Reminder...Cloyne 5k on Tues 1st Aug 2017

Just a reminder...The annual Cloyne 5k road race is coming up on Tuesday the 1st of August at 8pm.

The forecast is for dry weather on Tuesday with more rain arriving on Wednesday.

Info in this previous post.

Do you "suspend disbelief" when watching elite athletics?

Food for thought....



Link... http://www.newstalk.com/do-you-suspend-belief-elite-athletics

Results & Photos of the Grenagh 5 mile...Fri 28th July 2017

This 5 miler was organised by Grenagh GAA club and was held on Friday the 28th of July 2017.

Top Men
1st Michael Corbett 26-35 St Finbarrs
2nd Alan Lehane 27-37 St Finbarrs                
3rd Liam Ryan    29.05
Top Ladies
1st Margret Murphy Mallow Ac 32-13
2nd Sandra Walsh Grenagh 36-40
3rd Denise McSweeney Donoughmore Ac
4th Mary Buckley Donoughmore Ac

Links to follow...

Photos...
1) Mick Dooley has a small gallery HERE
2) Grenagh GAA club has a gallery HERE
3) Bweeng Trail Blazers have an album HERE

 

Full results....

News items from around the Web...Sun 30th July 2017

Some bits of news from around the web...

Three reasons to be cheerful for the future of Irish athletics...Ian O'Riordan, Irish Times... https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/three-reasons-to-be-cheerful-for-the-future-of-irish-athletics-1.3170376

Police bans jogging in the streets of Sierra Leone... http://www.africanews.com/2017/07/28/police-bans-jogging-in-the-streets-of-sierra-leone/

Greenway for Clonakilty gets the green light...Southern Star... http://www.southernstar.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/07/26/4143369-greenway-for-clon-gets-the-green-light

Phil Healy & Amy Foster win races in Germany over the weekend...

Schpeedy girls in Germany today with @AmyFaster with the 100 win 11.47 @Niamhie_Whelan close to pb 11.66 and @philhealy2 200 win with 23.62 pic.twitter.com/Wlty9olmn1

— Shane McCormack (@mcwexford) July 29, 2017

Results of the Ballydesmond One-Mile Road Race...Fri 28th July 2017

This 1 Mile road race in Ballydesmond in NW Co.Cork was held on Friday the 28th of July and was organised by Gneeveguilla AC. It was the 4th race of 5 in their ongoing one-mile race series. A total of 62 runners took part, the exact same as 2016. 

1 401 Colm McCarthy West Limerick Snr M 0:04:23
2 500 Maurice Feehan Gneeveguilla Snr M 0:04:24
3 445 Dermot Dineen FFMV M O35 0:04:27
20 409 Suzanne Neilan Riocht F O40 0:05:01
31 448 Maggie Buckley Gneeveguilla F U15 0:05:33
37 472 Mary Barrett Riocht F O35 0:05:47

Full results... https://gneeveguilla.wordpress.com/results/2017-2/ballydesmond-1-milefri-28th-july-2017/

Ireland's Sarah Healy Wins 1500m Gold At Euro Youth Olympics

Ireland's Sarah Healy ran a personal best of 4:19.85 in the 1500m at the Euopean Youth Olympics to take gold.

Sarah is in the black/navy shorts in lane 1.

Video by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 29th July 2017

There were 222 finishers in this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park, down slightly on last week but pretty much in line with the average number.

1 Rory O' SULLIVAN    17:31    VM40-44    M1    St Finbarrs AC
2 Unknown                                   
3 Colm FITZGERALD    18:35    SM20-24    M3
20 Rachel O'CALLAGHAN    21:57    VW40-44    F1
24 Neasa NÌ LIATHÀIN    22:28    SW30-34    F2
40 Maria MADIGAN    23:42    VW40-44    F3

Results

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

Notice...Conna 5km road race - Fri 4th Aug 2017

Organised by St.Catherine's Athletic Club, this 5 km road race is coming up in the village of Conna on Friday, the 4th of August 2017.

