Looking ahead to the Cork BHAA Cork to Cobh 15 mile road race...Sun 2nd Oct 2016

The main race in Cork this weekend is the annual Cork BHAA Cork to Cobh 15 mile road race on Sunday, the 2nd of October. Note that the Montenette Hotel will not be in use for this race.

Entries on the day cost €20 and will be taken at Union Chandlery on Alfred St. There are no changing facilities. They will transport gear bags from there to the finish line in Cobh.

The race starts at 9:30am.

In 2016, race HQ is on Alfred St

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 Sun 8am).....The forecast is that it will be sunny and dry. Temp in the low teens. Expect a light head wind after Cobh Cross.

Notice...Eyeries 5 mile road race, West Cork - Sat 12th Nov 2016

This is the third year of the Eyeries 5 mile road race and follows on the success of the previous two years. The Beara Peninsula in West Cork is one of the most scenic parts of the country and an ideal backdrop for this road race in November. It might well suit any clubs or small groups who are looking for a day or weekend away.

On a nice sunny day, it's an absolutely stunning spot. The town of Castletownbere is only 4.5 miles away so there is plenty of accommodation on offer.

From the organisers.....EYERIES 5 MILE ROAD RACE...Get set for a day of activity and great fun by participating in the Eyeries 5 Mile Road Race!  Whether you run or walk it makes no difference. Our local race has grown bigger and better every year, so come out with all the family to enjoy! (AAI Permit Granted. AAI Course Measured)

Over 50 Prizes! * 1st, 2nd, 3rd Male & Female   *  Category Prizes include F35, M40, F40, M45, F45, M50, F50, M55, F55, M60, M65, F65, MJ & FJ *

When: 2:30 pm Saturday 12 November 2016.
Where: Eyeries, Beara, County Cork, Ireland

€10.00 Online Pre-registration:
To pre-register online (for only €10.00) click HERE

Or Register on the Day: begins at 12 noon on the day (12 November 2016) in Eyeries Hall. €12.00 per person if registering on the day.

In November, this stunning part of West Cork can be very quiet and I'm sure they would appreciate all the support that they can get.

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

More info about the race the locality at https://www.facebook.com/Eyeries-Five-Mile-1194649237340228/

Short video of the race in 2014...

Comparing the Charleville Half-Marathon to the Dublin Half-Marathon

Last week, I had a post up about the stats for the Charleville Half-Marathon and it was obvious there was a drop in the number of faster women taking part this year. The question was why?

Last weekend, the Dublin Half-Marathon was held in the Phoenix Park and it attracted a huge field of nearly 7000 runners. As you see from the chart below, it dwarfs the numbers in Charleville.

Yet despite the difference, the winning times for the first man in the Charleville Half-Marathon has been faster than the Dublin Half-Marathon since it started in 2011. This might be partly explained by the fact that the course in the Phoenix Park is hillier but Charleville as you can see below has winning times that are 2-5 minutes faster. That's can't be just down to the course. It just seems to attract more of the faster male runners.

Inaugural 24 hour race held in Kerry on Sat 24th Sept 2016

The very first 24 hour endurance race in Co.Kerry was held on Saturday the 24th of September. This is as far as I know the only 24 hour race in the country outside of the annual Irish Championships in Belfast.

The course was in a local park in Tralee with runners doing multiple laps of a 0.75 mile loop. There were 3 events...the full 24 hour race which went from noon Saturday to noon on Sunday, a 12 hour race which went from noon to midnight and a 'shorter' 6 hour race which went from noon to 6pm.
In total, there were 63 participants spread out over the three events... 41 in the 24 hour, 14 in the 12 hour and 10 in the 6 hour. Ten runners managed to break the 100 mile barrier in the 24 hour.

Results & Photos

Alex O'Shea from Cork...1st in the 6 hour Ultra

Mallow AC 200 Point Challenge

Mallow AC have just announced a '200 Point Challenge' scheme for their own members for 2017. It basically involves encouraging members to take part in certain races over the course of the year...roughly 4 per month. Additional points are also given for helping out at their own club races.

At the end of the year, members are entered into a draw with a prize fund of €500...(€200, €150, €100 & €50).

