Results of the Ballincollig Regional Park 5k parkrun...Sat 31st Dec 2016

The 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park ended the year on a high note as 227 people took part in this weeks event. As you can see from the chart, the numbers have been pretty good since it started and is testament to the effort of the team of volunteers who turn out every Saturday morning.

1 Conor DOLAN    17:04    SM30-34 M 1
2 Unknown                                   
3 Unknown                                   
4 Lizzie LEE    18:46    VW35-39 F 1    Leevale AC
8 Fiona ROCHE    19:08    SW30-34    F 2    Raheny Shamrock AC
33 Debbie CORCORAN    21:48    VW35-39    F 3

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Results & photos of the Shandrum AC 5k...Sat 31st Dec 2016

91 runners turned out for this inaugural 5k in Shandrum in North Cork. 


1 238 Anthony Mannix M Leevale AC 15.55
2 216 Partrick O'Connor M An Riocht 16.21
3 283 David O' Hanlon m Churchtown RR 18.13
5 239 Niamh Roe F Leevale AC 18.21
15 276 Fiona Boyce F North cork 20.31
18 264 Aoife Carroll M Mallow AC 20.44

Photos...
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE

Results by John Holland of Mallow AC. 


See full results below...

100 Plus sub-36 min finishes for Danny Smith

Danny Smith of Ballynonty AC is a regular at a lot of road races in Cork and often features in the top 3 finishers. In this guest article by John Walshe, he outlines Danny's remarkable achievement of running under 36 minutes over 100 times in 10km road races.

RUNNING SUB-36 MINUTES FOR 10K – NOT ONCE, BUT OVER 100 TIMES! ... By John Walshe

A time of 36 minutes for 10km represents an average of 5:48 per mile for the 6.21-mile distance. It’s a clocking many people would be justly proud of and nowadays more than likely guarantee an individual prize and even an outright win.

At the Thomas Kent Memorial 10km held at Castlelyons a few weeks ago, Danny Smith’s time of 35:26 did indeed give him victory in this inaugural race. But it wasn’t the first occasion that he had comfortably broken the barrier - amazingly it was the 111th time that he has run under 36 minutes for the 10km distance.

Tipperary-man Danny is no stranger to Cork races and of those 111 sub-36:00 times, 29 have been in

this county, including his fastest of 33:00 which he recorded in the Emer Casey Memorial race in Youghal last May.

“My first 10km was the Ballygowan race in Clonmel which I ran in a time of 43:01 and I recorded my first sub-36 time in the UCC 10km, a race I have competed in on seven occasions,” explained the Ballynonty club athlete.

A total of 54 10kms under 36:00 have been achieved in Tipperary, 15 in Waterford with the remainder in Limerick, Kilkenny, Wexford and Laois.
It’s not just over the 10km distance that the 38-year-old has a remarkably consistent record as he has also notched up a total of 118 five-mile races under 30 minutes.

“I have 10 sub-30 minute races in the Ballycotton Summer Series, my fastest being the 26:55 I ran in 2014,” he explains.

“The slowest five-miler was the ESB race at Curraheen back in 2004 where I recorded 29:34 and my fastest was 26:15 in Kilmacthomas in 2013. I also had my first-ever West Waterford victory this year when I won the Clashmore race in 27:24.”

Training for Danny comprises around 40 to 50 miles a week, although with such a hectic racing schedule it’s more a case of recovering between events. Although he doesn’t concentrate much on cross-country, he has both a county novice and intermediate title to his credit in the last five years, no mean feat in a county like Tipperary.

One of his proudest moments came when winning the Tipperary senior 10km road title in 2015, a race he has ran 14 times. “I won it last year for the first time; I had finished second on five occasions and I thought I’d never win it,” he admits.

A loyal member of the small Ballynonty club, Danny has also won the local 10-mile race they promote each July on three occasions. “When I started off running in 2001 I wasn’t interested in joining a club at all, I just wanted to run and enjoy it for fitness but then Neilie Hall asked me to join Ballynonty.”

Living in Burncourt, the village alongside the Mitchelstown Caves, Danny Smith is not someone who courts publicity. Therefore, you won’t find any self-congratulatory messages on Facebook describing his various achievements. Indeed, as he doesn’t embrace the internet, it’s unlikely he will read this article about himself.

So the next time you see him at a Cork event, thank him for his unstinting support of our local races and offer him your congratulations - for it takes a rare breed of athlete to run under 36 minutes for 10km and under thirty minutes for five-miles on over 100 occasions each.

Entry list for the 2017 Ballycotton 10 mile road race

The entry list for the 2017 Ballycotton 10 mile road race is now available. Click HERE

Use the contact details listed there if you have any queries.

