Results of the Dan Byrne Memorial 5k race, Doneraile Park...Fri 30th May 2014

A large crowd of 470 runners turned out for this 5k trail race in Doneraile Park in North Cork. That's a slight increase of 2.4% on last years number and is all the more impressive when you consider the number of other races this week including a 5k race in East Cork the same evening.

1 16:40 O'CONNOR, Rory NORTH CORK AC MS  05:23
2 16:44 HOGAN, John MALLOW AC  M40 05:24
3 16:51 O'TUAMA, Killian LEEVALE AC M35 05:26
31 19:43 GILROY, Helen MIDLETON AC F45 06:22
35 19:51 KELLEHER, Ide MALLOW AC F40 06:24
39 20:04 MURPHY, Ciara COACHFORD FS 06:28

This was also the second race of six in the ongoing Ballyhoura Cork Series.

The full results can be seen HERE

Video....
1) Aerial view of the start of the race...

Finish line...

Results of the Kilcredan 5k road race...Fri 30th May 2014

A large crowd of 350 runners turned out for this 5k race in Kilcredan near Ballymacoda in East Cork.

From the organisers....We had another fabulous Kilcredan 5K tonight with some fabulous runners and now have a new course record in both male and female. Well done to James Mc Carthy our overall winner in a time of 15:09. The atmosphere was fantastic and the weather matched it. We would like to thank so many for making tonight such a success. Our runners and walkers, our stewards and caterers, our sponsors and land owners.we would like to thank FON for the availability of the sportsfield and hall. The K5K committee who have worked tirelessly for months in preparation for tonight, thank you all. We hope everyone enjoyed tonight and we are very grateful for your support. Thank you

1 James McCarthy East Cork  MS 15:09
2 Michael Harty East Cork  MS 15:13
3 Sean McGrath East Cork  MS 15:55
1 Niamh Roe St. Finbarr's FS 18:13
2 Karen Grant Middleton AC FS 18:37
3 Fiona Santry East Cork  FS 19:28

The full results can be seen HERE

5th leg of the Cork City Marathon

5th Leg of the 2014 Cork City Marathon Relay...

Course...Leg 5...So this is it...the 5th and final leg of the Cork City Marathon Relay and also the easiest at 4.5 miles. It starts at the relay changeover point at around 21.7 miles on the Model Farm Road. There is a very slight pull from here to the 22 mile mark by the County Library.

Mile 22......Carry on past the County Council Library on the left and then soon, you will begin the steep descent by the Tennis Village. Around the left bend, along the flat and onto Inchagaggin Bridge.

So you turn right just after the bridge and along a flat section until you join the Straight Road. You'll see the County Hall way off in the distance but not as far as in previous years. Soon, you'll come to the 23 mile mark.........(~mile 10 in the Half-Mara). An easy mile.

Mile 23......This is an easy mile. Dead flat. The county hall starts off in the distance but you are right alongside it at the 24 mile mark.....(~mile 11 in the Half-Mara)

This is where there was substantial flooding back in late 2009 when this area was under water. On the left is the Kingsley Hotel which was very badly effected.

Mile 24..........It starts near the County Hall and proceeds to Victoria Cross. A slight pull over the bridge and then left at the traffic lights and then right onto the Mardyke....past the sports ground.....past Fitgeralds Park....and at the end, you turn left onto the public walkway and on to the distinctive pedestrian bridge.

The 25 mile mark is here......A flat and easy mile. (The 12 mile mark for the Half-Marathon is on the other side of the bridge on the walkway)

Mile 25......Now you are onto a public walkway. Across the new Mardyke bridge and then a sharp right onto the riverside walkway. Here things can get a bit congested. Runners running 3 or 4 abreast can completely block your path. The whole area is wooded so it makes a change from the open roads. After a few hundred metres, you're back out on the North Mall and the wide public road again. Along the North Mall until you get to the junction with Shandon Bridge.