They have the details HERE

It might be of interest to other clubs as well as a way to encourage more activity from their own members. Clonmel AC in Tipperary have a 500K Challenge going since the start of the year with teams aiming to complete 500kms. There are probably plenty of ways to get more members active, it just needs a bit of imagination and time.

Runner has Heart Attack in Dublin Half-Marathon

The Dublin Half-Marathon was held last weekend in the Phoenix Park and attracted a field of over 7000 runners. During the race, a runner collapsed after suffering a heart attack and an off-duty firefighter and a garda came to his assistance.

The female Garda officer was first on the scene and performed CPR. Off-duty Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) officer Ben Weddick who was competing in the race stopped and assisted in the CPR when he came to the scene.

The man was later rushed to hospital and is said to be making a good recovery.

Never off-duty: FF/P Ben Weddick and @GardaTraffic member achieved a ROSC after witnessing a cardiac arrest at today's Dublin Half Marathon. pic.twitter.com/Uu0q6aZ5wz

— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) September 24, 2016

Closer look at the Lust for Life Cork Airport 5k...Fri 30th Sept 2016

On the Friday night, there will be a 5k race held on the runway of Cork Airport. Or at least people will gather there on Friday night as the race itself is schedule to start at 2am on Saturday morning!

If you are interested in going then you can enter here... https://eventgen.ie/vhialustforlifecork2016

More info in this earlier post.

This is the map as supplied from the organisers...

Everything is happening within the terminal building and you will be guided there. Once you are cleared to go out onto the runway, the race will start at 2am. The course is a pretty simple down and back course.

There is an aerial view of the route here... http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.com/2013/01/cork117.html

Claire McCarthy from Cork runs 2:38 time in Berlin Marathon to qualify for the 2017 World Championships

The Berlin Marathon was held on Sunday the 25th of September and attracted a huge field of runners including many from Ireland.

Claire McCarthy enroute to a PB of 2:38 in Berlin. Photo: Kieran Carlin

Clare McCarthy of Leevale AC in Cork ran a personal best time of 2h 38m 00s and now provisionally qualifies her for the 2016 World Championships in London. What's pretty amazing is that Claire's time is exactly the same as the Irish qualifying standard.

Gladys Ganiel of North Belfast Harriers finished in 2:39:10 which is inside the IAAF standard but outside the Irish one.

"* Performance Standards set by Athletics Ireland for selection consideration
Athletics Ireland has set its own Qualification Periods in which the Performance Standards must be achieved. Selection will be based on performances during the Qualification Periods from 1 January 2016 to 24 April 2017 for the Marathon (subject to change when official information is released)."

Cork Runners in Berlin under 2:50...
107 Mccauley, Conor (IRL)    M30    Leevale AC    02:31:54    02:31:46
118 O Connell, John (IRL)    M35            02:32:49    02:32:41
152 O'Brien, Alan (IRL)    M35    Eagle Ac        02:35:28    02:34:56
218 Casey, Owen (IRL)    M30    Leevale Ac        02:38:03    02:37:55
9 McCarthy, Claire (IRL)    W40    Irland        02:38:00    02:38:00
240 Murnane, Christopher (IRL)    M30    St Finbarrs    02:39:20    02:38:47
451 Boland, Ronan (IRL)    M50    Eagle Ac        02:46:12    02:45:43
459 Coakley, Donal (IRL)    M30    Leevale Ac    02:46:11    02:45:51

Irish runners under 3 hours in Berlin....

Results & photos of the Evening Echo Womens Mini-Marathon

Thousands of women took to the streets of Cork today for the annual Evening Echo Women's Mini-Marathon.

EVENING ECHO/WOMEN’S MINI-MARATHON

Top 10
1 Emma Murphy (St Finbarrs) 22:03
2 Sinead O’Connor (Leevale) 22:14
3 Aoife Cooke (Youghal) 22:19
4 Andrea Bickerdike (Leevale) 23:23
5 Michelle Kenny (Leevale, F35) 23:27
6 Carol Finn (Leevale) 23:31
7 Margaret Murphy (Bandon) 23:32
8 Sinead Kevany (Midleton, F35) 23:40
9 Louise Shanahan (Leevale, FJ) 24:04
10 Niamh Allen (Cork Varsity) 24:04

Photos...... (Updated 8:38am Tues 27th Sept)
1) Kieran Minihane has loads of photos HERE
2) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE ...a bigger gallery HERE
3) Mike O'Grady Photography has a number of galleries... Album 1 ... Album 2 ...

