Notice...The Great Island 10 mile road race, Cobh - Sun 13th Apr 2014

So far in 2014, all of the 10 mile road races have proved to be hugely popular. The Dungarvan 10 and Mallow 10 both reached their entry limits a lot earlier than previous years while the 2,300 online entries for the 2014 Ballycotton 10 sold out in about 90 minutes.

The next big 10 mile road race coming up in Cork is the Great Island 10 in Cobh on Sunday, the 13th of April 2014 at 10:30am. Last year, they got 611 with a big community effort to make sure that it's a success and it's looks likely to be equally popular again this year.

All of the proceeds from this race go towards the Irish Cancer Society. When this race was first set up in 2010, the organisers had a target of raising €100,000 in the space of 5 years. Last year in 2013, they hit the €100k mark one year early. The aim now is to build on that success and to continue to raise much needed funds for this charity.

Entries....You can enter online HERE for €19.50 including all costs.

Link to postal entries to follow...

The race website is HERE.

5 km fun run / walk...A 5km walk / run will take place on the same day for those less inclined to run 10 miles but want to be a part of the day. Leaving from the Community Centre @ 10.00am (30 mins before the main event) and will finish at the G.P.O. There is no entry fee for the walk / run but entrants would be expected to take sponsorship cards which are available from Sonya Murphy on 087 7904895 or email sonyaomurphy@gmail.com

Course Preview...A preview of the 10 mile course can be seen HERE

Photo Credit : Colm McDonagh Photography

Pat Kenny from Newstalk interviews Ciaran O Cathain of Athlone IT

In January of 2013, a world class indoor athletics track opened at the Athlone Institute of Technology...see this old post.  One of the people behind the project was Cathain O Cathain, president of Athlone IT and former president of Athletics Ireland.

On Wednesday the 26th of February, Pat Kenny of Newstalk Radio interviewed him about the facility in Athlone and how the whole project which was in the region of 11 million Euro was largely self financed.

The 10 minute interview can be heard here...


In other track related news, it was also announced a few weeks ago that work would proceed in mid-2014 on the construction of new indoor facilities at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin. This will also include an indoor athletics track and Athletics Ireland are part of  that project. How that impacts on the facility in Athlone when it is finished is another question? Will future indoor championships be held in Abbotstown with the large population on it's doorstep rather than in the midlands?

On a more local level, is it feasible to have a facility like the one in Athlone in or near Cork City?

Athletics Ireland announce Irish team for World Indoor Championships in Poland in March

Athletics Ireland has just announced the Irish team that will travel to Sopot in Poland for the IAAF World Indoor Track and Field Championships from the 7th to the 9th of March 2014.

They are...
Amy Foster* 60m (City of Lisburn AC)
Mark English 800m (UCD A.C) 
Rose-Anne Galligan 800m (Newbridge A.C) 
Ciara Everard 800m (UCD A.C)
David McCarthy 1500m (West Waterford A.C) 
Claire Tarplee 1500m (DSD A.C)

* Amy Foster has decided not to compete at the World Indoor Championships in order to focus on the Commonwealth Games.

Last race in the MMRA Trail Series is on next Sunday 2nd March in SE Clare...

The fourth and final race in the Munster Mountain Running Spring Trail Series takes place next Sunday the 2nd of March. The 5 km race takes place in an area known locally as the 12 O'Clock Hills and is situated roughly halfway between Sixmilebridge and Broadford.

More info about the final race can be seen on the Running in Munster website.

Irish results from the indoor athletics meet in Prague...Tues 25th Feb 2014

Three Irish athletes were in action at an athletics indoor meeting in the Czech capital Prague on Tuesday evening the 25th of February 2014. Both Ciara Everard and Rose-Ann Galligan were within two seconds of the Irish indoor record of 2:02.54. In the mens 300m, David McCarthy of West Waterford AC finished in 7:54.39, about three seconds away from his personal best of 7:51.24.

Women 800m
1    Jennifer Meadows    810417    Great Britain    MR2:01.67       
2    Lenka Masná    850422    Czech Republic    2:01.83       
3    Yekaterina Poistogova    910301    Russia    2:02.98       
4    Ciara Everard    900710    Ireland    SB2:04.02       
5    Irina Maracheva    840929    Russia    2:04.08       
6    Yevgeniya Zinurova    821216    Russia    2:04.11       
7    Rose-Anne Galligan    871209    Ireland    2:04.12       
8    Anastasiya Tkachuk    930420    Ukraine    2:05.15       
9    Fabienne Kohlmann    891106    Germany    2:06.28       
10    Edao Dureti    965408    Ethiopia    2:06.87       

Men 3000m
1    Koech Paul Kipsiele    811110    Kenya    MR07:47.20       
2    Yegor Nikolayev    880212    Russia    SB07:49.99       
3    Yitayal Atnafu    930120    Ethiopia    SB07:52.41       
4    Debeli Gezmu    960414    Ethiopia    PB07:53.04       
5    Jakub Holuša    880220    Czech Republic    PB07:53.21       
6    David McCarthy    880803    Ireland    SB07:54.39       
7    Mitko Tsenov    930613    Bulgaria    08:00.80       
Volodymyr Kyts    870115    Ukraine    DQ163.3a   

The best performance of the meeting was probably that of Russian Ivan Ukhov who set a new European indoor record of 2.42 metres in the high jump...

Results of the MMRA Kilworth Woods Trail Race...Sun 23rd Feb 2014

A total of 68 runners took part in the MMRA trail race in Kilworth Woods last Sunday. As you can from the photo, there was a nice 'water feature' included ;o)

1 24.31 Noel Berkeley
2 24.50 Tom Blackburn
4 25.42 Denis Finn
3 25.02 Sarah McCormack 1st Ladies
23 29.38 Carol Finn
31 30.41 Laura Schwirz 

The full results can be seen HERE

New race coming up in Rathmore, Kerry next Saturday 1st March 2014

This might be of interest to anyone in Kerry, West Limerick and NW Cork.

