The start of the 2016 Ballycotton 10 mile road race was a cold damp affair with the temperature down around 5 deg C and persistent rain before the race. Fortunately, it brightened a bit just before the start and the rain stopped for a while.
In most years, the 2000 plus runners take about 2m 30s to pass underneath the start line. This year was different however in that there was an obvious queue from the start area back up to the baggage area. There seemed to be an endless stream of runners coming out of this narrow path even when the main field was long gone. It took something like 10 minutes before the last person crossed over the start line.
Perhaps it was the new baggage area or perhaps it was people not going to the start area early because of the rain.
The race was won by runners from Cork... Mark Hanrahan of Leevale AC and Aoife Cooke of Youghal AC. This was the first time both athletes won this particular title.
One note of interest is that Aoife is coached by her aunt Mary Sweeney who won the race back in 1979.
Results...Here are the full results from the chip timing company.
If you want to see the result on one page, click HERE (Updated Wed 9th Mar)
If you want to see the results sorted by club name and area, click HERE. It might make it easier to find club mates and friends. (Updated Wed 9th Mar)
Please note that the results are still provisional. It would seem as if a number of chips weren't picked up at the start and a lot of people only have gun times. If your chip time is wrong, contact the chip timing company... http://www.myrunresults.com/aboutus.aspx
Top 10 men
1 » Mark Hanrahan Leevale A.C. M MS 9 (48:58) 49:01
2 » Joe Sweeney Dundrum South Dublin A.C. M MS 4 (49:56) 49:56
3 » Michael Harty East Cork A.C. M MS 564 (50:00) 50:00
4 » Tim O'Donoghue East Cork A.C. M MS 6 (50:22) 50:25
5 » James McCarthy East Cork A.C. M MS 5 (51:26) 51:29
6 » Alan O'Shea Bantry A.C. M MS 16 (52:00) 52:00
7 » Tim O'Connor An Riocht A.C. M MS 33 (52:52) 52:52
8 » David Flynn Clonliffe Harriers M MS 8 (53:01) 53:04
9 » Sean McGrath East Cork A.C. M MS 7 (53:12) 53:15
10 » Barry Sheil Longford A.C. M MS 801 (53:29) 53:30
Top 10 women
1 » Aoife Cooke Youghal A.C. F FS 1641 (59:55) 59:57
2 » Derval Devaney Rathfarnham W.S.A.F. A.C. F F40 1111 (1:02:10) 1:02:17
3 » Siobhan O'Doherty Borrisokane A.C. F FS 12 (1:02:24) 1:02:26
4 » Una Plant unatt/Kinsale F F45 3003 (1:02:36) 1:02:43
5 » Adrienne Jordan Metro/St. Brigid's A.C. F F35 884 (1:02:55) 1:02:59
6 » Nollaigh O'Neill Leevale A.C. F F40 14 (1:03:33) 1:03:35
7 » Joan Ennis Grange/Fermoy A.C. F F50 648 (1:03:58) 1:04:00
8 » Ann Marie Holland Youghal A.C. F F40 1653 (1:04:09) 1:04:14
9 » Karina Teahan St. Finbarrs A.C. F F35 1305 (1:04:27) 1:04:29
10 » Adele Walsh St. Senans A.C. F F40 1412 (1:04:33) 1:04:37
Photos.....(Updated 21:48...7th Mar)
1) There are 100 photos of the start area on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
2) Alan Bannon of Eagle AC has a gallery of photos HERE
3) Graham Nudds has a huge gallery of over 1000 pics HERE
4) Joe Murphy has a gallery of over 800 photos HERE
5) There is a gallery of 400+ photos at 9.3 mile mark on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
6) Gallery of some slower runners at 9.3m mark on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
Video........(Updated 13:40...7th Mar)
1) Finish line video from the chip timing company...winner up to 1h 05m...HERE
2) Another one from the chip timing company...this one is of the start line...HERE
3) Finish line video...1:05 to 1:22....HERE
82 comments:
My chip and gun time are the same but my chip time should be 61 secs faster than my gun time. How do I get this recorded properly?
Contact the chip timing company... http://www.myrunresults.com/aboutus.aspx
Any word on why Sergio Ciobanu was not there today to defend his title?