The Evening Echo will have a special supplement in next Saturdays edition with a full list of finishers as well as some photos.

Results of the Hope for Faith 5k charity Run in Doneraile Park...Sat 24th Sept 2016

Unfortunately the weather wasn't great for this 5k charity run in Doneraile Park on Sat 24th Sept 2016.

1 Mike Keating  19:20
2 Paco Pacios   20:38
3 Ian O’Brien   21:03
6 Aoife Carroll 22:06
12 Mary Murphy  24:42
16 Denise Cronin 27:30

Hope for Faith have a Facebook page HERE

Results below....

Results & Photos of the Castletownbere Wild Atlantic Way 10k & 4k...Sat 24th Sept 2016

The Wild Atlantic Way Run was held on Saturday the 24th of September in Castletownbere in West Cork. A total of 89 people took part, 47 in the 10k and 42 in the 4k.

1    395    Vincent    O'Sullivan  Eagle AC  0:41:29
2    391    Robert    Lynch    0:43:06
3    398    Brian    Collins    0:43:33
5    402    Geraldine    O'Shea  St.Finbarr's AC  0:44:39
10    405    Maria    Hurley    0:48:34
14    422    Deirdre    O'Sullivan    0:53:44

Vincent O'Sullivan of Eagle AC & Geraldine O'Shea of St.Finbarr's AC...winners of the 2016 Castletownbere Wild Atlantic Way 10. Photo: Anne Marie Cronin

Photos...
1) Anne Marie Cronin has a nice gallery HERE

Results below.....

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 24th Sept 2016

The 15th 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Rark attracted a smallish field of just 131 runners on Saturday the 24th of Sept 2016, the lowest number to date. Obviously with the Yellow weather warning from Met Eireann and the heavy rain, a lot of people decided to give it a skip this week.

Interesting to see how the numbers can fluctuate so much in just two weeks.

1    Conor DOLAN    19:06    SM30-34    M 1
2    Tobi GRAB    19:41    VM35-39    M 2
3    Jack O'CONNOR    19:44    JM15-17    M 3 Leevale AC
15    Gillian MURPHY    22:05    VW40-44    F 1 Eagle A.C.
27    Kate DUGGAN    24:49    VW35-39    F 2
30    Clare MURPHY    25:06    VW55-59    F 3 

The full results can be seen HERE

Glengarriff parkrun cancelled due to flooding

The 5k parkrun in Glengarriff in West Cork had to be cancelled this morning (24-09-2016) due to the heavy rain overnight. As you can see from the photo above, the run off from the local mountains resulted in parts of the course being flooded.

All going well, they should be back in action next week.

Clubs at the 2016 Charleville Half-Marathon

One final stat for the Charleville Half-Marathon. Someone asked about the number of clubs and I had look.

These are the clubs that had 5 or more members taking part...

One thing that stands out is just how local most runners are. The vast majority are from the Cork and Limerick which is probably of no great surprise.

Other than Clonmel AC, the numbers from Tipperary seems pretty low so perhaps some of them headed to Kilkenny for the two half-marathons there instead. The story is the same with Kerry and Clare...no great numbers from either county.

Just out of interest, I had a look at the results for 2012 which is when the field seemed to be a bit faster at the front. There was no major difference other than there are lots of newer local clubs now compared to then.

Events in Cork this weekend...Sat 24th & Sun 25th Sept 2016

There are a number of runs on this weekend in Cork as shown below....

5k Parkrun...Sat 24th (9:30am)...€free...various locations...  
Cork...Castle Demense, Macroom // Showgrounds, Clonakilty // Bere Island, Beara Peninsula) // Glengarriff // Castlehaven // Ballincollig Regional Park... 

Kerry...Sat 24th (9am)...Killarney 10 mile road race...€26.50...info...

Cork...Sat 24th (11am)...Hope for Faith 5k fun run/walk...€10...Doneraile Park...timed...
Cork...Sat 24th (2pm)...Wild Atlantic Way fun run...4k & 10k...€?...Castletownbere...

Cork...Sun 25th (1pm)...Evening Echo Women's mini-marathon...€15...Approx 3.8 miles, mostly walkers...

