Photos of the Autism Charity 6km Balloon Run...Sun 30th Aug 2015

This 6km charity fun run was held on the walkway in Mahon on Sunday the 30th of August.

Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE

Results of the Clonakilty 10 mile & 5km road race...Sun 30th Aug 2015

Conditions were sunny and warm for this years Clonakilty 10 mile road race on Sunday the 30th of August. Throw in the hill on the course and it made for a tough race. A total of 152 runners took part in the 10 mile race with another 70 in the 5k making a grand total of 222 overall, a jump of 35% on the numbers for 2014.

The race HQ was in the Clonakilty Model Railway Village which was an excellent location. Overall, a well organised event by Clonakilty Road Runners AC.

5km
1 Eric CURRAN        Leevale    M    738    15:14
2 KENNETH O'REGAN    clonakilty road runners    M    741    16:41
3 Jeremy AHERN        M    17:36
5 Noreen BROUDER        F    18:55
6 Ronnie BARRY        Bandon AC    F    19:33
13 Siobhan MC CARTHY    clonakilty road runners    F    21:09

10 mile...
1    Brian HEGARTY        Leevale    M    55:07
2    Michael Morgan        St Finbarrs    M40    55:24
3    Joe CUNNINGHAM        St Finbarrs    M40    57:56
9    Ann Marie HOLLAND        Youghal AC    F40    1:04:24
16    Mags DEMPSEY        Tracton AC    F40    1:08:21
31    Mary Sweeney        St Finbarrs    F55    1:10:10

The full results can be found HERE


Photos.....(Updated Mon 31st Aug)
1) There are 200+ photos on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
2) Clonakilty Road Runners have a gallery HERE with another album HERE   

Brian Hegarty of Leevale AC & Ann Marie Holland of Youghal AC...winners of the 2015 Clonakilty 10 mile road race

Rob Heffernan finishes 5th at World Championships...

Rob Heffernan finished 5th today in the 50km walk at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. To finish 5th in the World is a remarkable achievement considering he wasn't 100% fit following his operations last year.

For a while, Rob was in 3rd place but was passed by two Japanese athletes. Rob's time of 3h 44m 17s works out as 7:13 minute mile pace.

Post race interview with Rob...

Photo credit : James Veale of West Waterford AC

Unfortunately Brendan Boyce (Letterkenny) was disqualified and Alex Wright (Leevale) was unable to finish.

Rob Heffernan defends his World Championship title in the early hours of Saturday morning

Back in 2013, Rob Heffernan from Cork won the 50km race walk title in Moscow at the IAAF World Championships. Tomorrow morning Saturday 29th, he begins the defense of his title at 00:30am Irish time.

He will be joined by Irish internationals Brendan Boyce and Alex Wright, both of whom Rob coaches in Cork.

Coverage starts on BBC2 TV at 02:55 Irish time. The winners should be finishing some time after 4am.

You should be able to find a live feed here... http://www.watchathletics.com/schedule/watchlive/1443

The Irish team of Thomas Barr, Mark English, Brian Gregan, Brian Murphy, Timmy Crowe & Richard Morrissey also go in the heats of the mens 4x400m relay at 3:40am

Results of the Ballycotton 5 mile & Summer Series...Thurs 27th Aug 2015

A total of 522 runners took part in this years Ballycotton 5 mile road race, the fourth and final race in the Ballycotton Summer Series. The numbers were down on last year but were still the fourth highest ever.

1 24:10    HANRAHAN, Mark    Leevale AC    M    04:49.9
2 25:08    SHEAHAN, Colm    Leevale AC    M    05:01.5
3 25:20    NORMAN, Andy    Altrincham & District AC    M    05:03.9
37 29:47    O'CONNOR, Sinead    Leevale AC    F    05:57.3
41 29:55    MACKEOWN, Rosaleen    Leevale AC    F40    05:58.9
48 30:14    DEVLIN, Niamh    Dundrum South Dublin AC    F    06:02.7 

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a gallery of just over 100 photos HERE

Winners of the 2015 Ballycotton 5 mile road race...Mark Hanrahan & Sinead O'Connor of Leevale AC

Summer Series..... A total of 201 men and 121 women completed the Ballycotton Summer Series. In terms of top t-shirts, 23.8% of men got a top 50 shirt while 24.8% of women got a top 30 one. Overall, the numbers were pretty even.

