Results & Photos of the Dungarvan 10 mile road race...Sun 31st Jan 2016

The annual Dungarvan 10 mile road race was held on Sunday the 31st of January and a huge number of runners from Cork made the trip to West Waterford. Conditions for the race on the whole were pretty good with mostly dry conditions although there was a strong headwind from miles 3 to 5.

The full results are available HERE

Prizewinners HERE

See statement from the organisers....
Update on Race Results.......We are still working through the race results and will have them published in full on Thursday Morning. As you know we had a technical difficulties with our chip timing system but as any good club would, we had a back up plan in the event of any failure. However it just takes some time as there was over 2000 finishes and a lot of footage to go through. Times will be accurate once published. Please bare with us. Thanks! once they are cross checked.

As for club finishers, here is a breakdown of some of them.... West Waterford AC 161, Clonmel AC 83, Eagle AC 64, Midleton AC 56, Mallow AC 54, Wibbly Wobbly Wonders 53, Waterford AC 52, Youghal AC 41, St.Finbarr's AC 37,  Slaney Olympic AC 31,  Galtee Runners 31, Ballintotis Fit4Life 28, Kilkenny City Harriers 24, Togher AC 19, Tramore AC 18, Watergrasshill AC 17, St.Catherines AC 16,  Thurles Crokes AC 16, Leevale AC 14, Waterford Tri Club 14, An Brú AC 13, Carraig na bhFear AC 12, Grange Fermoy AC 12, West Limerick AC 9, Bandon AC 8, Donoughmore AC 8, Carrick-on-Suir AC 8, St.Senan's AC 8, Carrigtwohill AC 7, Dromahane Road Runners 7, Kinsale Tri Club 7, Aghada Running Club 6, Ballymore Cobh AC 6, Tracton AC 5, Dooneen AC 4, Happy Feet Running Club 4, Riverstick Kinsale AC 3,

Top men...
1st Sean Hehir Rathfarnham AC 50.15
2nd Tim O Donoghue East Cork AC 52.44
3rd Alan O Shea Bantry AC 54.04
4th Frank Quinlan Waterford AC 54.39
5th John O'Connell Leevale AC 54.43
6th Michael Morgan St.Finbarrs AC 55.00
7th Brendan Murphy Crusaders AC 55.17
8th Danny Smyth Ballynonty AC 55.41
9th Declan Power Clonliffe Harriers AC 55.45
10th Raivis Zakis West Waterford AC 55.50
Junior. Andrew Maher Togher AC 71.43

MENS CATEGORIES
O/40...1st Michael Harrington Bantry AC 57.58 // 2nd P.J. Scollard Waterford AC 59.03
0/45...1st Tony Kelleher Togher AC 56.51 // 2nd Paul Duggan St.Finbarrs AC 58.47
O/50... 1st Paul Moran Rathfarnham AC 57.24 // 2nd Kevin Murphy Slaney Olympic AC 60.13
O/55...1st Gerry O'Connell Ind 59.19 // 2nd Gerry Cantwell West Waterford AC 67.33
O/60... 1st Joe Gough West Waterford AC 64.02
O/65...1st Maurice Tobin Grange Fermoy AC 72.54

LADIES RESULTS
1st Barbara Sanchez Clonliffe Harriers AC 57.35
2nd Siobhan O’Doherty Borrisokane AC 59.06
3rd Jane Ann Healy Meehan Athenry AC 59.37
4th Maria Mc Cambridge Dudrum South Dublin AC 60.32
5th Una Plant Murphy Ind 63.41
6th Clare Annan Clonmel AC 64.27
O/35...1st Karina Tehan St.Finbarrs AC 65.00 // 2nd Gail Phibbs Lakeshore AC Striders 66.02
O/40... 1st Adele Walsh St.Senans AC 66.29 // 2nd Siobhan McHugh Clonmel AC 70.48
O/45... 1st Anna Doris Midleton AC 65.46 // 2nd Dolores Duffy Watergrasshill AC 67.39
O/50... 1st Joan Ennis Grange Fermoy 64.50 // 2nd Helen Gilroy Midleton AC 71.35
O/55... 1st Mary Sweeney St.Finbarrs AC 69.39

TEAM PRIZEWINNERS 2016 (Provisional)
MEN CLUB.......(Taken from those who are outside the individual prizes)
1st...Leevale A.C....David Comber 15th, Michael Creed 30th, Conor Collins 31st...Total 76 points
2nd...St. Finbarr’s A.C....Eoin O Keeffe, 17th, Christopher Murnane 35th, Michael Corbett 40th...Total points 92
3rd....Eagle A.C.....Alan O Brien 12th, Edwin Sutton 25th, Vivian Foley 65th.....Total points 102

LADIES CLUB
1st...West Waterford A.C....Sandra Prendergast 267th, Liz Nyhan 479th, Laura Flavin 518th...Total points 1,264

JOHN TREACY CLUB CHALLENGE...MENS TEAM PRIZEWINNERS 2016
1st Club...Rathfarnham WSAF A.C....Sean Hehir 50:15, David Power 56:37, Paul Moran 57:24 ......Total time 2:44:16

JOHN TREACY CLUB CHALLENGE...LADIES TEAM PRIZEWINNERS 2016
1st Club.......St Finbarr’s A.C........Karina Teehan 1:05:00, Niamh Cronin 1:06:13, Mary Sweeney 1:09:39...........Total time 3:20:52

Photos...(Updated Mon 1st Feb 21:30)
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE
2) Paul Condon Photography has an album HERE
3) Susan Parker Laste Photos have a gallery HERE
4) The Wibbly Wobbly Wonders have two albums... HERE and HERE
5) There is a gallery of photos on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE and HERE    
6) DC Images has a gallery HERE    

Photos.......(Facebook account required to view)
1) Tom Flynn has a gallery HERE
2) Trevor McGrath has a small gallery HERE and a larger one HERE
3) Martin T Landers has a gallery HERE and HERE 
4) John Troy has a gallery HERE

New recruit for the Wibblies???