Start area today was an absolute joke and takes from what is a great day.I witnessed an elite runner having to start at back of the field as he couldn't get down to the start.It's easy for people to say that runners didn't get to start area early enough but this simply isn't true. The walk down to the start was also treacherous. If it had been posted during the week that the start line might cause an issue and people needed to get there earliet then maybe that would be ok to blame individuals for not being there on time.However putting my bag in the baggage area at 1 10pm should allow me to make my way comfortably to the start.It was my 3rd and last Ballycotton.Never again.
I agree start area was a disgrace. We also dropped our bags off at 1:10 and qued to get to the start area. When we got down to the main road we discovered the race had already started 3 mins. It wasn't only the baggage area causing problems but also the walk down to the start area.there must have been about 500 + people stuck up the narrow footpath when the race started.
I was one of the people that didn't pass the start line for 10 minutes after the race started. The reality is that there must not have been enough room for the numbers at the start as the crowd by the baggage area didn't move at all. It was a joke. Very hard to be weaving around runners over 10 miles. 2nd ballycotton but not sure I'd go back again.
I agree with your comments regarding the baggage and starting area. The walk down to the starting area was indeed treacherous. Given the weather that we have had, perhaps the organisers should consider re-scheduling the race for early April, going forwards.
Anonymous from 8:18pm...if this was your 3rd Ballycotton then you should know how well this event if run by volunteers. Things weren't ideal today, new bag area and weather were probably both at fault. I know myself I went to the start line a lot later than I would normally have because of the rain and I expect a lot more did as well. There weren't as many warming up at the back of the village this year. And I'm sure if they knew there would have been an issue they would have communicated it. Their communication all week has be exceptional.
This is also my 3rd Ballycotton and I will be back again and again until my legs can't cover the ground anymore. For the price of the race there is not much else like it around the country. I'm sure next year they will look at it and have a better solution or the sun will come out and people won't have as much gear and the time people start going towards the start line will be a lot more varied.
Well done to all the organisers as I can only imagine the work that goes in, especially with the weather this week making things a lot harder than usual.
Bring on next year, another Mars bar and mug awaits.
Great race once again. Everyone involved in making this a national treasure - take a bow!
Agree there were problems at the start. Weather seemed to result in many goin to start after 115 guide time and no doubt some thought needs to go into the start next year given logistics of venue and number of runners. However think it's important to say thanks to organisers and all volunteers on the day who overall did a great job in very difficult circumstances
He's training for the half marathon world championships in 3 weeks
My 3rd and certainly not my last. Yes, I was caught up by the bag drop for the start but I'm a 7min/mile runner so I'm not winning anything. Everyone knows about how tight it is, maybe people would prefer a new dual carriageway! Congratulations to the hosts and thanks to the volunteers for helping in dirty conditions
I was down near the start line from about 12:50pm on. At 1pm, there was just a handful of people there. Even at 1:10pm, it was empty enough. I remember thinking that everyone must be avoiding the rain. I think a lot of people left it too late for the baggage and got caught. The new baggage area probably slowed things as well. It's not easy to cope with 2000+ people in a confined space especially when the weather is bad and a new baggage area is introduced.
For anyone new, there are two new houses in the area where the baggage area used to be.
well in defense of the organisers what do you expect at a start-line of over 2500 people,I cant see them dedicating a lane to each runner on the narrow roads of Ballycotton
There was updates all week regarding the weather causing havoc and to get there as early as possible. It was very slow and hard to get to the start of the race but it isn't the organisers fault.
Well done to everyone involved in the running of this race. It was well stewarded, great to hear times called out at some mile markers, water bottles were ideal size for carrying and the hot tea was welcome at the end. Parking was perfect. The path was mucky but the positives far outweigh the negative(s). Thanks.
Ballycotton is a huge undertaking, requiring mammoth efforts from an army of volunteers and I am sure I speak for all that ran today in thanking them for this, in a period when the last few months of rainfall must have made parking logistics a nightmare.
However like the last commenter I too found the whole start area a completely unnecessary fiasco. The "baggage" area is ridiculous.
Surely it is time to significantly increase the entrance fee and improve some basic facilities. A medium sized marquee on the road would surely improve everyone's experience and not cost an arm and a leg. The sight of gear, people leave at the start line, piled on the road like rubbish in the baggage area was surely not necessary. Given that the weather for Ballycotton is invariably inclement, many people will always have extra gear at the start to stay warm and dry. At least putting this on a table, in a marquee, would be a huge improvement on leaving it on the road.