One interesting statistic. This year, it was easier for men to get into the top 50. The standard dropped from an average 6:26 min/mile pace down to 6:41 min/mile pace which is a huge drop. In basic terms, the number 50 finisher was five minutes slower than last year. For the women, it got slightly harder. The average page there to get into the top 30 went from 7:52 to 7:49 min/mile pace.

The overall results of the Summer Series can be seen HERE

Thanks to John Robinson for compiling the overall results which he does every year.

Michael Harty & Rosaleen MacKeown...winners of the 2015 Ballycotton Summer Series. Photo: Gearóid Ó Laoi

Video clips...Cameraman takes out Usain Bolt & BBC commentators respond to bias critism

After winning the 200m at the World Championships in Beijing, the Chinese camera man was following him around as he celebrated with the crowd. All was going well until he hit the barrier...



Bolt and camera man meet up again after the awards ceremony.

Following the 100m final, Justin Gatlin's agent complained about media bias. The BBC commentary team respond to those bias claims...

Results of the Cill na Martra 5k...Tues 25th Aug 2015

The annual Cill na Marta 5k near Macroom was held on Tuesday the 25th of August and attracted a field of 220, a jump of 84% on the numbers for 2014.

1. Eugene Mc Carthy – Midleton AC    17:32
2. Cosmas De Búrca – Bandon AC    17:56
3. Liam Slattery – Mallow AC    18:08
11. Jacinta O’Connor - Unattached    20:32
19. Deirdre Harrington – Bantry AC    21:19
30. Geraldine O’Sullivan – Bantry AC    22:25

The full results can be seen HERE

Usain Bolt beats Gatlin again to win 200m Gold

The final of the mens 200m today saw a rematch between Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin once again. With the two of them level at the 100m mar, Bolt used his long stride to pull away over the second 100m to take Gold.

POS    ATHLETE    COUNTRY    MARK        REACTION TIME
1    Usain BOLT    JAM JAM        19.55    WL    0.147
2    Justin GATLIN    USA USA        19.74        0.161
3    Anaso JOBODWANA    RSA RSA    19.87    NR    0.154
4    Alonso EDWARD    PAN PAN        19.87    SB    0.170
5    Zharnel HUGHES    GBR GBR        20.02    PB    0.119
6    Ramil GULIYEV    TUR TUR            20.11        0.180
7    Femi OGUNODE    QAT QAT            20.27        0.198
8    Nickel ASHMEADE    JAM JAM    20.33        0.132

This was also Bolt's 10th Gold medal at World Championships.

Julius Yego of Kenya...from watching YouTube clips to World Championship Gold

One of the most amazing results to come out of the current World Championships in Beijing has been that of Julius Yego of Kenya winning Gold in the Javelin.

Growing up, he wasn't fast enough to be serious runner so opted for the javelin instead, a sport that is not normally associated with Kenya. With no-one to coach him, he started off watching video clips on YouTube on how to improve his technique.

Now aged 26, his throw of 92.72 metres last Wednesday won the Gold medal and was just 8cms shy of the World Championship record. From watching video clips on YouTube to Gold in about a decade.

Results of the Carraih na bhFear GAA 5k fun run & walk...Wed 26th Aug 2015

This 5k fun run & walk was organised by Carraig na bhFear GAA club and was held on Wed 26th Aug 2015.

1   John Meade    16:22    M
2   Matthew Collins    17:18    M
3   Sean O'Sullivan    17:32      M
10 Joan Ennis    19:23    F
24  Claire O'Donnell    21:25    F
26   Gwen Conroy 21:33    F

The full results can be seen HERE

Top-Class Ballycotton Line-Up...by John Walshe

John Walshe of Ballycotton has written the following piece on the upcoming Ballycotton 5 mile road race which is coming up on Thursday 27th Aug 2015.

TOP-CLASS BALLYCOTTON LINE-UP

When Ryan Creech ran 24:27 at Churchtown South last month, it was the fastest time in a Ballycotton Series race in almost 20 years. Although the Leevale athlete has now returned to university in the US, tomorrow night’s Ballycotton ‘5’ promises to be another high-class affair with a number of British runners expected to take part.

Also in the line-up will be Mark Hanrahan of Leevale, using the race as part of his final preparations for the Berlin Marathon in a month’s time. After running 34:40 for the tough seven miles at Donoughmore, Hanrahan could be on for a very fast time at Ballycotton and he will also have overall Series leader Michael Harty (who ran 24:59 on his own at Ballyandreen) to contend with.

Andy & Dave Norman

The overseas contingent is led by the Norman brothers – Dave and Andy – from the Altrincham & District club near Manchester. Sons of the famous Jeff Norman who ran the Montreal Olympic marathon in 1976, Dave has won the Manchester Marathon on two occasions (2012 and 2013) and has a best time of 2:18:34.

