New Greenway proposed from Rosslare in Wexford to Waterford City

Wexford County Council announced recently that they have appointed a firm of Consulting Engineers to undertake a preliminary design and associated studies for the development of a greenway along the existing rail corridor from Rosslare to Waterford City with a link from Rosslare to Rosslare Harbour. The greenway will provide an off-road cycle and walking path from Rosslare Harbour to Waterford City taking in the towns and villages along the south of the county. 

The length of the new Greenway is about 56kms and it is expected that the project will cost in the region of €12 million.

What is significant about this is that there is now an existing greenway from Waterford City to Dungarvan and there is another greenway proposed from Youghal to Midleton.

As can be seen from the map above, it not inconceivable that at some point in the future, there might well be a greenway going from the port of Rosslare in Co.Wexford all the way to Cork City. All parts of this route are likely to be a magnet for walkers, cyclists and of course runners.

The tricky parts might be between Dungarvan and Youghal and from Midleton to Cork City?

If at some stage a greenway went from Dungarvan to Lismore, Fermoy and Mallow then perhaps a new greenway could be established from Carroquin to Youghal following the Blackwater river?

Perhaps a new greenway from Midleton could go to Barrycourt Castle south of Carrigtwohill, onto Fota Wildlife Park and then down to the ferry on Great Island where people would have the option of taking in Cobh or crossing the ferry and joining the greenway at Glenbrook which would go into Cork City?

The map below shows some of the rail lines in Munster at the start of the 20th century. There are probably plenty of routes for other greenways in there if the funding can be obtained.

Links...
1) Rosslare to Waterford City Greenway... https://www.wexfordcoco.ie/community/recreational-and-community-development-projects/rosslare-to-waterford-city-greenway
2) More progress on Midleton to Youghal Greenway... http://corkrunning.blogspot.com/2017/09/more-progress-on-midleton-to-youghal.html
 and http://corkrunning.blogspot.com/2017/12/cork-council-council-to-put-plans-for.html
3) What is the possibility of a Greenway from Mallow to Dungarvan?... http://corkrunning.blogspot.com/2017/06/whats-possibilty-of-greenway-from.html

Poll for best Half-Marathon in Munster in 2017 now open

 

Poll for best Half-Marathon in Munster in 2017 now open

These were the nominations....

Half-Marathon...
Cork City Half-Marathon (June 2017)
Half on the Head (Ballyheigue) (June 2017)
Run Killarney Half-Marathon (July 2017)
Clonmel Half-Marathon (Boston Scientific) (July 2017)
East Cork Harbour Half-Marathon (August 2017)
Charleville Half-Marathon (September 2017)
Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon (September 2017)
Waterford AC Half-Marathon (December 2017)
Clonakilty Half-Marathon (December 2017)

You can vote here....  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LJRX75V

The poll will close in mid February.

Poll for best 10 mile race in Munster in 2017 now open

The poll for best 10 mile race in Munster in 2017 is now open.

These were the nominations....

10 mile...
Dungarvan 10 mile (John Treacy) (Feb 2017)
Ballycotton 10 mile (Mar 2017)
Mallow 10 mile (Mar 2017)
Ballynonty 10 mile (July 2017)
Clonakilty 10 mile (Aug 2017)
John Buckley Sports Cork City 10 Miler (Sept 2017)
Killarney 10 mile (Sept 2017)

You can vote here....  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GVS6ZK7

The poll will close in mid February.

Cork Sprinter Phil Healy runs 400m PB in Austria

Cork sprinter Phil Healy of Bandon AC was in action in Vienna on Friday evening and won a 400m race there in a time of 52.08 seconds. This was an improvement of 1.1 seconds on her previous best time for the distance. It was also her second qualifying time for the World Indoor Championships coming up in Birmingham in March.

Phil is now based in Waterford IT and is coached by Shane McCormack of Menapians AC (pictured above), one of the top sprints coaches in the country.

Results of the North Cork AC 5k in Doneraile Park... Sat 27th Jan 2018

There seemed to be a big drop in numbers for this years North Cork AC 5k race in Doneraile Park. A total of 153 runners took part which is down 37% on the 242 of 2017.

I have never heard anything bad about this race so perhaps the novelty of 5k races in Doneraile Park is wearing off? There does seem to be quite a lot there especially during the Spring time.

 Rory O Connor North Cork AC     16:51     SM
2 Donal Coffey     Leevale AC     17:02     SM 
3 Kevin O Grady Dooneen AC     17:32     SM 
7 Martina Kiely St Finbarrs     18:23     SF
10 Carol Finn     Leevale AC     18:44     SF
17 Breda Gaffney Mallow AC     19:26     SF

Full results

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 27th Jan 2018

The effects of the Operation Transformation television programme made itself felt this week with a total of 428 people taking part in the 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park. That is the second highest number ever for this weekly event.

1 Kieran MURPHY    19:32    VM40-44    M1
2 Brian LINEHAN    19:35    VM55-59    M2
3 Darren CASEY    19:43    VM40-44    M3    Eagle A.C.
7 Louise LONG    20:18    SW30-34    F1    Le Cheile AC
33 Siobhan HOLLAND    22:10    VW40-44    F2    St Finbarrs AC
37 Anna DELANEY    22:20    VW45-49    F3    Sportsworld

Full results HERE

Photos...
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE
2) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE

Great to see so many runners, joggers and walkers this morning at @bcolligparkrun well done to all #ActiveCork @OpTranRTE @sportireland @HealthyIreland @wayneod5 @ciarakellydoc @parkrunIE pic.twitter.com/9RiM6Rwtgq

— Cork Sports P'ship (@CorkSports) January 27, 2018

Friday Fun...Just over a week to go to the Dungarvan 10 mile

Remember, there is just over one week to go to the Dungarvan 10 mile on Sunday 4th of February!