These are the largest clubs by entry...(10 or more) 

Midleton AC 120, St.Finbarrs AC 111, Eagle AC    101,  Ballintotis Fit4Life AC 99, Mallow AC 99, Watergrasshill AC 74, Kilkenny City Harriers 57, Aghada Running Club 51, Slaney Olympic AC    50, 

Leevale AC 49, Ballymore-Cobh AC    46, Grange-Fermoy AC    44, Youghal AC    44, Waterford AC    42, St. Nicholas AC    41, Sportsworld AC    40, West Waterford AC    35, Celbridge AC    34, Clonmel AC    34, Newbridge AC    33, Tallaght AC    31, Crusaders AC    30, Galtee Runners AC    30, Rosscarbery Steam Runners    30, St Abbans AC    27, An Bru AC    25, Bandon AC    25, Togher AC    25, Sliabh Bhuide Rovers AC    24, Tracton AC    24, East Cork AC    22, Carrigtwohill AC    21, Donore Harriers    20, 

Portlaoise AC    19, Raheny Shamrock AC    19, Carrick-on-Suir AC    17, Donoughmore AC    17, Clonakilty Road Runners    15, Bweeng Trail Blazers    14, Churchtown Runners    14, Carraig na bhFear AC    13, Dundrum South Dublin AC    13, St. Catherines AC    13, Rathfarnham-WSAF AC    12, Buttevant Running Club    11, Galway City Harriers AC    11, Gowran AC    11, Limerick Country Club    11, Sli Cualann AC    11, Carrigaline Road Runners    10, Croghan AC    10, Dooneen AC    10, Kilfinane AC    10, Mooreabbey Milers AC    10, West Limerick AC    10

Results of the Togher Ac 5k road race...Tues 27th Dec 2016

A total of 433 runners turned out for this years Togher 5k road raceon Tues 27th of Dec 2016, a massive 50% up on last year.

1    James McCarthy    East Cork AC        15:26    SM    357
2    Ruairi Casey    Togher AC        15:53    SM    258
3    David Fox    Leevale AC        16:03    SM    202
6    Shona Heaslip    An Riocht        16:27    SW    190
14    Emma Murphy    St Finbarrs AC        17:08    SW    260
33    Teresa Murphy    Kent AC        18:16    SW    399

Photos... (Updated Wed 28th @1pm)
1) Michael Herlihy has a gallery HERE
2) Ger Broderick has a gallery HERE
3) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has 500+ photos HERE 

The full results can be seen below...

Mallow 10 mile entries pass the halfway mark...

Just a note to say that half of the 1250 entries to the 2017 Mallow 10 mile road race are now gone. It's probably likely that the entry limit will be reached sometime in early January. If you are interested then enter asap.

More details in this previous post.

Races and Events in Cork & Munster...Sun 25th Dec to Tues 27th Dec 2016

Whatever you're doing over the Christmas period, there are no shortage of events to choose from. On Christmas day, there are plenty of GOAL mile events to choose from with plenty of races on the 26th and 27th.

Kerry...Sun 25th (10am-12 noon)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Faungorth Activity Centre, Kenmare...
Kerry...Sun 25th (10am-12:30pm)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Deenagh Lodge, Killarney...
Kerry...Sun 25th (10:30am-12:30pm)...GOAL Mile...€donation...The Dragon's Den, Killorglin Intermediate School...
Kerry...Sun 25th (10:30amam-12:30pm)...GOAL Mile...€donation...An Riocht AC Athletics Track, Castleisland...
Clare...Sun 25th (11am-1pm)...GOAL Mile...€donation...The Fairgreen, Ennis...
Limerick...Sun 25th (11am-1pm)...GOAL Mile...€donation...UL Athletics Track...
Limerick...Sun 25th (12 noon)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Ballybrown Community Resource Centre...
Limerick...Sun 25th (12 noon)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Crecora GAA Pitch...
Tipperary...Sun 25th (10am)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Borrisokane AC...
Tipperary...Sun 25th (11am-12 noon)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Tipperary Town...
Tipperary...Sun 25th (11am)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Moyglass Sports and Leisure Centre...
Tipperary...Sun 25th (12 noon)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Townhall Fethard...
Tipperary...Sun 25th (11am)...GOAL Mile...€donation...Ormonde Castle, Carrick-on-Suir...