Video clip from West Waterford AC about the club and the race...

Results of the Doneraile Park 5k... Sat 30th Jan 2016

NORTH CORK A C 5K ROAD RACE - DONERAILE PARK 30TH JANUARY
                        
Position    Bib #    Name    Club / Location    Time    Category
1    SHANE SIMCOX    MALLOW AC        17:15    Male
2    KIERAN MCKEOWN    WATERGRASSHILL AC        17:26    Male
3    BRYAN CROWLEY    WATERGRASSHILL AC        17:28    Male
13    GRAINNE EGAN    NORTH CORK AC        19:43    Female
32    BERNADETTE LEE    EAGLE A C        21:24    Female
48    EAVAN LONG    MALLOW AC        21:58    Female

The full results can be seen HERE

Looking at the first year of parkruns in Co.Kerry...Sat 30th Jan 2016

2015 saw plenty of changes in the running scene in Co.Kerry with two new 5km parkruns starting up in the county. The first one to start was in Tralee on the 24th of January 2015 and this was followed by one in Killarney on the 6th of June 2015.

Tralee parkrun....The chart below shows the weekly numbers over the last year.....

Since it has started, the Tralee parkrun has had 1327 registered runners to date with an average of 112.1 per week. As you can see from the chart, there was an initial surge of interest which then settled down over the Summer months and picked up again over the Autumn. The recent surge is no doubt due to the publicity from the Operation Transformation TV programme.

Looking back about 5-10 years, there was almost a complete lack of any races in the Tralee area in marked contrast to what was happening in Killarney. In the last few years, there have been new commercial races organised by Run the Kingdom but at €20 a pop with medals and dry fit tops, they're not for everyone. It's not all doom and gloom however as no doubt the free weekly parkruns will introduce a lot of people to running and some of them will in time go on to run in the some the longer events like the Tralee Marathon and Half-Marathon organised by the same company.

Killarney parkrun.....The chart below shows the weekly numbers...

The numbers in Killarney have been lower with an average of 42.1 runners per week. A total of 535 registered runners have taken part in the event since it started last June. As you can see from the chart, there was the initial surge due to the novelty factor. This stabilised about about 30-40 over the Autumn but it was hit badly by the wet weather in December. The recent surge is again due to the Operation Transformation TV programme.

One point of interest is that the average of 42.1 in Killarney is in marked contrast to the 112.1 average in Tralee. The town of Tralee has population of about 24k which is 1.7 times the size of Killarney. The parkrun average in Tralee is 2.7 times larger than that of Killarney. As for why the large difference? Perhaps there are several....more choice of modest priced races near Killarney? The fact that the parkrun in Killarney is about 3 miles south of the town centre? The marked difference between race prices in Tralee and the free parkrun?

Third parkrun??......Is there scope for another parkrun in the county? The thing about Co.Kerry is that Tralee and Killarney are really the main population centres and the other towns are quite small. If Killarney with a population of 14k2 has only an average of 42.1 runners per week then would a third parkrun get enough people to justify it? In terms of population, the third largest town is Listowel with 4,800 inhabitants which is about one third the size of Killarney. However if the examples in Cork have shown anything then it's that a parkrun can pop up just about anywhere.

Looking ahead to the 2016 Dungarvan 10 mile road race...Sun 31st Jan 2016

The big race in Munster this weekend of course is the Dungarvan 10 mile road race and there are well over 1000 runners from Cork making the journey. This sold out months ago and the entry list can be seen HERE

First off, the weather forecast looks a bit mixed. There is likely to be rain in the early morning as a front passes over but it should be largely out of the way by the time the race starts. Behind the front, there will be strong westerly winds which will keep the temperatures in the low teens. There may be a chance of showers at race time but hopefully, the worst of it will have passed. All going well, it will hopefully be just overcast, mild and windy.

In the past, the Dungarvan 10 has been noted for freezing cold winds. Not this time around. If you are racing then a singlet or a short sleeve dry fit top should be enough.

2016 dry fit top & bag

As for the course, it is the same as last year which involved some changes. The updated preview can be seen  here... http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/03/waterford009.html

The course map is shown below. The strong wind is likely to be a factor between miles 1 & 2 and 3 & 5. It will be behind the runners for a lot of the course.

Parkrun in Cork City on Sat 30th Jan 2016 cancelled due to ongoing large numbers...

It has just been announced that the Cork City Council are withdrawing permission for the weekly 5km parkrun at the Tramore Valley Park in Cork City.

From the parkrun organisers..... Unfortunately we have been informed by Cork City Council that they are withdrawing permission for Parkrun to take place at Tramore Valley next Saturday, January 30th due to the difficulties arising from increased traffic volumes and associated parking issues last Saturday. 