Met Eireann issue rainfall alert for Saturday morning

This might be of interest to anyone doing a 5k parkrun on Saturday morning. Met Eireann have issued a Yellow weather alert for Saturday morning (24th Sept 2016).

Rainfall Warning for Galway, Mayo, Cork and Kerry
Over 25 mm likely in a 12 hour period, locally up to 40 mm in mountainous areas. Note that this is an update to the previous warning to include county Mayo in the risk area.
Issued: Friday 23 September 2016 10:00
Valid: Saturday 24 September 2016 00:01 to Saturday 24 September 2016 12:00

As the chart shows, the heavy rain is expected to arrive in West Munster in the small hours of Saturday morning. Over the next few hours, it will progress eastwards with some clearer weather behind it.

For now, it looks likely that the parkrun in Ballincollig will be wet while the rain may well have passed for the ones in West Cork.

For Sunday, it looks reasonable and it should be fine with just a risk of the odd shower.

Tramore Valley Park used for Orienteering during the week

The last 5k parkrun to be held at the Tramore Valley Park in Cork City was back in January and since then, there has been very little news of it starting up again.

In the last week, Cork Orienteering Club held an event there with about 50 people taking part. As the numbers are always pretty small at orienteering events, parking there was never going to be an issue.

Section of the 5k course have got a new layer of grit in the last few months and it is now easier to run on.

As you can see, parts of Tramore Valley Park aren't exactly the most scenic but it is the only large park in Cork City.

So will the parkrun return soon? Cork City Council have said that the 5k parkrun won't be able to resume until the park officially opens. As for when it will open?? For the last few years, it has been 'opening next year' but there is still no sign of it opening. From what I understand, it is a financial issue.

During the Summer, there was an article in the Evening Echo in which a local councilor said as much...

Mr McCarthy said: “Once again the timeframe for opening this 160-acre park has been pushed out. Millions of euros have been invested into converting the landfill into one of the largest public parks in the country. It was an ambitious plan of conversion using top-level environmental engineers and experience and now at the last hurdle to open the park, the council are hindered by the recruitment embargo and compared to the millions needed to top soil the landfill, there are now small-scale financial limitations left to overcome such as employing park rangers.

The full article is here... http://www.eveningecho.ie/cork-news/call-fully-open-1-6-acre-tramore-park/2502010/

If you want to see the park open then the list of local city councilors is here if you want to contact them... http://www.corkcity.ie/yourcouncil/electedmembers/

Even if the park does open finally, I'm not sure if that will even be the end of it. Parking there will still be an issue especially if a lot of people turn up on a particular Saturday like they did during the time of Operation Transformation.

Friday Fun...The Lego version of Usain Bolt winning the 100m final in Rio

Sure why not! :o)) ...fast forward to 0:57 for all the 'action?'

Alex O'Shea from Cork wins Kilkenny Marathon

Another result from last weekend. Alex O'Shea of St.Finbarr's AC in Cork was the winner of the inaugural Mediaeval Marathon held in Kilkenny on Saturday the 17th of September. Alex's time was 2h 33m.

Another Cork runner taking part was Aidan Hogan of Rising Sun AC who finished in 4th place with a time of 2h 52m.

A total of 151 runners took part in the full marathon.

1 Alex O'SHEA 02:33:31 M (1)
2 George BRADY 02:50:32 M (2)
3 Thomas SHANAHAN 02:50:50 M (3)
4 Aidan Hogan HOGAN02:52:51 M (4)

Full results

Online entries to the Killarney 10 Mile close midnight Thurs 22nd Sept

Just a reminder that online entries for the Killarney 10 mile race close at midnight on Thurs 22nd Sept. The entry fee is €25.

After that, entries will be taken at the refectory in St. Brendan’s College, Killarney from 6-8pm on Friday evening 23rd of September and Saturday morning 24th September from 7-8.30am. Fee €30.

The race starts at 9am on Saturday the 24th of Sept and all numbers, timing chips and t-shirts must be collected beforehand in St.Brendans.

More info about the race at http://killarney10mile.com/

Preview of the Evening Echo womens mini-marathon in Cork...Sun 25th Sept 2016

Although it is advertised as Munsters Premier 4-Mile Road Race, it is in reality a 3.8 mile charity walk/run with a road race at the front of it. If you intend to race it then you need to get to the start early. There are thousands of women taking part and when there are that many people, it is going to be very crowded.