Cork...Sun 25th (10:30am-12 noon)...GOAL Mile...€donation... St.Catherine's GAA Ballynoe, nr Conna...
Cork...Sun 25th (10:30am-12:30pm)... GOAL Mile ... €donation... CIT track, Bishopstown...
Cork...Sun 25th (10am-12 noon)... GOAL Mile ... €donation... Doneraile Park...
Cork...Sun 25th (12 noon)... GOAL Mile ... €donation... St.Joseph's Foundation, Charleville...
 
Waterford...Mon 26th (10am)...GOAL Mile...€donation...The Square, Portlaw...
Clare...Mon 26th (10am)...Kilrush 5k Turkey Run/walk...€?...
Cork...Mon 26th (11am)...Charleville Lions Club/Tidy Towns 8k fun run...€?...
Cork...Mon 26th (11am)...Kilworth GAA Players 5k fun run/walk...€10...
Tipperary...Mon 26th (11:30am)...Cashel Rugby Club 5k fun run/walk... €10...

Tipperary...Mon 26th (12 noon)...Clonmel 4 mile road race...€10 ...info...

Kerry...Mon 26th (12 noon)...Farranfore 5k...
Limerick...Mon 26th (12 noon)...Caherdavin 10k...€15...Community Centre...

Cork...Mon 26th (12 noon)...Belgooly 4 mile charity run...€10...
Kilkenny...Mon 26th (12 noon)...St.Joseph's AC Pink Rock 10k...€donation...Glenmore...
Kilkenny...Mon 26th (12 noon)...Stoneyford FC 5k run/walk...€12...
Cork...Mon 26th (3pm)...Kilcorney National School fun run/walk...€5...Moll Carty's Bridge, nr Millstreet...

Cork...Tues 27th (1pm)...Togher 5km road race...€12...Togher, Cork City...info...T-Shirt for all runners...

Clare...Tues 27th (1pm)...Christmas Cracker 5k...€?...Ennis...
Cork...Tues 27th (2pm)...Boherbue 5k fun run/walk...€10...

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 24th Dec 2016

It was a bit milder this week for the 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park and the numbers jumped up to 230.

1 Conor DOLAN    16:48    SM30-34    M1
2 Dennis LYONS    17:33    VM40-44    M2    St Finbarrs AC
3 Unknown           
28 Bernie CONDRON 21:34    VW45-49    F1
29 Toni O'DONOVAN 21:45    VW35-39    F2    Barrow Runners
49 Kate MARTIN    22:41    SW25-29    F3    Raheny Shamrock AC

The results of the 28th edition can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE

Introducing Sumo Run Ireland...

I spotted this recently...Sumo Run Ireland. Basically it's a charity 5k with the contestants running in Sumo suits! :o)

There are going to be two events this year near Dublin...
Sunday 23rd April 2017 - Marlay Park Dublin
Sunday 27th August 2017 - Bray Seafront, Wicklow.

All proceeds go towards Purple House Cancer Support.

Parkrun Ireland and VHI annouce sponsorship deal

While the numbers at some road races in Ireland are in decline or flat, 5k parkruns seem to be going from strength to strength. Earlier this week, parkrun Ireland announced a sponsorship deal with VHI.

Key points :
1) 55 running events to be held weekly in Ireland in 2017.
2) 5 year sponsorship
3) Development of junior parkrun which are 2k runs for 4-14 year olds. There are currently 4 junior parkruns in Ireland and the plan is to roll out more.
4) 5,000 people take pat in parkrun in Ireland every week.
5) Almost 80,000 people registered with parkrun Ireland.

See below...

parkrun Ireland and Vhi Announce Ground Breaking 5-year Partnership

Sports Capital Programme for clubs now open...

The Sports Capital Programme (SCP) is operated by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and provides grants to assist in the development of sports facilities and the provision of sports equipment.

The 2017 Sports Capital Programme is open for applications until the deadline for applications...5pm on Friday 24 April 2015. Registrations will close at 5pm on Friday 10 February 2016. If you think your club might be able to avail of a grant then go to https://www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie/

Photos of the Castlelyons 5k Turkey Trot... Sun 18th Dec 2016

The Castlelyons 5k Turkey Trot was held last Sunday the 18th of December 2016.

Photos...
1) Ger Broderick has an album HERE
2) Sinead has an album HERE

Sneak Preview of the Leevale AC Athletics Training Facility in Cork City

Back in January of 2016, I had a post up about the plans for Leevale AC to develop a new high performance centre in Cork City for their members. The facility is now nearly finished and it's looking great.

You can see a series of photos in this album.

Fionnuala McCormack wins Cross Country race in Brussels

After finishing 5th in the recent European Cross Country Championships recently, Fionnuala McCormack was back in action last weekend. At the IRIS Cross Cup in Brussels, she broke away from the field to take the victory.

