob gave a few words just to emphasise what a talent David Rudisha is and how amazing his performance at the London Olympics was.

800 Metres......Times under 1:42.....All Time
Mark       Athlete       Nation       DOB       Pos       Venue       Date  
1:40.91    David Lekuta Rudisha     KEN    17/12/1988    1    London (OS)    09/08/2012
1:41.01    David Lekuta Rudisha            1r1    Rieti    29/08/2010
1:41.09    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    Berlin    22/08/2010
1:41.11    Wilson Kipketer     DEN    12/12/1972    1    Köln    24/08/1997
1:41.24    Wilson Kipketer            1r1    Zürich    13/08/1997
1:41.33    David Lekuta Rudisha            1r1    Rieti    10/09/2011
1:41.51    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    Heusden-Zolder    10/07/2010
1:41.54    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    Paris Saint-Denis    06/07/2012
1:41.73    Sebastian Coe     GBR    29/09/1956    1    Firenze    10/06/1981
1:41.73    Wilson Kipketer            1    Stockholm    07/07/1997
1:41.73    Nijel Amos     BOT    15/03/1994    2    London (OS)    09/08/2012
1:41.74    David Lekuta Rudisha            1    New York City, NY    09/06/2012
1:41.77    Joaquim Cruz     BRA    12/03/1963    1    Köln    26/08/1984
1:41.83    Wilson Kipketer            1    Rieti    01/09/1996

In a brief chat towards the end of the evening, I asked Brother Colm if he thought the 1:40 barrier would ever be broken? He said possibly one day but not for a long time. It is much more likely that the current record will be broken in very small increments as before. If anyone is going to do it then it is likely to be David again. He also thought that it might be several years before the current record set in London might be broken.

Just to see what a great world record that was, you can see the 800m Olympic race HERE...

Also......back in February of this year, I had a video up called Man on a Mission. It shows the trip that Eamonn Coghlan made to Iten in Kenya to visit Br.Colm O'Connell. Post HERE

I know on many websites and newspaper articles, the word legend and great gets thrown around a lot but in this case, it seems very apt.

Brother Colm O'Connell conferred with honorary Doctorate at DCU...

On Friday the 19th of October, Brother Colm O'Connell was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy at Dublin City University. Br. O'Connell is the coach at the now famous Iten training camp in Kenya which has produced some of the world's best athletes. A member of the Patrician missionary order, Brother Colm joined St Patrick’s High School in Iten, Kenya as a geography teacher in 1976. Thirty-six years later, he is still in Iten and is now acknowledged as the world’s most successful coach of endurance running, having nurtured five Olympic Gold medallists and 25 world champions. On hand to witness the event was David Rudisha, world record-holder, winner of the London 2012 800m Gold medal and alumnus of Brother Colm’s world-renowned athletics coaching programme in Kenya’s Rift Valley.

L to R...Fr.Liam Kelleher (Race Director of the Dromina 10 mile road race and editor of the Marathon magazine back in the 80's).....Ian O'Riordan (Athletics journalist with the Irish Times).....Frank Greally (Founder and editor of the Irish Runner magazine).....David Rudisha (winner of the 800m at the London Olympics and current world record holder).....Br.Colm O'Connell (one of the world's most successful coaches)

Accepting his honorary degree, Brother Colm O’Connell said..........“It is a very humbling experience for me to stand here today to receive such an honour. When looking down through the list of honorary graduates who have gone before me in being honoured by this distinguished university, I feel, indeed, very happy. Also, for somebody to be selected from a remote little village in the highlands of Western Kenya and to be recognised in such a manner is beyond my wildest dreams and imaginings.”

Other guests in attendance at the honorary graduation ceremony included Linda Byrne, 2012 Irish Olympian and marathon runner; Senator Eamonn Coghlan; Mr John Foley, Chief Executive of the Athletic Association of Ireland; HE Ms Catherine Muigai Mwangi, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya; and Mr John Treacy, Irish Sports Council.

RTE have a short report HERE

Br. O'Connell is originally from Doneraile near Mallow in North Cork. He is supposed to be at the GAA complex in Mallow with Olympian David Rudisha at 5:30pm later today.

Man runs 2:46 Marathon in Flip Flops...

At the Baltimore Marathon in the US last Saturday, runner Keith Levasseur completed the race in a time of 2:46:58 in a pair of flip flops! Once the paperwork is filed, this should qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records. His time was only 8 minutes or so slower than his own PB of 2:38 which he set at last year's Marine Corps Marathon. Before the Baltimore Marathon, he said his goal was to go sub-3:00 in flip flops.