Last Sunday he finished third in the Rochdale Half-Marathon (just three seconds covered the first three), and has also clocked 14:52.22 for 5000m and 8:35.38 for 3000m on the track this summer. Brother Andy has a best of 14:06.99 for 5000m and ran 14:38.77 this year.

Also in the group is Simon Deakin from the Leeds City club who has PBs of 14:00.55 for 5000m and 24:38 for five miles and who finished this year’s London Marathon in 2:29:09. Another of the visitors, Nigel Stirk of Tipton Harriers, now in the M40 category, has a best of 24:47 for five miles.

Leon Foster and Mike Burrett (15:35.21 for 5000m this year), both from Leeds City, and Mick Hill (Tipton) make up the seven taking part and unfortunately two others in the group, Andy Parker and Ian Mitchell, are unable to run due to injury.

Mick Hill, who has ran the Ballycotton ’10’ in the past and who has connections in the Ballynoe area near Conna, is organising the trip to Ireland where they are also taking in visits to Limerick and Dublin as well as Cork.

Although women’s course record holder Lizzie Lee will not be running, her sister Rosaleen MacKeown will be going for a clean sweep in the Series, having improved her time each night since the first race at Ballyandreen.

And finally, a reminder once again that the race starts at 7.30pm and in view of traffic diversions which may apply in the area, people are asked to make a special effort to arrive early. The entry fee on the final night is €6 of which €1 is donated to charity, the chosen cause this year being Marymount University Hospital & Hospice.

Photos of the Rebel Run4Fun 5k in Fota...Sun 23rd Aug 2015

The third and final race in the Rebel Run4Fun 5k Series was held on the grounds of Fota House last Sunday the 23rd of August. Some 200 runners or so took part on a course that took in roads near the house and trails in the gardens.

The event was self timed so there are as far as I know no published results. You can find some photos on the Running in Cork Facebook page

Notice...Ballycotton 5 mile road race - Thurs 27th Aug 2015

The Ballycotton 5 mile road race is the last race of four in the Ballycotton Summer Series and it's coming up on evening Thursday, the 27th of August. One thing to note here and it catches people every year........the race starts at 7:30pm

Also note that there are road works on the road between Cloyne and Shanagarry so there might be some delays due to diversions. More info in this previous post.

Registration is at the local national school. The distance from the main parking area to the registration is about 800 metres (10 min walk). From the registration area to the start line is about 200 metres. So if you consider parking.....walking to the registration.....the queue to enter.....walk back to the car......walk back to the start........and the 7:30pm start, you can see how people get caught out.

Entries.......If you are under any pressure for time, then get changed first.....carry the entry fee of €6 in your hand.....and go straight to the start line after you register. Please note that it speeds things up a lot if you have the exact entry fee ready. €1 of each entry fee is going to a designated charity.


The overall positions with times after 3 races can be seen HERE

Please note that the race is open to everyone. You do not need to have run in any of the previous races to enter this one. Just turn up with €6.

Post Race...If you have completed all 4 of the summer series......Ballyandreen, Shanagarry, Churchtown South and Ballycotton, you will be given a souvenier plaque.

Back inside the school, there will be tea and biscuits as well as the prize giving. The special series t-shirts for the top 50 men and top 30 women in the overall series will be handed out there.

Preview....More details on the course with maps and photos can be seen HERE

American athlete Molly Huddle loses Bronze medal on the finish line

One of the golden rules in athletics is to 'Run through the line', that is, push all the way to the finish line in a race and don't ease up until you cross it.

American athlete Molly Huddle learned that lesson the hard way when she started to celebrate finishing 3rd before she reached the line in the womens 10,000m at the World Championships in China. Her teammate Emily Infeld lunged at the line to finish in front of her.

POS    ATHLETE    COUNTRY    MARK   
1    Vivian Jepkemoi CHERUIYOT    KEN KEN    31:41.31   
2    Gelete BURKA    ETH ETH        31:41.77   
3    Emily INFELD    USA USA    31:43.49   
4    Molly HUDDLE    USA USA    31:43.58

Prior to this, Huddles best performances were 6th in the 5000m at the World Championships in 2013 and 11th in the 5000m at the 2012 Olympics. The unfortunate thing is that this opportunity to win a major medal like this may never happen again as these races are usually dominated by African athletes.