As cross country races go, this is one of the most prestigious on the European race calendar.

In a post race interview, Fionnuala said...“Two consecutive victories in Brussels, this cross suits me. I had a bad day at the Euro Cross and I wanted to take over.”

1 26 MCCORMACK-BRITTON FIONNUALA 84 IRE sen NA 19:28
2 1 CARTON LOUISE 94 BEL sen ACME 25 19:46
3 20 WEIGHTMAN LAURA 91 GBR sen NA 19:46


The results are HERE

The Protection Racket in International Athletics

The German TV station ARD are at the forefront of the exposure of corruption in the IAAF, the international body for international athletics.

In a recent 22 minute video clip, they outline how Russian athletes had to pay protection money to their own athletics federation and how cover up payments were made to the IAAF.

The clip is HERE

Official launch of the 2017 Cork City Marathon

The 2017 Cork City Marathon will be held on Sunday the 4th of June.

 See below for the press release...

Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5km road race... Sun 18th Dec 2016

A total of 219 runners turned out for this years Newmarket 5k road race, an increase of just over 13% on last year.

The race which was held on Sunday the 18th of December was organised by Duhallow AC. Conditions were near perfect for the race...i.e. cool and dry.

Position    Name    Club     Time    Division    Bib #
1    Ben Thistlewood    Leevale AC        14:52    SM    225
2    Mike Carmody    An Bru AC        15:07    SM    214
3    Tim O'Connor    An Riocht        15:09    SM    548
18    Michelle Finn    Leevale AC        16:25    SW    677
22    Aoife Cooke    Youghal AC        16:28    SW    346
27    Sinead OConnor    Leevale        16:44    SW    350

The official results are up on the Duhallow AC website.

Photos...
1) There are 3 albums up on the Running in Cork Facebook page... Start ... Finish ... Prize giving 

Results of the Cloyne 4k...Sun 18th Dec 2016

The 2nd race in the Cloyne 4k series was held on Sunday the 18th of December 2016.

1    0:12:43    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:06.9    1    1
2    0:13:11    O'REGAN, Denis    Leevale AC    M    05:18.1    299    2
3    0:13:31    SPITERI, Paul    Midleton AC    M    05:26.2    5    3
36    0:16:48    O'DONNELL, Claire    unatt/Cork    F    06:45.4    31    36
42    0:17:07    WALSH, Marie    Midleton AC    F35    06:53.1    701    42
56    0:17:40    ERFURTH, Anna    Carrigtwohill AC    F    07:06.3    59    56

The full results can be seen below...

Results & photos of the Shanagarry Christmas 5k... Sat 17th Dec 2016

74 runners turned out for this years Shanagarry Christmas 5k in East Cork on Saturday the 17th of December 2016. In contrast to Cork City, the temperatures seemed a good bit milder and it was hard to believe it was mid-December running in the winter sunshine.

A total of €360 was raised for the charity GOAL.

1 15:29    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M 04:58.9
2 15:51    MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC    M 05:06.0
3 16:48    SHEEHAN, Nigel    Youghal AC    M 05:24.3
18 19:54 KENNEALLY, Julie Youghal AC    F 06:24.2
21 20:10 O'NEILL, Eadaoin East Cork AC    F 06:29.3
29 21:14 CONDRON, Bernie unatt/Carrigtwohill    F45 06:49.9

Photos...
1) There are some photos up on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE

The full results can be seen below...

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

The numbers were down a bit this Saturday with 157 people taking part in the weekly 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park. Perhaps it was the frosty conditions or people doing Christmas shopping? The sheer number of races on this weekend might have been a factor as well.

1 Mark CRONIN    17:39    SM30-34     M 1    St Finbarrs AC   
2 Shane O'CALLAGHAN    19:18    VM35-39     M 2
3 Conor DENNEHY    19:28    SM18-19     M 3
40 Diane DUFFY    23:37    VW35-39    F 1
48 Eilish MANNION    24:16    VW35-39    F 2
50 Maria MADIGAN    24:32    VW35-39    F 3

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Events on in Cork this weekend...Sat 17th & Sun 18th Dec 2016

There is no shortage of races this weekend with loads to choose from...


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 (12 noon)... Shanagarry Christmas 5k... €5... info...  

Cork...Sun 18th (9:30am)...Cloyne Commons 4k...€5...
Cork...Sun 18th (11am)...Castlelyons 5k Turkey Trot...€11.23...

Cork...Sun 18th (1pm)...Newmarket 5km road race...€10...info...Organised by Duhallow AC...

Check out the race calendar for all the upcoming events.