The race HQ is the local community centre which is on the main road through the village. This is one of the few 5 km races in this part of NE Cork and should be of interest to a lot of runners. One thing to note is the number of prizes on offer with the top 6 men and women getting something as opposed to the more usual three.


There will also be chip timing.

Course Preview.....A full preview with maps, directions and photos can be seen HERE 

The club has its own website as well...http://stcatherinesac.org/

There will also be a 1-mile race for juveniles (10-15yrs) at 7:30pm.

From St.Catherine's AC...JUVENILE RACE! On the night of Conna 5k (4th August) there is a 1mile race for ages 10-15yrs: Entry & start for this will be in sports field. Entry is €5.
Race starts at 7:30pm. Last registration for juvenile race at 7:15. Finish at community hall.

***To run 5K you must be 16 or over***
Teams of 3+ people from non-athletics affiliated clubs are welcome to compete for the Laya Healthcare Cup on the night. First 3 team members home win.

This is also race 1 of 3 in the new Avondhu 3 By 3 Road Race Series. The remaining two races are the Galtee Runners 8K on Fri 11th Aug and the Grange Fermoy AC 4 mile on Fri 1st Sept.

Guest Post : 10 Things I Think About The Churchtown South 5 Mile Road Race...by Donal Coakley

10 Things I Think About...by Donal Coakley

In these guest posts, Donal Coakley of Leevale AC gives his own light-hearted perspective of some of the races that he has competed in. 

In this post, he gives his thoughts on the third race in the Ballycotton Summer Series. 

10 Things I Think About The Churchtown South 5 Mile Road Race

1. Squalls of Fun

I think John Walshe forgot to pay the weather man. Normally the weather is perfect for the Ballycotton series. This evening we had squally schizophrenic weather. It didn't know what it was doing. Big black clouds, with howling wind followed by glorious sunshine then freezing cold. It wasn't very nice. It even rained, I haven't seen rain in a long time.

2. Tower of Power

I think I could patent my pre-race tower of power. It's made with bananas, peanut butter and rice cakes. The bananas are the pillars. The rice cakes are the floors and the peanut butter is the cement. The higher the tower the more energy you get. David Cody was very impressed that I could eat such a tall tower.

Results of the Churchtown South 5 mile road race...Thurs 27th July 2017

The annual Churchtown South 5 mile road race was held on Thursday the 27th of July and there was a total of 532 runners, the exact same as 2016. As can be seen from the chart above, the field was slightly faster this year. This was also the 3rd race of 4 in the 2017 Ballycotton Summer Series.

The winner of the men's race was Sean Hehir who will be representing Ireland in the marathon at the World Championships in London next month.

The photo above shows Sean Hehir (L) receiving his prize from Seamus Hartnett (R) who ran this course 30 years ago in 1987 in a time of 24m 50s and finished in 5th place.

1 24:38 Hehir, Sean Rathfarnham-WSAF AC M 4:55.5
2 25:01 McCarthy, James East Cork AC M 5:00.1
3 25:09 O'Shea, Alan Bantry AC M 5:01.7
1 31:23 Kevany, Sinead Midleton AC F40 6:16.5
2 32:25 Leonard, Helen Leevale AC F45 6:28.9
3 32:38 Bruton, Jessica Leevale AC F 6:31.5

Photos...
1) There are some prize presentation photos HERE

Series...The positions after the Churchtown South 5 mile road race can be seen HERE
(Use the tabs at the botton of the spreadsheet to select each race)

Interview with Irish international Sean Hehir...



Breakdown of clubs...
Midleton AC 55, Ballintotis Fit4Life 32, Eagle AC 25, Watergrasshill AC 22, St.Finbarr's AC 22, Aghada RC 19, St.Catherine's AC 18, Ballymore-Cobh AC 15, St.Nicholas AC 14, Leevale AC 13, East Cork AC 11, Youghal AC 11.

Full results below...

Revised results for the Irish 24 Hour Championships

The World 24 Hour Championships were held in Belast this year and it also doubled up as the Irish 24 Hour Championships. There were some serious timing issues as outlined in this explanation issued yesterday.