Most races these days have the voluntary segregation of runners into categories at the start well sorted. The simple use of ropes works in most places ref. Ballintotis - it segregates people and also a narrow channel to the side allows people to move to their appropriate category. Sadly that is not the case for Ballycotton. Whoever put the Under 58 minute sign where they did were certainly missing their wheetabix at the time ! I was between the 58 minute and 65 minute signs with the hope of running just under 65 minutes. It was too late to do anything, when the penny dropped a couple of minutes before the start - there was no way on earth the hundreds and hundreds of people between me and the start were going to run sub sixty minutes !! It is no exaggeration to say I passed well over 500 people, with the first mile being a thoroughly miserable experience all because the simple task of setting up the time signs was done poorly. I finished at just over 65 minutes. And I don't blame most of the people that lined up ahead of me - what were they to do, leave large spaces on the road ?
As you move to the fortieth anniversary, please increase the entrance fee and some facilities.
Thanks again for all of the unstinting efforts of the volunteers to keep a great tradition going, through rain, sleet, snow and the very occasional sunshine !
Yes the start was desperate but rain causes alot of unforseen events. On a normal Ballycotton 10 race day (sunshine galore) athletes are milling around, warming up well below the start, having 'the craic' while the elite athletes are going through their paces near Bayview Hotel. Unfortunately today was a nightmare, due to rain athletes didn't leave their cars til later which meant the majority reached the baggage area at the same time causing problems at the start. I am sure if the organisers knew this they would have done something, maybe delay the start for 10 mins to sort the problem.
great race.well done to all in ballycotton in tough weather ..i missed the start but that was my own fault, trying to stay dry for as long as poss..prob be faster if they posted bags numbers with race numbers next year.. i'll be back again next year...
I cant say this enough, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
the conditions were every bad this year and you didn't lack in organisation as every year. there is a reason why people keep coming back to every race.
great day out and without all the volunteers it wouldn't been possible. one more time THANK YOU!
A big thank you to the people of ballycotton and surrounding areas, and also all the stewards and organisers on the day. You have done a great job and should be proud of yourselfs. Hope to see you all again next year. Thanks again.
I was past the baggage area at 1.10 in plenty of time but a crowd had gathered at the narrow lane down to the start. There was no movement. At 1.33 there was still no movement. Eventually it started moving and took another two minutes to get down the slope. Good or bad weather is not an excuse. The lane was not wide enough or suitable to deal with the numbers. Over 5mins gone before we got to the line. I also saw a top runner stuck behind me. He couldnt get through the crowds for the first three miles like myself. I was weaving in and out of people and actually slipped into a drain at the side of the road. What is the point in having a guy calling out the time at the mile markers when you are starting 10 mins behind. That time means nothing. That said a nice course and well done to the volunteers but a review of the start is needed for sure.
Another amazing Ballycotton 10 running race today. Must surely be in the top ten classic "must do" road races in the world. Well done to all involved, organisers and runners alike, over the last 39 years.
I really enjoyed the race & would like to thank everyone behind the scenes for putting on what we see as a great day but in reality takes months of hard planning.
There is nothing the organisers could do about the weather. We all know the conditions have been biblical for the last 4 months. There is also not a lot they can do about the baggage area with the new houses on the old baggage field.
A previous poster stated a great idea that may save a few minutes per athlete next year at the baggage area if the same location is used again. Post a plastic bag with the relevant race number with the race pack.
Thanks again.
Ann, ST. Finbarrs,
Thank you so much to all the organizers and and the the people who help out willingly and cheerfully. It is a brilliant and well organised event especially with the conditions and crowed to contend with
A lot of runners left it too late to go to the start.
A word of thanks also to the gentlemen who towed my car out of the mud.
I like to know what time the people who are complaining tried to arrive and park up. There has been loads of advice given for what time you should have parked up by and be at the start area for. It was recommended to be in start area at 1, park-up by 11.30, should have allowed extra time for weather, especially with the rain.
