Race notice...Cheetah Run 4 mile race - Thurs 16th May 2013

It's that time of year again! The Cheetah Run is coming up in Fota Wildlife Park on Thursday, the 16th of May. This is a 4 mile race which has been properly measured by Jones Counter and has an Athletics Ireland licence.

This was voted the most popular 4 mile race in Cork in 2012 and it's easy to see why. Not only is the race unique in that it is through a wildlife park but anyone entering can also bring family members along.

Last year, the field was limited to 800 runners and entries sold out in just two days. It's very likely that there will be a similar level of demand this year.

What's different this year is that the number of entries has been increased from 800 to 850. The second change will be the introduction of chip timing.

One of the problems with any race is that once it gets over a certain size, the traditional way of doing results manually becomes problematic. With manual timing, the clock starts once the gun goes and it always take people at the back of the field a certain time to get to the start line. With chip timing, it doesn't matter as your time starts once you cross the start mat. The other problem with manual timing are the sheer logistics of it. It works ok up to several hundred but once you go over 500 or so, it starts to get messy. Because of these reasons, chip timing has been introduced and it should make for a much smoother event. It does however introduce an additional cost which is reflected in the entry fee this year of €12.

Please note.....No buggies/baby strollers...no headphones....no transfers....and no late entries.
They cannot cater for walkers, due to the overlap nature of the course.  Minimum age is 16.

So what do you get for your €12?
1) As well as entry to the race, you can also bring some family members into the park. This normally costs €14.30 per adult, or €44 for a family of two adults and two children.

2) Usual prize structure for individuals and categories.

3) Post race refreshments.

4) Lots of spots for down the field runners.

5) Discount from John Buckley Sports...see below.

Note that online entries open at 10am on Thursday, the 2nd of May.

I would seriously advise people that have an interest in doing this race to enter as soon as it opens. It really will sell out early. You can enter online from Thursday HERE

Eagle AC member Annemarie Power with Olympic legend Sonia O'Sullivan at the recent launch of the 2013 Cheetah Run

One of the race sponsors is John Buckley Sports in Cork City. They will give 20% discount, on production of your Cheetah Run Race numbers, from Friday May 17th until Sat May 25th, i.e. for one week after the race. This discount applies to any item in the shop. So for example, you could buy a number of items and you will get 20% off the lot. Spend €60 and you will have saved the entry fee of the race.


John Buckley Sports is one of the main specialist running shops in Cork City and have a wide stock of gear in the shop and on their website....www.johnbuckleysports.com

They have been in business since 1981 and it's fair to say that the shop is highly regarded by many of the runners on the local road race scene.