There is a new 4 mile race in Rathmore Co.Kerry is being organised by Gneeveguilla Athletic Club and proceeds go towards Kerry Lifeline and Killarney Search and Rescue.

The course has been accurately measured by Jones Counter and has an Athletics Ireland licence.

Preview...A full preview of the course with maps, directions and photos can be seen HERE

Laura Crowe & Mark Hanrahan in track races in New Zealand

Over the weekend, both Laura Crowe of An Riocht AC and Mark Hanrahan from Leevale AC were in action at the International Track Meet in Christchurch, New Zealand.

2014 International  Track Meeting - 22/02/2014  Rawhiti Domain & Christs College Upper Field         
Women 800 Metre Run                                                    
  1 Angela Smit               SR CANU                   2:07.52
  2 Laura Crowe                  Ireland                2:08.23
  3 Nikki Hamblin                Auckland               2:09.47
  4 Ariana Harper                Wellington             2:15.42
  5 Flora Brocherie           SR CANU                   2:16.64
  6 Pippa Trevella            19 CANU                   2:17.39

2014 International  Track Meeting - 22/02/2014  Rawhiti Domain & Christs College Upper Field         
Men 3000 Metre Run NZ Champs                                                 
  1 Ben St Lawrence              Australia              8:03.02
  2 Mark Hanrahan                Ireland                8:20.77
  3 Daniel Balchin            SR NBOL                   8:22.19
  4 Callan Moody              SR NBOL                   8:30.00
  5 Hamish Carson                Wellington             8:32.47
  6 Jonathan Jackson             Auckland               8:34.51
  7 Matt Harris                  Wellington             8:37.50
  8 Evan Cooper                  Wellington             8:38.22
  9 Rowan Hooper                 Wellington             8:43.83
 10 Craig Eustace             40 Christchurch Avon      8:49.72
 11 Stephen Lett                 Auckland               8:51.14
 12 Ben Musson                19 Papanui Toc H          8:52.71
 13 Tony Payne                   Auckland               8:54.88
 14 Cameron Avery             17 Christchurch Avon      9:07.91
 15 Dallas Wichman            SR Sumner                 9:13.37
 16 Alexander Gorrie          SR CANU                   9:16.39

Strangely enough, it seems as if all the races were held on a grass track. I presume the softer surface might make times a little bit slower??

Results of the Ballygiblin 5 km road race...Sun 23rd Feb 2014

The inaugural Ballygiblin 5 km road race held near Mitchelstown in NE Cork on Sunday the 23rd of February 2014. Organised by Galtee Runners AC, it attracted an impressive field of 195 runners.

1 16:36 HANRAHAN, Peter Togher AC M 05:20.5
2 16:44 RYAN, David Clonmel AC M40 05:23.0
3 16:53 COLLINS, John Skibbereen AC M 05:25.9
12 18:45 MORAN, Aisling Leevale AC F 06:02.0
21 19:37 O'CALLAGHAN, Grainne unatt/Glenroe F 06:18.7
23 19:53 MORAN, Aine Leevale AC F 06:23.9 

The full results can be found HERE

Sean Tobin of Clonmel AC breaks 4 min mile

This piece of news was from last weekend, the 16th of February 2014. Sean Tobin of Clonmel AC became the 39th Irishman to break the 4 minute barrier for the mile. Competing at the Husky Classic in Seattle Washington for the University of Mississippi, Sean Tobin won section 4 of the mile in a time of 3:59.91.

Section  4 
  1 Tobin, Sean                  Mississippi            3:59.91 
  2 Poland, Ryan                 Portland               4:01.28 
  3 Greenwald, Jeremy            Georgia Tech           4:01.90 
  4 Clowes, Matthew              Concordia (O           4:03.78 
  5 Carr, Curtis                 BYU                    4:04.28 
  6 Warren, Trent                Unattached             4:04.43 
  7 Winn, Daniel                 Oregon                 4:04.44 
  8 Willyard, Brett              Oregon                 4:05.81 
  9 Tate, Mike                   Southern Uta           4:05.87 
 10 Perry, David                 Portland               4:05.97 
 11 Locklear, Jordan             California             4:06.27 
 12 Fauble, Scott                Portland               4:07.54 
 13 Fuller, Travis               BYU                    4:07.93 
 14 Bolin, Dominic               Unattached             4:11.72 
 15 Soucy, Drew                  Unattached             4:12.18  

Post race interview here (note that it's followed by an 11 minute advert. Press pause after the interview)

This is the race video. Sean runs behind the pace setter for the first two laps and goes through the half-way point in about 2:01. He then has to do an almost solo run to finish under 4 minutes. Impressive running.

Irish athlete Paul Robinson breaks 4 minute mile again

Paul Robinson of St.Coca's AC was in action in Australia on Saturday the 22nd of February at the 2014 Perth Track Classic at the Western Australia Athletics Centre.                      

1 Mile Run Herb Elliott Men
  1 James Magut KEN 3:53.73M  1500M 3:38.4h
  2 Collis Birmingham VIC 3:54.92M  1500M 3:38.7h
  3 Paul Robinson IRL 3:59.56   1500M 3:41.4h
  4 Marc See 89 WA 4:08.92   1500M 3:52.1h
  5 Scott Tamblin 79 WA 4:11.92   1500M 3:54.6h
  6 Christopher Dale 91 WA 4:13.32   1500M 3:55.2h
  7 Brandon Hargreaves WA 4:14.85   1500M 3:57.0h
  8 John Newcomb WA 4:19.15   1500M 3:59.3h

His personal best for the mile is 3:56.18 which was set in Cork in July of 2013.

