Athletics Ireland announce standards for 2013 Euro Indoors selection...

Athletics Ireland announced today the qualification standard required for selection to the Irish team that will be sent to the European Indoor Championships in Gothenbourg, Sweden next March.

The qualifying period runs from the 1st of December to the 24th of February.

Full details HERE

Adventure racer looking to raise funds for hand bike...

This is the story of Michal, who fell from his bike during the 2011 Killarney Adventure Race and is now paralysed from the chest down. If you want to help him raise money to purchase a mountain hand bike so he can do what he loves best and go out in the mountains on an adventure again then donate at this link...http://www.gofundme.com/-back-on-mountains

Update on Ballycotton '10' Entries...Fri 30th Nov 2012

See which category you are in below and take note...

SAE Option........All of the entry forms that were applied for by SAE during the month of November will be posted out today. These should arrive by post next Monday and these should be filled out, signed and returned by post as soon as possible. The entry fee is €15. You should post this on Monday afternoon or on Tuesday morning/afternoon at the latest. Postal entries close on Wednesday so there is no point posting entries then!

Remember that those using the SAE option have to use the printed form that is sent out. No photocopies are allowed.

Please note that if you applied for a batch of entry forms and you are sending back a batch, there is no need for separate postal orders or cheques! Just make it out to the combined amount. This reduces the workload for the organisers.

Members of Athletic Clubs (registered with Athletics Ireland), those that have done all 4 of the Ballycotton Summer Series races and those living outside the island of Ireland......Do nothing! Just wait until the entry forms appear online towards the end of next week. You will be the only ones that can use those and you have plenty of time to get your entry in.

Non SAE / Non-Club runners......You are going to have to wait until Thursday the 6th when they will announce when the online entries will open. There is an initial limit of 2,500 entries and those using the SAE option will take up a huge proportion of this. It is VERY likely that many of you who are looking to enter online will be disappointed. Even though the entry procedure has changed somewhat this year, the simple fact still remains that demand far outstrips the number of places available.

The full entry procedure can be seen HERE

This note is from Ballycotton Running Promotions...
1) All forms applied for have been posted out today, Friday the 30th of November. Those received back by Wednesday's post (December 5th) will be accepted. Entry fee is €15 and more than one entry can be put in the same envelope and paid for with the same cheque/postal order. Also, remember to detach the right hand section and not to staple cheque and form together.

2) By Wednesday, we will have a fair idea of how many online entries will be available and the day/time when online entries open will be published well in advance.

3) There is no need for anyone who is a member of an AAI club (or ran the Ballycotton Summer Series) to enter immediately - they can wait until the 2,500 number has been reached. The closing date for AAI members (and Summer Series) is Tuesday December 18th and those living overseas have until Tuesday January 8th.

Cork City Community Radio interview with Irish 800m record holder David Matthews...

In an recent interview, the Sporting Cork programme on Cork City Community Radio had a 26 minute interview with former Irish international athlete David Matthews. Having taken part in two Olympic Games, David Matthews also holds the 800m Irish record of 1:44.82 and is currently the only Irish man ever to run faster than 1:45.

In the interview, David talks about his job as a fitness instructor with the Irish Olympic Handball team and the Cork hurling team. In the athletics section of the interview which starts at 14:00, David talks about his career as an athlete and the state of Irish athletics at present.

He is also a frequent panelist on RTE for athletics events and has his own coaching website here... http://www.davidmatthews.ie

Special Early Bird Entry for the Cork City Marathon closes this weekend...

If you are planning to do the Cork City Half-Marathon or full Marathon next June, there is a special early bird option that offers the cheapest possible price. It does however close this weekend!

The special early bird entry form can be downloaded HERE

The entry fee is €60 for the full Marathon and €42 for the Half-Marathon. There is a special 50% discount for those who are unwaged or on benefits. This special offer closes at the end of November.

In December, the prices for hard copy entries increase. The full Marathon will cost €70, the Half-Marathon €45 and the relay will cost €100. The concession prices will be €35, €22.50 and €50 respectively.

It's important to emphasise the 'hard copy' because some people seemed to have got the idea the price goes up by €10 regardless. This is not the case as you always enter online and the prices there are €65 for the Marathon, €42 for the Half and €97 for the Relay. These prices remain static until the 31st of March 2013.

It's safe to say that the Cork City Marathon will be the largest running event in Munster next year.

More details on the event website....http://www.corkcitymarathon.ie

Race notice...Dungarvan 10 mile road race - Sun 27th Jan 2013

This race may seem as if it's a while off yet but the entries are rapidly filling up! The John Treacy Dungarvan 10 mile road race is one of the most popular races in Munster and for good reason. Only ten years ago, this race attracted a field of 223 runners. The organisers of the race West Waterford AC have built it up steadily year after year as they have gained experience at holding a large event such as this.

It is for me now one of the best races in Munster and I'd put it on a par with the Ballycotton '10'. Considering that it is just a one hour drive from Cork City and with plenty of parking, this is a viable alternative for anyone that can't get into the Ballycotton '10' race.