It was an amazing race to run, well organised. I really enjoyed it
I was one of the hundreds stuck up in the baggage area. I left my car in the main car park at 12:30 (parked much earlier, front row), should have been plenty time to use the loo & drop my hoodie at the baggage area. Queue at the loo was longer than expected, I tried to avoid going behind a wall in respect to the local residents. At the baggage area where there was a long long queue and as already said, then was just stuck up there and didn't even know the start had gone ahead until I finally got down.
With the baggage area, people just needed 2 things - a bag and a number. The volunteers running it will prob tell you better than anyone, but it took a long time to get a bag, and then a sticker for the bag through the volume of people there. At one point I could only see a single person passing out stickers, and after a while a few more joined in and the queue started moving.
The race HQ area seems a bit underused before the race - could bags/numbers be given here too, ease the load at the baggage area? Or maybe leave things at the race HQ too? Or else we'd need a lot more volunteers at the baggage area. or just suggest people bring their own bag & label to avoid that queue? It's not like a cloakroom, just some identifier so people could find their bag.
Didn't see why we couldn't get down the lane to the start area, but tbh I wasn't impressed when I finally got down to the start and the field had long gone. At mile one my watch read 7:30, guy with the loudspeaker said 12:30, 5 minutes were lost! They can't possibly use clock time as the official times this year!! and I didn't think they could last year either. And all that waiting around by the baggage area meant people up there effectively didn't get a chance to do a warm up.
Big thanks to all the volunteers again this year, hopefully we can fine tune it for next year.
Side point- would like to see a Ballycotton technical running top available in the shop or maybe a few more options. Would be nice to have a Ballycotton top for various runs during the year. I guess that might overlap with John Buckley a bit - maybe John Buckley's could do a run of them and sell them in their shop on the day?
It was my first Ballycotton 10. Impressed with overall organisation from start to finish. I was there early @11.00 in car park and very few cars.loads or time beforehand for baggage drop off etc.people just left it too late to arrive to car park and drop off baggage and get to start line. Cant fault organisers and volunteers! I'll be back! Tnx Arnie!
We also dropped our bags at 1.10, it was impossible to get to the start line from the bagging area, such was the size of the queue. This was my 3rd time attending and there were never issues with getting to the start before. The new bagging area itself was a disaster at the end, with bags and clothes strewn everywhere and no one in attendance.
I was at the start at about 1. There was very few runners around. People left it far too late to leave cars, the hall and any other shelter that they could find. It was cold, wet and miserable for everyone but the organisers did a superb job in the circumstances. There was an announcement in the hall at around 12.45 telling people to think about moving towards the start. I did and had no problem. I got wet and cold which was far from ideal but not the organisers fault. It was the reluctance of runners to leave their shelter (who could blame them?) that caused the congestion at the pathway. It was mucky and slippery which was hardly surprising given the weather. The organisation of this event is super and the effort extraordinary. Huge thanks are in order to the organisers. As for changing the start, it's a small coastal village! There is no where to put up a marque that could cater for the crowds. In short, it may not be to everyone's taste but everyone I spoke to was delighted with the day.
Well done everyone who took part in putting on the event. A lousy day to be a steward. And there were lots. Massive event. You could tell how people vaslue the race when ~100 groaned together when a mug broke. Some work needs to be done at bag drop. And path down To start. But people were very late arriving at start area. At 130 they were still streaming down the path. Last year I could get no further than the bottom of the path. This year at 115 it was empty up beyond 75 mins. People could bring own labeled bag and drop it off it would speed up drop. Just for safety gravel on path is needed. But thanks to everyone . great job done.
Brilliant race as usual. Great atmosphere with everything going so smoothly. And you gotta appreciate those guys calling out the times at the mile markers.
Btw the advice has been for years to head down to the starting area at one o'clock if you want to start your race towards the front of the pack.
As for waiting for plastic bags and stickers with your number written on them - just bring a weather proof gearbag and place it somewhere you'll remember in the baggage area. The worst that'll happen is that you might have to search for it when you get back!
Well said. It was my first Ballycotton and enjoyed it. Well done to all the people who gave up their Sunday to stand around in the rain to organise this event.
My first time running the race. I arrived at the start at 1pm and had no issue. Viewing all of the comments above it seems the trouble arose between 1pm and 1.30pm. For a race that's been running for 39 years it's unfair of anyone to give anything other than "constructive" critism. I thoroughly enjoyed the race and felt it was very well organised and stewarded. I'll be back next year.