Results of the Midleton Indoor Marathon...Sat 22nd Feb 2014

This indoor marathon in Midleton was the very first of it's kind in Ireland. 22 ran the full marathon, 13 walked it while the bulk of the runners were made up by the 12 relay teams.

Proceeds from this event went towards East Cork Rapid Response.

The results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery HERE

5k race in Killarney...Sat 22nd Feb 2014

The third and final race in the Killarney Spring 5k series organised by Gneeveguilla AC takes place in Killarney on Saturday the 22nd of February at 11am.

More details in this post.

Entry list for the Mallow 10 mile road race...

The Mallow 10 mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 23rd of March. There was an entry limit of 1200 with this race and that limit was reached at the end of January.

The organisers Mallow AC have now compiled a list of entrants in alphabetical order and you can view it HERE

If anyone has any questions about the entries then they should contact Paudie Birmingham of Mallow AC by e-mail...  padraicbirmingham AT gmail DOT com

The psychology of failing better in sport - with Sonia O'Sullivan....

Event notice...County Novice & Masters Road Championships - Sun 2nd March 2014

On Sunday the 2nd of March, Midleton Athletic Club are hosting the County Novice and Masters Road Championships.  This is a 4 mile race which will be held over part of their own popular 5 mile race route. 

There will be two races on the day...one at 1:30pm for women and one at 1:50pm-2pm for men.

Entries are open only to club athletes and can only be taken in advance of the race. If you are a member of a club and are interested in running then you should contact your own club asap.

Race headquarters on the day will be at the Midleton Park Hotel and there will be light refreshments there after the races. There is plenty of parking available there and in the shopping centre across the road. The start line is about 1.2 miles from the hotel.

The masters teams are over 35 and over 50 for men, over 35 and over 45 for women.  The novice competition is open to anyone who has not won an individual novice medal at a road championships.

If you haven't done the Midleton 5 mile race before then look at this preview of the route. Just remember, race HQ is at the hotel and the start is at the 1 mile mark for the Midleton 5 race.

Women outnumber men at Tralee 10 mile race...

In most road races for the last 20 years or so, the number of men has always outnumbered the number of women. In the past, it wasn't unusual to find that women may have made up something like 20% of the field. In the last few years, the number of women out running has really taken off and they often make up 50% of the field in short races like the 5k.

Over the longer distances like 10 miles, the majority of the field is still comprised mainly of men. This however is changing as well as can be seen from this earlier post which shows how the number of women in the Dungarvan 10 mile race has increased in the last 5 years from 29% to 41%.

Last Saturday (15th Feb 2014), there was a new 10 mile race in Tralee Co.Kerry and for the first time that I can remember, women made up the majority. Out of the 622 runners that took part, 55.8% were women.

This might be partially explained by the groups set up in Tralee that are training for the various new races in the town. As with most Fit4Life training groups and the like, they do tend to attract more women than men.

Although the results don't show it, I'd suspect that there was probably a higher percentage of non-club runners in this event as well which might explain the lower male numbers. Whatever the reason, it's another sign that the number of women in races continues to grow.

The results of the Tralee 10 mile can be seen HERE

Event notice...Kilworth Woods trail race - Sun 23rd Feb 2014

The next race in the Munster Winter Trail League will take place on Sunday 23rd of February in Glensheskin Woods, perhaps better known as Kilworth Woods in NE Cork.

The race will be 6km on a fully marked trail and starts at 11am. Registration will take place between 10am and 10.45am. If who have yet to run an IMRA race this year, you should print and fill out the following membership form: https://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/IMRAMembershipForm2014.pdf

If you have run any of the IMRA races already this year, then bring that number with you as that is your number for the year. All runners must sign the race sheet at the start of every race.

There will have a junior race on offer on the day as well. This race will start at 10.30am and will be 2km in length. As usual, only juniors over the age of 10 years can run this race. Any juniors under the age of 10 can run the 'Kiddies Race' but must be accompanied by an adult. This run will be the same as the Junior Race.

Refreshments will be available nearby afterwards in the Corbett Court Hotel which is on the old Dublin road.

Kilworth Woods 11am start
Reg : 10am to 10:45am
U10s kids race 2km 10:30am
Juniors race 2km 10:30am

Maps and directions can be seen at http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/03/misc006.html

Eagle AC present €650 to local charities in Carrigaline

From Eagle AC...One of the features of the Carrigaline 5 mile road race every year is that a percentage of the entry fee should go towards organisations in the community where the event is held. With just over 300 people taking part in the race last Sunday, a total of €650 was raised...€325 going to Foróige, a local youth club and €325 going to Carrigaline Meals on Wheels.

Rob Patterson of the Edge Sports presenting the cheques to Bobbie Lambe of Carrigaline Meals on Wheels and (R) Deirdre Nagle of Foróige

Results of Day 2 of the Clonakilty Back to Back Marathon...Sun 16th Feb 2014

A total of 160 runners took part in the second marathon on Sunday the 16th of February, a jump of about 32% on the numbers for the second day last year.

1  Andrzej FIEDOREK  M 3:07:02
2 Killian DEASY  M 3:23:39
3 Michael CLANCY  M 3:23:41
8 Caroline KELLY  F 3:37:17
16 Col CONWAY  F  3:45:29
17 Gillian CORDNER F 3:45:51

The results for day two can be seen HERE

(The results for day 1 are HERE)

An impressive 123 people completed marathons on the two days. Results HERE

Photos...
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE
2) The organisers have some photos HERE

Video...
Some nice video here of the 'water feature' on the course ;o)

RTE coverage of the National Senior Indoor Championships...

