New 3km Running Route in Ballincollig

A new 3km running route has just been developed in Ballincollig Regional Park and the official launch is next Sunday the 12th of April.

From Ballincollig AC.......Ballincollig Athletic Club will be launching the Michael O Donovan 3k Running Route on Sunday 12th April, in the  Regional Park, Ballincollig with the support of the O’Donovan Family and Cork County Council.  The 3km Launch is an event for all the family and is open to walkers, joggers and runners.   Light refreshments will be available for all participants who will also receive a certificate to mark the official opening of the route.  A donation of €2 per participant is suggested to cover the cost of holding the event.  Parking will be available by the Lidl carpark.

Michael O’Donovan  was a dedicated and active member of Ballincollig AC . He was both a Coach and Club Chairperson of at the time of his passing in 2012.  With the support of the O’Donovan Family and Cork County Council, the club decided to mark his involvement in the club by holding a 5k Run in the Regional Park in April  2013 and 2014.  In addition to a grant from Cork County Council, income from both of these races was used to develop the Michael O Donovan 3k Running Route in the Regional Park, Ballincollig.

Ballincollig AC is very grateful to the community of Ballincollig and Cork County Council for the support we received in holding the 5k Run  over the past two years. The Club would like to give special mention to O’Crualaoi Butchers & Delicatessen and Cafe Chico for their on-going support of the Club.

This is a map of the new course below.....

It's been a few years since I've run in the Regional Park so it was good excuse to check out the new course. The 3km loop is more or less dead flat and very quiet, a nice alternative to running on footpaths or running on the side of the road.The surface is a mixture of tarmac and compacted soil with a short section of gravel.

Preview........I have a preview of the course with loads of photos which gives a good idea of what it's like. Click HERE

As a short run, it's a nice alternative but for anyone doing any kind of decent distance, then I think it might get a bit boring. One possibility is that the section between the 2km mark and the finish would be good for doing 1km intervals. It would be a nice alternative for anyone who doesn't have access to a proper athletics track or just wants to try something different.