Be careful here. The should be a Garda and /or stewards here stopping traffic to let the runners cross. Just be warned....it's a dangerous junction. Now, onto Popes Quay with the Marathon runners re-tracing their steps of their 2nd mile.

On past St.Mary's church and down the quays to the 26 mile mark. A flat easy mile although a bit narrow in places.

Grand Finale...Starting on the 26 mile mark, you now have 352 metres to go to the finish....

This is the sight that everyone wants to see.....Patrick's Bridge.....the last bridge....with Patrick's Street with the finish line on the other side. It's about here that you begin to hear the noise coming from the finish.  You cross over the bridge and onto Patrick's Street with the crowds on both sides. It's about here that the Half-Marathon runners will pass their 13 mile mark. Up the main street and the finish is just around a slight bend.

That's it, all done. For Marathon runners, you've just completed 26.22 miles and a full marathon. Well done!!

That's it. All 5 stages. All 26.2 miles of the Cork City Marathon. If you've read through all 5 previews, you'll probably feel tired already ;o)

 Now, it's time to run it.

4th leg of the Cork City Marathon

This is the 4th stage of 5 and is 5.2 miles in length. Of the five, it is one of the hardest legs even though it isn't the longest. For Marathon runners, this stage starts at roughly 16.5 miles on Victoria Road.

Course...Leg 4.....Mile 16.5......Just after the Relay changeover point on Victoria Road, it's left onto the quays, past Carey's Tools and left again onto Albert Street. Now the road really opens out as you go past the next 2 bends, past Brownlows and onto the South Link Road. From here, there is a slight climb up to the next junction as shown below.

After running on the flat for so long, this will test the Marathon runners to see if they can maintain the pace. You hit the 17 mile mark around here....(Approx mile 4 for the Half-Mara runners). An easy mile with plenty of commotion in the middle!

Mile 17......Then it flattens out as you run out the link road. Again, there is another railway connection here as you are running along the route of the old Cork to Bandon railway line. Soon, you'll see the 2nd overhead bridge. So, it's under it and then take a left for a very steep short climb. A steep part of the course but it's only 50 metres or so long. Then left, over the bridge, through the next junction and a short steep downhill section to Turners Cross. Left at the junction here and onto the Curragh Road. Out along here is the 18 mile mark. An easy enough mile but that short sharp climb can be difficult on tired legs.

Mile 18......Now, the road is pretty flat as you head for the Kinsale Road and pass the turn off for Ballyphehane. Just after this is another water station. As well as offering plain water, they may have sports drinks here as well. If you are doing the relay, you don't need to take them. If you are doing the full marathon, you should consider taking one as the glucose from the drink will help you to conserve your bodies own supply. Note that sometimes Sports drinks don't agree with everyone, especially when they are running. The glucose will also take a while to get into your system.....perhaps 2 to 3 miles later.
On to the junction by Woodies, right onto the Tramore Road and past the back of the Musgrave Park rugby grounds. A  slight downhill and then a long flat secton. Right at the next turn off and a slight pull uphill......keep straight ahead until you hit the 19 mile mark at the distinctive red brick church in Ballyphehane.....(Mile 6 for the Half-Mara runners)

A reasonable mile but some small little pulls in it.

Mile 19.........Left at the church and the road goes slightly downhill towards the Lough. Now onto Hartlands Avenue and there is a slight uphill section from here until the next set of traffic lights and the 20 mile mark. A reasonable mile but the uphill section at the end is a bit tough on tired legs.

Mile 20.........After the left at the traffic lights, the next half mile or so is downhill. It starts pretty gradual until there is a steeper downhill section at the end near the junction near Clashduv road. Almost immediately after the junction (...shown below), the road climbs again past St.Finbarr's Cemetary.

It's a fair climb and will certainly slow you down. Then it's right into Liam Lynch park and there is a short steep climb as seen below as you exit by Bishopstown Credit Union onto the Wilton Road.