Notice - Shanagarry Christmas 5k...Sat 17th Dec 2016

The annual Shanagarry Christmas 5 km road race is coming up next Saturday, the 17th of December at 12 noon. Located just 20 or so miles from Cork City, it might of interest to anyone wanting to try a short local race just before Christmas.

This race is usually a pretty low key event with only about 60-80 runners taking part. There are no big prizes or anything like that, it's just a very simple 5k race which is usually held every year on the weekend just before Christmas day. The entry fee is usually just €3 and any proceeds go towards charity.

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

Cork City Marathon moves to a Sunday!

It was announced recently that the 2017 Cork City Marathon will be held on a Sunday! This is something which a lot of people have asked for and should be very popular. Since it started back in 2007, it has always been on the Bank Holiday Monday.

It should also mean that overseas visitors can take part in the race in Cork and then fly home for work on a Monday.

The 2017 Cork City Marathon will be held on Sunday the 4th of June.

Notice...Mallow 10 mile road race - Sun 26th March 2017

The annual Mallow 10 mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 26th of March 2017.

Please note that the number of entries has been reduced to 1250. This is 500 less than last year so it's important that you enter as soon as possible before it sells out.

Race Entries.....You can enter the race online HERE

The postal entry form is HERE

Some key points...
1) The course is the same as last year with the start line closer to the Youth Centre.
2)  The entry fee is €25 plus €1.75 admin charge.
3) Closing date for entries is Friday 10th March although it is very likely to be closed well before then.
4) Transfers available up to midnight February 10th
5) A long sleeve race t-shirt is included in the entry fee.

Course preview.......You can see an updated preview HERE

Race website......There is more info about the race on the dedicated race website http://mallowtenmile.wordpress.com/

Training Plan......For anyone hoping to do their first 10 mile race, there is a 12 week 'Get Around' plan HERE

Reminder...Ballycotton 10 postal entries close Friday 16th Dec

Reminder....Ballycotton 10 entries close on Friday 16th. See below...

The postal entry form for the Ballycotton 10 is now up on their website. Click HERE

Note the limit of 200 places for non club/series/overseas runners.

3) Postal entries: A PDF copy of the entry form is now available. All club and Summer Series entrants and overseas will be accepted by post up to and including Friday December 16th.The first 200 non-club entries to arrive by post will be also be added to the above. (All postal entries close on Friday December 16th).

Results of the Kinsale 5k Santa Dash...Sun 11th Dec 2016

This 5k charity run/walk was held in Kinsale on Sun 11th Dec 2016.

1 Eric Curran 15:46
2 John O'Leary 17:31
3 Ciaran Boyle 18:04
1 Lorraine Crean 21:05
2 Diane Duffy 21:53
3 Geraldine Walsh 22:15

Full results below...

Entries now open for Irish 24 hour championships in Belfast

The IAU 24 Hour World Championships for 2017 will be held in Victoria Park, Belfast on July 1st/2nd 2017.

Due to the demand from International athletes, places are limited for Irish athletes. There will be 100 places available and a waiting list will be started then.

Entries opened at 6pm on Mon 12th December.

The entry fee is £75. To enter, go HERE

11:20pm...Entries are now closed. All 100 places sold out in about 3 hours. Contact the organisers to get on the waiting list... ( ed_n_smith AT hotmail DOTcom ).

Additional notes...
1) The Open race will take place alongside the World Championships and it starts at 12 noon.
2) There will not be a 12 hour, 100km or Team relay in 2017 due to the numbers.

Results & photos of the Cork BHAA Turkey Trot...Sun 11th Dec 2016

 340 runners turned out for this year's Cork BHAA 5k Turkey Trot in Blackrock on Sunday the 11th of Dec 2016. That is co-incidentally the exact same number as last year. A total of €4,200 was raised for the Cork Simon charity.

1 Denis O'Regan  16:34
2 Frank Quinlan  16:38
3 Alan Lehane  16:52 
20 Carly Cooke  20:44
30 Orla Crosbie  21:25
32 Bridget Daly  21:34

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE
2) Nessan Frawley has a number of small galleries... #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
3) Mick Dooley of Eagle AC has some photos HERE 

Results of the Glantane Community Council Christmas 5k...Sun 11th Dec 2016

This 5k near Mallow was held on Sunday the 11th of December and attracted a field of 72 runners.

1 Alfie Davis 17:07
2 Barry Meade 17:34
3 Willie O'Donoghue 18:17
1 Carol Finn 17:59
2 Eavan Long 21:31
3 Noreen Harvey 22:04

Photos...
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE

The full results can be seen below...