Pictured at the recent launch of the John Treacy Dungarvan 10 to be held on January 27th 2013 were front l-r Dermot Dwyer GlaxoSmithKline, Gerry O'Connor Dungarvan Shopping centre, Lisa Curran Glanbia, John Treacy, Cllr Nicky Sheehan deputy mayor of Dungarvan, James Veale chairman West Waterford Athletic Club, Jim Fleming, Ann Dunford, Paschal Proctor West Waterford athletic club. Back l-r Don Tuohy Senior Executive Officer Waterford county council, John Brunnock Go Dungarvan,Tom Rodgers Go Dungarvan, Trevor Mason, Tom Leahy and Liam Crowe West Waterford AC

The race is limited to 1,750 entries. The entry fee is €20 and that includes a dri-fit top. The price increases after the 14th of January but you don't have to worry about that as it will be full long before then.

If you are interested in doing this race then enter now! Don't wait until the new year as it will be too late. They have over 1,000 entries already and it's filling up fast.

You can enter online HERE

Obesity costs Ireland €1.64 Billion per annun...

A new study at University College Cork has found that the annual cost of people being overweight and obese on the island of Ireland is about €1.64 billion. More than a third of the costs are directly related to healthcare including hospital in-patient and out-patient care, GP visits and drugs. The other two-thirds were indirect and were accounted for by things like reduced or lost productivity and absenteeism. The main reason for work absenteeism and productivity loss is lower back pain.

The CEO of Safefood Martin Higgins said..."We now have reliable, contemporary and locally relevant figures for the annual, economic cost of weight-related ill health in Ireland. While it is acknowledged that these are conservative figures and don’t reflect the human and social costs, they show a compelling case for obesity prevention, based on changes in our food environment and physical activity levels.”

Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood added...“Excess body weight is associated with a significant burden of chronic disease, with negative effects on overall life expectancy, disability free life expectancy, quality of life, healthcare costs and productivity. The findings from this research are critical for establishing priorities in health policy development and to guide and inform our response to the issue of excess weight in our society which is fundamentally preventable.”

18 weight-related diseases were studied and the main drivers of direct healthcare costs were: Cardiac arrest (44%), Type 2 diabetes (9%), Colorectal cancer (12%), Stroke (6%), Cancers of the breast (2%), Kidney (3%), Oesophagus (2%), Gallbladder (3%).

Professor Ivan Perry of UCC said...“The current findings on the cost of overweight and obesity highlight the extend of societal involvement in diet and health and the limitations of approaches which emphasise the role of personal choice, responsibility and market forces in relation to diet and health. The current obesity epidemic in children and adults represents a clear example of market failure with external/third party costs defaulting to the taxpayers. The food sector is currently regulated to ensure food safety. Policy makers need to consider whether there is a need to extend this regulatory framework to address the effects of diet on health and wellbeing.”

According to the IUNA National Adult Nutrition Survey 2011, among 18-64 year olds, showed that
37% were overweight (44% men/31% women) and 24% were obese (26% men/21 % women)
The prevalence of obesity in 18-64 year old adults has increased significantly since 1990 from 8% to 26% in men, and from 13% to 21% in women. In the past twenty years men have gained an average of 8kg (nearly 18lbs) and women have gained an average of 5kg (over 11 lbs). The Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition (SLÁN 2007) of adults aged 18+ in ROI found that 60% of respondents had an average waist circumference in the “at risk” zone for obesity (>37 inches for men and > 32 inches for women). In Northern Ireland, 61% of adults aged 16+ were overweight or obese (Health Survey Northern Ireland, 2012))

Source...Safe Food Ireland

End of the Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series...

This time, a bit of sad news. There will be no Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series next year. While the individual races will still go ahead, the overall series will not.

Here is a statement from Ballycotton Running Promotions.......
MUNSTER TEN-MILE SPRING CLASSICS SERIES

The Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classic Series, inaugurated by Ballycotton Running Promotions in 2003, will not take place next year.

One of the aims of the Spring Series – which incorporated the Mallow, Dungarvan, Ballycotton and Kilnaboy events - was ‘to promote each race at the classic distance of ten miles’ and nine years later it can certainly be said that this has been achieved.

In 2003, the Mallow race had 215 finishers while Dungarvan had 223. This past year, with Dungarvan now the opening race, over 1,260 took part. The complexities of adding together the times for the four events is therefore more labour intensive and an added difficulty is that the races use separate entry and timing systems so that a name in one may appear different in another.  

When the Spring Series began, the Mallow race was in January, Dungarvan in February, Ballycotton in March and Kilnaboy in April. Now, for various reasons, this sequence has been broken and there are also a number of new ten-milers on the scene.

In 2003 (remember, this was four years before the Cork City Marathon reappeared), there were virtually no races longer than 10km in the Munster area during the first half of the year so therefore it is apparent that the four-race Series has run its course.  

Thanks must go to the four races who enthusiastically embraced the idea of a ‘Spring Classics Series’ and to the individuals in each who contributed to its success.

Much appreciated also was the sponsorship from John Buckley Sports who from the outset provided the commemorative T-shirts which went to every runner who completed the four races.

And if you’re the proud holder of one of these long-sleeve ‘tees’, hang on to it – it might be a collector’s item in the years to come!