Excellent race...really enjoyable
..hard to blame the volunteers for any mishaps on the day given the circumstances. What was disappointing though was the chip timing company's performance !!!
Well done ballycotton for another good race, With all the weather problems leading up to the race. I had no problems getting to the start and dropped my bag at 1.00. Had time to do a small warm up down to the pier. Got into position just after the under 65mins sign.
Now here is my issue which is the large number of inconsiderate people who start in the wrong zone, it seems to be getting worse. But anyway managed to get a new PB.
Thanks again.
Ref the chip timing company...the results are still provisional. Out of 2500+ runners, there are bound to be some chips that won't work or don't get picked up. If your result is wrong then just send them an e-mail.
Great Race due to great organisation. Anyone that did Ballycotton 10 before knows the drill and should not expect to be waited on hand and foot. Okay the baggage area was a little crammed, but there was tentage at the school and plenty of other places to leave kit.
Perhaps the moaners hiding behind an anonymous tag can sit out next year and leave someone else have a shot. The Ballycotton 10 will not collapse or fold due to a few injured ego's. It will continue with or without you so think about that for the next 9 months until the entries open for 2017. Are you in, or out? You know the drill, so the choice is yours.
My 3rd time doing it and will continue to do it. Yes the bag area was crazy but most people (including me) left it until much later to get to the start line. I'd normally be warming up and talking by the Cliff Walk car park an hour before the race but this year I was getting shelter from the rain. The path way down was narrow but also people were fairly slow funneling through it. If the weather was nice I would almost guarantee there would have been no delay. But I'm sure organising will listen to what is being said here and come up with a better plan for next year.
I would like to thank every volunteer out there yesterday, without them this race would not be a success. The support was as big as ever, even in the awful conditions. This is why it is truly a great race to do. Well done to everyone involved and roll on 2017
BTW Timing company corrected my result within a matter of seconds after I contacted them.
Just a heads up that two of the links to the results seem to be to the pre updated version. The correct one is http://www.myrunresults.com/events/ballycotton_10/63/results. The "view by team" one needs updating too.
Thanks lads for a great race .By any chance did any body pick up a top100 t shirt in the marquee I changed just inside the door on the left.I would be great full to get it back .As all runners no it's hard to pick one up . Paul My number is 0879617588 thanks again
Was one of the guys that had to wait the 10 minutes to get to the start line, my own fault, would not have been an issue had I tried to go down at 1pm as advised during the week instead of arsing around until 1.15 ! Part of the lure of the run is the village itself, so we all just have to be patient and work to its constraints, narrow lanes included. Roads were in good nick given how bad they were last week, spent most of the my time on the verges trying to weave my way through the course and didn't meet with any potholes, missing verges etc so well done to the council for this. Thanks to all the volunteers and keep up the good work
Hi John,
9th running of the race, as always a very well run event. To all the critics, please spare a thought for all the unpaid volunteers who spent hours on the roads all over east cork, directing traffic, spectators or runners, helping us partake in Ireland’s classic road race. The weather was miserable; I don’t think I was ever so cold at the end of a race, so how must they have felt by 3:00 p.m.
Re. the start line, I got caught up in the delay, caused by the building of the new house on the old ‘green’ where we used to leave the luggage. This caught me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting the lane to be twice the length & so congested. Due to the rain, the end of the lane was very mucky/slippy so that also slowed up progress. I think the real problem was that many in the queue seemed content to stand waiting, perhaps it was the shelter!
There was space on the right hand side but most people were stationary. As always there was the usual jostling to get close to the barrier as possible but this brought it to a whole new level. One suggestion I have is that anyone who runs sub 65 be allowed to walk up through the elite area @ 1:10 but go to the far side of the barrier, then sub 60 be allowed to walk up through the elite area @ 1:15. The elites then should be walked up @ 1:27
[Every year I despair at some of the so called ‘elites’, allowed into the front, & far too many slow runners up at the front near the barrier that should be further back.] But that is Ballycotton so we adapt & accept it for what it is. For the entry fee we get amazing value, so to the critics, leave Ballycotton for the runners who appreciate all that is being done for them year in year out by the wonderful people of East Cork. There will be hundreds of people who missed out this year very glad of the opportunity.