The revised results show that Eoin Keith from Cork actually set a new Irish 24 hour record of 248.436kms beating the old record by 44 metres.

Alex O'Shea from Cork with 244.253kms (151.772 miles) also moves from Bronze to Silver in the Irish Championships ahead of Tim Brownlie.

Two recent articles about the future of Irish athletics

Following on from the recent success of Irish athletes at the European Under 20 Championships, two articles by David Gillick and Sonia O'Sullivan ave been published recently looking at the future of Irish athletics.

David Gillick :'These are the days for London-bound athletes to do nothing'... https://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2017/0725/892780-david-gillick-column/

Sonia O’Sullivan: Next generation of Irish athletes growing up fast... https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/sonia-o-sullivan-next-generation-of-irish-athletes-growing-up-fast-1.3167768

Of all the performances at the U20 championships, it was the sprinters who really excelled. Gina Akpe-Moses won Gold in the 100m while the women's team finish 4th in the 4 x 100m relay.

In the 800m, John Fitzsimons won a Bronze while Michaela Walsh won a Bronze in the Hammer.

Upcoming race...Ballynonty 10 mile road race - Sun 30th July 2017

Even though this is a low key event, it's one of the best on the race calendar. It might be best described as a traditional old fashioned 10 mile road race. No medals, no dry fit tops, no chip timing, no razzmatazz. Just a good honest 10 mile road race for €10 with a fine spread afterwards.

Located just a few miles east of the Horse & Jockey in the centre of Tipperary, it's pretty close to the M8 motorway.

More info here... https://ballynontyac.wordpress.com/10-mile-race/

Leon Reid...The new Irish sprint sensation???

While Leon Reid was born in Bath in England, his birth mother was from Belfast and his foster mother is from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. Even though the 23-year-old is one of the top sprinters in Britain, he has applied for an Irish passport and has declared for Ireland.

At the Great Britain trials in Birmingham earlier this month,  Reid who also runs for Northern Ireland, finished third in the 200m in a new personal best 20.38 seconds - 0.06 inside the mark required for the World Championships. A delay in paperwork however will mean that he is ineligible for that particular competition.



Back in February of this year, he won both the 60m and 200m titles at the Irish Indoor Championships while competing for Menapians AC, a Wexford based club. He also featured in the recent Cork City Sports where he ran 20.38 in the 200m to finish third behind two Americans.

Considering that he is only 23 years old (his birthday is today!) and that he is likely to get faster, we are probably going to hear a lot more about Leon Reid in the future.

Links...
https://www.balls.ie/amp/athletics/leon-reid-ireland-369450

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 22nd July 2017

After a recent dip, the numbers for the Ballincollig 5k parkrun are back up near the usual levels with 256 taking part on Sat 22nd July.

1 John HOGAN    18:04    VM40-44    M1
2 Cillian O'DONOVAN    18:11    SM20-24    M2
4 Clive KERRISK    18:43    VM35-39    M3
3 Emma MURPHY    18:23    SM30-34    F1
26 Anna DELANEY    21:56    VW40-44    F2    Sportsworld
33 Geraldine O SHEA    22:33    VW45-49    F3    St Finbarrs AC

Results

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

Results of the Knocknagree One-Mile Road Race...Fri 21st July 2017

Despite the wet conditions, there was 50 runners out for this years Knocknagree 1 mile race in North-West Cork. At the front of the race, both Tommy O'Brien and Laura Crowe were in a dead heat for first place.

Position    Race number    Name    Club    Category    Time
1    403    Tommy O'Brien    Riocht    M 040    0:04:42
3    496    James Daly    Ballyheigue    M O35    0:04:44
4    467    Martin Dineen    Riocht    Snr M    0:04:48
1    495    Laura Crowe    An Riocht    Snr F    0:04:42
8    412    Shona O'Brien    Gneeveguilla    F U18    0:05:16
20    427    Sharon Cahill    Riocht    F O50    0:05:31

The full results are up now on the club website... https://gneeveguilla.wordpress.com/results/2017-2/knocknagree-1-mile-fri-21st-july-2017

Results, Photos & Highlights of the 2017 National Senior Track & Field Championships

The National Track & Field Championships were held in Santry, Co.Dublin over the weekend with a pretty packed schedule. Most events had reasonable fields which is an improvement on a few years ago when some of the women's middle distance and longer races weren't that competitive.