Post race, said......."I had every intention of sticking to the race plan of finishing a little under 3:00, so my initial pace starting out was 6:40-6:50 [per mile]. After a few miles, I decided I go with whatever pace I could comfortably run, even if it was faster than my target pace. I know there are some decent hills later in the race and I didn't know how I would be doing from a time perspective at that point, so I gave myself some wiggle room by letting go on the downhills and cruising in the low 6:00's."

Levasseur said that fellow racers as well as spectators noticed his footwear. Runners, he said, "were supportive of the effort and after a 'you're crazy' comment or two, they wished me luck. I heard a number of spectators saying, 'Hey, that's the flip flop guy!' as I passed."

A little past halfway, Levasseur started to get a hot spot on the top of his right foot. (The farthest he had gone in training in flip flops was 14 miles.) "I knew that what would normally result in a blister wasn't happening because there wasn't any room due to the snugness of the strap. Instead I figured it would just rub away the skin, which is what it essentially did. I knew it was all about maintaining a very efficient and balanced stride. There were times when I my feet and ankles would get tired from maintaining a more rigid stride than I might otherwise have and I would start landing more on the outside of the my foot and cause my heel to slip off the sandal. It only happened a few times and when it did, it would refocus my concentration on my stride and posture."
Levasseur said other challenges were cobblestones and railroad tracks, as well as uphills "since all the uphills were run more like stair stepping instead of fluid running."

The rules Levasseur had worked out with Guinness for record purposes required that he cover the entire course in flip flops; if one came off, Levasseur was to go back to it, put it back on, and then resume running. "They never fell off," Levasseur said. "There were times I would have to drive the front of my foot into the ground to re-secure the fit if they started to slide off. There were also a few times my heel would slip to the side, though they never touched the ground."

By the following day, Levasseur said, the balls of his feet were "quite sore," in part because "with the minimal padding and inability to place my foot like I normally do, I had to slap the front of my foot quite a bit, especially on the downhills." Levasseur said his ankles and quadriceps were also more sore than usual because of his altered gait.

"Many friends have asked if I'll do it again and my answer has been a resounding 'no,'" Levasseur said. "If someone breaks the record, I will simply congratulate them."

81 year old Ed Whitlock runs 3:30 Marathon...

At the Toronto Marathon last Sunday, Canadian Ed Whitlock set a new 81 year old age-group world record by running the 26.2 mile course in 3:30:26. This was more than 16 minutes off the previous age-81 best.

Post race, he said..."Based on the weather forecast of rain and significant wind, my goal was 3:30. Conditions seemed better than forecast as the race progressed and, based on a false appreciation of my preparedness, my initial pace was more ambitious. I realised sometime before halfway that I had made a big mistake and things were going to be difficult, and that's how it turned out, as I ran the last 4K very slowly, nearly 9 minutes a mile against a stiffening breeze. On finishing I wasn't that fatigued; the problem was that my legs had prevented me running properly. I put this down to the fact that I didn't have a long enough period of high-mileage training before the race and the lack of race practice--it was only my third race this year because of my injury problems."

At last year's Toronto Marathon, Whitlock broke his own 80+ world record by running 3:15:53. The following month, he slipped on icy stairs outside his house and broke a rib. He wound up not being able to run for much of the first part of 2012.

Results of the Ardfield 5k/10k Fun Run...Sun 14th Oct 2012

The  Ardfield 5k and 10k fun run was held last Sunday, the 14th of October.

5k Male
Position Number Name Final time
1 261 Kieran McKeown 17.23
2 255 Aindeus Lyelsh 20.53
3 53 Alan Butler 22.26

5k Female
Position Number Name Final time
1 30 Caroline Kilty 20.29
2 281 Eleanor Griffin 21.36
3 45 Lina Boyd 24.11

10k Male
Position Number Name Final time
1 1047 Georgie Waugh 33.18
2 1059 Stephen Cleary 33.44
3 1075 Donncha O'Brien 39.05

10k Female
Position Number Name Final time
1 1260 Ronnie Barry 42.28
2 1286 Oonagh Brady 45.48
3 1263 Margaret O'Brien 46.30

The full results can be seen HERE

Eamonn Coghlan to give talk in Kinsale...Mon 22nd Oct 2012

Former 5,000 metre World Champion Eamonn Coghlan is scheduled to give a talk on the importance of sport in Kinsale next Monday evening. Admission is free.