Right here and a gradual downhill section to the 21 mile mark.......(~Mile 8 for the Half-Mara). Not an easy mile, plenty of extra effort required.

 Mile 20......Left at Dennehy's Cross  by the church and onto Model Farm Road. Now, there is a gradual uphill section for about 600 metres......

Nothing steep but enough to make you work that bit harder. Coming where it does in the Marathon, this is possibly the hardest hill in the entire route.

After the 2nd set of traffic lights, the road falls rapidly and then flattens out as you approach the final Relay changeover point. The 21 mile mark is about 500 metres beyond it.....(~mile 9 in the Half-Mara).

So, that's the 4th leg. It was 5.3 miles in length and it probably is the hardest leg. Loads of small pulls which will have an impact on tired legs.

3rd leg of the 2014 Cork City Marathon

3rd Leg of the 2014 Cork City Marathon Relay...

The third leg starts at the Relay changeover point in Ringmahon and as in previous years, you head towards Blackrock castle. Just before it, you turn off right onto the walkway...

The walkway follows the waters edge for about 2 kms and you have a great view out over the inner harbour. For those of you not familiar with it, it may seem a bit narrow but the Marathon and Relay runners will be well spaced out at this stage so it shouldn't be a problem.

This is a really nice part of the Marathon route and is very popular with runners in Cork. Towards the end of it, you'll notice a very large radio mast which is no longer in use. The Half-Marathon mark is very close to this point. Just after that, the walkway ends in a slight ramp as you run up onto another pathway which heads back in towards the city. First of all, theres a little matter of a bridge to cross over.

This is the narrowest part of the course and without doubt, the steepest. It is however pretty short and very soon you'll be running down the other side and onto a dead straight walkway.

Pretty soon, you'll begin to see clues as to the origin of this walkway with a series of bridges. It was in fact an old railway line that went from Cork City to Rochestown, Passage, Monkstown, Carrigaline and Crosshaven.

After a while, you come to what was the old railway station in Blackrock until you reach the end of the walkway where the marathon and half-marathon courses merge...

From here, you turn right onto the Marina and run along a tree lined route all  of the ways to the changeover point just after the end of the Centre Park Road.

Overall, one of the longest relay sections at roughly 5.8 miles but also one of the flattest. Most of it is on walkways and quiet roads and is also probably the nicest section of the whole Marathon route.

Results of the Old Abbey AC 5k road race...Thurs 30th May 2014

A total of 72 runners turned out for this 5k road race in Goggins Hill near Ballinhassig on Thursday the 20th of May 2014. 

1    STEPHEN MAKIN    SeniorM    WIGAN PHEONIX    16.55
2    MICHAEL DULLEA    SeniorM    SKIBEREEN    17.15
3    MICHAEL HARRINGTON    o40M    BANTRY    17.40
12    DEIRDRE HARRINGTON    o40W    BANTRY    21.09
32    FIDELMA KIRWIN    o40W    EAGLE    24.15
33    SIOBHAN HOLLAND    SeniorW    NONE    24.19

From the organisers Old Abbey AC...Lovely fine evening again. We were delighted to have John Hayes, John O'Driscoll, Jimmy Murray running last night, who ran the same course 31 years ago, an event held under NACI rules. The race was started by the Club's President & one of the clubs founding members, John Cussen. 

L-R...John Hayes, Jimmy Murray, John Cussen & John O'Driscoll

The results can be seen HERE

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

2nd leg of the Relay in the 2014 Cork City Marathon

This is the 2nd stage of 5 and is 5.5 miles in length. Of the 5, it is probably one of the two toughest Relay legs. For Marathon runners, this stage starts just after the 5 mile mark at about 5.3 miles between the skew bridge and Silversprings hotel on the Lower Glanmire road. For Relay runners, the mile markers for this stage will be for the Marathon. Since you are starting at 5.3 miles, the 6, 7 and 8 mile markers will be 0.7, 1.7, 2.7 miles and so on.