Remember it starts at 1pm.

Course...The start of this race is on the Centre Park Road.

Mile 0-1....The first mile or so is very flat with only a slight uphill around the 0.8 mile mark as the road joins the Marina. This should be a very fast mile as long as you stay clear of the mass of runners/joggers/walkers/prams....etc.

Start of the Marina section near the 1 mile mark 

Mile 1-2.....Dead flat along the Marina. Probably the most scenic part of the run. Again, it should be a very fast mile. If you have started too fast, this is about where you should find out. Pace yourself for the first 2, you can pick it up over the last 2 if you have gone too slow.

Mile 2-3....This section includes the only real hill. There is a nasty pull from the 2 mile mark up to St.Michael's church, a distance of about 300 metres......

Start of the only real hill near the 2 mile mark

You are going to lose some time here. After that, it's reasonably flat with a slight fall downhill into Beaumount about the 2.7 mile mark. Then past the AIB bank and Post office and take a sharp right down Maryville Road. Around the 3 mile mark, there is a very steep downhill section. By far, the hardest mile.

Mile 3-3.8....After the initial downhill section, the remainder of the mile is flat with the finish on the Monaghan Road, near Kennedy Park.
 
....and finally, it is worth mentioning what a significant event this is for the city of Cork. With around 10,000 taking part and many getting sponsorship, it is probably no exaggeration to say that several million Euro will be raised for various charities. For many of those taking part, it may be closest they ever get to any sort of road race.

Update........A bit more detail in this preview HERE

Online entries to the Cork City FC 5k on Sun 9th Oct now open...

The Cork City FC 5k run is coming up on Sunday the 9th of October and entries are now open.

The entry link is http://buytickets.at/corkcityfc/67006 and will remain open until 8pm on Saturday the 8th of October 2016.

More info about the 5k in this previous post.

A preview of the course can be seen at http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.com/2013/01/cork116.html

Some stats for the Charleville Half-Marathon...

Now that the 2016 Charleville Half-Marathon is behind us, it's time to just take a quick look at some stats.

Numbers......There was a record 965 finishers this year in Charleville. The chart below shows how the numbers have progressed over the years....from 446 in 2011 to 965 in 2016.

As I have said before on the blog, any event that is holding their own at the moment is doing very well in light of all the races to choose from. As you can see, not only is Charleville holding its own but it's getting even more popular.

Not only that but it was also going head to head with two other half-marathons on over the weekend in Kilkenny. The Medieval Half-Marathon got 127 and the JJ Reddy Half got 222 and both of these would have taken some of the runners from Tipperary and Waterford.

Breakdown......This is the breakdown of times for the 2016 Charleville Half-Marathon in five minute blocks.

This is pretty close to the usual shape for a half-marathon which tends to have a flat peak. As men are usually faster than women, they would account for the peak around 1:40 while women are responsible for the peak around 1:55.

Gender Ratio......Women accounted for 36.3% of the field.

Are the top times dropping???.......Someone left this comment after the results post...

"It's a shame to see the standard for the elite women's race drop this year. The winner "Lee" had an easy run "1:19:47" to win the race, a poor performance by elite standard's. Maria McCambridge ran 1:13 in 2012, 1:12 in 2014, 1:13 in 2015! The standard has dropped by at least 6 minutes for the elite women's this year, why?"

First off...another chart!! :o)

a) The first one on the left shows the winning times for the first man in Charleville over the years. It hasn't changed a whole lot and it's usually about 66 mins.

b) There are prizes for the first 8 so I had a look at the times for the 8th man over the years to see if the top runners were getting slower. The important thing to remember here is that the overall numbers for the race have been increasing over the years. This hasn't made a huge change to the top 8 times however. The fastest field for the top 8 men was back in 2014.

c) So what about the women? Lizzie Lee's winning time in 2016 was over six minutes slower than last year but Lizzie also ran a 2:39 marathon in Rio just 5 weeks ago and would be still recovering from it. But it still raises the question of where were all the other fast women at the business end of the race?

d) The time for the 8th woman just reinforces the fact that the very fast women were mostly missing. For example, in 2012 there were 635 finishers in total and the first 8 women were under 1h 25m. This year in 2016, there were 965 finishers overall and the 8th woman was over 1h 30m.