Last weekend we had a record of 520 runners completing the two lap course, up from 339 the previous week. There is only room for 240 carparking spaces at Tramore Valley and while the Black Ash Park and Ride is just across the road, there is no pedestrian crossing connecting the two.The numbers taking part have risen exponentially and with the OT promotion of Parkrun there were fears that even larger numbers would be converging over the next few weeks. 

The volunteers are gutted and very disappointed with the announcement as Tramore Valley Park has been a World Leader for parkrun registrations over the last few weeks and have almost 3000 registered runners. While permission has been withdrawn Cork city council have left the door open to a review at an early stage when plans at how to make the event safe to take place can be implemented.

Obviously this isn't good news for the regular attendees at the weekly parkrun. Since it started at the end of September 2015, it has attracted 1410 people.

As the map shows below, there are 940 parking spaces in the Black Ash Park & Ride facility which is only across the road from the entrance to the Tramore Valley Park. At 9:30am on a Saturday morning, the place is practically empty yet there is no public access from there to the Tramore Valley Park at the other side of the South Ring Road.

Obviously the extra publicity from the ongoing Operation Transformation programme pushed the numbers to records level but the question has to be asked of the City Council.......What's the point of having a public park if people can't use it? If they can't handle 500 runners then how can they can't hold any sort of public event there.

We'll have to wait and see if a solution is found.

Additional info...
1) Press release from the Cork City Council...28th Jan 2016

Notice...MMRA Clonakilty Trail Race - Sun 7th Feb 2016

As well as there being plenty of road races locally, the Munster Mountain Running Association have their own series of trail races on various hills and mountains in the province.

Here is some information from them about their second race of 2016....Race number 2 of 6 in the Munster Sunday League.

From the MMRA....Clonakilty Trail race...The second race in the Munster Mountain Running Calendar will take place on Sunday the 7th February 2016 in Castlefreke at 1pm. The race is 5km long, is suitable for all abilities and is a great introduction to the sport of trail running. You must run with a jacket, no matter what the weather. We have a kiddies (500m) and Junior (1.5km) race at 12.30 before the main race. You have to register annual membership with IMRA on the day (€10) and the race fee is €5. Compliments of Coillte all runners will take home an oak sapling to plant at home. Hope to see you there

Further Details: https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/1339

Directions: http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/03/misc010.html

Course Description: The race starts at the forest barrier in the car park and follows the forest trail up towards an old ‘Wart Well’. The trail then descends through the woods and follows a route to an old lodge. From here we take the Lake Walk through the woods which brings us to the Sand Dunes and on to beautiful Long Strand. From here runners can choose their own path through a 1km beach run and exit Long Strand and climb up to the High Cross. From here it is a gentle decent to the forest barrier and Finish Line.  The distance is approximately 6km and the grade is relatively easy.

Please be aware that ALL participants MUST purchase IMRA membership for 2016 and cost is €10 per person for the 2016 calendar year. Please note this is a separate one-off yearly payment, in addition to race cost. Please download the membership form, print and bring filled out form to race. You will be then assigned your 2016 IMRA number on the day. This number is to be kept and used in all subsequent 2016 races. Cost of the race is €5. There will be tea and sandwiches at the finish line.

Full directions with maps can be seen HERE

More info about the MMRA events for 2016 HERE

Results of the MMRA Corrin Hill Trail Race...Sun 17th Jan 2016

The first race in the 2016 Munster Mountain Running Association (MMRA) calendar was held on Corrin Hill near Fermoy on Sunday the 17th of January. This was the first of five races in the Munster Sunday League which runs from January to April 2016. More info about the 2016 calendar HERE

A total of 69 adults and 4 juveniles took part.

1 24.34 Tom Blackburn
2 24.39 John Lynch
3 24.40 Dave McCarthy
33 29.45 Ide Kelleher
34 29.50 Anna Borkowska
35 30.20 Marie O'Shea

The full results can be seen HERE

Over 1000 runners from Cork to take part in the Dungarvan 10 mile road race next Sunday

The 25th Annual John Treacy Dungarvan 10 mile road race is coming up next Sunday the 31st of January and 2,532 people have entered this year. Out of this, well over 1,000 are from Co.Cork.

Here are some stats from West Waterford AC......

1) Over 2,500 entries made up of 56% men and 44% women .
2) The average age of runners is 41 with the youngest runner being 19 while the oldest is 74.
3) The highest number from any county is Cork who will have over 1,000 runners.
4) As for food it will be...
a) 2,500 bags of crisps
b) 2,500 500ml bottles of water
c) 2,500 chocolate bars
d) 2,500 flapjacks
e) 6,000 250mls bottles of water
f) Over 150 pan loaves of sandwiches
g) 200 Barn Bracks
h) 200 Madeira cakes,
i) 4000 tea bags
j) 80 litres of milk
........plus lots more!!

It just goes to show the scale of the operation when 2,000 or so runners descend on the sports hall in the town for the race.