Nollaigh O'Neill from Cork wins Lanzarote Marathon

The annual Lanzarote International Marathon was held in the Canary Islands on Saturday the 10th of December 2016 and the winner of the women's race was Nollaigh O'Neill from Leevale AC in Cork!

Nollaigh's time was 3 hours, 1 minute and 43 seconds. Nollaigh is no stranger to this event having won it twice already in 2013 and 2015.

The winner of the men's race was Gary O'Hanlon from Dublin in a time of 2h 35m.

For Irish results, see below...

Live coverage of the European Cross Country Championships...

This is the timetable for the European Cross Country Championships in Italy...

Irish Time...
9:15    U20 Women 
9:40    U20 Men
10:10    U23 Women 
10:50    U23 Men 
11:30    Senior Women    
12:10    Senior Men 

Live stream at http://www.european-athletics.org/

Coverage on RTE2 from 11am to 1pm.

Results of the Mallow Marca Santa 5k in Doneraile Park...Sat 10th Dec 2016

This low key charity 5k race in Doneraile Park attracted a small field of 43 runners.

1. Barry Meade 17:30
2. Sean O Dubhain 18:50
3. Willie O'Connor 19:53
1. Martina Kiely 17:50
2. Carol Finn 18:07
3. Alana Cronin 21:51

The full results can be seen below...

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 10th Dec 2016

A total of 207 people turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park on what was a foggy morning. That brings it back closer to the long term average of 221.

1 Emmett DUNLEAVY 16:20    VM35-39    M 1    Sligo AC
2 Conor DOLAN 16:56    SM30-34    M 2
3 Paul HARTE 19:25    SM30-34    M 3
25 Mary FINN 21:40    VW55-59    F 1
29 Bernie CONDRON 21:47    VW45-49    F 2
47 Julia LOECHERBACH 23:42    VW35-39    F 3    Ferranti AAC

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Mallow 10 mile entries open early next week

Please note that the date for the 2017 Mallow 10 mile road race is Sunday the 26th of March. Full details about the entry process will be available early next week.

This is a hugely popular race and is sure to get a lot of interest. There will be a number of changes from previous years but one of the most significant is that there will be fewer entries. I would advise anyone that is interested to enter as soon as possible once it opens and don't dither over it.

Keep an eye on the blog early next week for details.

The race website is https://mallowtenmile.wordpress.com/

Ballycotton 10 postal entry form now available

The postal entry form for the Ballycotton 10 is now up on their website. Click HERE

Note the limit of 200 places for non club/series/overseas runners.

3) Postal entries: A PDF copy of the entry form is now available. All club and Summer Series entrants and overseas will be accepted by post up to and including Friday December 16th.The first 200 non-club entries to arrive by post will be also be added to the above. (All postal entries close on Friday December 16th).

Membership stats for athletic clubs in Cork...Nov 2016

Athletics Ireland have recently released the membership stats for all the athletic clubs in Ireland as of the end of November 2016. Mallow AC remains the largest athletic club in Cork in terms of adult membership. These are the athletic clubs in Cork with more than 80 adult members...

See below...

Major upgrade to Nenagh Indoor athletic track

The 200m indoor track in Nenagh, Co.Tipperary is the only one of its kind in Munster and is used every year for various Munster & County Indoor Championships. In the past, it was the venue for the National Championships but that is now held at the  new state of the art facility in Athlone IT.

As indoor facilities go, it's pretty basic but it's an indoor track all the same. The host club Nenagh Olympic AC have now embarked on a major upgrade.

See below for more...

Events on in Cork this weekend...Sat 10th & Sun 11th Dec 2016

There is no shortage of races this weekend with loads to choose from...

5k Parkrun...Sat 10th (9:30am)...€free...various locations...  
Cork...Castle Demense, Macroom // Showgrounds, Clonakilty // Bere Island, Beara Peninsula) // Glengarriff // Castlehaven // Ballincollig Regional Park...


Cork...Sat 10th (11:30am)...Mallow Macra 5k Santa Dash...€10...Doneraile Park...

Cork...Sun 11th (11am)...Cork BHAA Turkey Trot 5k...€10...Blackrock Hurling Club, Cork City...No watches...
Cork...Sun 11th (11:30am)...Kinsale Santa Dash 5k fun run... €10... 
Cork...Sun 11th (1pm)...Glantane Community Council Christmas 5k run/walk... €10...

Check out the race calendar for all the upcoming events.

Ballycotton 10 entries open for club and series runners on Thurs 8th Dec

Ballycotton 10 Entries...Day 2.

Day One could have gone better with the Primo entry website being unable to handle the volume of entries. Primo seem to be fine with smaller races where the demand is spread out but they obviously don't have the capacity to handle large traffic volumes.