While a number of Cork athletes managed to get into the medals, the number of Cork athletes present seemed pretty small. According to the latest Athletics Ireland stats, Cork makes up 15.5% of the total adult membership of association. Looking at the results, the number of Cork athletes seems to have been a lot lower than this.

For example, if you look at the finals of the men's and women's 5000m, 1500m, 800m and 400m race, there are 83 athletes. Of this 83, only 6 were from Cork which is 7.2%.

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos Day 1

Photos Day 2

The highlights are on the RTE Player until the 22nd of August.

Stryker 4 mile race raises over €8000 for charity

The annual Cork BHAA Stryker 4 mile road race was held in Carrigtwohill on Wednesday the 26th of April and a total of 666 runners took part, a jump of 14% on the 583 of last year. A cheque for €8,117 from the proceeds of the race was presented recently to CUH Children's Unit.


From the CUH..."We are so thankful to everyone at #StrykerCarrigtwohill for presenting us with a cheque to the value of €8,117 for CUH Children's Unit, as a result of their #StrykerRoadRace last April. 680 runners came out on the night to support it, we are very grateful to each and every one of you. Sincere thanks also to Carrigtwohill Community Centre for making the event such a success by serving food and refreshments and to BHAA for hosting it."

Notice...Churchtown South 5 mile road race - Thurs 27th July 2017

The 3rd race of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series is coming up on Thursday evening the 27th of July 2017 with the Churchtown South 5 mile road race at 8pm. As always for these races, a large crowd is expected so try to arrive early if you are going....say between 7 and 7:20pm.

Some info from the organisers.......People who have ran the first two races in the Summer Series (Ballyandreen and Shanagarry) are automatically entered for tonight’s race. The numbers are in alphabetical order and can be seen on the wall in the community centre - It would help if people could find their number in advance and ask for it at one of the entry desks. 

The list is also available online HERE

Again, it would be appreciated if people had the correct fee of €5 ready to speed up the process. Entries will open from 6pm onwards with the race starting at 8pm. For new people on the night (who haven’t run the two races), there will be a separate entry desk as normal – entry fee again €5.

With the huge increase in participants, the start of races now poses its own problems. For safety reasons, we urge people to line up in accordance with their ability. Unless you are running under 30 minutes you have no business at the front – the race is over five miles and there will be plenty of opportunity to move up after the initial rush, so pace yourself accordingly. It goes without saying that headphones should not be worn at any stage.....Ballycotton Running Promotions

Overall Series...The overall positions in the Ballycotton Summer Series after 2 races can be seen HERE  (courtesy of John Robinson). Remember, there are top 50 men and top 30 women t-shirts at the end of the series.

A preview of the course with maps, directions and photos can be seen HERE

Results of the Donoughmore 7 mile road race...Fri 21st July 2017

The annual Donoughmore 7 mile road race was held on Friday the 21st of July 2017 on what was a damp evening.As can be seen from the chart above, the numbers were at their second highest ever and the race has grown consistently since 2015.

1     Michael Corbett  M40     St Finbarr's AC  38:27
2     Eoin Sugrue    M40   38:49
3     Vivian Foley     M45     Eagle AC  39:37
42     Niamh Cronin   F40     St Finbarr's AC  46:59
56     Deirdre Ansbro     F35     Youghal   48:26
57     Anna  O'Neill     F45     Doheny AC    48:56

Photos...(Updated Sun 23rd July)
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE
2) There is a gallery of photos from Mick Dooley of Eagle AC HERE
3) Donoughmore AC have some prize presentation photos HERE 

Full results below...