The Irish National Senior Indoor Championships were held in Athlone over the weekend of Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th of February.

The highlights can be seen on the RTE Player service HERE until the end of the month.

Amy Foster #40 finishing just ahead of Phil Healy of Bandon AC in the womens 60m final. Photo:Athletics Ireland

Viewing guide...
3:00...Womens 400m final
Hightlights...7:46 Mens 3000m walk, 8:05 Womens 3000m walk, 8:29 Womens Shot Put, 8:41 Mens Pole Vault, 9:06 Womens Long Jump, 9:18 Womens 3000m, 9:58 Mens 3000m.
11:30...Mens 400m
20:00...Womens 60m final...The thing to note here is the qualifying time of 7.32 seconds for the World Indoor Championships in Poland next month. Amy Foster wins the title in a personal best time of 7.32 seconds. Phil Healy of Bandon AC takes the silver with 7.37 seconds, just one one-hundredth of a second outside her personal best of 7.36.
25:40...Womens 1500m.
28:30...Mens 60m.
34:00...Womens 60m hurdles....Sarah Lavin takes the title.
41:00...Mens 60m hurdles.
49:00...Womens 800m.
56:20...Mens 800m...
1:04:30...Mens 200m.
1:10:30...Womens 200m.
1:17:00...Mens 1500m....Dave McCarthy of West Waterford AC wins comfortably.

Haile Gebrselaisse to pace London Marathon in April...

The former marathon record holder Haile Gebrselaisse has just announced he will be pacing the London Marathon in April...."I am happy to announce that I will be pacing @LondonMarathon, what a honour to be part of such a world class field"

Results & Photos of the Kilworth Charity 5k fun run/walk...Sun 16th Feb 2014

This 5 km charity fun run/walk was held in Kilworth on Sunday the 16th of February with the aim of raising funds for the education of children with special needs.

Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE

Here is a statement from Tom Flynn, the chairperson of Fermoy Action Children's Education...

On behalf of the F.A.C.E. Committee I would like to thank the following people first of all to all the people who turned out yesterday Sunday 16th Feb to support Fermoy Macra Na Feirme Fundraiser in aid of ourselves F.A.C.E (Fermoy Action Children's Education) to all the runners, walkers we would like to thank you most sincerely for your loyal support. A great day had by all and the weather wasn't too bad either. I would like to also acknowledge and thank our sponsors:

Allan Cuthbert Financial Wellbeing Glanmire Co Cork who sponsored the 1st prize of a €50 voucher for Fittstop Fermoy for the 1st male and 1st female home the winners were: 1st Male Home: Alan Carr (Conna Co Cork), 1st Lady Home: Joan Ennis (Grange/Fermoy Athletic Club)
Richie Flynn Avondhu Bar Fermoy Co Cork who sponsored the 2nd prize of a Crystal Vase for the 2nd male and 2nd female home the winners were: 2nd Male Home: Kevin Hayes (Club unknown) 2nd Lady Home: Catherine O Sullivan (Galtee Runners Mitchelstown)
Mike Walsh of Walsh's Pharmacy Fermoy Co Cork who sponsored a cup for the 3rd Male and 3rd Female home the winners were: 3rd Male Home: Brendan Flanagan (Mallow A/C), 3rd Lady Home: Claire Murphy (Mallow A/C)

We would like to thank the sponsors who contributed towards our medals: Noel Barnes (Barnes Jewellers Fermoy) Fiona Holden ( E.F.T. Ireland Midleton Co Cork) Jennifer Dennehy (Stepping Ahead Clinic Cork) Chris & Susan O Donoghue (Glocca Maura Inn Mitchelstown) without your help it would not be possible thank you most sincerely to all our sponsors.

We would just like to thank and acknowledge Irish Union Veterans Association post 25 for their kind donation towards our fun run in reference to Pj O Leary.
Public address and Dj thank you to our F.A.C.E volunteer Dj Timmy Raz.
Jim Mc Carthy of Mc Carthys Bar Square Kilworth for use of his facilities and electricity power on the day.
Maureen O Brien and members of the Order of Malta Rathcormac.
Garda Denis Motherway & Chief Superintendent & Permit officer in Fermoy Garda Station.
Congratulations to our raffle winners in the Avondhu Bar Fermoy after the Fun Run/Walk
1st Prize A Meal for 2 Kindly sponsored by Silver Springs Moran Hotel Tivoli Cork
Winner Seamus O Connor Cork.
2nd Prize FM21 Hamper kindly sponsored by Mary Fragrance and Fermoy Fragrance Scentre.
Winner Podge Hanlan c/o Fermoy Macra
3rd Prize a €25 FITTstop Personal Training voucher kindly sponsored by Sylvia Flynn & Valerie Mc Cormack Fittstop.
Winner Coleen Whelan Mitchelstown.
4th Prize 2 framed pictures kindly sponsored by Carole Bradley Mitchelstown.
Winner Annette Cahil Fermoy.
5th Prize a Canvas kindly sponsored by Carole Bradley Mitchelstown.
Winner Daniel O Sullivan Rathcormac.
6th Prize Picture kindly sponsored by Carole Bradley Mitchelstown.
Winner Patsy Flood Fermoy.