Ballycotton Running Promotions...November 2012

Five Minute Interview with Jessica Ennis...

Olympic champion Jessica Ennis talks to Matthew Stadlen about what attracted her to the heptathlon, the importance of winning gold at London 2012, whether she will defend her title in Rio, and the difficulty of cold mornings.

The 5 minute interview can be seen on the BBC website HERE

UCC Mardyke Track re-opens...

It has just been announced that the UCC Mardyke Athletics Track in Cork City has re-opened today. This is part of the €10 million redevelopment of the complex which suffered serious flooding in late 2009.

The new synthetic eight lane athletics track in the Mardyke is fully floodlit and is to an international standard.

An additional 40,000 square feet has already been added to the original Arena and now includes an  indoor 60 metre running track, a performance analysis suite, two additional gym areas with over 140 additional pieces of the latest gym equipment and three additional fitness studios.

Update....this might be of interest as well

Cork runner Lizzie Lee makes Irish Cross Country team...

As the second place finisher in yesterday's Athletics Ireland Inter-County Cross Country Championships, Lizzie Lee of Leevale AC gets a spot on the Irish team going to the European Cross Country Championships in Hungary next month.

Full Irish Teams...
Senior Women...Fionnuala Britton(Kilcoole AC), Lizzie Lee (Leevale AC), Ava Hutchinson (Dundrum South Dublin), Linda Byrne( Dundrum South Dublin), Sara Treacy (Moynalvy AC), Sarah McCormack (Clonliffe Harriers AC)

Senior Men...Joe Sweeney (Dundrum South Dublin), Michael Mulhare (Portlaoise AC), Sean Hehir (Rathfarnham AC), Brian Maher (KCH AC), David Rooney (Raheny Shamrock AC), Brendan O’Neill (Dundrum South Dublin AC)

Photo courtesy of Kieran Carlin

Radio interview with Irish Olympian Rob Heffernan...

Cork radio station Red FM caught up with Irish Olympian Rob Heffernan and spoke to him about coming 4th in the 50k race walk at the London Olympics, his current training regime and his plans for the future.

The interview is just under 20 minutes long.

Cork womens team finish 2nd in Inter-Counties X-Country...Sun 25th Nov 2012

The Athletics Ireland Inter-County Cross Country Championships were in Ratoath county Meath on Sunday, the 25th of Nov 2012. Conditions for the races were dry but the ground was still very soft after plenty of rain in the preceding few days.

In the senior womens race, the winner was Ava Hutchinson who was part of the Irish team in the Olympic Marathon last August. Lizzie Lee of Leevale AC finished just four seconds behind in second place having been level for most of the race. The Cork team finished in second place.


Senior Women                      
Pl.    Name    Club/City/Country    Cat.    Subcat.    #    Result
1    Ava Hutchinson             A    281    31:06
2    Lizzie Lee    Leevale         A    258    31:10
3    Sarah McCormack             A    283    31:27

Senior Women...County Teams...1 Dublin 25, 2 Cork 68, 3 Kerry 103

The winner of the mens race was Joe Sweeney from Dublin.
Senior Men                      
Pl.    Name    Club/City/Country    Cat.    Subcat.    #    Result
1    Joseph Sweeney             A    98    33:27
2    Michael Mulhare    Portlaois            143    34:06
3    Sean Hehir             A    38    34:16

Senior Men...County Team...1 Antrim 93, 2 Dublin 93, 3 Clare 130

The full individual results can be found HERE while the inter-county results can be found HERE

Photos...(Updated 27th Nov)
1) Gearoid O'Laoi has a gallery HERE

Irish results in the Lanzarote International Running Challenge 10k...Sun 25th Nov 2012

A large contingent of Irish runners took part in the 2012 International Running Challenge 10k in Lanzarote, Canary Islands on Sunday, the 25th of November 2012.

In the mens race, Sean McGrath of East Cork AC finished second in a time of 33:52. In the womens race, Caroline Crowley of Crusaders AC finished second in a time of 38:01.

The winning teams were both from Ireland.

Irish results HERE

Results of the Ballinacurra 5 mile road race...Sun 25th Nov 2012

Ballinacurra GAA Club    BALLINACURRA '5'    Sunday 25 November 2012.

Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
1    0:27:09    FAHY, Roy    East Cork AC    M    05:25.7    417    1
2    0:27:44    SMITH, Danny    Ballynonty AC    M    05:32.7    422    2
3    0:27:52    MORGAN, Michael    St. Finbarrs AC    M    05:34.3    475    3
1    0:30:43    HOLLAND, Ann-Marie    Eagle AC    F    06:08.5    416    12
2    0:33:37    DORIS, Anna    Midleton AC    F40    06:43.3    430    26
3    0:33:47    WALSH, Niamh    Leevale AC    F    06:45.3    451    27

The full results can be seen HERE

Bolt and Felix named IAAF Athletes of the Year

At an awards ceremony in Barcelona, Spain on Saturday night, Usain Bolt (JAM) and Allyson Felix (USA) were named the IAAF Male and Female World Athletes of the Year for 2012. This is Bolt's fourth time winning this award while Felix is a first-time winner.