As for club entries, here is a breakdown of some of them.... West Waterford AC 208, Clonmel AC 110, Midleton AC 79, Eagle AC 78, Mallow AC 72, Youghal AC 59, St.Finbarr's AC 59, Wibbly Wobbly Wonders 58, Waterford AC 54, Kilkenny City Harriers 27, Slaney Olympic AC 32, Ballintotis Fit4Life 29, Leevale AC 27, Thurles Crokes AC 24, Tramore AC 23, Togher AC 22, Watergrasshill AC 19, Waterford Tri Club 18, An Brú AC 18, Grange Fermoy AC 16, West Limerick AC 14, Bandon AC 12, Carraig na bhFear AC 12, Carrigtwohill AC 10, Dooneen AC 10, Carrick-on-Suir AC 10, Kinsale Tri Club 10, St.Senan's AC 8, Tracton AC 8, Ballymore Cobh 7,

The full entry list for 2016 can be seen HERE

Notice...Carrigaline 5 mile road race - Sun 21st February 2016

This 5 mile road race is coming up in Carrigaline on Sunday, the 21st of February 2016 at 11am. Coming two weeks before the Ballycotton '10', it is ideally placed as a test run to check your fitness level before the big day itself.

While you can enter on the day of the race, you can also pre-enter HERE

All those who pre-enter will be put into a draw for a €30 One4all voucher.

The race is organised by Eagle AC, has an Athletics Ireland permit and has been accurately measured by Jones Counter. More info on the Eagle AC race page.

Location...The town of Carrigaline is only five miles south of the South Ring Road so it is within easy reach of Cork City. Race HQ is at the local community sports hall where runners can enter on the day. For those who pre-enter in advance, they can skip the queues there and pick up their numbers at the pre-entry desk.

The race is co-sponsored by The Edge Sports Shop and they will be giving out discount vouchers to all runners on the day. These will entitle you to 20% off on running items and nutrition products. Obviously, the discount may well exceed the cost of the race entry so it might be worth doing for this reason alone.

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

Results of the National Intermediate & Masters Cross Country Championships...Sun 24th Jan 2016

The Athletics Ireland National Intermediate & Masters Cross Country Championships were held this year in Dundalk on Sunday the 24th of January 2016. The numbers turning out were mixed with a very good attendance in the Masters events while the Intermediate Championships were pretty poor.

First off, the Masters (those aged 35 and over). The numbers here were pretty good and obviously reflect the growth in the number of masters nationally.

In February of 2015, this event was held in Tuam, Co.Galway and they got 223 men and 140 women in the masters. This year, the numbers for the masters were 255 men (+14%) and 196 women (+40%). In 2015, there were 20 club teams and 8 county teams in the O35 mens section. In 2016, that was 23 club teams and 8 county teams. In the mens over 50 section, that increased from 7 club teams and 5 county teams to 10 club teams and 6 county teams.

The womens O35 changed from 16 club teams and 11 county teams to 19 club teams and 9 county teams. The womens over 50 changed from 7 club teams and 5 county teams to 7 club teams and 6 county teams.

Overall, very positive and a growth in what were already good numbers. Perhaps the number of counties could have been higher but still a good turn out.

These are some of the medals picked up by club athletes from Cork and Kerry...

Masters Men...
Masters Men O35.....1st Tim Twomey Leevale A.C. // 3rd Tim O'Connor An Riocht A.C.
Masters Men O60.......1st Neillus Aherne Midleton A.C.

In the Mens O35 section, St.Finbarr's AC from Cork finished 3rd out of 23 teams.
Men O35 Team Club Team Points
Place Club Positions Points
1 Donore Harriers 11, 14, 18, 26.... 69 pts
2 Rathfarnham W.S.A.F. A.C.5, 12, 39, 40..... 96 pts
3 St. Finbarrs A.C. 15, 22, 24, 67...... 128 pts
4 North Belfast Harriers A.C.10, 30, 35, 55...... 130 pts

The Cork O35 team finished second out of 8 county teams.
Men O35 Team County Team Points
Place County Positions
1 Dublin 5, 11, 12, 14, 18, 26...86 pts
2 Cork 2, 15, 16, 20, 22, 24...99 pts
3 Donegal 4, 38, 41, 42, 43, 45...213 pts

Masters Women...
Masters Women O35........2nd Karina Teahan St. Finbarrs A.C.
Masters Women O50......1st Niamh O'Sullivan An Riocht A.C.
Masters Women O60.......1st Carmel Parnell Leevale A.C. //  2nd Majella Diskin An Riocht A.C.

The Cork Womens O35 team finished 3rd out of 9 county teams.
Women O35 Team County Team Points
Place County Positions Points
1 Dublin 1, 5, 12, 13...31 pts
2 Laois 3, 8, 21, 43...75 pts
3 Cork 15, 19, 38, 41...113 pts

The results can be found on the Athletics Ireland website.....Master Men (35-64), Master Men O65 & Masters Women

*****
Intermediate Men...
The Intermediate Cross Country Championships however were a different story. Last year in Tuam, there were 76 men and 55 women. This year, it was 85 men and 53 women...about the same. It's in the teams however that the poor numbers are really reflected. In the mens section in 2015, there were 10 club teams and just 3 county teams...Dublin 1st, Cork 2nd and Offaly 3rd. This year, there are 11 club teams but still only 3 counties....1st Clare, 2nd Dublin, 3rd Laois. Cork as the second largest county in terms of club membership was unable to field an Intermediate team of just 6 men.

Intermediate Women...
In the womens Intermediate competition, the numbers were poor also. There were 5 club teams and 5 counties represented in 2015. This year, the number of club teams went up to 7 but the number of womens county teams went down to just 2.........Dublin 1st and Cork 2nd. Think about that for a second. It only requires 4 women for a county Intermediate team..........and there are just two counties represented. It's not like the event was held up at the top of Donegal and way down in West Cork, it was in Dundalk. Where is Co.Meath? Kildare? Louth!