Results of the Garryvoe 5km road race...Fri 21st July 2017

105 runners turned out for the inaugural Garryvoe 5k road race on what a wet evening.

1 Frank Hayes (95) 00:17:21 All Ages  (1) Male  (1)
2 Alfie Davis (150) 00:17:27 All Ages  (2) Male  (2)
3 Paul Spiteri (42) 00:17:32 All Ages  (3) Male  (3)
11 Ann Marie Holland (46) 00:19:25 All Ages  (1) Female  (1)
16 Ruth Mellerick (142) 00:19:57 All Ages  (2) Female  (2)
17 Rachel Stokes (47) 00:20:15 All Ages  (3) Female  (3)

Full results below...

Results & video of the MMRA Rochestown Woods Trail race...Wed 19th July 2017

Over the last few years, the numbers at the Munster Mountain Running Association trail races have been down around the 30-40 mark. Over the last year or so, they have started to become more popular with a good few club runners now taking part.

On Wednesday the 19th of July, a total of 81 runners took part in the 5.6km trail race in Rochestown Woods near Cork City. As MMRA races go, that's really good and offer a nice alternative to the usual road running.

1 Conor O'Keeffe    M    0:26:09    UCD    Dublin
2 Conrad Daly    M    0:26:22    Cork Orient...    Cork
3 Brian Flannelly    M    0:26:23    Dooneen AC    Tipperary
26 Susan Harkin        F    0:31:05   
31 Marie O'Shea        F40    0:32:00    MooreAbbey ...    Tipperary
37 Debbie McCarthy    F40    0:33:18    Riverstick ...    Cork

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Castlemagner 5.5km run...Thurs 20th July 2017

Around 90 people turned out for this 5.5km run organised by Duhallow AC.

1) Eoin Surgue 19:19
2) Jerimiah Sheehan 19:26
3) Dave Lyons 20:32 Mallow AC
1) Michelle Finn 22:06 Leevale
2) Carol Finn 22:07 Leevale
3) Caoimhe Taylor 26:08 North Cork AC

Juvenile
1) Aaron O'Keefe 23:13

The full results can be seen HERE

Races on Fri 21st July 2017

With a low pressure system currently centred over Connaught, the rain will never be too far away this evening. It's likely to be a mixed bag in terms of the weather this evening...some places may be dry, some may get showers.

There are loads of races to choose from depending on where you live. Here's whats on offer....

Waterford...Fri 21st (7:30pm)...Ballymacarbry 5 mile race...€5 pre-entry/€8 on the night...Race 9 of 11 in the West Waterford AC race series...

Cork...Fri 21st (8pm)...Donoughmore 7 mile road race...€10... includes dry fit top...info...

Cork...Fri 21st (8pm)... Knocknagree One Mile Road Race...€5...Part of the Gneeveguilla AC Summer One Mile Series...

Cork...Fri 21st (8pm)...Garryvoe 5k road race in East Cork...€10... info...

Results of the Crookstown Utd 5k...Wed 20th July 2017

115 runners turned out for this 5k organised by Crookstown Utd FC on Wed 20th July 2017.

Crookstown United 5K Fun Run Results 19/07/2017

1ST    Craig Harrington    16.52
2ND    John O’Mahony        17.38
3RD    Diarmuid Scanaill    18.07
7TH    Margaret Murphy        18.24
16TH    Jacinta O’Connor    21.29
22ND    Caroline Costello        22.21


Full results below...

Results & Photos of the Carrigtwohill 5k road race...Wed 19th July 2017

The Carrigtwohill 5k road race was held on Wednesday the 19th of July 2017.