Today Thursday the 8th, the the turn of club and Summer Series runners. Entries open at 10am.

Here is a reminder of the conditions...

2) For Athletics Ireland and Athletics Northern Ireland affiliated members plus those
who ran the four races in the Ballycotton Summer Series 2016, along with those
living overseas, an additional online facility will open on Thursday December 8th at
10am until midnight on Friday December 9th.

3) Postal entries: A PDF copy of the entry form will be published on the Ballycotton
website on the evening of Friday December 9th, and will also be available in the usual
local outlets. All club and Summer Series entrants (see above) and overseas will be accepted by
post up to and including Friday December 16th.The first 200 non-club entries to
arrive by post will be also be added to the above. (All postal entries close on Friday
December 16th).

>>> Entry link is here ... https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/Ballycotton102017

All queries regarding online entries to Primo at: info@primoevents.com

The entry procedure is outlined in this previous post.

Reminder...Ballcotton 10 entries open Wed 7th Dec

Quick reminder. The online entries for the 2017 Ballycotton 10 mile road race open today Wed 7th Dec at 2pm. Once the first 1000 are gone, the second batch will be available at 8pm.

If you are not a member of an athletics club or have not done all four of the 2016 Ballycotton Summer Series then you should enter today.

If you are a club member or have done then series, you can enter on Thursday and Friday.

Entry link is here ... https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/Ballycotton102017

Wednesday Updates :
2:09pm...Entry website is unable to handle to traffic levels. Keep trying.

2:25pm...Website back but not taking entries. Poor performance. The Primo events website  should be able to handle the traffic volume.

4:07pm...Pretty dismal performance by Primo Events. It's not like it's the London Marathon it's dealing with. They seem to cope fine with small races but can't handle a surge in traffic. The second batch of 1000 will open at 8pm and it is usually easier to get in then.

5:55pm...Update from the organisers... Following on from Primo server difficulties at 2pm, the problem now seems to be rectified and the first 1000 places have been filled.
The second allocation of 1000 will open at 8pm this evening.
All queries regarding online entries to Primo at: info@primoevents.com 

It looks as if the surge at 8pm caused problems as well.

The entry procedure is outlined in this previous post.

Jill Hodgins from Cork wins Waterford Half-Marathon

Another result from last weekend. Jill Hodgins from Cork was the first woman home in the annual Waterford Half-Marathon.This adds to the list of wins for Jill in 2016 as she also won the Cork to Cobh 15 mile race in October and the Cork City 10 Miler in September.

31 Hodgins    Jill    1:20:54
45 Carthy    Jackie    1:22:25
60 Malone    Sylvia    1:23:58 Waterford A.C.

Despite the distance, a very large contingent of runners from Cork make the annual journey east for this half marathon.

There are links to the results, award winners and photos here... http://munsterrunning.blogspot.com/2016/12/waterfordresults-photos-of-waterford.html

Results of the Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championships in Co.Clare...Sun 4th Dec 2016

The Munster Intermediate Cross Country Championships were held in Clarecastle, Co.Clare on Sunday the 4th of December 2016. The numbers again were a bit on the low side with 37 in the men's race and 31 in the women's race.

Intermediate Women... 1 Dee Grady Ennis Track A.C. Clare  // 2 Ruth Millerick Youghal A.C. Cork // 3 Caitríona Farrell An Brú A.C. Limerick

Club Team... Place Club Positions Points
1 Youghal A.C. 2, 4, 9, 11 ... 26 // 2 Ennis Track A.C. 1, 5, 13, 16 ... 35 // 3 Dundrum A.C. 6, 15, 27, 28 ... 76
County Team...  Place County Positions Points

1 Cork 2, 4, 7, 8 ... 21 // 2 Clare 1, 5, 13, 16 ... 35 // 3 Tipperary 6, 15, 27, 28 ... 76
Intermediate Men... 1 Rory O'Sullivan St. Finbarrs A.C. Cork // 2 Patrick O Connor An Riocht A.C. Kerry // 3 Thomas Garrahy Kilmurray/Ibrick/N.Clare A.C. Clare

Club Team Points... Place Club Positions Points
1 An Riocht A.C. 2, 7, 10, 11 ... 30 // 2 East Cork A.C. 12, 14, 17, 22 ... 65 // 3 Kilmurray/Ibrick/N.Clare A.C. 3, 16, 26, 28 ... 73

County Team... Place County Positions Points
1 Limerick 8, 9, 13, 15, 18, 20 ... 83 // 2 Clare 3, 4, 6, 16, 26, 28 ... 83 // 3 Cork 1, 12, 14, 17, 22, 24 ... 90

The full results are up on the Munster Athletics website HERE

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k...Sat 3rd Dec 2016

This is one event that has had more than its fair share of bad luck with various weather events over the years. Between ice and floods, there has been problems on more than one occasion. Last year, there was a big storm which resulted in the cancellation of the event in December and it was held in February instead.