There are some serious problems with this Intermediate cross country competition. Back in early December of 2015, there were 208 men and 89 women in the National Novice Cross Country Championships. It seems as if people just aren't interested in the Intermediate competition. Time to call it a day?

The results can be found on the Athletics Ireland website.....Intermediate Men, Intermediate Women

Photos.....
1) Kieran Carlin of Finn Valley AC has a large gallery on Facebook (account required to view)
2) Lisa Shine has a video clip on Facebook HERE

Photos of the Glanmire GAA Ladies Football 4 mile run...Sun 25th Jan 2016

A total of 330 people took part in the Glanmire Ladies Football 4 mile fun run in Glanmire on Sunday the 24th of January 2016.

1st male: Sean o Sullivan
2nd male: Bryan Crowley
1st female: Deloras Duffy
2nd female: Jessica Mccarthy
1st wheelchair: Jerry Forde

Photos...
1) Gerard O'Sullivan has two albums of mostly Black & White photos.....HERE and HERE

Adidas to end IAAF sponsorship deal worth €33 million

The BBC have just announced that Adidas, the IAAF's biggest sponsor, will end their sponsorship deal four years early. This is estimated to cost the World's athletics governing body something in the region of €32 million.

For one of the world's major sport wear companies to do this just before the Olympics speaks volumes about the current state of international athletics. This is of course due to corruption which went to the highest level of the IAAF and a failure to deal with the doping problems that have been going on for years.

More on the BBC Sports website

Results of the Cloyne Commons 4k race...Sun 24th Jan 2016

254 people took part in this 4k in Cloyne in East Cork on Sunday the 24th of January 2016.

1 13:01    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:14.1
2 13:50    SHEEHAN, Nigel    Youghal AC    M    05:33.8
3 13:53    HARTY, Brian    Midleton AC    M    05:35.0
36 16:40    LEAHY, Eileen    Midleton AC    F    06:42.2
59 17:58    SILLETT, Maggie    Ballymore-Cobh AC    FJ    07:13.6
65 18:12    CASHELL, Carol    unatt/Carrigtwohill    F35    07:19.2 

The full results can be seen HERE

Clonakilty parkrun hits the 100 mark...

On Saturday the 23rd of January 2016, the Clonakilty parkrun was held for the 100th time. The very first 5k parkrun was held in Clonakilty on the 1st of February 2014. As you can see from the chart above, the numbers have been roughly between 20 and 50 each week. In fact, the average is 34.6.

To date, some 839 people have taken part in this parkrun. The highest number taking part in one event was 100 on the 26th of September 2015. Of the six parkruns in Co.Cork, only the one in Macroom is older.

None of this would be possible of course if it wasn't for the small army of volunteers who keep the show on the road.

Results & Photos of the Tramore Valley Park 5k parkrun in Cork City...Sat 23rd Jan 2016

There was a huge jump in numbers this week with 533 taking part in the 5k parkrun in Tramore Valley Park in Cork City.  That's a massive 54% jump on the previous record of 347 which was at the inaugural event at the end of September 2015.

1 Alan O'SHEA    16:00    VM35-39    M    Bantry Athletic Club
2 Donal COFFEY    16:35    VM35-39    M    Leevale AC    First Timer!    1   
3 Dennis O REGAN    17:38    SM30-34    M
21 Laura O'CALLAGHAN    20:39    SW30-34    F
37 Grainne DONOVAN    21:32    SW30-34    F
40 Jessica MCCARTHY    21:39    SW25-29    F

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos.... 
1) There are 180 photos on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
2) Derek Costello of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE 

Notice...FACE 5k road race, Kilworth - Sun 14th Feb 2016

Fermoy Action Children's Education (FACE) is a charity whose aim is to help children with learning difficulties. They are holding their annual 5k road race in Kilworth near Fermoy on Sunday the 14th of February 2016. The course has been accurately measured by Jones Counter and the race has an Athletics Ireland permit.

The race also has its own website where you can find out more about the charity as well as maps, prizes and directions..... http://face5k.wordpress.com/

You can also find a more detailed preview of the course HERE

Mallow AC announce prize structure for the 2016 Mallow 10 mile road race

Mallow AC have just announced the prize structure for the 2016 Mallow 10 mile road race and it should be of special interest to some of the faster runners out there. As well as having cash prizes for the first five men and women, they will be giving out a €250 bonus for any man who run sub 49:30 or any woman going sub 57:00. This bonus obviously applies only to some of the best runners in the country but it might make the trip worthwhile for some.

They also have the usual array of category prizes and a €250 bonus for anyone breaking the following course records.... Martin Fagan 48:28 & Michelle Finn 56:29

Another change this year is that there are prizes for the first two mixed teams...2 men and 2 women.

Full details on the race website.

BBC Sporting Witness...Mike Powell's World Record Long Jump of 8.95 metres

Competition : IAAF World Championships in Tokyo in 1991. Bob Beamon's long jump record of 8.90 metres which was set at altitude in the thinner air at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico has stood for 23 years. In the final of the long jump at the 1991 World Championships, Mike Powell and Carl Lewis of the USA go head to head to decide who wins the World title. It would turn out to be a clash that required a new World record to determine the winner.

The BBC recently had an interview with Mike Powell about the 8.95 metre long jump world record which still stands to this day. You can listen to it HERE

Some video clips...