Usain Bolt, 26, the World Athlete of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2011, successfully defended both his 100m and 200m titles at the Olympic Games in London, clocking 9.63 and 19.32 respectively, both the fastest times in the World this year. He concluded his Olympic appearance by anchoring a Jamaican quartet to a 36.84 World record in the 4x100m Relay. He won six out of seven competitions in the 100m, and three of four in the 200m.

"This means a lot to me as this was one of my hardest years," said Bolt. "My coach doesn't want us to discuss injuries, so I didn't talk about it, so this means a lot."

Allyson Felix, 27, following World 200m titles in 2005, 2007 and 2009, won the Olympic 200m title in London and was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100m and 4x400m Relay teams to become the first woman since 1988 to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. The victorious 4x100m Relay quartet in London clocked a 40.82 World record. Her 21.69 victory in the 200m at the U.S. Olympic Trials was the fastest in the world this year and made Felix the fourth fastest woman in history.

“It is pretty much one of the coolest awards I’ve ever received,” Felix said. “Winning it means you are at the top of your sport, which is something we all strive for. To finally reach the goal during the journey of a long career is very special.”

The award for Male Performance of the Year went to David Rudisha (KEN). In what will likely be remembered as one the finest performances ever at an Olympic Games, Rudisha broke his own World record with a stunning solo performance, clocking 1:40.91 in the London final. Running at the head of the field virtually from the outset, the 2010 Athlete of the Year broke his own 1:41.01 record set in Rieti, Italy two years earlier. In London’s he did so without a pacemaker in a display that IAAF Vice President Sebastian Coe, himself a former World 800m record holder, described as one of "supreme physical and mental confidence".

Speaking of the London final, Rudisha said, "I was confident that I was going to win, so I wanted to do something special. I was thinking maybe 1:41, but then I broke the World record. This was a very competitive year – Usain Bolt’s three gold medals, Mo Farah’s two gold medals. So I am very happy to win this award.”

The female performance of the year award went to the USA Olympic 4x100m Relay team. The USA quartet of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter clocked 40.82 in the 4x100m Relay final, to improve the previous mark by a massive 0.55 seconds, the biggest ever improvement on the World record in the history of the event. Their collective effort brought down what was then the third oldest women's World record which had been set by the Democratic Republic of Germany on 6 October 1985.

Irish 'involvement' in the 1973 World Cross Country Championships

Following on from a post yesterday where I mentioned that the IAAF were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first World Cross-Country Championships next year, John Walshe kindly sent on some information about the Irish 'involvement' in the first race in 1973....

The first IAAF World Cross-Country Championships held in Ghent in 1973 were not without controversy, especially from an Irish point of view.

A group of six ‘intruders’ representing the old NACA organisation (who joined up with BLE to form Athletics Ireland in 2000) decided to make a protest at the participation of two Irish teams instead of one. After around 3km of the 12km race had been completed, the six runners in white vests with two black hoops slipped under a rope and joined the leaders, causing mayhem.  Many of the top runners were sent flying, the biggest casualty being race favourite Rod Dixon (one of the most versatile runners in the world at the time with a mile best of 3:53.62 and who would go on to win the NYC Marathon 10 years later in 2:08:59). Despite a ‘kidney punch’, the New Zealander got going again to finish third behind Pekka Paivarinta and Mariano Haro.

The following report by Fionnbar Callanan appeared in ‘Marathon’, the only Irish athletics magazine of the time, and gives a vivid description on what ensued:

“With almost exactly one quarter of the race over, the field was headed by a tightly grouped 18 or 20 runners. In the forefront, and almost running abreast, were Paivarinta (Finland), Haro (Spain), Cusack (Ireland), Clarke (England) and Dixon (New Zealand). At this point the course was no more than eight yards wide.

Neil Cusack of Ireland (Centre...#30) would later go on to win the 1974 Boston Marathon

“The group of six intruders ran onto the course in front of the faster-moving field. Neil Cusack told me his first reaction was one of amazement that they could have already lapped some of the runners. But, some spectators and officials realised that the intruders had come on and efforts were quickly made to hustle them off. They resisted and then the field were upon them. The rather awkward arm action of Paivarinta took him through the intruders and sent some of them flying. The diminutive Haro was forced to resort to more belligerent action to get through and the intruders lifted him off his feet before throwing him into a ditch. Cusack was buffeted but no more. Dixon was given a kidney punch and he told me later that ‘this finished me.’ Eddie Leddy was tripped and fell flat on his face being severely winded in doing so. One Moroccan runner was punched in the face and he was unable to continue.

The eventual winner Pekka Päivärinta of Finland with a narrow lead

“As the race resumed more normal appearances, the Belgian police detained one of the intruders and he was paraded back towards the stands. Here, the irate Moroccan saw him and made violent efforts to get at him but had no great success. When the race had concluded, most of the Irish party learned of the intrusion for the first time and there was a great outburst of resentment and anger. Somebody spotted some of the intruders a short distance away and there was a rush towards them. Some of them were caught and struck before wiser counsel prevailed.”