We would like to thank Mike Moorehouse of Mike's Tyre Centre Church Hill Fermoy for use of his van for the public address system.
We would like to thank John Ahern Photographer Avondhu Press Mitchelstown/Fermoy and John Hennessy Photographer representing the Evening Echo.
John Desmond of Running in Cork Blog for advertising our fun run/walk on his blog and Kieran Minihane for pictures on the day.
We would like to thank Fermoy Macra Tom Ahern, Pa Cotter, Claire, Podge, James and all the fellow members of Fermoy Macra for a excellent job in organising the fundraiser, stewarding duties and over-seeing operations on the day and for their dedicated time and effort they have put in over the last number of weeks we are in dept to you all for your hard work of the last numbers of weeks especially to Tom Ahern, Pa Cotter and Claire who have worked extremely hard to get this up and running. I would like to also include our own committee member who worked hard on it as well over the last number of weeks, especially Mag Flynn, Natasha Flynn for all their work on the administration side and there was a lot of work involved, Committee members Mariska Smit, Pat Canning, Des White, Darragh Wiley F.A.C.E member and Mallow A/C for all his help and advice over the last number of weeks.
Finally I would like to thank and say well done to the children & the children of F.A.C.E who completed the walk yesterday and all the people who brought back sponsor cards.
Just a quick mention in regards to

The Galtee Runners AC who are hosting a 5k in Ballygiblin Sunday Feb 23rd at 11am Enquires to Johnny O Sullivan at galteerunners26@gmail.com we would like to wish them all the best and thank them for their support yesterday.
Apologies if we omitted anyone here.
Yours sincerely
Tom Flynn
Chairperson FACE

Florence Kiplagat from Kenya sets new world record for the half-marathon

At the Barcelona Half-Marathon last Sunday (16th Feb 2014), Florence Kiplagat from Kenyan set new world record when she won the race in a time of 65:12. The previous record of 65:50 was set by compatriot Mary Keitany in February 2011. Kiplagat's fastest time over the distance before Sunday was 66:38.

In a post race interview, she said..."This is a not a day I will forget, I'm so happy. The circuit was very fast and I really want to thank my pace makers, Marc Roig and Stanley Siroro, they did a great job. I felt so well from the beginning and the weather was perfect, so I had the feeling that this could be a special day."

These are now the top 6 fastest times for women in the half-marathon...
65:12  Florence Kiplagat   Kenya February 16th 2014 Barcelona
65:50  Mary Keitany     Kenya February 18, 2011    Ras al-Khaimah
66:25  Lornah Kiplagat     Netherlands October 14, 2007    Udine
65:40  Paula Radcliffe     United Kingdom September 21, 2003 South Shields
65:44  Susan Chepkemei     Kenya    April 1, 2001 Lisbon
66:44  Elana Meyer     South Africa January 15, 1999 Tokyo

Results of the Carrigaline 5 mile road race...Sun 16th Feb 2014

Despite the forecast for fine weather, it seems as if the weather front arrived a few hours early on Sunday. After a damp morning, it cleared up later and was dry for most of the race.

SHEEHAN, Colm    Leevale AC 0:25:37
MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC 0:26:15
MERRIT, Colin    Carraig na bhFear AC    M40 0:26:18
DRUMM, Orla    Crusaders AC 0:28:44
WALSH, Niamh    Leevale AC 0:32:16
O'NEILL, Nollaig    Leevale AC F40 0:32:24

The results can be seen HERE

First woman home Orla Drumm of Crusaders AC with Rob Patterson of the Edge Sports Shop

Photos...(Updated 11:30am 18th Feb)
1) There is a gallery of 72 photos HERE
2) Aoife Costello has a gallery HERE
3) Derek Costello has a gallery HERE
4) As always, Kieran Minihane has some great photos HERE
5) Eagle AC have two galleries of photos...Finish line HERE and presentation of prizes HERE 

Voucher........If you ran in Carrigaline then you should have got discount voucher for The Edge Sports store. If you go to this old post, you will see the location of their Superstore near the Kinsale Road roundabout. They also have a smaller shop in the North Main Street in Cork City.

Rob Heffernan finishes second in the elite mile walking race in the USA

Rob Heffernan was in action this evening at a mile race at the Millrose Games in New York. 

SUSAN RUDIN MEN'S USATF13 CHAMPIONSHIP MILE WALK (ELITE)
FINAL
PL    Athlete    Team    Final
1    Gustafsson, Andreas    GK Steget-Sweden    5:34.45
2    Heffernan, Robert    Togher AC Cork Ireland    5:39.75
3    Hallman, Jonathan    Shore Athletic Club    6:07.32
4    Adamowicz, Marek    C.A.R.S.    6:25.96
5    Pfahler, Joel    Miami Valley TC    6:40.96
6    Luettchau, Richard    Shore Athletic Club    6:42.61

Video...(Update 18th Feb)
Note that the audio is VERY low.

Results of Day 1 of the Clonakilty Back to Back Marathon...Sat 15th Feb 2014

 

An impressive 177 runners turned out on Saturday the 15th of February for day one of the Clonakilty Back to Back Marathons. As you can see from this marathon comparison I did back in January, this is up almost 19% on the numbers for 2013 on the same day.

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...(Updated 18th Feb)
1) The organisers have hundreds of photos HERE

Water feature on the course...

Renaud Lavillenie from France breaks 20 year old pole vault world record

It's not every day you get to see someone break a world record that has stood for 20 year.

At an athletics meeting in Donetsk, Ukraine, the Frech pole vaulter and Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie cleared a height of 6.16 metres. The previous record of 6.14 metres was held by Sergey Bubka back in 1993.


Lavillenie cleared the height on his first attempt.

Weather forecast & events this weekend...Sat 15th & Sun 16th Feb 2014

With the Jet Stream in the upper atmosphere dragging a long succession of low pressure systems across the Atlantic, there seems to be no immediate end in sight to the bad weather. No sooner has one storm hit when the next one arrives a few days later.

There should be a slight respite over this weekend as the one on Friday clears and the next one arrives on Sunday afternoon.

Sat 15th Feb 2014...At the low pressure moves away to the north-east of the UK, there will be strong and cold airflow down over Ireland. It is likely to feel very cold as the air originates in the arctic region and there are likely to be scattered showers. Hopefully on the south coast, the intensity of the showers may have reduced by the time they reach this far.