1    James  Mc Carthy    East Cork AC        15:38    SM    298
2    Kevin O Leary    East Cork AC        16:17    SM    179
3    Donal Coffey    Leevale AC        16:25    M40    205
22    Michelle Kenny    Leevale AC        18:31    SW    148
31    Mei Ming Cronin    Mallow        18:48    JW    376
53    Helen  Leaonard    Leevale AC        19:45    SW    340

The results are up now on the race website HERE

Photos...(Updated 21st July)
1) There are a number of galleries up on the Running in Cork Facebook page...
...First loop A
...First loop B
...Second loop A
...Second loop B
2) Michael Buckley has a gallery HERE
3) Pádraig De Búrca has a gallery HERE 

A closer look at the number of 5k parkruns in Cork, Dublin & Belfast

Following on from a previous post about the new proposed public park on Haulbowline Island, I had a closer look at the number of parkruns in Cork, Dublin and Belfast. It's easy to say how many there are but sometimes an image shows the real differences.

With this in mind, I have three maps below all on the same scale showing the number of parkruns in the three Irish cities.

Cork...As can be seen from the image below, there really is only one 5k parkrun near Cork City and that is of course in Ballincollig. What is not shown on the map is that the next one to the east is way down in Tramore in Co.Waterford and the next one to the north is in the University of Limerick.

 

Events on Wed 19th July 2017

After a wet Wednesday morning, the forecast for the evening is a lot better with dry conditions forecast in the south. Here are some of the events on Wednesday the 19th of July...

Cork...Wed 19th (7:30pm)...Crookstown Utd FC 5k fun run/walk...€10... info... 

Cork...Wed 19th (8pm)...Carrigtwohill 5km road race...€10... info...

Cork...Wed 19th (8pm)...MMRA 5k Trail Race in Rochestown Woods... *€5... *Subject to annual €10 IMRA registration fee... info...

Results of the 2017 Cork City Sports...Tues 18th July 2017

The 2017 Cork City Sports is on Tuesday the 18th of July. The live feed is above and the timetable of events is HERE

There is some coverage on TG4 as well.

Results HERE

Photos...
1) Michael Meade has a gallery HERE 

Guest Post : 10 Things I Think About The Latsagien Itzulia Race...by Donal Coakley

10 Things I Think About...by Donal Coakley

In these guest posts, Donal Coakley of Leevale AC gives his own light-hearted perspective of some of the races that he has competed in. 

In this post, he is on holidays in the Basque country and gives some personal thoughts on how races there differ from Cork.

10 Things I Think About The Latsagien Itzulia Race..by Donal Coakley

1. Basque Carrigtwohill

I think Ustaritz is very like Carrigtwohill, the only reason you'd live there is because it's cheaper than living in Biarritz/Cork. It has lots of derelict apartments and a colossal old church. I didn't see any pharmaceutical companies so maybe it's different.

2. Dopage

I think that it's terrible that doping is illegal in France. For this reason I didn't bring my Ventolin with me as I was afraid of being arrested. I think this cost me some time in the race. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Michelle Finn of Leevale AC is selected for the 2017 World University Games

Michelle Finn of Leevale AC has just been selected for the 2017 World University Games (or known as the Universiade) which will be hosted by the city of Taipei, Taiwan from the 19 – 30 August. Michelle represented Ireland in the Rio Olympics in 2016 in the 3000m Steeplechase.

15 year old Sophie O'Sullivan wins U17 National Title

Just four days after winning an 800m race at the Morton Games, 15 year old Sophie O'Sullivan was back in action in Tullamore in the National Juvenile Championships.  This time representing Ballymore Cobh AC, Sophie finished first in the U17 1500m race.

1500m U17 Women ;
Rank    Lane    ID    Name    Team    Cat    Result    Info
1    1    429    O'SULLIVAN Sophie    Ballymore Cobh A.C.        4:41.80   
2    11    149    GALLAGHER Maeve    Swinford A.C.        4:46.20   
3    14    684    MCEVOY Annie    Kilkenny City Harriers A.C.        4:52.91

Sophies mother Sonia O'Sullivan won the same race 32 years ago back in 1985 as can be seen from the medal below...

Results & Photos of the Banteer Show 5k...Sun 16th July 2017

This 5k race in Banteer in NW Cork was organised in association with Duhallow AC on Sunday the 16th of July 2017. 

