Looking ahead to the Cork BHAA Cork to Cobh 15 mile road race...Sun 4th Oct 2015

The main race in Cork this weekend is the annual Cork BHAA Cork to Cobh 15 mile road race on Sunday, the 4th of October. There have been some changes from last year in that the pre-entry price went from €10 to €15 and there is a cotton t-shirt instead of a dry fit top. Other than that, things are much the same.

Entries on the day will be taken at the Montenotte Hotel and the fee is €20. They will transport gear bags from there to the finish line in Cobh....just look for the tags in the hall and the van outside.

The race starts at 9:30am.

Course...Starting at St.Patricks Church, you run past the railway station and towards the Dunkettle roundabout....up over the flyover by the tunnel......then taking a left and onto the old road which passes Glounthaune church.Then onwards towards the main roundabout before Carrigtwohill and then take the bridge over the main road and head towards Fota, Belvelly bridge and on into Cobh. The finish is close to the main square in the centre of Cobh. Overall, there are a few small hills but nothing major, just one pull at 12 miles near the old IFI plant and another smaller one before 14 miles.

Overall, it is pretty flat for the first ten miles or so with the hardest sections coming in the last five.

Transport......Please note that you have to make your own way back to Cork City.
Options - You probably have a few options in terms of transport...
1) Two cars...take 2 cars to Cobh, leave one in Cobh and drive up to Cork
2) Train...The train will leave the train station in Cobh for Cork City at 12:30, 1:30, 3:00 and 4:30 pm depending on long you want to stay around after the race. The fee is €5.50 (2015 price).

Pace......If you are going for a specific time in the Dublin City Marathon in four weeks time, then it's an ideal chance to test your target marathon pace. Say your target for Dublin is 3h 30m.....then you could run Cork to Cobh at 8 min per mile pace. If you arrive in Cobh and you're comfortable then 3h 30m is a realistic target. If you're exhausted after 15 miles at that pace then you should think about a more realistic target. If you add in a warm up of a few miles beforehand then all the better. It will give you a more accurate appraisal.

Race.....Just remember that the last third is the hardest. Over the years, many people get to the Belvelly Bridge by Fota tired and then struggle over the last 5 miles. Going slightly slower in the early stages will pay off in the later stages in this race. Even effort always gets the best results.

Weather........(Updated Fri 11pm).....The forecast is that it will be cloudy and dry with a strong south-easterly breeze. Temp in the low teens. There is rain forecast but it shouldn't be in until the afternoon. The main issue however will be the strong breeze which will feel like a headwind for much of the race.