Pt3

  
Pt4

RNLI Reindeer Run in Fota on Sun 24th Jan 2016 cancelled...

It looks as if the Winter weather has finally been too much for the RNLI Reindeer Run in Fota Gardens. It was originally supposed to take place at the end of November 2015 but had to be cancelled because of a storm. It was rescheduled for the 24th of January 2016 but with all the recent rain, the ground is just too soft.

Statement from the RNLI....We are sorry to inform you that the RNLI Reindeer Run and Santa Saunter due to take place this coming Sunday (24 January 2016) at Fota House and Gardens has been cancelled. We have made this decision at the request of Fota House and Gardens as the grounds are in a terrible state following the huge volume of rain over the last 2 months and will not be able to cope with 700 plus people walking on them.

While we are extremely disappointed to have to cancel the run, we have been honoured to have the support of Fota House and Gardens since we started the Reindeer Run and know that this decision has not been taken lightly. 

We will not be rescheduling this event at this stage, therefore we are offering a full refund, to request your refund please e-mail cpu AT rnli DOT org DOT uk quoting ‘Fota refund request’, the participant(s) name, order number and amount paid.

It might be worth remembering that the RNLI is a charitable oranisation that does some fantastic work around the country. I'd suggest you consider forgetting about the refund and let them get on with what they do best.

€3.5 million grant announced for the development of the new Marina Park in Cork City

It was announced yesterday (19th Jan 2016) that there would be €3.5 million grant for the development of the new Marina Park in Cork City. This is coming from the European Regional Development Fund so it's actual funding as opposed to some notional election promise.

 This ties in with the ongoing re-development of the Pairc Ui Chaoimh GAA grounds and the map below shows the area concerned...

At first glance, it would seem to be of little interest from a running point of view but if the overall plan is looked at in more detail then it does in the longer term.

1) The final plan is to have a walkway alongside the River Lee from the City Centre to the Marina. See red dots.

"MARINA PARK - CITY CENTRE CONNECTION
There is an aim to connect the footpath along the quay wall, linking Marina Park and City Centre. Preference is for connection along the back of the boat storage facility of the Shandon Boat Club. This is an essential, but long term goal. Essential repairs to quay walls should be part of this construction. A multifunctional profile for the Marina in which boulevard, tow path, pedestrians, skating and vehicular traffic (possible public transport at a later date), have been accommodated."

2) In the shorter term, the Marina will be pedestrianised.

"The Marina roadway running alongside the River Lee will be pedestrianised and transformed into a wide promenade for walkers, joggers and cyclists."
"Strategy: Spaces are to be designed primarily for pedestrians, with cars behaving as guests."

3) The area on the Marina between the Centre Park Road and the ESB power station is to be re-developed. Many of you will know as the area where the Cork BHAA HSE 4 mile race finishes. At the moment, it's a bit of a cul-de-sac but once the direct pedestrian link to the City Centre is established, this section will be used a lot more.

Top...Current view, Bottom..Post development

4) New jogging track?? I'm not sure if this is just a concept or if it will make it into the final plans. See purple dots below...

"A new pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is to be developed for the new users of the park. The aim is to provide for all kind of users from pedestrians, joggers, cyclists and others and to offer a wide variety of experiences through the park, from easily accessible multifunctional routes, to more challenging adventure trails. Some general starting points for the Marina Park’s new pavement infrastructure include the following.

Jogging track
Several distances indicated along the route and fitted with electronic timers."

5) Old Railway Line.....There will also be some cleaning of the surrounding areas and better lighting at the Marina end (See #3 on map).

"THE OLD RAILWAY LINE...The railway line is lined with sporadic informal plantings of tree stands. Many of the trees are partially covered in ivy and enclose the railway route with undergrowth making it unsafe to use in the evenings and blocking views into the surrounding park. We propose to improve the experience of this walkway by removing the ivy and undergrowth along the top of the railway line to improve visibility to the surrounding areas of the park and to make the route better for users"

6) Parking and Lighting......The most immediate impact is likely to be better parking and better lighting at night in some areas. There are no plans to light up all of the Marina because of the potential effects on wildlife.

In the long term, the artists impression below shows what the area might look like. There is a new bridge planned across the River Lee which will connect the Marina with Tivoli. This will have a major impact for runners living in Mayfield, Montenotte and Tivoli as it will give them direct access to the Mahon-Blackrock loop.

The Centre Park road will become much busier and it's almost certain that the usual 5k race loop that is used at present (eg. John Buckley Sports 5k) will be a thing of the past. It won't mean that races can't be held there, just that a new route that most likely takes in the old railway line.

All of that is of course very much in the future. The new bridge will block all cargo ships and the Port of Cork will have to be moved out to Ringaskiddy before anything can happen.

Further info...
1) The Marina Park Master Plan can be seen HERE (Note that it's 59MB!)
2) The Evening Echo has an article HERE

Mallow 10 mile entries pass the 700 mark...

Just a quick note to say that the entries for the 2016 Mallow 10 mile road race have now passed the 700 mark.

More info in this previous post.

Leevale AC to develop €1.7 million athletics training facility

It was announced recently that Leevale AC plan to develop a new high performance athletics centre for the club in Cork City. This is a major investment for the club as the venture is expected to cost €1.7 million and will be paid from a a building fund which was set up back in the 1990's and some capital grants.

The new athletics centre will be located in what was the old Top Car building on Farranlea Road.