1 Barry Meade 17:25
2 John Cronin 17:58
3 Sean Tuohy 19:06
1 Carol Finn 19:20
2 Niamh Harte 20:34
3 Susan Looney 22:59

The results are in hand written format and are pretty rough. You can see them HERE

Photos...
1) Duhallow AC have a number of small galleries... #1 ... #2 ... #3 ... #4 ...  #5 ...

Results of the Cloyne Summer 4k - Sun 16th July 2017

A total of 131 runners turned out for this years Cloyne Summer 4k road race on Sunday the 16th of July 2017. Considering the current fine weather, it must have been pretty warm even at 9:30am.

Proceeds from this 4k race went towards the local scouts.

1 11:57 HARTY, Michael  East Cork AC  M    04:48.4
2 13:19  TIERNEY, Conor  East Cork AC    M40    05:21.4
3 13:22 CROWLEY, Bryan  Watergrasshill AC    M40    05:22.6
11 15:49 MILLERICK, Ruth    Youghal AC    F35    06:21.7
17 16:14 O'BRIEN, Claire    Watergrasshill AC    F    06:31.7 
34 17:49 AHERN, Marian    Midleton AC    F45    07:10.0 

The full results are below. Just a reminder that the Cloyne 5k road race is coming up on Tuesday the 1st of August. Info HERE

Photos...
1) Tommy Hartnett has a few finish line photos HERE and HERE

Full results below...

Shane Finn from Kerry runs 24 marathons in 24 days

Shane Finn from West Kerry has just completed a grueling 24 marathons in 24 days! Shane ran the 1000+ kms to raise funds for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Ireland.

Silver for Orla Barry from Ladysbridge at World Para Athletics Championships

At the Para Athletics World Championships in London, Orla Barry has managed to secure Silver in the F57 discus. Orla who is from Ladysbridge in East Cork won a Bronze medal at the 2015 Championships in Doha.

The results are shown below and as can be seen, Orla effectively secured the Silver with her first attempt.

Niamh McCarthy from Carrigaline wins Silver at Para Athletics World Championships

Irish athlete Niamh McCarthy has just won a Silver medal in the F41 Discus at the 2017 Para Athletics World Championships in London! Back in 2015, Niamh who is from Carrigaline won a Bronze medal in the same event in Doha.

Niamh is from Carrigaline in Co.Cork and is also a member of Eagle AC. As can be seen from the results below, Niamh effectively secured the Silver medal with her first attempt.

RTE News report

Official Opening of Leevale High Performance Centre in Cork City

The Leevale AC High Performance Centre in Cork City was officially opened on Saturday the 15th of July by Minister Simon Coveney. This new facility on Farranlea Road represents a €1.7 million investment by the club and looks pretty amazing.

Photos & Info in these previous posts below...


Leevale AC to develop €1.7 million athletics training facility ...Monday, January 18, 2016

Sneak Preview of the Leevale AC Athletics Training Facility in Cork City ... Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Leevale AC website... https://www.leevale.org/

Leevale AC have a small gallery HERE

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 15th July 2017

After dropping for three weeks in a row, the numbers popped back again this week with 224 people taking part, Maybe it was the Rugby after all! :o)

1 Unknown                                   
2 Joe LILLIS    18:13    VM35-39    M2    Sliabh Buidhe Rovers A.C.
3 Unknown                                   
13 Debbie CORCORAN    20:57    VW35-39    F1
19 Geraldine O SHEA    21:43    VW45-49    F2    St Finbarrs AC
25 Mary SWEENEY    22:18    VW55-59    F3    St Finbarrs AC
Results

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

By the way, the organisers are always looking for volunteers. All 5k parkruns are free and are completely dependent on people giving up their time. All the jobs are pretty easy and they'll find something for you to do.

Results of the Shannonvale 10k...Fri 14th July 2017

This 10k near Clonakilty was held on Friday the 14th of July 2017.