Course...Leg 2 of the Relay / Mile 6 of the Marathon......It starts just before the skew bridge with a slight pull over the bridge, down the other side and then join the new Relay runners. Past the Silversprings Hotel and you head East towards the tunnel on the right hand side of the road. About half way along the road between the Hotel and the Dunkettle roundabout, you'll come to the 6 mile mark. Another pretty easy and flat mile. Near the 6 mile mark, there should be a water station with bottles of water.

Mile 7......Carry on to the roundabout, through it and now there is a gradual climb up the slip road before it flattens out and then falls towards the tunnel entrance. The 7 mile mark is near here. A reasonable mile although you will have encountered your first real pull and effort. Overall, the first 7 miles of the Marathon are pretty flat and easy. Things get 'interesting' from here on.

Mile 8........... Round the corner and down into the Jack Lynch tunnel under the River Lee. Now is not a good time to start thinking about the few hundred metric tons of water above your head and start looking for leaks ;o)

Two things here.....

 1) The tunnel slowly curves away to the left. You SHOULD follow the racing line..i.e. stay on the left and take the shortest possible route. For example, in the photo above, you should stick as close to the traffic cones as possible. Every year, people are stuck to the right wall taking the long option. The course is measured over the shortest possible route. There are no medals for running longer than you have to.
 2) The mile starts with a long downhill but as soon as you hit the middle, you have to start the long climb out again. It's not steep but it is long. See the photo below....this is the pull coming back out of the tunnel.

Mile 9............The first half mile along the South Ring Road is flat and easy. Then you take the right up the steep slip road for Mahon Point.

This is the steepest section so far in the race. Then it flattens out and falls slowly towards the entrance to Mahon Point and the 9 mile mark. So, a reasonable mile with a steep climb in the middle.

Mile 10......Starts near Mahon Point but soon you have to begin climbing. See below.......this is the slight downhill to Mahon Point followed by the climb on the other side all the ways to the CSO office. Nothing serious but uphill all the same.

Then right around the corner by the CSO office and on to the Skehard Road. Along this section, you come to the next water station. Then the road falls slowly downhill and take the next right into a housing estate and the 10 mile mark. A reasonable mile with a moderate pull initially.

Mile 11........Out of the estate....then left....a flat section and then left again on to Ringmahon Road. This section is dead flat and just ahead, you'll see the mass of runners eagerly waiting at the 2nd Relay changeover point at about 10.8 miles (..or 5.5 miles for Relay runners doing only the 2nd leg).

For Marathon runners and Relay runners just starting, it's right at the next junction and head towards Blackrock Castle. The 11 mile mark is about 500 metres after the Relay changeover point. A flat and easy mile.

So that's the 2nd leg. It was roughly 5.5 miles in length and there were plenty of sections where you had to put in a bit of extra effort. While it has the novelty of running through the Jack Lynch tunnel, it is still one of the harder relay legs when you consider the amount of climbing from the centre of the tunnel to the high point near the CSO office.

1st leg of the 2014 Cork City Marathon

Just to put this leg into perspective, there are 5 stages in the Cork City Marathon Relay event. The course is the exact same as last year.

Each leg of the Relay event is more or less the same length....roughly 4.5 to 5.8 miles in length.

The Relay runners will start at 9AM on Patrick's Street along with all of the Marathon runners.

Course...Relay Leg 1Mile 1......It starts on Patricks Street, turns into the Grand Parade, then the South Mall, into Parnell Place and then left along the Quay's. Just as you pass Patricks Bridge, you see the 1 mile mark, a very flat and easy first mile.

Mile 2........You stay on the quays until Shandon Bridge, cross the river and turn right onto Popes Quay. Past the church, John Buckley Sports and then left onto Leitrim Street and Murphys Brewery. The road should have barricades in the middle here as you'll be returning back down on the other side shortly. If perhaps you're not running so fast, you might even see some of the faster runners returning.

Soon, just where you turn off for the Watercourse road, you'll see the 2 mile mark, another flat and easy mile.