Fionnbar Callanan also stated that the day had begun with happiness for the Irish with a special St Patrick’s Day Mass said by Father Paddy Coyle (a member of the team) in the 12th Century Crypt of St Bravo’s Cathedral in Ghent. Team manager Billy Coghlan (father of Eamonn) had also thoughtfully provided shamrock for all members of the official Irish part and their supporters. “In ended, for me and many others, in anger and shame that the name of Ireland had been dragged in the mud by a thoughtless, irresponsible and undignified performance,” he concluded.

Päivärinta of Finland wins by just 0.1 seconds

Thankfully, we have moved on a lot from those days of four decades ago. For the record, the following are the positions of the Irish team – three of whom were from Cork - who finished 11th of the 18 teams on that occasion. Neil Cusack, who had been injured before the race, had to drop out and no doubt the intrusion didn’t help matters.

1973...1st Pekka Päivärinta FIN 35:47, 2nd Mariano Haro ESP 35:47, 3rd Rod Dixon NZL 36:00

25th Eddie Leddy (Ballinamore); 63rd Donie Walsh (Leevale); 67th Danny McDaid (Clonliffe); 69th Paddy Coyle (Lourdes); 84th Pat O’Riordan (Leevale); 85th Richard Crowley (St Finbarrs); 109th Eddie Spillane (Donore).

Full Results

Events this weekend...Sat 24th & Sun 25th Nov 2012

Not too much happening in Munster this weekend. Here are some of the events on the calendar...

Kerry...Sat 24th (11am)...Puck Warriors 5k/10k Jingle Fun Run...€15...Killorglin
Cork...Sun 25th (11:30am)...Ballinacurra 5 mile road race...€10...
Cork...Sun 25th (12 noon)...Castlefreke 5k Fun Run/Walk...€?...
Kerry...Sun 25th (1:30pm)...Currow GAA 5k Fun Run...€5...

IAAF to celebrate 40th anniversary of World Cross Country Championships next year...

The IAAF will celebrate their 40th anniverary of the World Cross Country Championships when they are held in Bydgoszcz, Poland on the 24th of March next year. Back in 1973, the new IAAF format replaced the International Cross Country Championships that had been run over the previous 70 years. Only 21 countries took part in the first World Cross Country Championships, which were held in Waregem, Belgium on 17 March 1973. Entries nowadays are more than three times that number. And only two African nations were in attendance – Tunisia and Morocco, who sent only male entrants.

No African runner earned a medal in either the men’s senior or junior races, with the highest placed being Tunisia’s Abdelkader Zadem, who finished 20th in the senior race. The first men’s title went to Finland’s 23-year-old Pekka Paivarinta who finished just 0.1 seconds ahead of Mariano Haro of Spain.

The photo on the left shows the Finn Pekka Paivarinta but who is the Irish athlete?.........and what club was he with? Comments...???

UK runner completes 500 sub 3:30 Marathons...

After 24 years, the 49-year-old Steve Edwards has completed his amazing lifelong dream – to run 500 marathons, each in a time of under three-and-a-half hours.

At the recent Fox & 40 Marathon in Milton Keynes, he ran three hours and 14 minutes to complete the remarkable feat. In a post race interview, Steve said...."Once I settled down into my run I was okay. It only started to get to me in my last mile. It was in that final mile I started to get quite emotional. It was nice to cross the line with everybody cheering and taking pictures. Bourton Road Runners (BRR) presented me with a plaque. That’s something that I will treasure for the rest of my life."

Steve ran his first race in 1981 aged just 18 when he completed the Coventry Marathon in 3:38. At the age of 28, he broke a world record for running 87 marathons in a year. His marathon running has taken him to 27 countries including the USA and New Zealand and he has run the London marathon 17 times. To date, he has run 577 official marathon races.

In another interview, Steve was asked about whether he thought about stopping in a race?.........."Yes, the Stevenage marathon in 1994. It was a two-lap course on footpaths and the most boring marathon I ever ran. Halfway around I thought: ‘What am I doing?' and walked back to the car. I sat with my wife, Teresa, and had a cup of coffee and a Mars bar and said: ‘I can't be bothered'. After 10 minutes I thought I'd better go and finish it!"

When asked about his plans for the future, he said......."I've been winding people up and saying this might be my last ever marathon. But running is a way of life and I can't ever imagine not doing it. The furthest I've run is 50 miles and I've had friends who say you're not a real runner until you've done a 100-mile race, so that's a possibility. I'm also tempted by 12-hour and 24-hour events. I wonder, with the endurance I've built up over the years, what I might be able to do. I could have a hidden talent. It's a totally different discipline but even if it went horribly wrong, at least I've tried."

Woman wins Marathon in USA dressed in a Spiderman Costume...

Last Sunday, Camille Herron was the first woman home and 5th overall in the 1st woman, 5th overall at the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Nothing too unusual in that except Herron had just run the 26.2 mile route in 2:48:51 in a Spiderman suit!!......or should that be Spiderwoman? Her time was 20 minutes under the previous Guinness Book of World Records mark for a women's marathon in a superhero costume.

In a post race interview, she said......."It was one of the wildest things I've ever done! Much tougher than I expected. I was hitting 20+ seconds [per mile] slower than what I'd expect, right off the bat, and I couldn't seem to go any faster. The resistance of the suit/breathing/heat generation felt like running a marathon at high altitude in the heat". Herron is a 2:37 marathoner and Sunday's win was her seventh career marathon victory.