Rebel Run 10k......Sun 21st Oct 2012

Just a reminder that the closing date for the Rebel Run 10k road race is today, the 18th of October. Entries close at midnight!

For more information and to enter, go to.......... http://www.rebelrun.ie

For those of you doing the race, let's have a quick look at the course.....

The race starts on the Melbourn road near CIT. It proceeds up past the towards the junction where the motor tax office is and then west. All of it pretty flat and even drops downhill to the dip near the tennis village.

At the one mile mark, you have the first real hill. It's pretty short but it's the first real test. After this the road continues to climb but at a gentler rate until roughly the 1.7 mile mark. From there, the road flattens out as you run past St.Oliver's cemetery and the 2 mile mark.....probably the slowest and hardest mile.

At the end of the downhill, you turn off left onto a nice quiet country road. Most of it is reasonably flat......it should be a nice fast 3rd mile.

After the 3 mile mark, there is a slight rise as you cross over the Ballincollig bypass. From there, you join Curraheen road and on to the 4 mile mark.....all pretty flat and fast.

For the 5th mile, things get a little bit more difficult again. Initially, it's mostly flat but there is a pull for about 300m up to the 5 mile mark, the last really significant climb of the race.

From the 5 mile mark, it's downhill and mostly flat all the ways to the finish line in CIT.

Overall........an interesting course with a mix of suburban and country roads. The hills are pretty modest and it should be a reasonably fast course. Again a reminder, no entries on the day! Enter today to avoid disappointment.

Mallow AC hold open day for potential new members...

This might be of interest to anyone living in North Cork. Mallow Athletic Club are holding an open day at the Hibernain Hotel in Mallow for beginners and any potential new members. If you are interested, just go along and see what they can offer.

Event Notice...Run in the Dark 5k/10k...Wed 14th Nov 2012

This unique event is coming up in various cities on Wednesday, the 14th of November 2012.  Last year, it was a huge success with well over 400 people taking part in the Cork event alone. This year, they are changing the location of the race as it will now be in the city centre rather than on the Monaghan Road/Centre Park Road circuit.

This is from the organisers.........

Run in the Dark aims to be the biggest multi-location, mass participation running event in the world. And you can be part of it. Join us on Wednesday the 14th of November 2012!

Mark Pollock is a truly inspiring individual. Having lost his sight at the age of 22 Mark has never let that hold him back. He took hold of his life and never looked back competing in the world’s harshest environments across desert,mountain, ocean and polar regions including 6 marathons in 7 days in the Gobi Desert, a race to the South Pole, and the Round Ireland yacht race; all this despite being completely blind. He made his living as a motivational speaker around the globe and inspired many people to think about how to face challenges and make decisions.
Having overcome his blindness tragedy struck again on the 2nd July 2010 when Mark fell from a second story window and suffered a catastrophic spinal injury which has left Mark paralysed from the waist down.

The Mark Pollock Trust was set up by Mark's friends and supporters in order to raise funds for this rehabilitation programme, which will involve a daily aggressive physical therapy programme of up to 3 hours per session, input from physical trainers and physiotherapists and repeat visits to a spinal injuries recovery facility in America called, Project Walk.
Mark Pollock's supporters created Run in the Dark to fuel his ambition to walk again. A spinal cord injured pioneer, he is exploring the frontiers of recovery.

For his strength and determination in overcoming significant physical adversity, his continued inspiration of others in sharing his story and in constantly pushing out new boundaries, in his personal life and as an explorer and adventure racer, Mark Pollock was awarded a People of the Year Award.

Run in the Dark is a running event held simultaneously in 5 official locations - Dublin, Cork, Belfast, London and New York. You can race, run, or walk either 5 km or 10 km in all locations.

If you can’t make it to one of the official locations why not put on your running shoes and register your own pop up event wherever you are. Last year, saw run in the Dark pop-up events in over 20 locations around the world including Paris, Brussels, San Francisco, Neuchatel, Toronto, Dallas, Puerto Rico, Quebec, Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney.

For more information please log on and sign up at www.runinthedark.org

This is the route of the course in Cork City.....2 laps for the runners and walkers doing the 5 k option, 4 laps for the runners doing the 10k.

More info closer to the event. Please note that entries close on Wednesday, the 7th of November.