Mile 3......So, on to the Watercourse Road, left at the next junction followed by an immediate right onto Great William O'Brien Street. Carry on until you need to do a sharp turn just after the church. There was a great band here last year playing African drum music which really added to the occasion. So, past the church again, onto the Watercourse Road and head back towards the City Centre. Now there is a slight kink here just to add the required amount to make sure that the full Marathon is the correct distance. See picture.....runners are approaching from the top of the picture.....the old 2009 route is yellow, the new route (2010/11/12/13) is in blue.....


At the N20/New Mallow Road to Watercourse Road junction, runners will turn left to complete a small loop to add a little extra to the course to make it accurate. After that, it's on towards the 3 mile mark, not too far from the 2 mile mark on the other side of the road. Overall, a pretty flat mile.

Mile 4............Back down to the quays as you see some of the slower runners on the other side head towards the 2 mile mark. Then left onto Patricks Quay and then onto Horgans Quay as you follow the River Lee through the City.

Where the quay is open on the right for ships, you'll soon come to the 4 mile mark. A very flat and easy mile.

Mile 5............ Back to the 5th mile. Continue along Horgans Quay until the end. Then left and then right onto the Lower Glanmire Road. Here as you run alongside the river, you'll see the Marina and Pairc Ui Chaoimh on the other side. A bit before the skew bridge, you'll see the 5 mile mark. Another flat and easy mile.

There is a slight climb up to the skew bridge and a slight fall after it and very soon, you see the mass of Relay runners eagerly looking for the approach of their running partners. If you are doing the full Marathon, this will be the first of 4 Relay changeovers stages that you'll run through and you'll see why the Relay event generates so much excitement!

That's it, roughly 5.2 miles and a pretty flat and easy leg. Now, only 20.8 miles to go....!!

Notice...Glanmire 4 mile road race - Wed 11th June 2014

This popular 4 mile road race is coming up on Wednesday the 11th of June in Glanmire near Cork City.

Located just to the north-east of Cork City, it always attracts a large crowd and is within easy access for a lot of people. For anyone coming off the M8 motorway, just take exit 18.

Race entries will be taken at Glanmire GAA club which is right alongside the main road in Sallybrook...

The 4 mile route takes in a loop to the east of Glanmire. Both the start and finish points are only a short distance from the GAA grounds.

From the organisers...Brief Synopsis of Route....The route will begin at, the Brook Inn Glanmire and will continue along the main road west to Riverstown Cross (R639). Runners will then turn left and head towards the Sars pavilion and turn right to follow the old “New Line” road (Marwood Avenue). At the end of  this road they will turn right onto the “New Line road” (Copper Valley Vue) and continue up to “Toby Burkes Cross”. The route will then turn left up the hill where it meets the Knochraha/Blosomgrove road and then turns left and heads back down to meet “New Line” road at the junction with O Connell Transport offices (Caseys Cross).The route turns right and heads to the roundabout at Brooklodge where the runners will keep to the right of said roundabout,(The runners will then keep to the right hand side of the road until the completion of the race). and continue to Hazelwood Cross.

The race is sponsored by Source Fitness who are based in Silversprings in Tivoli.

From the Sponsor....Source Health & Fitness is one of the largest fitness centres in Munster and possesses a vast array of facilities. We have classes & activities to suit each individual need and fitness level. Classes include; Spinning, Aqua, Zumba, Circuits, Bootcamp, Yoga, Pilates, Metafit, BLTP, Sculpt & Tone, Toning, Abs, Line Dancing.

We pride ourselves on having the experience required to deliver top class instruction on all aspects of fitness. We believe we have something for all fitness levels and pride ourselves on being a professional and friendly centre where our member’s needs are our top priority. You will always get a good workout, no matter when you train!
http://www.sourcehealthandfitness.com/

Pre-entry......If you want to pre-enter this race then you can do so at the Precision Timing website.