Notice...Loop de Loop Trail Race, Glen of Aherlow - Sat 19th Sept 2015

For anyone that is interested in a long distance trail race, the Loop de Loop Half-Marathon, full Marathon and Ultra-Marathon is coming up in the Glen of Ahlerlow on Saturday the 19th of Sept 2015.

More details HERE

Reminder...Clonakilty 10 mile & 5k coming up on Sun 30th Aug

The Autumn season of 10 mile and half-marathons is well under way and the next one up is the Clonakilty 10 next Sunday the 30th of August. As well as the 10 mile route, there is also a very flat 5k option.

A preview of the 10 mile course can be seen HERE

A preview of the 5k course can be seen HERE

You can pre-enter both races here... http://registration.precisiontiming.net/events/preview?id=322&EventNAme=Clonakilty_Road_Runners_AC_10_Mile_and_5k_Fun_Run

...or on the morning of the race.

Irish results from the World Championships...Mon 24th Aug 2015

Four Irish athletes were in action in the IAAF World Championships in Beijing on Monday the 24th of August.

In the womens 3000m Steeplechase, there were 45 athletes spread out evenly over three heats. Of the three Irish athletes, Michelle Finn from Cork recorded the high finishing position while Sara Treacy had the fastest time.

Heat 1
POS    BIB    ATHLETE    COUNTRY    MARK   
9    477    Michelle FINN    IRL IRL    9:55.27

Heat 2
POS    BIB    ATHLETE    COUNTRY    MARK   
13    481    Sara Louise TREACY    IRL IRL    9:48.24

Heat 3
POS    BIB    ATHLETE    COUNTRY    MARK   
13    478    Kerry O'FLAHERTY    IRL IRL    10:05.10

The slowest losing time that qualified for the final was 9:30.23 so all three were some way off that.

Post race interview with Michelle Finn...


Post race interview with Sara Treacy...

Pictured just left of centre is Kerry Flaherty. The unfortunate athlete who took a dip was Rolanda Bell of Panama

In the womens pole vault, Tori Pena went out in the qualifying rounds. At 4m 15cm, she failed her first attempt but cleared on the second one. At 4m 30cms, she sailed over first time. At 4m 45cms, Tori failed on her three attempts. A total of 28 athletes took part in the competition and only those that cleared 4m 55cms went through to the final.

Results of the Skibbereen 10k road race...Sun 23rd Aug 2015

After the rain of 2014, the weather conditions were a lot kinder on Sunday for this years Skibbereen 10k in West Cork.

1 34:37    O'SHEA, Alex    St. Finbarrs AC    M40    05:34.1
2 35:16    COLLINS, John    Skibbereen AC    M    05:40.4
3 36:40    COAKLEY, Michael    Skibbereen AC    M    05:53.9
18 42:05    MOORE, Niamh    UCC AC    F    06:46.2
30 44:06    RYAN, Clara    unatt/Skibbereen    F    07:05.7
33 45:11    HURLEY, Maria    Bantry AC    F50    07:16.2 

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...(Face account required to view)
1) Pauline Hennessy has a gallery HERE

Photos...
1) Skibbereen AC have a gallery of photos HERE 

Usain Bolt beat Gatlin to take World Championship 100m title

In what was probably the race of the year, Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt went head to head with Justin Gatlin of the USA who has served two bans for doping. In what was billed as a battle between good and evil, Usain Bolt managed to take Gold in the final of the 100m at the World Championships in Beijing.

Race video...

Irish results from World Championships...Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd Aug 2015

Sun 23rd Aug 2015
In the 400m hurdles, Thomas Barr from Waterford was in action in the first of three semi-finals. His time of 48.71 wasn't fast enough to make the final. The slowest qualification time was 48.46 seconds.
POS    ATHLETE    COUNTRY    MARK      
1    Boniface Mucheru TUMUTI    KEN KEN    48.29 Q
2    Kerron CLEMENT    USA USA        48.50 Q  
3    Timofey CHALYY    RUS RUS        48.69
4    Thomas BARR    IRL IRL            48.71  
5    Rasmus MÄGI    EST EST            48.76  
6    Abdelmalik LAHOULOU    ALG ALG        48.87
7    Annsert WHYTE    JAM JAM        48.90
8    Michaël BULTHEEL    BEL BEL        49.66

Race video...Thomas is in lane 9


Post race interview....


In the mens 800m, Mark English from Donegal finished 5th in the 3rd semi-final of the mens 800m. The slowest of the times to qualify was 1:45:02.