Ballycotton is great value, one of the cheapest 10 mile races around. There's a exceptional community effort. The volunteering from local people and local services is incredible. Any person that turned up late are those people that arrive 20 minutes before a race and casually stroll to the line. This is a huge race 3000 people on narrow roads the race starts at 1.30 not 1.40. If your going to a business meeting you give yourself plenty time there could be traffic issues. 1.30 is 1.30 no excuses just laid back people arriving late and slating a fantastic event. Negativity tut tut!!
Why are the results ordered by gross time? Can they be reordered by net time to reflect your true finish place?
For those who would like the results to be ranked by chip times please note this was a race and not a time trial. There is a big difference. Even in a marathon at the Olympics not all runners start at the start line yet the race is on for everybody once the gun goes.
I'm crippled with injury, I can never run the Ballycotton 10 or another race again. I wish I was out there in the rain, cold and ques collecting my mug. Consider yereselves lucky enough to able to compete
A big thank you to the army of volunteers/ helpers/supporters of the ballycotton10. Without your help there would be no ballycotton 10. A big apology to the sub 70 athletes who were held up by us plodders who arrived at the start in plenty time ,shame on us!! Not.
I think its preposterous that after 39 years Ballycotton running promotions cant control the weather in their own area,for shame !
Whingers snap out of it for Gods sake,a chip timed 10 mile race with a mug,water,mars bar,banana and all for 15 euro.
Cool a couple of minor improvements for next but with chip timing and that small little digital device on your left hand wrist I reckon you got an accurate idea of how you got on for the day.
Here's looking forward to the 40th
Well done once again to the Ballycotton crew for putting on another great race that had all the usual atmosphere.I am lucky enough to have taken part in this race for nearly 30 years and have nothing but admiration for Ballycotton Running Promotions people for what is always the best race day of the year.
from looking through a lot of photos its amazing the amount of people still wearing head phones . on a tight course like BC , its very dangerous.. I really enjoyed the day. picked up another top 100 t shirt although getting closer to the back of the 100!!! got into position on the start line at 1.10pm, I have never seen it as quite at that time. anyone who has ever ran it before knows the score regarding the start so they have nobody to blame but themselves.. roll on 2017 and hope knock a min or two off the time .
I agree, considering some of those were towards the front and you cant give them a heads up about overtaking them, a pure annoyance. If it was a bit quieter they should be pulled aside if at all possible and told to remove but with the shear numbers that's difficult.
It depends on what location you started but nobody should be starting in an incorrect position, do people really want to be the cause of holding up others and also being overtaken by 100s or 1000s (!) of runners. I overtook about 1200 I reckon and I'm no elite athlete.
I RAN THE RACE YESTERDAY AND ENJOYED EVERY SECOND OF IT. WELL DONE EVERYONE AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS AND WORKERS AND LOOK FORWARD TO BEING THERE AGAIN NEXT YEAR. THANKS BALLYCOTTON
Thank you to all the volunteers yesterday and to those working the last few weeks to make yesterday possible. Agree with other comments about the possibility of the bag number being sent with the chip number, however, a great race in a great village and thanks to all the people who stood outside their houses in the rain cheering us on. A little "well done keep going" really does help along the way. I'll be back again.
My 10th Ballycotton.
Weather didnt help and think that cause much of the congestion at the start. It was tricky to get through the first mile especially with groups of slower runners near the front talking to each other making it hard to pass.. nothing the organisers can do about that..
Well done to the organisers and a special word of thanks to all the volunteers who would have been out the course for about 4 hours in the rain and cold. Without them it wouldnt be possible to hold the event.
Be back again next year ...
Thanks to all the organisers and volunteers. Great race, very well organised :-)
A big thanks to all the volunteers. I did get down to the start before 1:30 but that path was awkward and slippy. Maybe it could be gritted? I think many people were paranoid about falling which is why it started backing up.
As for the baggage area, when I saw the huge queue for that at 13:00, I just tied a t-shirt around the top of the bag I had brought myself and dropped it off. Perhaps if people were just asked to bring their own bag and number/marker as a label only a minority would need to queue for assistance. Sending a bag in the post will cost too much and should not be necessary.
Well done to all at Ballycotton for another great race. Weather etc wasn't the ideal but still a top notch event and major credit too all involved.