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

Results of the 2nd leg of the Graded Track & Field League...Wed 28th May 2014

The second round of the John Buckley Sports Graded Track & Field League was held at the CIT track on Wednesday the 28th of May 2014.

The full results can be seen HERE

The next leg is on the 12th of June.

A closer look at the 2014 Cork City Half-Marathon...

With only a few days to go, it's time to have a closer look at the new route for the Cork City Half-Marathon next Monday.

The new route starts near Kennedy Park, about 800m from the City Hall which is a huge improvement on the hassle of getting buses out to Mahon as in previous years. From Kennedy Park, the runners will take in a small loop by Albert Road before heading down Monahan Road to the Atlantic Pond. Around the 1.9 mile mark, the course will merge with the full marathon course.

Timing.....One important issue is of course the start times and when the two fields will merge. The half starts at 10:45am while the full starts at 9am. The fields will merge at roughly the 2 mile mark for the half and the 15 mile mark for the full.

The times below show the two fields merging. Note that this is based on both races starting exactly on time.

6 min per mile...1:18 half-marathon < > 7:48 min per mile...3:24 full marathon
7 min per mile...1:32 half-marathon < > 7:56 min per mile...3:28 full marathon
8 min per mile...1:45 half-marathon < > 8:04 min per mile...3:31 full marathon
9 min per mile...1:58 half-marathon < > 8:12 min per mile...3:35 full marathon
10 min per mile...2:11 half-marathon < > 8:20 min per mile...3:38 full marathon

Scenarios.......(if the races start on time!)
a) If you are doing a fast half marathon...say sub 1:30...then you are going to come out ahead of most of the marathon runners. You should have a pretty clear route for the rest of the race.
b) If you are doing say a 1:45 half then you will merge with runners in the marathon doing roughly the same pace.
c) If you are doing say a 2 hour plus half then you will be still ahead of most of the marathon field but they will be running much faster than you.
d) If you are doing the full marathon and are targeting say 3:45 or slower then you will have a lot of half-marathon runners ahead of you.

While the Marina itself is narrow enough for the two to merge, there should be plenty of room on the Centre Park Road and the South Link Road for the fields to thin out.

Other issues??
One feature this year is the small loop near the start of the half. This contains some narrow sections and sharp turns which may have the effect of slowing the field. Will this be an issue? Once the half runners reach the Monahan road after about 700m then there is plenty of space to pass out people and for the field to thin out before the next narrow section near the Atlantic Pond.

Preview.......The preview of the course for the Half-Marathon has now been updated. Have a look and you'll see all of the potential bottlenecks near the start as well the merge points and the rest of the course. Click HERE

Races over the next few days...Wed 28th, Thurs 29th & Fri 30th May 2014

Just a reminder that there are plenty of races on over the next few days in Cork.

On Wednesday evening, the John Buckley Sports Graded League is on at the CIT track in Bishopstown and includes an 800 and 3000m event.

On Thursday evening, there is the Old Abbey 5k race near Waterfall to the south-west of Cork City. Note that this is a new looped 5k route as opposed to the point to point race last year.

On Friday, there are two races. One is the Kilcredan 5k near Youghal & Ballymacoda in East Cork and the other one is the Doneraile Park 5k in N.Cork which is part of the Ballyhoura Cork series.

All races have an Athletics Ireland licence and have been properly measured by Jones Counter.

Results of the Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k road race - Tues 27th May 2014

An impressive 960 runners turned out for this years John Buckley Sports 5k road race, almost the exact same as last year. Conditions were more or less perfect...slightly cool, calm and dry.

1 Mark Hanrahan        John Buckley Sports MS 14:36
2 Colm Sheehan                     15:06
3 Gavin Sweeney        Army     MS     15:30
28 Orla Drumm        UCC      FS  16:45
35 Jill HODGINS        Joyce Wolfe Physio  F35  16:56
42 Sinead O'Connor        Dept of Ed  FS     17:08

The full results can be seen HERE

Winners of the John Buckley Sports 5k...Mark Hanrahan and Orla Drumm. Pic: Doug Minihane

Photos...(Updated Wed 7pm)
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE
2) Doug Minihane has loads HERE 
3) Derek Costello of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE 
4) Graham Nudds has 400+ photos HERE 

Video...


