Looking ahead to the Bandon Half-Marathon and 10k...Sat 11th May 2013

The next big event coming up is of course the Bandon Half-Marahton and 10k on Saturday, the 11th of May...

The Half-Marathon will start at 9:30am while the 10k will start 45 minutes later at 10:15am.

Considering it's relatively close proximity to Cork City, it is likely to attract a good sized field. Bandon is just 20 miles (31 kms) to the south-west of Cork City which is roughly a 35 minute drive....

Both race routes are on roads to the west of the town. The races have AAI approval and will be chip timed over an officially measured course. Bandon Athletic Club are currently fund raising for the construction of an all weather running track in the town which would be of huge benefit to the West Cork community.

Entries......

10k.....The online entry fee is €15. On the day, it's €20.

Half-Marathon...The online entry fee is €25. On the day, it's €30.

You can enter online HERE (Note that online entries close on Friday at 5pm)

Info from the organisers Bandon AC......We are delighted to offer an opportunity for walkers to join in this sports event being organised by Bandon Rugby and Bandon Athletic club on Saturday May 11th. As you know the event is organised to raise funds to further develop and support the young athletes across both clubs.

All walkers must register in advance of the walk and registrations will be taken on the Friday evening before and on the morning of the walk up to 8:45am in the Bandon Rugby club. We have looked at providing a safe walking route with a view to bringing walkers into finish area at around the same time as the main group of runners. This will give all a taste of the finish atmosphere. The walking route is about 7 miles long. Walkers will commence at 9 am from Old Chapel.

The walkers will receive  a goody bag and are invited back to the rugby club for well earned refreshments and will all be entered for a free spot prize draw. There will be a free bus service back from the finish area to the rugby club. The entry fee for walkers is 10 euro.

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Bonus for Course records...As an added incentive, the race committee is offering bonus prizes if someone breaks the course record in the Half-Marathon. Current record....Colin Merritt of Carrig na bhFear (71.35).....Carmel Crowley of Bandon AC’s (84.14). There is also a bonus for breaking the 10k records.

First off, we'll have a look at where everything is.....

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

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

So on to the Half-Marathon course...

The Half-Marathon route is basically a longer version of the 10k in that it goes further west of the town.

Full previews of both course are available......10 k HERE and Half-Marathon HERE

Pacers......
For the Half-Marathon, Bandon AC have organised pacers for 1h 30m, 1h 40m, 1h 50m and 2h.

For the 10 km race, they have pacers for 45m, 50m and 55m.

The RNLI are holding their flag collection weekend in Bandon on the weekend of May 11th and the Irish Coastguard helicopter is expected to land at the Rugby club at 1pm on race day. Perhaps if you are going and bringing some kids along then this might be interest to them.


More information on the race on the race website...http://www.bandonhalfmarathon.com


Overall...probably not the fastest of Half-Marathon races. If you set a PB on this course then it's well earned. There are certainly a fair number of hills to deal with but having said that, the course is on nice quiet country roads, well away from any traffic. You could call it a course with 'character' ;o)

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

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

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