In Clonakilty, there are two events.
It's Day 1 of the Clonakilty Back to Back Marathon and if you're doing that, wrap up well! More details on that event with a course preview HERE.
It's also the third week of the new Clonakilty 5 km Park Run. More info HERE
Note that there is also a Park Run in Macroom.

Sun 16th Feb 2014...Sunday morning looks as if it might be the nicest part of the weekend. As you can see from the chart above, there is another low pressure system out in the Atlantic but it shouldn't arrive until the afternoon. The morning will probably be cold but dry.

In Clonakilty, they have the second day of the Back to Back Marathons and it's look much better for the second one although it will still be cold.

In Carrigaline to the south of the Cork City, there is a 5 mile road race organised by Eagle AC. Someone asked the question if this race was suitable for everyone? Last year, the last person ran at roughly 10m 30s per mile pace so it's open to everyone...from anyone doing a slow pace to those at the front end. More info about the race HERE.

For anyone in NE Cork, there is a charity 5k fun run/walk in Kilworth at 2pm. Proceeds from that event go towards a charity that deals with education for children with special needs. More details on that event HERE

Athletics Ireland announce 2014 grants for Irish athletes...

Athletics Ireland has just released a list of athletes who qualify for grants from the Irish Sports Council for 2014. The criteria is based on..."their performances at major championships and their ability to deliver medal opportunities in the future".

The selected athletes are...
Robert Heffernan Podium (€40k)...(2013 = €40k, 2012 = €40k).
Fionnuala Britton World Class (€20k)....(2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k)
Ciarán Ó Lionáird International (€12K)...(2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k).
Derval O’Rourke International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €40k).
Jessie Barr International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0).
Brian Gregan International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).
Laura Reynolds International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).
Brendan Boyce International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €12k)
Mark English International (€12K)...(2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).
Paul Robinson International (€12K)...(2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).
Rose-Anne Galligan International (€12K)...(2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).

Those who got grants in 2013 and will get nothing in 2014 are...Tori Pena (Pole Vault), Linda Byrne (Marathon & Cross Country), Mark Kenneally (Marathon), Ava Hutchinson (Marathon & Cross Country) and Caitriona Jennings (Marathon).

In 2013, one person got €40k, three got €20k and ten got €12k.
In 2014, it's one €40k, one €20k and nine €12k.

Considering that Rob Heffernan is the current 50km race walking world champion, he was always guaranteed to get the maximum amount. Fionnuala Britton won the European Cross Country Championhips in 2011 and 2012 as well as finishing 3rd in the European Indoor 3000m in Sweden last year. She also has a very good chance of getting a podium finish at the next European Cross in December.

Two athletes who may feel particularly hard done by are Ciarán Ó Lionáird and Derval O'Rourke. Ciarán won a bronze medal in the 3000m at the European Indoor Championships last March. Derval finished 4th in the 60m hurdles at the same championships and may potentially be moved up to bronze as the Turkish athlete Nevin Yanit tested positve for taking banned substances later in the year.

While the European Indoors may not be 'world class', it is still a major championships. Winning a medal there is a pretty major achievement for any athlete. In fairness to some of the others getting the €12k grant, several of them are unlikely to ever get to a standard of a European podium finish and it just seems unfair to have Ó Lionáird and O'Rourke at the same level. Surely any athlete that gets a podium finish at any major athletics championships should expect to get at least the higher grant of €20k the following year?

This is from Ciarán Ó Lionáird's Twitter account...
"You wonder why kids in Ireland don't want to do athletics? Medal and you're cut. What does that tell young dreamers? Terrible message."
"Despite a Euro Indoor medal and fastest indoor 1500 in Europe in 2013, I've been cut by 40pc in @irishathletics funding. No words really."

2014 Grants for Irish Paralympic athletes
Podium (€40,000) – Michael McKillop, Jason Smyth, Orla Barry
International (€12,000) – Catherine O’Neill, Heather Jameson, Deirdre Mongon, Nadine Lattimore, John McCarthy.

Previous posts...
2013 grants
2012 grants
2011 grants

Club Profile...Clonakilty Road Runners Athletic Club

Clonakilty Road Runners AC were formed back in 2011 and are one of the newest clubs in Co.Cork. As of the end of 2013,  the club had over 70 adult members and are currently starting to build their base of juvenile athletes.

They cater for a wide variety of levels from experienced runners who want to improve their races times to beginners just starting out.

They have a number of training sessions such as hill repeats, interval training and long runs at the weekend.

Membership for the year is as follows...Family Membership (2 adults & 2 children) - €80,  Adult Membership - €40 and Child Membership - €15.

For more information on Clonakilty Road Runners, visit their website at http://www.clonakiltyrrac.com/index.html

They also have a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ClonRRAC

Reminder...Carrigaline 5 mile road race - Sun 16th Feb 2014

The big race this weekend in Cork is of course the Carrigaline 5 mile road race on Sunday, 16th of Feb at 11am. Located just to the south of Cork City, it should be within easy reach for a lot of people. Coming just 3 weeks before the Ballycotton '10' on the 9th of March, it is ideally placed to test your fitness level to see what it's like. The race is organised by Eagle AC...my own club...HINT HINT ;o)

The town of Carrigaline is only five miles south of the South Ring Road.

Coming just 3 weeks before the Ballycotton 10, it is also an ideal test if you know what kind of pace you should run the 10 miles in. To get your best 10 mile time, you should run at a steady even pace or close to it. Run too fast in the first half and your second half will be much slower. Your fitness will change very little in 3 weeks so whatever time you get in Carrigaline on Sunday should give a good idea of your 10 mile form...assuming you have done the training to run 10 miles ;o)

To estimate your 10 mile time from your 5 mile result, have a look at this chart HERE.