For those of you who went to this race and got the 20% discount voucher, this is a reminder of where the store is in Cork City....

500 plus runners take part in Emer Casey races in Melbourne, Australia

On the 18th of May, the Emer Casey Memorial 10k race in Youghal attracted a large field of 570 runners. In addition to this race, there are other Emer Casey events organised in London and in Australia to raise funds for cancer research.

Last weekend, the Emer Casey 5k and 10k  races were held in Melbourne, Australia and attracted a field of over 500 runners. In the 10k race, Sonia O'Sullivan (#571) was the winner while Sonia's daughter Sophie took the title in the 5k event.

MENS 5K... 1 Beau Lang 16:44.9  //  2  Steven  Griffin 17:49.8  //  3  Bradley Serry 18:03.3
WOMENS 5K...1  Sophie O'Sullivan  19:15.0  //  2  Jane Hemmings 19:43.5  //  3  Amy Cornell 21:13.9
MENS 10 K... 1  Luke Burns    35:56.6 M //  2  Steven Bonfadini 36:21.8  //  3  Jacob Nolan    37:09.8
WOMENS 10K...1   Stacy Bolger  38:27.4  //  2   Sonia O'Sullivan 39:43.1 // 3   Lesley Turnbull 40:46.9 

Report from Sonia O'Sullivan.....We had the Emer Casey Melbourne twin event on last Sunday in lovely sunning conditions at the Monash University Campus. This is the 7th annual Emer Casey fun run in Melbourne and we have grown from 17 runners in the first year to a record 500 plus runners yesterday (Run4Ec.com.au) with the race broken down into 5km and 10km events.

It is an amazing turnout with big representation from the growing Irish community in Melbourne. We had chip timing for the first time, sponsorship from the Melbourne Rose of Tralee and Emerald Travel so we were able to have t-shirts to early bird entries and focus on raising more funds and awareness of Ovarian Cancer and the Emer Casey foundation around the world.

The course itself is not a typical road race, there are 2 x 5km laps on a section of the Monash  university campus that cross playing fields, and weave around some skinny paths and back around even more fields so multi-terrain, not the fastest course but we believe this is a fun run and we want everyone to enjoy the day out, bring their families and get everyone to join in the fun. Here for a good time, not a fast time.

Best Wishes...Sonia

The full results can be seen on the race website.

List of entries for the Cork City Marathon, Half-Marathon and Relay...

List of entries for the Marathon

List of entries for the Half-Marathon

List of Relay teams

Reminder...Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k - Tues 27th May 2014

Just a reminder that one of the most popular 5k race in Cork is on this evening in Cork City. The entry fee is €5 for registered runners and €8 for non-registered. This includes chip timing, an accurate flat 5k course and a discount voucher for John Buckley Sports. The value of the voucher alone can easily exceed the entry fee.

More details in this earlier post.

Notice...Dan Byrne Memorial 5k trail race, Doneraile - Fri 30th May 2014

This 5k race in Doneraile in North Cork is the 2nd race of 6 in the Ballyhoura Cork Road Race Series. While it's described as a trail race, it is in reality mostly on narrow roads and paths within Doneraile Park. It would be wrong to think that it's some sort of cross country race or that you need to run through mud or long grass.

Doneraile is located just to the north-east of Mallow so access is very easy from the N20 Cork to Limerick road. If you are coming from say South Tipperary, then it's just off the N73 Mitchelstown to Mallow road.

As for Doneraile Park itself, it really is a lovely spot. It's basically an old country estate and is now a grassland park with some small forested areas. On a sunny evening, it's a superb spot for a race.

The race entry fee is just €5.

Preview.....Directions, photos and a preview  HERE.