POS    ATHLETE    COUNTRY    MARK  
1    Amel TUKA            BIH BIH    1:44.84 Q  
2    Ferguson Cheruiyot ROTICH    KEN KEN    1:44.85 Q  
3    Nader BELHANBEL    MAR MAR    1:45.28 q  
4    Marcin LEWANDOWSKI    POL POL    1:45.34  
5    Mark ENGLISH            IRL IRL    1:45.55  
6    Rafith RODRÍGUEZ    COL COL    1:45.63  
7    Erik SOWINSKI        USA USA    1:47.16  
8    Jena UMAR            ETH ETH    1:48.68

Race video...

Post race interview with Mark English...


In the mens 20k walk, Alex Wright was unfortunately disqualified.

***************

Sat 22nd Aug 2015
In the fourth heat of the mens 400m hurdles, Thomas Barr finished in 3rd place to secure a spot in the semi-finals. With 100m to go, it looked as if he was out of it but he put in his trademark finishing kick to get into third.

Thomas is out in lane 8...




Post race interview with Thomas...




Mark English from Donegal was in action in the heats of the 800m on the first day of the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. In the third heat, Mark finished 5th and his time was just fast enough to go through to the semi-finals as one of the fastest runners up.

Race video....


Post race interview...

Results of the Liscarroll 10k road race...Fri 21st Aug 2015

While I was looking up the results of this race for 2014, I noticed that the numbers had dropped from 131 in 2013 to 85 last year. Looking through the comments, it seemed most thought is was due to it being just one day after the Ballycotton 5 mile race and just two days before an open cross country race in Newcastlewest in Limerick.

This year, the Liscarroll 10k was on a week ahead of last year and as dates go, it was reasonably uncrowded. A total of 97 runners turned out which is an improvement of 12 runners on last year but still well down on the 131 of 2013.

The winner of this years race was Michael Harty of East Cork AC who is having a cracking year. Not only did Michael win the race but he also set a new course record of 31:12 in the process. The previous record of 31:53 was set by Michael Herlihy in 2011.

1 31:12    HARTY, Michael    East Cork AC    M    05:01.2
2 31:41    RODGERS, Kenny    St. Johns AC    M    05:05.8
3 34:42    SUGRUE, Eoin    unatt/Banteer    M40    05:34.9
33 45:28    O'LEARY, Deirdre    North Cork AC    F35    07:18.9
34 45:33    KIRWAN, Ita    Eagle AC    F45    07:19.7
38 46:43    NOLAN, Orla    unatt/Dromahane    F40    07:31.0 

The full results can be seen HERE

Roadworks & the Ballycotton 5 mile race..Thurs 27th Aug

The Ballycotton 5 mile road race is the fourth and final race in the Ballycotton Summer Series. It is coming up next Thursday the 27th of August with a 7:30pm start.

Note that there are some road works on the main road between Cloyne and Shanagarry and this is likely to have an impact on how long it takes you to get there. See map below....

From the AA
AA Traffic Update
Cloyne/ Shanagarry Rd (R629) closed for works from Mon 24th Aug to Fri 4th September
The Cloyne / Shanagarry Rd (R629) will be closed for works between Ballymaloe More and Shanagarry from 8am Mon 24th Aug to 9pm Fri 4th September. Diversions will be in place.

Cork County Council
Alternative route:
From Cloyne to Shanagarry via the L-3818-0 and L-3818-27. At Garryvoe Cross Roads turn right to join the R632. Continue on the R632 to Shanagarry.
This alternative route is also applicable in the reverse when travelling from Shanagarry to Cloyne.
This proposed closure is to carry out Road Resurfacing Works.

As you can see from the map above, you can take the L3818 over to the Garryvoe-Ladysbridge road or if you know it, you could go as far as the turn south on the Shanagarry 5 mile course and come into Shanagarry that way. An alternative way is to go via Churchtown South.

Either way, it's not a big deal but you are likely to be delayed a bit. Between the road works, the 7:30pm start and the fact that the car parks are some distance from the race HQ, it would be worth leaving early.

Timetable for Irish athletes at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing...22nd to 30th Aug 2015

The IAAF World Championships start this coming Saturday in Beijing, China and 16 Irish athletes are taking part. It's unlikely that for most there will be any medals and getting to a final would be an accomplishment in itself. The one exception is Rob Heffernan who is going there to defend his World Championship title which he won in Moscow in 2013.


The time difference between China and Ireland is 7 hours so some events are in the small hours of the morning.