Old Top Car building with the new Leevale facility above

The map below shows the location of the new Leevale athletics centre. It's is near Victoria Cross, Dennehy's Cross and the County Hall.

The main sports hall inside has dimensions of 31.6m x 26.7m and the floor plan is shown below....

As you can see, most of the major disciplines of track and field are catered for. There is also a separate gym area as shown below.

As you can see from the artist's impressions, it should be a fantastic facility and should enable Leevale AC to compete at the highest levels.

Further reading...
Article on the Evening Echo website.
Article on the Irish Examiner website.

Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA FMC 6km race in Little Island...Sun 17th Jan 2016

The numbers were down this year for the annual Cork BHAA FMC 6km race in Little Island with 401 taking part. This compares to 527 in 2015. No doubt the damp conditions were a major factor for the drop but it still seems a lot.

1 Eric Curran M1 18:49 Forrest Laboratories
2 Brian Murphy M2 19:19 BNY Mellon
3 Anthony Mannix M3 19:28 EMC
14 Aoife Cooke F1 21:07 Train with Trevor
41 Joan Ennis 0/50 F2 22:54 Avondhu MF
49 Lorna Davy Fitzgerald 0/35 F3 23:17 HSE

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...(Updated Tues 19th)
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE
2) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Fionnuala McCormack finishes 3rd in Antrim IAAF Cross Country...Sat 16th Jan 2016

The annual Antrim IAAF Cross Country was held on Saturday the 16th of January and a number of Irish International athletes were in action.

In the Senior womens race, Fionnuala McCormack made the most of the muddy conditions and finished in an impressive 3rd place...behind two Africans but ahead of top British cross country runner Kate Avery.

Results of the Antrim IAAF Cross Country...Sat 16th Jan 2016
Senior Women Results                          
Pos    Bib    Firstname    Lastname    Club    Nation    Race    Finish      
1    19    Alice    Aprot Nawowuna        KEN    FO    00:18:05      
2    24    Mimi    Belete        BRN    FO    00:18:09      
3    23    Fionnuala    McCormack        IRL    FO    00:18:13      
4    25    Kate    Avery        GBR    FO    00:18:16      
11    1    Kerry    O'Flaherty    Newcastle & District AC    NIR    FO    00:19:46      
13    26    Roseanne    Galligan    Newbridge IRL            00:20:05      
14    643    Shona    Heaslip    Riocht AC            00:20:08      
26    644    Niamh    O'Sullivan    Riocht AC            00:22:46

Other notable performances were.....

Kerry O'Flaherty in 11th place...just one week after her 3rd place in the 4x1km mixed relay time performance in Edinburgh.

Roseanne Galligan who is the Irish 800m record holder in 13th.

21 year old Shona Heaslip of An Ríocht AC in Kerry was just 3 seconds behind Roseanne Galligan and finished in 13th place overall...an excellent performance.

Niamh O'Sullivan from An Ríocht AC finished in 26th overall. Niamh who is currently an Irish Masters athlete is also responsible in no small part for the strong performances of the Kerry womens teams in national events.

Another local athlete on the way up is Tamzin Muldowney of Midleton AC who finished 4th in the U17 race.

Tamzin Muldowney #359 of Midleton AC...4th in the U17 race

Togher AC was also represented by Chris O’Reilly (U15) and Ruairi Casey (U17).

Full results HERE

Reports...
1) Feidhlim Kelly has this report for the IAAF
2) Video clip from BBC Sport

Photos...
1) Sportsfile has a small number of photos HERE
2) Kieran Carlin of Finn Valley AC has a great album HERE (Facebook a/c may be required to view)

Video...
1) East Down AC have a video of the women's race...

Results of the Tramore Valley Park 5k parkrun...Sat 16th Jan 2016

There was another bounce in numbers this week with 339 people taking part in the Tramore Valley Park 5k parkrun in Cork City. That is just 8 short of the record 347 that too place in the inaugural event. The big increase is probably due in no small part to the publicity of the Operation Transformation TV programme on RTE.

1 Josh O'SULLIVAN-HOURIHAN    17:07    SM20-24    M    Leevale AC
2 Wesley MC NAMARA    17:15    VM35-39    M    St Finbarrs AC
3 Kevin SWEENEY    17:44    SM30-34    M    Cork Triathlon Club
14 Louise LONG    20:43    SW30-34    F    1    Garda Athletic Club
20 Laura O'CALLAGHAN    21:06    SW30-34    F    2
23 Denise WARREN-PERRY    21:18    VW45-49    F    3

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Maike Jacobs has a gallery of 64 photos HERE

Video of the start from John Kissane...

Stan O'Neill of Rising Sun AC...RIP

Someone sent on a short note to me to say that Stan O'Neill of Rising Sun AC passed away on Thursday the 14th of January 2016.

Stan O'Neill won the Cork Junior Cross Country Championships in 1952 followed by fellow Ballineen man Dennis McCarthy.  Both were scoring members of the Rising Sun AC senior team that won the Cork County Senior Cross Country Champioinships in 1956 and 1958.

Notice...Rescheduled RNLI Reindeer Run in Fota - Sun 24th Jan 2016

The original RNLI Reindeer Run in Fota was planned for late November 2015 but had to be cancelled because of a storm. Just a short note to say that it will now be held on Sunday the 24th of January.

The organisers expect to open entries again early next week. I'll put up the link when it becomes available.