The only downside has just occurred a few minutes ago as I went to pour the first drop of tae in my new mug. Twas either too hot or the mug was not quite the same as previous years as it now has a crack up the side of it. Ah well I'll be back next year for the 2017 version all going well.
**removes tongue from cheek and sips from 2012 mug!!
I also wish to express my thanks to the volunteers, who put so much effort into organising the event. Also, those who came out to support all the runners on such a cold day.
Bring your own plastic bag with your own sticker and number written on it. Far easier. Also don't put in the official bag area. Stick it under a bush or behind a wall. It works for me everytime and no I'm not telling where I put it either.
Firstly well done to all the organisers and supporters who turned out for yesterday's race in difficult conditions.
As for the issues at the baggage area. I notice some of the comments from people saying that people should have just arrived earlier and these problems wouldn't have happened. These people obviously couldn't have an idea of the frustration experienced by me and a few hundred others (they weren't there). This was my 7th Ballycotton 10 and as at previous races arrived at the baggage drop area around 1pm (as recommended in a post on this website a few days before the race). There was no prior warning that the drop area had moved. Then having such few people processing the bags lead to the extreme bottleneck that occurred. Then the path down to the start had narrowed and become dangerously slippery due to the weather and the volume of people using it. My main problem with the whole situation was the lack of communication between the organisers themselves and with the hundreds of people trying to access the path to the start. This cannot happen again. Lessons need to be learned.
Just a note. I did have a post before the race about the new baggage area. http://corkrunning.blogspot.ie/2016/03/ballycotton-10-start-finish-area.html
Baggage area had little to do with it. I was there. Everyone had their bags dropped before the start. The crowd up by the baggage area didn't budge until the race had started meaning that they're couldn't have been enough room for everyone.
This was my first Ballycotton 10 mile. I must say I loved every minute of it despite the weather and queue for baggage! A very reasonable entry fee, friendly atmosphere, lovely flat scenic route. I'd put Ballycotton 2016 down as one of my top running events out of many races. Thanks to all involved, a very well organised race :-)
Firstly, well done to all the volunteers yesterday, it was cold day for it.
I was one of those who got to baggage at 1:10, where an orderly queue of about 50 had already formed for labels and bags. Given there were 2 organisers on label duty, I skipped the queue to join a 2nd queue to the passageway. This queue did not appear to move for 10mins, and once on the passageway it barely shuffled along. To those in the queue it was hard to see what was the holdup, until you got to end of path, and saw the slippery exit. For next year, the end of the path needs to be reviewed, I don't mind paying a little extra next year, as a contribution to steps or concrete ramp, it's a path I've used twice a year, for last 9 years each race day, and it would be giving back to the community of Ballycotton.
On a positive note, the organisation of car park 1 on hill was excellent. When I saw the 4x4 struggling to tow a Land Rover who wanted to drive uphill and sliding I thought what hope for the rest of us 2wd. Having the cars all exit the lower end, to the Tarmac exit meant I was out of the field in no time.
Looking forward now to the Summer Series...
Now that we have the baggage area / start line beaten to death what about the 1000+ runners who never turned up after all the scramble to enter...
Did name and age cat on the number stop a few from transferring?
Why did almost a third of the original entries not turn up?
Fantastic day out as always, credit to all involved.
Bring on the 40th next year in 2017
entered for and completed first ballycotton 10 followed pre race instructions and had plenty of time we'll done to all involved
Injury? An actual genuine reason rather than excuse. Irregardless of name and age category the transfer of numbers is for safety reasons should something happen and I've personally seen how badly this can go wrong. It is a good job they didn't show up as heaven knows some people would still not have crossed the start line at this stage by the sounds of it.
Great day & looking forward to 2017 already. New baggage area / instructions were posted prior to event & is up to participants to note same. Thanks to all volunteers & stewards for their help. On a side note would it be appropiate to rename "slower runners" album to something more appropriate - without these runners numbers would not be so vast!
The title 'slower runners' was used to show that it was photos of people at the back of the race. It just makes it easier for people to find themselves.
11th Ballycotton great race , got to start on time and did a pb (brought my own label and bag) ..Compared to other years the start area was slack , which was great it meant we had less runners in the wrong area. Great value race , could charge another 5 euros for next year.