Saturday 22nd of August Day 1

Men’s 400m hurdles heats...Athlete: Thomas Barr (Ferrybank)...Irish time: 11:35am

Sunday 23rd of August  Day 2
Men's 20km Race Walk...Athlete: Alex Wright...Irish time: 1:30am
Men’s 400m hurdles semi-final...Athlete: Thomas Barr...Irish time: 11:40am
Men’s 800m semi-final...Athlete: Mark English...Irish time: 13:15

Monday 24th August Day 3
Women’s pole vault qualification
Athlete: Tori Pena (Finn Valley)...Irish time: 2:30am
Women’s 3,000m steeplechase heats...Athletes: Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle), Sara Treacy (Dunboyne), Michelle Finn (Leevale)...Irish time: 2:45am

Tuesday 25th August Day 4
Men’s 400m hurdles  final...Athlete: Thomas Barr...Irish time: 13:25
Men’s 800m final ...Athlete: Mark English...Irish time: 13:55

Wednesday August 26th Day 5
Women's 800m heats...Athlete: Ciara Everard (UCD)...Irish time: 3:25am
Men’s 110m hurdles heats...Athlete: Ben Reynolds...Irish time: 4:20am
Women’s 200m heats...Athlete: Kelly Proper...Irish time: 12:15pm

Saturday August 29th Day 8
Men’s 50km Race Walk ...Athletes: Robert Hefferan (Togher), Brendan Boyce (Letterkenny), Alex Wright (Leevale) ...Irish time: 00:30
Men’s 4x400m relay heats...Ireland: Thomas Barr, Mark English, Brian Gregan (Clonliffe Harriers), Brian Murphy (Crusaders), Timmy Crowe (Clonliffe Harriers), Richard Morrissey (Crusaders)...Irish time: 3:40am

Sunday August 30th Day 9
Men’s 4x400m final...Irish time: 13:25/local time 20:25

Live Stream......If you can't watch it on TV then there are live streams from YouTube HERE
If the YouTube feed doesn't work, try here... http://www.watchathletics.com/schedule/watchlive/1443

 The World Championship website is here... http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships
 

Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA Centra 5k...Wed 19th Aug 2015

A big turn out for this on what was a nice sunny evening.

1 John Meade M1 00:15:41 Joyce Wolfe Physio
2 Eric Curran M2 00:15:49 UCC STUDENT
3 Rory O'Sullivan M3 00:15:55 Musgrave M-A-1
23 Martina Kiely F1 00:17:36 Dept of Ed F-A-1
43 Niamh Devlin 00:18:30 Temp Reg
73 Jennifer Goggin F2 00:19:25 Novartis

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE
2) Graham Nudds has a gallery HERE
3) There are 117 photos on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE 

Provisional route announced for Sonia 5k in Cobh...

As announced in a previous post, the Sonia 5k in Cobh is coming up on Saturday the 19th of September.

Provisional details of the 5k course have now been released. As you can see from the map below, it starts near the highest part of the town and finishes near sea level.

Anyone familiar with Cobh will know that there are about 3 very short climbs but overall, it should be a very fast course.

Check out the previous post for details on how to enter.

Australian Runner Completes Mizen to Malin Run in 18 days...

Back at the start of August, I had a post up about Australian runner Simon Chodziesner who was running from Mizen Head in Cork to Malin Head in Donegal. True to the plan, he finished the journey on Tuesday the 18th of August.

That's a total of 568kms in 18 days which averages out as about 31.5kms or about 20 miles per day.

There should be a few more Malin to Mizen attempts taking place in the next month.

Notice...Sonia 5k in Cobh - Sat 19th Sept 2015

 This is a new race on the calendar and should be a popular one. Back in 1995, Sonia O'Sullivan won the Gold medal in the 5,000m at the World Championships in Sweden. To commemorate the 20th anniversary, there will be a 5k race in Sonia's home town of Cobh and all finishers will receive a replica of the World Championship medal.

See the press release below...

Sonia Comes Home: Sonia 5k Celebrates 20 Year Anniversary of Historic Gold at World Championships

Be a World Champion for a Day in Cobh at the Sonia 5k  

Athletics Ireland is delighted to announce the Sonia 5K in association with Euromedic Ireland takes place on Saturday 19th of September at 6pm to mark the 20th Anniversary of Irish athletics icon Sonia O’Sullivan’s historic victory in the 5,000 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Gothenburg in 1995 in her hometown of Cobh.

This will be the second running of the Sonia 5K which got off to a great start in Dun Laoghaire on June 13th. Join the former World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist in this Special Celebration event on a beautiful scenic route in the seaside town of Cobh – the homeland of Sonia.