Entries......The entry fee for 2014 is €10. Two Euro of this will be donated to local charities. It also includes a 20% off voucher for running items and nutrition products in the Edge Sports Shop.

You can enter on the day in the local community hall in Carrigaline between 9:30am and 10:40am. There will also be a special entry desk for those who pre-enter and want to avoid the queues on the day.

Pre-Entry...You can pre-enter here until 12 noon on Friday...https://endurancecui.active.com/event-reg/select-race?e=6762253


Changing and showers for ladies upstairs, changing only for gents in main hall.

Race Sponsor......One of the main sponsors for the race is The Edge Sports Shop. They will be giving out 20% discount vouchers to all race entrants. Obviously the amount saved at the time of purchase may well exceed the cost of the race entry so it makes sense to get your hands on one. For example, if you spend €50 with the discount voucher, you save €10...the race entry fee.

From the sponsor.....The Edge Sports shop Specialises in Running, Cycling, Swimming and Triathlon. All sales staff participate in at least one but generally two or more of the sports and are able to give excellent advise to customers. The Superstore boasts a large Running Department and Swimming Department on the 1st floor; with stacks of bikes, clothing, accessories and electronics on the ground floor. Video Running Gait Analysis is available on demand at both shops to help customers select the best shoe for their running needs.

They have two shops in Cork City. One on the North Main Street in the city centre and a much larger superstore out by the Kinsale Road Roundabout. If you look at the preview for the Tramore Vally 5k race back in 2011, you'll find a map showing the exact location.

The Course...A full preview of the full course with photos is available at http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/01/cork001.html

1972 Olympic mens 800m final

Munich Olympics, Germany 1972. The mens 800m final. Watch the guy with the white hat...

Results of the MMRA Corrin Hill Trail Race...Sun 9th Feb 2014

This trail race in Corrin Hill Woods near Fermoy and organised by the Munster Mountain Running Association attracted a field of 62 runners.

Report from the MMRA...Despite the bad weather of late, the 64 runners who took to Corrin Hill yesterday were greated with ideal running conditions. The course route was just under 5km in length, taking in 200m of climb. The route started with a steep uphill section up to the cross, where runners were rewarded with a long downhill section along a forest road before entering the forest on trails at the foot of the hill. Unfortunately for these racers, what goes down must come up, with a long drag up to the finish, those familiar with the route were able to factor this into their race tactics!

The short distance and long downhill sections lead to some very impressive times. The top three spots were divided by just 15 seconds. Noel Berkeley held on to take the honours in this race, with Mike Curley Cunningham hot on his heels. Sarah McCormack entered the finishing straight just seconds behind Curley, rounding off the top 3 and taking the women's honours at the same time. Kealan O'Connor took third spot in the men's battle. Carol Finn and Laura Schwirz rounded off the women's leader board in second and third place respectively.

In the juniors race, Joe Bosonnet and Tiernan Morrissey had to fight hard against one another over the 2km course, resulting in the closest finish of the day. Joe just pipped Tiernan at the post, with only 1 second separating the two warriers.

1 18.00 Noel Berkeley M40
2 18.05 Mike Curley Cunningham M40
4 18.55 Kealan O'Connor M40
3 18.15 Sarah McCormack F 1st Place Ladies
18 21.12 Carol Finn F 2nd place Ladies
25 22.05 Laura Schwirz F 3rd place ladies

The full results can be seen HERE

Sarah Lavin from Limerick finishes 3rd at British Indoor Champs

Sarah Lavin of Emerald AC / UCD AC finished 3rd in the womens 60m hurdles at the British Athletics Indoor championships in Sheffield on Sunday, February 9th.

Sarah's time of 8.25 seconds was also a personal best and it now moves her from 3rd to 2nd in the Irish all time standings. The chart below shows the relative times of the top 10 fastest. As you can see, there is a small incremental step between each of the times but Derval O'Rourke's time of 7.84 seconds is in a completely different league altogether. This was set in Moscow in 2006 when she won the World Indoor Championship title aged 24.

It's worth noting that Sarah Lavin is still only 19 years old and has a bright future in athletics. The fundraising page for her athletics career can be seen at http://www.ntrai.com/index.cfm/crowd-funding-projects/sarah-lavin/

Update...race video.
Day 2 of the British Athletics Indoor Championships. Note that this is four and a half hours long. However, you can click forward to the relevant spots.
In the womens 60m hurdles, there were 3 semi-finals with Sarah Lavin in the 3rd one...1:08...1:16...1:23 
The final is at 4:01.

Results of the Mealagh Valley 10 mile road race...Sun 9th Feb 2014

The annual Mealagh Valley 10 mile road race near Bantry in West Cork was held on Sunday the 9th of February.

Place Time Name Team Race Age Category min/mile
1 0:54:12 O'SHEA, Alan Bantry AC M 05:25.1
2 1:00:19 MARSHALL, Con St. Finbarrs AC M 06:01.8
3 1:03:05 LAFFAN, Tom Bandon AC M45 06:18.4
25 1:14:46 REGAN, Maura Eagle AC F35 07:28.5
27 1:16:00 HARRINGTON, Deirdre West Muskerry AC F40 07:35.9
32 1:17:22 CONWAY, Col unatt/Cork F40 07:44.1

The full results can be seen HERE

Updated...Reace report from Bantry AC...
Another great day with Bantry AthleticClub and the Mealagh Valley Community
Fantastic day today in the Mealagh - great buzz, great competition and great grub  Well done to all involved - both organisers and participants.As usual we got lucky with the weather and had some lovely sunshine after a bitter start to the day. We were delighted to welcome all those who travelled to compete in what has been described as the toughest 10 miler in the country but of course we are especially proud of our home winner Alan O'Shea, Bantry AC. It was great to see all the young people from Coláiste Pobal Bheanntraí out and active, remembering their friend Rachel along with the footballers from St Colums taking on a very tough cross valley 5k. The treasure hunt was a big hit with the u12s. It appears that between the three events, the catering, stewarding and general supporting almost everyone from the Mealagh took part today.What a great community. Go raibh fada buan sibh!