FERMOY'S DECADE OF RACING GLORY... (Guest article by John Walshe)

This weekend in 1976 saw the first of the Fermoy International Cross-Country meetings taking place and an amazing 3000 people turned to witness it. It would continue each year (apart from 1984) until 1987, featuring many of the world's top athletes.
FERMOY'S DECADE OF RACING GLORY... (John Walshe, Evening Echo 14/01/2016)

Forty years ago this Sunday, the sports pages featured Bobby Charlton in the colours of Waterford United who beat St Patrick’s Athletic 3-2 before a capacity crowd at Kilcohan Park.

But on that spring-like January day, an event was taking place in Fermoy which would play a significant role in Irish athletics for the following decade.

The Fermoy International Cross-Country was the brainchild of Tom Burke, then secretary of the Grange club (now known as Grange-Fermoy AC). Like a lot of great ideas – some which never come to fruition - it reputably came about in the early hours of the morning after the club’s annual dinner-dance.

That first race was fixed for Sunday January 18 on the grounds of Patrick Coughlan, situated just outside the town on the right-hand side of the old Dublin road. It was a flat grassland course with a few man-made jumps included for variety and ideal for spectator viewing. The distance was six miles and it was preceded by the Southern Region Junior Championships over four miles.

A number of British clubs had been invited and although Shaftsbury Harriers, Cardiff and Manchester & District Harriers sent teams, for various reasons they were without their star runners. The main attraction was the ginger haired Andy Holden of Tipton Harriers, who tragically passed away two years ago after a long illness.

Holden had competed in the steeplechase four years previously at the Munich Olympics, the same year he set a British record of 8:26.4 for the event. His main opposition was deemed to be Grenville Tuck, one of the famous Tuck twins (the other was Graham) who ran for Cambridge & Coleridge AC.

Grenville Tuck, Neil Cusack & Donie Walsh

The home challenge was led by Neil Cusack from Limerick and Leevale’s Donie Walsh. It was the latter who hammered out a blistering pace from the start, but he lost contact soon after as Holden moved up after a slow start.

Piling on the pressure, the Tipton man eventually crossed the line to a tumultuous reception from the estimated 3,000 crowd in a time of 28:21. Tuck finished runner-up, 10 seconds behind, with Cusack holding on for third in 28:43 and Walsh finishing fourth in 28:56.

Irish clubs dominated the team contest as Clonliffe took first with 62 points, five ahead of the Leevale squad of Walsh, Ray Treacy, Tony O’Leary and Pat Duggan. Donore Harriers finished third ahead of Manchester & District, Shaftesbury and St Finbarr’s.

After that first international, the quality of runners attracted to the Fermoy venue continued to spiral. The following year of 1977, despite a day of strong wind and heavy rain, Bernie Ford from Aldershot (he had finished eight in the 1976 Olympic 10,000m and would go on to run 27:43.74 for the distance later that year) maintained the British dominance when coming home 11 seconds clear of Waterford’s Gerry Deegan.

The 21-year-old Deegan would finish an impressive 21st that spring at the World Championships in Düsseldorf, improving to 14th the following year behind John Treacy’s historic victory in the mud of Glasgow.

Finishing fourth that day in Fermoy was Dutchman Jos Hermens, then holder of the world’s best track times for 10 miles (45:57.6), 20,000m and the one hour run. In later years he became one of the most influential athletes agents with the likes of Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele on his books.

Another former world record holder, Dave Bedford, had to settle for ninth that wet and windswept day, two places ahead of Donie Walsh as the previous year’s winner Holden could only manage 13th. A women’s two-mile race also appeared that year with victory going to Vera Duffy from Glasslough ahead of Ann Ford, wife of the men’s winner.

The following year of 1978, a full juvenile programme was added with the main attraction seeing another British star, Brendan Foster, taking the honours. Now BBC athletics commentator, Foster would later that summer run 27:30.3 for the 10,000m.

Another outstanding athlete who hailed from the same North-East athletics hotbed as Foster was Mike McLeod, the Fermoy winner of 1979. But the following year, the long awaited home success was finally achieved as Deegan took the title, beating Steve Binns and Dave Black from England.

Local star John Hartnett gave the crowd plenty to shout about when taking fourth ahead of Danny McDaid, one of the heroes of the Irish silver-medal winning team at the previous year’s World C-C in Limerick.

In 1981, Deegan had to settle for second behind Hans-Jurgen Orthmann from West Germany and the 1982 race saw McLeod back on the winner’s rostrum after a tremendous duel with Mohammed Kedir of Ethiopia, the winner of the world cross-country a couple of months later in Rome.

The 1983 race was a battle between the world champions with 1977 winner Leon Schots of Belgium defeating John Treacy (1978 and 1979 winner) while another two-time champion, Craig Virgin from the United States (1980 and 1981), could only manage sixth.

One place behind the American was Rob De Castella of Australia who went on later that year to take the marathon title at the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki as well as defeating Alberto Salazar and Carlos Lopes at the Rotterdam Marathon.

Another iconic world star was Henry Rono, the Kenyan who had set world records for 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and 3000m steeplechase during the early summer of 1978. But by the time of his Irish appearance nine years later he was past his best, finishing well down the field as Limerick’s Frank O’Mara won the final Fermoy International Cross-Country.

Sadly, the decade that brought a galaxy of stars to the North Cork town was at an end, but it is an era that is fondly recalled by those who were fortunate enough to be part of what was truly an international feast of world-class athletics.