As for why there was a drop in the top women compared to the top men??? One reason could be that the top women are spread out over more races? Looking at the results of other races in Cork and Munster, I suspect that there are just fewer women running fast times now compared even to just a few years back.

Any suggestions?

Addendum : As well as people leaving comments, some send them by e-mail. One person mentioned the following points...
1) The World Championships are coming up in London in 2017 and some of the top women in the country may well be targetting the 2:38 qualificiation time in the Berlin Marathon next weekend.
2) The Dublin Half-Marathon is also coming up and a lot of people will run that instead of Charleville. As fast as Charlevile is, it is also way down the country for a lot of the top runners.
3) He also made the point that at the end of the day, every race is just that...a race. The winning times reflect what it took to win the race rather than what someone might be capable of.

Blarney Half-Marathon & Cork City 10 Miler numbers

Following on from the John Buckley Sports Cork City 10 Miler recently, someone asked me about the numbers and if they were well down on what they used to be like for the Blarney Half-Marathon?

For those of you new to the running scene, the Blarney Half-Marathon was organised by St.Finbarr's AC and they changed it to a 10 miler in the city in 2014.

I looked at the figures and here are the results...

As you can see from the chart, the numbers grew up to 2010 much in line with the running boom. In 2011, the Charleville Half-Marathon started and it got 446 in its first year. Whereas the Blarney Half-Marathon numbers might have been expected to grow or at least level off, it's obvious that a number of people were opting for the faster course in Charleville.

In 2014, the Blarney Half-Marathon came to an end and the race changed to a 10 miler in Cork City. As you can see, it has been remarkably steady at about 500 per year since then.

So the answer to the original query is that the numbers are actually up when compared to 2011-2013. It's down on the 2010 peak in Blarney but still pretty good. Comparing the three years of the 10 miler from  2014-2016 to the half from 2011-2013 then the move into Cork City was a success.

Results & photos of the Run Forest Run 5m in Castefreke...Sun 18th Sept 2016

This 5 mile multi-terrain run in Castlefreke near Clonakilty in West Cork attracted just 19 runners, probably one of the smallest numbers of any event so far in 2016. Obviously the rain didn't help.

They have a small gallery of photos HERE

Results & photos of the Charleville Half-Marathon...Sun 18th Sept 2016

A total of 964 runners took part in this years Charleville Half-Marathon. While the race started in dry conditions, the rain duly arrived after about 15 minutes.

The race was won by Ismail Ssenyange in a  time of 65:49 while Lizzie Lee of Leevale AC was the first woman home.

1 Ismail Ssenyange (Skechers)...65.49
2 Mark Kirwan (Raheny Shamrock)...68.02
3 Paul Stephenson (Rathfarnham WSAF)...68.38
1 Lizzie Lee (Leevale)...79.47
2 Jill Hodgins (W40)...82.12
3 Emilia Dan (Dunboyne, W45)...85.11
...

Results..The full official results are now here... http://www.charlevillehalf.com/results-2016/

Photos...Updated Mon 19th Sept @11:17am
1) Kilfinane AC have a gallery HERE
2) The organisers have 110 finish line photos HERE , another 62 HERE  and 168 HERE 
3) Happy Feet Running Group have about 30 photos mostly of the start HERE
4) Paudie Birmingham of Mallow AC has a gallery HERE
5) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE
6) Kevin O'Brien has a nice gallery HERE
7) There are some presentation photos on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
8) Mariusz Luczak of Bweeng Trailblazers has a gallery of about 200 photos HERE
9) Sinéad Duggan has almost 500 photos HERE
10) North Cork AC have a number of albums... 184 HERE, 86 HERE, 124 HERE
11) Gearóid Ó Laoi has 262 photos HERE
12) Andy O'Rourke Photography has 3 small albums... #1 ... #2 ... #3
13) Paul Askins has a gallery HERE

Video......

The organisers have a video of the start here...

Results of the Mallow Ladies Gaelic Football Club 5k in Doneraile Park...Sun 28th Aug 2016

A result from the end of August. The Mallow Ladies Gaelic Football Club 5k in Doneraile Park was held on Sat 28th Aug 2016. Roughly 180 people took part.