Re runners not turning up. I just bought a new pair of runners and didn't want to get them wet!!! Injury, of course, kept me away. I'd have loved to have had the chance to be delayed at the start. Organisers expect a certain number not to turn up and plan accordingly. I've never missed a race in ten years and so obeyed the Committee in requesting not to transfer number. While not there I know firsthand the effort that goes in to planning, stewarding and cleaning up afterwards. Many thanks.
Its the normal convention to publish results as the gun time and not chip time, the gun time is your official time and placing in a race.
I wasnt one of those caught up in the delay.
I enjoyed the race and thankfully the colder conditions were less severe than the heat last year which made it easier to run. before and after the race it was freezing but that is another matter!
But for all those giving out the people complaining about being held up...Remember Ballycotton may be cheaper than most but the race itself it held to a certain standard and held in much higher esteem than many other races around the country.
So rather than diss their complaints , which are actually valid, Ballycotton should learn from this and improve things for next year.
"Its the normal convention to publish results as the gun time and not chip time, the gun time is your official time and placing in a race."
- all being equal that may be true, but it instantly disadvantages people who are cooperative and push back into their starting areas for their target times. Never mind all of us that were trapped up by the baggage area and couldn't get anywhere near the line. I was 5 minutes down on the front starters before I had crossed the start line. How is that fair?
Chip time removes the delays and gives a time for everyone from start to finish, seems the fairest one to me. I can't see a good reason not to use that as the official time to be honest!
But if you start your race on the start line and finish first across the line and a person who starts we'll say 10 meters behind from the start but finishes 2nd across the line less than a meter behind you, by your ruling the person in 2nd place should win the prize because they ran the race faster!!! Where's the logic in that? It's gun time. The person who starts at the back of the pack and crosses the line in 2nd finishes 2nd. Ask Alan O'Shea, he was late to the start of the Dungarvan 10. He powered through the field to catch the leaders and finished 3rd. He still only took the prize for 3rd place having probably a better chip time in theory considering the catch up he did.
Was my first BC10 run. Well done to ask the organisers and volunteers. I'll defo be back. Some ppl have little to be complaining about!
"But if you start your race on the start line and finish first across the line and a person who starts we'll say 10 meters behind from the start but finishes 2nd across the line less than a meter behind you, by your ruling the person in 2nd place should win the prize because they ran the race faster!!!"
I'm struggling to understand why you think someone who ran the race in the shortest time should not be awarded first place?? Is that not the point of a race, the fastest person wins? If your example, if they started side by side the 2nd place guy would have been 9 meters ahead!
Ideal world, you have a race where everyone can start with their toe on the start line so they start exactly the same time. Then first across the line is the fastest person and thus wins the prize. That is not the situation here. We had >2000 people all crossing the line at different times. Chip timing was used, so we know how long it took for each person to go from start to finish even though everyone actually started the 10 miles at different times, in many cases minutes apart.
Just as an example, not talking about anyone in particular just out of the air numbers, if I'm 4 minutes faster than someone, but only got to cross the start line 5 minutes after him/her, is it right that person is classified ahead of me? I don't think so...
For me I'm too far down the classification to even dream about prizes, and the elites are started at the front as close to the same starting time to take that out of the equation for the prize positions as much as possible. So why not base the official result on chip time for fairness to everyone?
For Alan in Dungarvan, ya, if he was the fastest chip time why not award him first place? he ran it the quickest! maybe something any races using chip time should look at if they're not using chip time for the official result.
Kevin, I think the main reason is historical. The first person to cross the line wins the race. Just because chip timing came along, that doesn't change. There have been cases I know in the US where a women who started in the mass ranks ran a faster time that an elite athlete at the front. The first person across the line always wins.
Unless someone is trying to get into the top 100 or trying to get a category prize then it doesn't matter what their position is. People just look at their chip time to see how fast they ran.
Listing results in gun time is normal convention.
By IAAF rules it is gun time to finish line. One guy started the race 20 minutes after every one else (ask the organisers), imagine if it was Mark Hanrahan, he would have been outside the top 100 finishers but still would have won the race. It would have been a farce.
It's a race - it starts at a specific time and all races will always be the fastest time after that specific time and not any other measurement of time around that course. It's the competitors own responsibility to get to the start line on the specific time the race starts, this is where the gun time comes into it. By the logic of who ever runs it faster should win the race - theoretically I could turn up 3 hours late run it faster than anyone did that day and "win" the race.
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