The numbers for December 2016 are up on last February but down on previous years. As events go in Cork, it is still pretty big with about 1500 people taking part.

10km...
1 Tim MURPHY 35:29 M (1) (1)Mullingar Harriers
2 Ronan WOGAN 36:07 M (2) (2)Boherneem AC
3 Andrew HOBBS 36:21 M (3) (3)Leevale AC
7 Margaret MURPHY 38:46 F (1) (7) Bandon AC.
21 Ronnie BARRY 41:39 F (2) (21)Brandon AC
34 Aoife COUGHLAN 44:04 F (3) (34)

Half-Marathon...
1 Niall SHEIL 1:15:43 (1)MS (1)St Killians
2 Paul DEANE 1:22:011262 M (2) MS (2)
3 Dan O'SULLIVAN 1:24:32 M (3)MS (3)
6 Carmel CROWLEY 1:29:40 F (1) F40 (1)
21 Karen WALSH 1:35:03 F (2)FS (1)
28 Mary SWEENEY 1:36:07 F (3)F50 (1) St Finbarrs AC 

Marathon...
1 Gary O'HANLON 2:42:15 M (1) MS (1) Clonliffe Harriers
2 Kevin ENGLISH 2:47:42 M (2) MS (2)
3 Mick MCKENNA 2:51:04 M (3) MS (3) - 
10 Lucy BRENNAN 3:11:21 F (1)F50 (1) Sligo AC
12 Dolores DUFFY 3:13:14 F (2)F40 (1) Watergrasshill AC / MCI
15 Sorcha KEARNEY 3:15:29 F (3)F40 (2) St Finbarrs AC 

The full results can be seen on the MyRunResults website

Photos...
1) Donal O'Regan has an album HERE 
2) MyRunResults have their own gallery up HERE 

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 3rd Dec 2016

The numbers were down slightly this weekend for the 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park with 178 taking part.

1 John MALONE    18:18    VM45-49    M 1
2 Sean TWOHIG    18:54    SM25-29    M 2
3 James MAC MAHON    18:59    SM30-34    M 3
29 Mary FINN    21:55    VW55-59    F 1
52 Eimear O'SULLIVAN    23:28    SW25-29    F 2
54 Claire FINN    23:30    VW40-44    F 3

The full results can be seen HERE

Entry Procedure for the 2017 Ballycotton 10

Update...Wed 7th Dec...The entry link is HERE

*****
ENTRY PROCEDURE FOR BALLYCOTTON ‘10’ 2017

The following is the entry procedure for next year’s Ballycotton ’10’ which will take
place on Sunday March 12th. Once again, numbers are limited and there will be a
combination of online and postal entries, as follows:

1) Online entries will open on Wednesday December 7th at 2pm, when the first 1,000
will be accepted. At 8pm the same evening a further 1,000 will be accepted, making
an initial online total of 2,000.

2) For Athletics Ireland and Athletics Northern Ireland affiliated members plus those who ran the four races in the Ballycotton Summer Series 2016, along with those
living overseas, an additional online facility will open on Thursday December 8th at
10am until midnight on Friday December 9th.

3) Postal entries: A PDF copy of the entry form will be published on the Ballycotton
website on the evening of Friday December 9th, and will also be available in the usual
local outlets.

All club and Summer Series entrants (see above) and overseas will be accepted by
post up to and including Friday December 16th.The first 200 non-club entries to
arrive by post will be also be added to the above. (All postal entries close on Friday
December 16th).

4) As usual, a limited number of elite entries will be available nearer the date.
Entry fee for the 2017 race is again €15 (plus booking fee of €1.05, if entering online).
No refunds (this also applies for duplicate entries) or no transfers.

Notice...Newmarket 5km road race - Sun 18th Dec 2016

This popular 5 km road race is coming up in the town of Newmarket in North-West Cork on Sunday the 18th of December. This is a fast 5k course and gets a good turnout every year.

The race HQ is at the High Street Bar (see preview). As you can see from the race flyer above, there are lots of generous prizes on offer and the entry fee is €10.

Course Preview...Lots more info including directions, photos, course details, etc can be seen HERE

This race is organised by Duhallow Athletic Club. More info on their website... https://duhallowac.wordpress.com/