“Its always great to come home and run through the streets of Cobh,” said the Cobh express. “There was a time when not so many people ran through the streets of Cobh but that has changed recently and it’s amazing really how long it took for some people to catch on to the running bug that I haven’t been able to let go of and still continue to enjoy.

“It was a surprise to notice the significant numbers of women taking part in the Dun Laoghaire Sonia 5k. It was so much fun to see so many groups of women come along for the evening and for me to get the opportunity to run back and share the run with them as they streamed in to the finish line. This is a great opportunity for the women of Munster to join in the fun and make their presence felt on the streets of Cobh.”

All finishers will receive a Unique Commemorative Medal - an exact replica of the World Championship Gold Medal won by Sonia when she became Ireland’s first-ever female Athletics World Champion.

“The Sonia 5K is about much more than running; it is about highlighting the importance of taking time each day for personal health and wellness, it is about encouraging activities and participation in your own personal fitness activities whether you run, walk, or jog and it gives Euromedic Ireland the opportunity to honour the legacy of one of Ireland’s greatest athletes, Sonia O’Sullivan,” said Tom Finn, CEO of Euromedic Ireland.

“The inaugural Sonia 5k in Dun Laoghaire  on June 13th was a great success and Euromedic, as title sponsor, is looking forward to the second running in Cobh on September 19th.”

The entry fee for the 5k is €15 and there will be a Kids Mile Run too so they can join in the fun (entry fee is €8). Log on to www.sonia5k.ie/cobh/

Details on the 5k course can be seen in this post.

Notice...St.Luke's Home 5k road race, Mahon - Thurs 10th Sept 2015

This is a brand new 5km race on the calendar and it should prove to be a popular one. The St.Luke's Home 5km run is on in Mahon on Thursday the 10th of September and it starts at 7pm.

Here are some of the reasons why it should get a good turnout......
1) It is at a time of year when most of the mid-week evening races have stopped.
2) It is in Cork City with a huge number of runners within its catchment area.
3) The 5km course is very fast, has an Athletics Ireland permit and has been accurately measured by Jones Counter.
4) 80% of it is on quiet public walkway.
5) Finishers get a 20% discount voucher for John Buckley Sports which could easily result in savings in excess of the entry fee.
6) All proceeds go to St.Lukes Home which is a registered charity.

From the organisers......

Prizes :
1st, 2nd, 3rd Male/Female
1st in other categories (Male/Female over 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60)
Wheelchair Athlete

Entry Fee: €10

Entry Includes: Timing Chip, On course water and refreshments, tea, coffee and sandwiches for all competitors at St. Luke’s Home after the race.

Registration: www.sportstiming.ie or on the day between 2pm and 6.30pm at St. Luke’s Home.

All participants will receive a 20% discount voucher from John Buckley Sports.

Update Mon 7th Sept...
Amazing 1st prize: RCI sponsored European holiday
Prizes in all categories
Lots of Spot Prizes
20% discount John Buckley Sports with presentation of your Race Number within 20 days
Goody Bag for all finishers including High Vis RSA Vest
Post-Race Refreshments and Prize giving – St. Luke’s Home, 8.15pm

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

The organisers have a race website here..... https://stlukes5k.wordpress.com/ 

Results of the Route 2 Crook 5 mile road race...Sun 16th Aug 2015

The annual Route 2 Crook 5 mile road race was held on Sunday the 16th of August 2015 and a total of 98 runners took part. Despite the fact the weather could have been better, this was still up 3% on last year.

1 27:49    COLLINS, John    Skibbereen AC    M    05:33.7    33    1
2 28:01    HUGHES, Jonathan    Rathfarnham-WSAF AC    M    05:36.1
3 28:22    HARRINGTON, Michael    Bantry AC    M40    05:40.3
4 30:06    HOLLAND, Ann-Marie    Youghal AC    F40    06:01.1
6 30:45    ENGLISH, Una    unatt/Cork    F45    06:08.9
24 36:08    LANDE, Jen    unatt/London    F35    07:13.4 

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Dromahane Park 5 mile run...Sat 15th Aug 2015

In nearly all races, the first person home is usually a man. Martina Kiely of St.Finbarr's AC won this hilly 5 mile run in Dromahane outright with a time of 30m 58s.

A total of 95 people took part, up 17% from last year.