Results of the Cty Intermediate & Masters X-Country Champs...Sun 18th Nov 2012

The Cork County Intermediate and Masters Cross Country Championships were held last Sunday, the 18th of November in what might be described as appalling conditions. After a dry morning, the heavens opened up later to give everyone present a fine soaking on what was a tough hilly course.

Looking through the photos, it seems like an interesting course......more like what a real cross country course should be like as opposed to laps around a farmers field.

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos.....
1) Gearoid O'Laoi has a gallery of photos HERE
2) The Cork County Board have their own gallery HERE

FIRST...The Official Film of the London 2012 Olympic Games on release from Nov 23rd...

FIRST...The official film of the 2012 London Olympic Games is on release in selected cinemas worldwide on November, the 23rd. It is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from November 26th.

Description.......Granted unprecedented behind the scenes access, director Caroline Rowland highlights the stories and challenges faced by David Rushida-Kenya's gold medal winner in the men's 800m who broke his own record in what was described as the greatest 800m race of all time, the incredible track cyclist Laura Trott-a double gold medallist who is now Britain's most famous cyclist, boxer Katie Taylor - Ireland's only gold medallist at London 2012 who won the Women's Lightweight boxing and US swimmer Missy Franklin - who won an incredible four gold medals at the age of 17.


Featuring: Laura Trott, David Rudisha, Katie Taylor, Missy Franklin, Chad Le Clos, James Ellington, John Orozoco, Qiu Bo, Majlinda Kelmendi, Caroline Buchanan, Bruno Fratus, Heena Sidhu, Christophe Lemaitre and Queen Underwood.

If anyone would like to purchase this video, I have the links up on this page.  Any products bought on the Amazon.co.uk website after clicking on the one of the links there will generate a small commission which helps fund this website. Thanks!

New study shows ice baths after exercise have no beneficial impact...

In a recent study at the University of Portsmouth, scientists have found that elite athletes were wasting their time by plunging into icy water after intense exercise. For the study, the scientists tested 40 male athletes after 90 minutes of intermittent shuttle running. No differences were found between those who used cold water therapy and other cool-down methods in terms of athletes' perception of pain or in their biochemical markers of muscle cell damage. It had been thought that icy cold water helped reduce inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms and therefore pain, meaning an athlete could perform again at high level more quickly.

Dr Jo Corbett, the lead author of the report said......"Ice baths are frequently used by sportsmen and women to help them recover after exercise but our results show they don't work. They also pose a number of potentially serious health risks. If people using ice baths are receiving no real benefit then they should probably be advised to stop using them. The practice has become increasingly popular in recent years thanks largely to high-profile sportsmen and women doing it, but how it helps has never been entirely clear and the reasons given are largely speculative. The findings of our study do not support it as the most effective way of speeding up recovery. It might be that previous studies have used as a control group athletes who do nothing to warm down versus those who are immersed in cold water. We found athletes who cooled down using light exercise recovered at the same rate as those in cold water."

The research team said that further studies needed to be done to reconcile conflicting findings from a number of studies and to establish if cold water immersion was ever effective given the potential dangers associated with it.

Reminder about Ballycotton 10 entries...

Just a reminder for any non-club runners out there........make sure you send off a SAE for your entry form asap! The organisers will be posting out the forms on Friday, the 30th of November.

Details of the Entry Procedure HERE and the questions and comments post HERE

WADA to adopt four year ban for drugs cheating...

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have recently announced that they will be introducing a new four year ban for serious drugs offences. This will be introduced in 2013 and be applied at the start of 2015. The new rule doubles the length of existing bans for serious drug offences including anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, masking agents, trafficking and prohibited methods. WADA president John Fahey said: “It is clear from the number of submissions we received, that there is a strong desire in the world of sport, from governments and within the anti-doping community to strengthen the sanction articles in the code. Athletes must know that there is a heavy price to pay for intentional doping, that the risks are high. I am confident this draft will deliver that message loud and clear, and that our own stakeholders will agree.”

The current two year ban has meant that athletes can fail just after an Olympic Games and still compete in the next one. Many have complained that a two year ban is not much different than an athlete picking up an injury and coming back from it and as such, was not enough of a deterrent. The new four year ban changes that with athletes now guaranteed to miss an Olympic cycle which in many cases may well be the end of their career.

Results of the Cork BHAA Mount Oval Bar 6 mile road race...Sun 18th Nov 2012

A large crowd of 271 runners turned out for this year's Cork BHAA Mount Oval 6 mile road race in Rochestown, a jump of just over 35% on last year's figure of 200. As you can see from the photo above, it was held in dry conditions in contrast to the weather a few hours later.