Rose Uí Shúilleabháin

Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA Janssen 4 mile race - Sun 9th Feb 2014

1 Tim O'Donoghue M1 20:08 EMC
2 John Meade M2 20:36 Joyce Wolfe Physio
3 Michael Harty M3 20:39 Joyce Wolfe Physio
18 Orla Drumm F1 22:55 UCC F-A-1
30 Carmel Crowley 0/45J F2 23:56 Stockhealth
49 Niamh Walsh F3 25:06 Dept of Ed

The full results can be seen HERE

1) Doug Minihane has a gallery HERE
2) Kieran Minihane has a gallery HERE

Event notice...Ballygiblin 5km road race - Sun 23rd Feb 2014

The Ballygiblin 5 km road race is a brand new event on the calendar for 2014. Located about 5 kms to the east of Mitchelstown in NE Cork, it promises to be a very flat and fast course.

The town land of Ballygiblin is close to the M8 motorway so this race should be within reach of a lot of runners. The course has also been accurately measured by Jones Counter and is being organised by Galtee Runners AC.

Preview....A full course preview with directions, maps, photos, etc can be seen HERE

Phil Healy of Bandon AC sets new Irish 60m indoor U23 record

The Irish University Athletics Indoor Championships were held in the AIT International Arena, Athlone on Friday, 7th of February. In the womens 60m, Phil Healy of Bandon AC and representing UCC won the race in a time of 7.36 seconds. This was a new Irish U23 record breaking the old mark of 7.37 held by Ailis McSweeney of Leevale AC. This time also moves Phil to equal 5th place on the Irish senior all time lists over 60m.

Looking back at the Spring of 2013, Phil Healy's personal best was 7.58 seconds and she was 19th fastest on the Irish all time list. Back in early January of this year, she ran 7.46 seconds and moved up into 10th fastest. In mid-January, she ran 7.43 seconds in Cardiff and moved up to joint 7th. This latest time of 7.36 now moves her up into joint 5th. As you can see from the times, improvements in such a short race are often measured in a few one-hundreds of a second.


The current Irish indoor 60m record is 7.30 seconds which was set by Anna Boyle in 2007. It's worth pointing out that the four women faster than Phil Healy ran their times when they were aged 23-28. Phil Healy is still only 19 years old.

The full results of the IUAA Indoor Championships can be seen HERE

Reminder...Mealagh Valley 10 mile road race & 5k fun run - Sun 9th Feb 2014

Just a reminder that this 10 mile road race is coming up near Bantry next Sunday.

Here is some info from Geraldine O'Sullivan of Bantry AC, one of the organisers of the race...
A 10 miler with a difference,challenging hilly course set in the beautiful Mealagh Valley in West Cork. Located a few miles outside of Bantry in a quiet scenic rural area. A place where old Irish hospitality still remains....a cead mile failte that has to be experienced to be believed.
A course not for the fainthearted....BUT once you've completed the ordeal and drawn your breath you may well decide to come back the following year to try to beat your time! Which seems to be the attraction of Mealagh Valley Ring .
Some fast downhills but then you have the uphills.....some are beasts ..but some nice flat sections in first half where you have lovely views across the valley...and into second half you are running opposite side which has ups and downs....described as a rollercoaster ride!!!
Running the Mealagh is not about personal best times but it's a really good challenge, surprises around every corner.
An experience worth trying once at least!
Renowned for it's post race gathering....a feast for all...banter and stories of the day.

More info on the event in this earlier post.

Irish international Mark English wins 800m in Sweden

At the indoor XL Galan games in Sweden on Thursday evening the 6th of February, the 800m Irish record holder Mark English won one of the two 800m races in a time of 1:47.69. Although it was the weaker of the two races, Mark's time came just days after he broke the Irish record by running 1:46.82 last weekend.

Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba breaks second world record in 5 days...

Just five days after breaking the world indoor 1500m record, Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba smashed the world indoor 3000m record at Stockholm’s XL Galan, an IAAF Indoor Permit meeting, with a stunning 8:16.60 run on Thursday (6th Feb). This was more than 7 seconds faster than the 8:23.72 mark set by Meseret Defar in 2007.

Wearable Technologies designed in Cork...

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last month, one of the big sectors making waves was wearable technology. More so that other years, there seemed to be a big increase in products monitoring peoples movements and activities.

One of those on show with an application in the fitness industry was from Grasp Wearable Technologies who are based at the UCC Tyndall Institute in Cork.

Here is their product video...

Results of the MMRA Curragh Woods trail race - Sun 2nd Feb 2014

This trail race in Curragh Woods near Midleton on the 2nd of February 2014 was organised by the Munster Mountain Running Association and was the second race of four in a spring series.  This rae attracted a good sized crowd of 72 runners.

Winners of the Curragh Woods trail race...Tom Blackburn of Mooreabbey Milers AC and Ide Kelleher of Mallow AC

1 24.07    Tom    Blackburn    <= first place
2 24.55    Noel    Berkeley    <= second place
3 25.02    Paul Deane    <= third place
24 29.06    Ide    Kelleher    1st Ladies
44 32.11    Maggie    Chojan    2nd Ladies
51 35.08    Jennifer Hayes    3rd Ladies

The full results can be seen HERE

The third race in the series is in Corrin Hill near Fermoy on Sunday the 9th of February. Details HERE

Photos...
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery HERE