1    Paul Deane    Clonakilty Road Runners AC    M (1)    MO (1)  35:22
2    Padraig Sheehan    Clonakilty Road Runners AC    M (2)    MO (2) 35:58
3    Shane Foley    Midleton AC    M (3)    MO (3) 36:46
32    Anna O'Neill    Doheny AC    F (1)    F40 (1) 42:27
47    Mari Burke    Bandon AC    F (2)    FO (1)  44:56
48    Heather Collins        F (3)    FO (2)  45:00

Photos...
1) Dave O'Regan has a large gallery HERE

Full results below...

University of Limerick Healthy Ageing study shows benefits of exercise in older age

University of Limerick Healthy Ageing study shows benefits of exercise in older age

The University of Limerick recently conducted a study on the muscle strength of about 200 healthy 50-70 year olds. The purpose was to see what would happen if eating protein and taking exercise had any impact.

It was found that muscle mass and strength was particularly affected in the thigh region as people aged, most likely due to a more sedentary lifestyle. The strength of the quad muscles were particularly affected with aging.

In another Brazilian study, one group were given a protein supplement only and the other a protein supplement plus exercise. The protein only group did not see a change in any of their markers of muscle health but the exercise group increased muscle, mass, strength and quality at the thigh region.

The findings show the benefits for anyone aged 50 plus in being active and fit. As the saying goes, use it or lose it! :o)

Reference :
Leeds Beckett University. "Healthy Ageing. Is it all in the legs?". 14th July 2017. http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/media-centre/blog/0716-healthy-ageing-is-it-all-in-the-legs/

Shona Heaslip selected for World University Games in Taiwan

Shona Heaslip of An Riocht AC in Kerry is one of the up and coming stars in Irish athletics. She has just been selected for the 2017 World University Games (or known as the Universiade) will be hosted by the city of Taipei, Taiwan from the 19 – 30 August.

Results of the Cork BHAA Dell EMC 4 mile road race...Thurs 13th July 2017

The annual Cork BHAA Dell EMC 4 mile road race was held in Ovens on Thursday the 13th of July 2017 and a total of 233 runners took part. With three races in Cork on the same night, 233 is a pretty decent turnout but it is still down 12% on last year.

As can be seen from the chart above, the numbers for this particular race have been in decline since 2014. From 2011 to 2014, it was at a higher level and peaked in 2014 with 463. In 2015, it took a big drop and it seems to be in decline since.

Looking back through the blog, I can see that 2015 was the year it changed from a 5k to a 4 mile race. It's hard to imagine that would be the reason for the big drop that year? I wouldn't have thought it would make much difference to most runners.

1 Tim O'Donoghue M1 00:20:33 Dell-EMC M-A-2
2 Mark Walsh M2 00:21:01 Dept of Ed
3 Michael Corbett 0/40A M3 00:21:05 Musgrave M-A-1
30 Noreen Mackey F1 00:26:20 CIT
44 Anita Locke 00:27:27 Temp Reg
45 Sheila Buckley 0/35H F2 00:27:36 Midleton Town Council

The full results can be seen HERE

Results & Photos of the Coachford 5 mile road race...Thurs 13th July 2017

A record 271 runners turned out for this years Coachford 5 mile road race, a huge jump of 39% on the 2016 numbers. Considering that there was a 4 mile Cork BHAA race in Ovens at the same time, that's a really impressive number.

1 CONOR MC CAULEY (LEEVALE A.C) 165    00:26:43:17        5:21/m        M        34
2 GAVIN SWEENEY   346    00:26:57:79        5:23/m        M        33
3 TIM TWOMEY   126    00:27:41:45        5:32/m        M        37
18 NIAMH ROE 125    00:31:33:53    6:19/m    F    35
25 MARGARET MURPHY (MALLOW A.C)        305    00:32:33:30    6:31/m    F    36
29 NIAMH CRONIN (ST FINBARRS AC) 303    00:32:50:00    6:34/m    F    41

Photos...(Updated Fri 17th July @2:34pm)
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a large gallery HERE
2) Bweeng Trail Blazers have a gallery HERE
3) John McCaffrey has a large gallery HERE
4) Declan O'Connell has a gallery HERE

Full results below...