Category results
MEN (registered)...1 John Meade, 2 Tony Kelleher, 3 Dara Canavan
WHEEL CHAIR...Busy up in Co.Clare doing a Marathon
O/40...1 Joe Kelleher, 2 Kieran Mulcahy, 3 Neil MacKay
O/45...1 Anthony O'Brien, 2 James Callanan, 3 Donie Goulding
O/50...1 Alan Carey, 2 Ken Carey, 3 Kevin Boag
O/55...1 Andrew O'Farell, 2 Kerry Constant, 3 John O'Callaghan
O/60...1 John O'Halloran, 2 John Holland, 3 Frank Linehan
O/65...1 Jimmy Murray
O/70...1 John O'Leary
Men's Teams...
A 1    NAVY, 2    , 3
B 1    BORD GAIS, 2    HSE, 3    CORK CITY COUNCIL
C 1    MOUNT OVAL, 2    PFIZERS, 3    . 

LADIES
1    Annmarie Holland, 2  Geraldine O'Shea, 3 Orla Crosbie 
O/35 Valerie Lynch   
O/40
O/45 1 Mary O'Keeffe, 2 Lena Boyd, 3 Monica Twohig
O/50 1 Aine Murphy, 2 Joan McCarthy
O/55 1 Ann Hayes
O/60 1 Mary Linehan
O/65  
Ladies Teams..A 1    UCC, B 1    HSE

Updated 5pm 19/11/12
The full results can be found HERE

Photos...
1) Doug Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE

Visually impaired runner looking for guide for X-Country race next Sunday...

Amanda Crotty who is a visually impaired Irish International Paralympic athlete from Youghal in East Cork is urgently looking for a guide for the Inter-County Cross Country Championships in Rathoath, Co. Meath,  next Sunday. Her current guide has picked up an injury and Amanda is anxious to go as it's part of her training for the World Championships next year.


If you can help then you can contact Amanda at this address......
Email: amandacrotty1 AT hotmail.co.uk

Results of the 'Dublin' New York Marathon...Sun 18th Nov 2012

To cater for those Irish runners who missed out on the New York Marathon this year due to Hurricane Sandy, the organisers of the Dublin City Marathon put on a special Marathon in the Phoenix Park today. Participants who finished were rewarded with the New York medals and running tops.

Place No Name Time
1 6917 Wayne Reid 02:43:48
2 6882 Niall Lynch 02:48:59
3 6962 Joseph Wright 02:50:55
10 6810 Karen Lavelle 03:09:27 1st Lady
18 6804 Shery Johnston 03:18:48 2nd Lady
22 6766 Olwyn Dunne 03:25:17 3rd Lady

A total of 147 runners took part. The full results can be seen HERE

Rob Heffernan named Irish Athlete of the year...

It came as no great suprise that Rob Heffernan was named as the Irish Athlete of the Year at the National Athletics Awards in Dublin last night. Having finished 4th in the 50k race walk at the London Olympics, his performance was easily the best of the Irish squad at the Summer games. His time of 3:37.54 was also a new national record.

Some of the other recipients of awards were.....
Junior Athlete of the year........Mark English (Letterkenny AC) who had a remarkable 2012, a year in which he lowered the national junior 800m record to a blazing 1:45.77 and finished a brilliant fifth in a highly competitive World Junior Championship final.
Endurance Athlete Award.........Fionnuala Britton (Kilcoole AC) who won gold at the European Cross Country Championships in Slovenia last December. Britton was also thewinner of the Track and Field Athlete of the Year Award. She came agonizingly close to securing a bronze medal over 10,000m at the European Outdoor Championships in Helsinki, having to settle for fourth on that occasion. Britton went on to the London Olympics and placed 15th in the 10,000m and then returned a few days later to run a personal best of 15:12.97 in the heats of the 5,000m.
Inspirational performance of the year...........Steven Colvert (Crusaders AC) for his outstanding 20.40 second performance over 200m in the heats of the National Senior Championships in Santry. Although the wind was just above the allowable limit on that occasion Colvert is an exciting prospect and looks set for a bright future in the sport.
Special Recognition Award.......Jason Smyth (City of Derry AC) and Michael McKillop (St Malachy’s AC) who had outstanding performances at the Paralympics Games in London by winning double gold and setting two world records each.
The Master of the Year award...........Ciaran O ‘Doherty (Letterkenny AC) after claiming the gold medal at the 2012 World Indoor Masters Championships in the 3,000m in Finland.
The Mountain Runner of the Year...........Brian MacMahon (Clonliffe Harriers AC) who finished sixth at the World Mountain Running Long Distance Race in Switzerland.
The Ultra Running Award...........Ruthann Sheahan (Athenry AC) for her fifth place performance at the World 24 hour Championships.

Japanese man sets new 100m record...

Kenichi Ito from Japan recently set a new record for the 100m by 'running' on all fours! Taking 17.47 seconds, it was a new Guinness World record. Apparently, his style is based on the African Patas monkey and it has taken him nine years to perfect his technique.


Why anyone would want to 'run' on all fours is another question? Only in Japan ;o)

Preview of the Cork BHAA Mount Oval Bar 6 mile road race - Sun 18th Nov 2012

The main race this weekend is the Cork BHAA Mount Oval 6 mile road race in Rochestown.

As you can see from the race flyer, it starts at 11am. Entries as per usual for Cork BHAA events are €5 for registered runners and €8 for non-reg. Entries open at the Mount Oval Bar at 9am.

Between 9:30 and 10:30am. the Physio Centre will be doing warm up exercises just outside the Mount Oval bar.