1. Martina Kiely 30.58
4. Ailbhe McDaid 32.58
10. Carol Finn 35.05
2. Fergal OConnor 31.55
3. Brendan Moylan 32.24
5. Denis Kiely 33.38

The full results can be found HERE

Notice...Rebel Run4Fun 5k, Fota House & Gardens - Sun 23rd Aug 2015

The third and final race in the successful Rebel Run4Fun 5k series takes place on Sunday the 23rd of August on the grounds of Fota House. This is a spectacular setting for a 5k and it's pretty flat.

Note there is no timing on this one although it is an accurately measured course. Hence the cheaper €5 online entry fee.

From Cork Sports Partnership......Please note online registrations are currently open for €5 (ex booking fee) www.rebelrun.ie or €10 on the morning. This final event Not Chipped Timed and is a FUN RUN around the grounds of Fota House and Gardens- which is a fantastic public amenity.
Venue: Fota House arboretum and gardens, Fota Island.
Start Time: 10am.
Sign In: Pre registered participants must sign in on the morning of the event from 8.45am and collect event number. This will take place at Fota House. As this is a non chip timed event no timing chips will be given out. Parking: Parking is available at the main Fota House and Gardens car park in Fota Island appox 10k from Cork City. The start line is only a short distance from the car park. Please note there is a cost to the car park of €3 on leaving. 
Cost: online registration fee of €5 (excluding booking fee) A fee of €10 will apply for entries on the morning of the event.
Event Prizes....Prizes:  Male & Female for 1st, 2nd & 3rd in each event (Mahers Sports Vouchers)
Spot prizes will be also be randomly allocated for each event also (Mahers Sports Vouchers)
Start time for each event will be 10am sharp and participants are advised to give themselves plenty of time to get to the registration/collection point etc. Toilet/Parking facilities will be available at each venue, but please give yourself plenty of time to as the events start at 10am sharp.  

Note that if you are coming from Cork City, there is also the option of going by train which only takes 13-14 minutes.

Cork    Fota
08:00    08:13
09:00    09:13

Fota    Cork
11:40    11:54
12:40    12:54

Preview.....More info including maps and photos out along the course can be found HERE

Results of the Coachford 5 mile road race...Fri 14th Aug 2015

Friday was an unusual evening for races in Cork in that there were two races within the Cork City catchment area going head to head with each other. In a sign of just how resilient the number of people running in Cork is, not only did the Coachford race attract 226 people but it was also up 5% on last year when it was the only race on near Cork City.

Male:
1st Eric Curran 26:14
2nd Cian Murphy 27:22
3rd Declan Murphy 29:09
1st Male 040 Sean Hanley
1st Male O50 James Ryan
1st Male O60 Richard Piotrowski
1st Underage Sean Foley

Female:
1st Karina Murphy 32:05
2nd Una Plant 32:43
3rd Jacinta O'Connor 33:46
1st Female O40 Annett McCullagh
1st Female O50 Maire Ui Chaghail
1st Female O60 Siobhan O'Connell

1st Team.......Declan Murphy, Dan O'Sullian, Mairead Ennegeus, Mary-Bridget Ennegeus

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) A set of 33 photos by Mick Dooley of Eagle AC can be found HERE

First 3 men...Declan Murphy 3rd, Eric Curran 1st & Cian Murphy 2nd

First 3 women...Jacinta O'Connor 3rd, Karina Murphy 1st & Una Plant 2nd

Results & Photos of the Cobh 4 mile road race...Fri 14th Aug 2015

This 4 mile road race organised by Ballymore Cobh AC attracted a field of 239 runners, a good turnout considering it was going head to head with the 5 mile race in Coachford. The course seems to have lived up to its promise of being a fast 4 miler with plenty of good times being posted.

The mens race was won by Ryan Creech of Leevale AC who won a Bronze medal in the 10,000m at the National Track & Field Championships in Santry last Saturday.

1 RYAN CREECH     THE EDGE     MS     18:45
2 JAMES MCCARTHY     EAST CORK AC     MS     19:58
3 DAVID KEENAN          MS     20:48
22 LORNA WOLFE     LEEVALE     FS     24:50
26 JESSICA BRUTON     COBH TRIATHLON CLUB     FS     25:05
28 JENNIFER GOGGIN WALSH      FS     25:10

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos......(Updated 18th Aug)
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery HERE
2) There are 204 up on on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
3) Jonathan Kenneally of Eagle AC has 300+ photos HERE
4) The Cobh Edition has a gallery HERE

Video......
1) Precision Timing have a video of the finish line. Click HERE and click on the square bottom right for full screen.

First 3 men...David Keenan 3rd, Ryan Creech 1st & James McCarthy 2nd