1 Paul Moloney 16:37
2 Patrick O'Connor 16:47
3 Michael Quirke 19:41
1 Mei-Ming 21:51
2 Mary Carey 23:44
3 Elaine Seacy 24:55

The full results can be seen HERE

16 year old Noelle Lenihan wins Bronze at Paralympic Games

At the Rio Paralympic Games on Friday, 16 year old Noelle Lenihan from North Cork won a Bronze medal in the F38 Discus.

The results of the top 4 are shown below...

Weather forecast for the Charleville Half-Marathon...

Weather forecast for the Charleville Half-Marathon.

It looks as if the early morning will be dry but the rain will arrive in mid to late morning. The race might well start dry and finish wet. Winds are light and from the West.

Update...This is the rainfall radar as of 7:30am...The rain is moving towards the North-East but it's not too far away. It's probably only a matter of time before it arrives in Charleville.

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 17th Sept 2016

 A total of 301 people turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park on Sat 17th of Sept 2016. While this was down on last week, it is still up roughly 50% on the average of about 200.

1 Ben MCGUIRE 18:37 SM25-29 M 1
2 Peter MAYPOTHER 18:39 VM45-49 M 2
3 Unknown
18 Geraldine O SHEA 21:27 VW45-49 F 1 St Finbarrs AC
20 Anna DELANEY 21:35 VW40-44 F 2 Sportsworld
35 Maeve COTTER 23:12 VW35-39 F 3 Eagle A.C.

The results of the 14th edition can be seen HERE

Cork City Marathon...1984

I came across this photo recently for the 1984 Cork City Marathon...

I'm not sure if it was a race flyer or was it the front of the results booklet? No websites and blogs back in those days!

So lets see if it'll jog a few memories.

Q. Who is in the photo?
Q. Did anyone do it?
Q. Has anyone got any photos from that period?
Q. Are there any results anywhere?

Kerry Foods sponsor the 2016 Charleville Half-Marathon

The Charleville Half-Marathon has grown over the last few years to be one of the biggest races in Cork. When events get to this scale, getting sponsors on board is crucial to help offset some of the costs.

This year, Kerry Foods are on board as main sponsors once again and they recently presented a cheque to members of North Cork AC who are the organisers of the Charleville Half.

Just one more update. Number collection on the Saturday has changed from Charleville Park Hotel to St Josephs Foundation sports hall due to the large volume of numbers. This is strictly from 12 to 5pm. Anyone else can collect on the morning of the race.

Events in Cork this weekend...Sat 17th to Sun 18th Sept 2016

The main race in Co.Cork this weekend is of course the Charleville Half-Marathon on Sunday but there are plenty of other events to choose from. The current forecast is for a ridge of high pressure to be over the country on Saturday so it should be fine and dry. On Sunday, there is a cold front crossing over so it's likely to be overcast and possibly wet. The rain shouldn't last too long though but it just depends on what time it arrives. The wind on both days is likely to be light.

On Saturday morning, there are the various 5k parkruns with the one in Ballincollig likely to get big numbers again. Don't forget there are plenty of other ones to choose from especially if you're in West Cork.

The parkrun in Glengarriff only got 9 runners when the weather was bad two weeks ago and they were actually outnumbered by the 10 volunteers. Unless local runners support these parkruns then they are likely to stop.

The list of events for the weekend in Cork is shown below...

5k Parkrun...Sat 17th (9:30am)...€free...various locations...  
Cork...Castle Demense, Macroom // Showgrounds, Clonakilty // Bere Island, Beara Peninsula) // Glengarriff // Castlehaven // Ballincollig Regional Park... 

Cork...Sat 17th (3:30pm)...Carriganima Fun Run/Walk...€10...In aid of Macroom & Millstreet Hospitals...
Cork...Sat 17th (6pm)...Grenagh 5k fun run/walk...€10...

Cork...Sun 18th (10am)...Charleville Half-Marathon...info...includes a dry fit top...CLOSED ... Race Day Instructions ... Course Preview ...

Cork...Sun 18th (11:30am)...East Cork Cross Country Championships...€5...Conna...info...
Cork...Sun 18th (12 noon)...Run Forest Run 5 mile run...€10...Castlefreke, Clonakilty...

As always, you can see a list of upcoming events in Cork and Munster in the race calendar.