Race Stewards.........From the Mount Oval Bar........"SAFETY IN NUMBERS"....WE NEED VOLUNTEER STEWARDS FOR OUR ROAD RACE THIS SUNDAY 18 NOV...BRIEFING 10am SHARP...GO TO LOCATIONS 10.30am...Race finishes around 12.15pm...CONTACT GREGG
Facebook...021 4898162...087 6243245...greggmountovalbar@gmail.com...Refreshments in Mount Oval Bar afterwards.

Getting there......Mount Oval is literally just a matter of minutes off the South Ring Road. Just follow the directions for Carrigaline at the Bloomfield interchange near Rochestown. As you cross over a bridge and proceed uphill, look out for the small slip road to the left for Mount Oval......

Slip road for Mount Oval....just after the roadside sculpture

This is an overall plan of the area. After taking the slip road, you drive up a narrow entrance to the estate. At the crest of the hill, you pass the start / finish area and then the Mount Oval Bar is located just about 300 metres beyond on the left.

Course.......The race course is mostly a large loop on country roads to the south of Mount Oval.

From the start line, you run downhill past the Mount Oval Bar...

The gradient is pretty gentle as the road goes through the estate. Note that there are several speed bumps! As you near the entrance / exit to the estate, the road flattens out. Then it's right at the exit....run 200 metres and then another right...

Here, you are running past Garryduff Sports Centre and it's a nice flat fast section. Note that the roads are not closed! Follow the race stewards instructions as to what side of the road to stay on.....most likely on the left.

At the far end of the sports grounds, you will have roughly 0.8 miles completed....which should be very fast. Now for the fun part ;o)

There is a hill coming up which is 600 metres long. It's certainly not easy and if you can go up this without getting too much out of breath then it will pay dividends later. Try too hard and you'll take ages to recover. The hill starts off modest enough but gradually gets steeper...

L....gentle start to the hill, R.....and gradually gets harder

On the hill, you go through the 1 mile mark. At the top, the road eases off and then it's left...

From here now, you are onto a nice country road with some flat sections at the start which should allow you to recover from that hill....

 After a while, the road rises again but in gentler sections. Around the 2 mile mark, the road eases off into a long flat section. This whole stretch of road is probably the nicest section of the course.

At 2.7 miles, you turn right at the T junction...

....and then it's downhill for the next 500 metres.The 3 mile mark is near the end. Then it's right again as you head north...

Now for the next tough hilly section....not as hard as before but still a factor as it's almost a mile long. In contrast to the earlier big hill, this one starts reasonably hard but soon it eases off into a gentle climb. Once the first 400m or so are out of the way then it's not too bad.

 Note!......This can be a busy stretch of road. Hopefully on a Sunday morning it wont be too bad but you should follow the race stewards instructions. If they ask you to stay on the left then please do so as there are a lot of twists and blind corners on this road.

As the road eases off around the 4 mile mark, it soon drops downhill again and then it's right at the next junction....

At this stage, you are at the three quarter way mark....i.e. 4.5 miles. After the turn off and a short flat section, you have a small hill ahead which is about 250 metres long....

After this, the road eases off again and soon you pass the junction where you turned off earlier....

From here, you are retracing your steps......although on the opposite side of the road! ;o).......and it's a fast and furious downhill. Down past the 5 mile mark...past Garryduff Sports Centre....left at the junction...left into Mount Oval and the long pull back up to the finish line.

Overall........it's certainly not an easy course, nor could it be described as fast. Yet for all that, it is still a nice area for a race. It's really close to Cork City and yet most of it is in the countryside. Mount Oval is only a few minutes from the South Ring Road so getting there is quick and easy. This is only the second year of this race and it's probably one of the nicer courses on the race calendar. They had some problems last year with some timid stewards at one of the junctions but that should be rectified this year. Expect a bit of a feast afterwards ;o)

Eightlane news interview with Ciarán Ó Lionáird...

Irish 2012 Olympic 1500m runner and Nike sponsored Miler Ciarán ó Lionáird recently talked to Pete Matthews for EightLane News.

Race Walking Masterclass...Cork...Sat 17th Nov 2012

A Race Walking Masterclass will take place at the Cork IT Track on Saturday 17th November. event as in attendance will be Olympic athlete Robert Heffernan.

This is a chance for athletes and coaches alike to learn more about Race Walking from Olympian Robert Heffernan, Liam O Reilly and renowned Spanish coach Jacinto Garzon.

This masterclass is open to all athletes and coaches aged 10+. Athletes from clubs/schools all over Ireland are welcome to attend.

10am: Registration at CIT Track in the main athletics stand and the cost is €5 per person.
10.30 -11.30am: Theory session on how to coach kids and how they built a successful Racewalking school in Guadix Spain.
11.30am-12.30pm: Practical session on the track with Jacinto Garzon (Spanish Coach), Robert Heffernan (Irish Olympic Athlete) and Liam O Reilly (Irish Olympic team coach).
12.30-1pm: Q&A session with Robert Heffernan for athletes while coaches talk with Jacinto Garzon and Liam O Reilly.

For more information please contact RDO Steven Macklin at 087 6335565 or steven@athleticsireland.ie.