Next MMRA Trail race in Cratloe Woods near Limerick City

For those of you interested in the various MMRA races, the second of their Winter-Spring Series of Trail races is on in Cratloe Woods in Co.Clare on Sunday the 28th of January. This is reasonably close to Limerick City and not too far off the motorway network.

More info HERE

Anonymous Donor To Help Fund New €3 Million Athletics Track in UCD

Back in 2011, I had a post up about how the running track in UCD in Dublin was being dug up out of 'safety' concerns. It was announced recently that an anonymous donor is now going to help fund some of the cost estimated €3 million it will cost to build a brand new track elsewhere on the campus. It has been confirmed that it will be a full eight-lane IAAF-approved track and it is supposed to be ready for 2020 at the latest.

Ian O'Riordan has the full story on the Irish Times HERE

Additional Links...
1) Dublin loses one of it's most famous tracks
2) UCD apologise for handling of track closure in Dublin...

Poll for best 10km race in Cork in 2017 now open

The poll for best 10km race in Cork in 2017 is now open.

These were the nominations....

10km...
Courtmacsherry 10k (Jun 2017)
Thomas Kent 10k (Nov 2017)
Shannonvale 10k (July 2017)
Bweeng 10k (May 2017)
East Cork Harbour Marathon 10k (Aug 2017)
Cork BHAA UCC 10k (Apr 2017)
Skibbereen 10k (Aug 2017)
Darrara & Ring Bay 10k (Aug 2017)
Rebel Run 10k (Oct 2017)

You can vote here.... https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GRB539Z

The poll will close in early February.

Poll for best 5 mile race in Cork in 2017 now open

The poll for best 5 mile race in Cork in 2017 is now open.

These were the nominations....

5 Mile...
Millstreet 5 mile (Jun 2017)
East Ferry 5 mile (Jun 2017)
Shanagarry 5 mile (Jun 2017)
Coachford 5 mile (July 2017)
Bandon 5 mile (Jan 2017)
Midleton 5 mile (May 2017)
Dromahane 5 mile (Aug 2017)
GR8KM in Mitchelstown (Aug 2017)
Ballycotton 5 mile (Apr 2017)

You can vote here.... https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SM5P6VF

The poll will close in early February.

Transfer window open for the Mallow 10 mile race

Back in December of 2017, all 1500 entries for the Mallow 10 mile road race sold out in 36 hours.

The transfer window is now open and the cost is €5. If anyone can't make it and would like to transfer their entry to a friend then use this link HERE

The transfer window will close on the 25th of February.


**********

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

January Injury Blues

I got an interesting email recently about something called 'January Injury Blues'. It all starts off at the start of January with people following various New Year's resolutions about getting fit sign up for gym membership or start running.

Without proper guidance, many people just jump in at the deep end so to speak and do way too much too soon.

The end result is that the third week of January marks the start of the 'January Injury Blues'... i.e. It's about this time that people get injured.

Apparently, the end of January is one of the busiest times of the year for physios as people stream in with their injuries. According to the figures quoted, January is almost twice as busy as December and reaches a peak in February.


If you have just started running then you need to be careful. Get advice from a qualified coach or err on the side of caution and make sure you build up your training slowly

Results of the Cloyne 4k - Sun 21st Jan 2018

Cloyne District Community Council
    Cloyne Commons Challenge 4K Series Race 3
    Sunday 21 January 2018. 9:30 am
Provisional Results for All Competitors in finish order.    Pace    Race    Race
    Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
    1    0:12:58    O'BRIEN, Kevin    East Cork AC    M    05:12.9    362    1
    2    0:13:21    O'BRIEN, Frank    Midleton AC    JM    05:22.2    231    2
    3    0:13:29    MCKEOWN, Kieran    Watergrasshill AC    M40    05:25.4    181    3
    4    0:13:35    SHEEHAN, Nigel    youghal AC    M    05:27.8    318    4
    5    0:13:39    O'SHEA, Barry    Midleton AC    M    05:29.4    361    5
    6    0:13:44    SWORDS, Graham    Unattached    M    05:31.4    327    6
    7    0:14:02    FORDE, Michael    Eagle AC    M    05:38.6    225    7
    8    0:14:13    O'MAHONY, Ruairi    Unattached    M    05:43.1    354    8
    9    0:14:22    INCE, Ken    Watergrasshill AC    M    05:46.7    118    9
    10    0:14:27    O'BRIEN, Billy    skibbereen AC    M    05:48.7    228    10
    11    0:14:35    SMITH, Kevin    Midleton AC    M40    05:51.9    323    11
    12    0:14:43    CARR, Alan    St Catherines AC    M    05:55.1    396    12
    13    0:14:46    NORRIS, Michael    Unattached    M    05:56.3    369    13
    14    0:14:48    O'SULLIVAN, Ray    Aghada RC    M    05:57.2    283    14
    15    0:14:54    MEADE, Eric    East Cork AC    M50    05:59.6    194    15
    16    0:14:56    PENDER, Stephen    Ballymore Cobh AC    M    06:00.4    287    16
    17    0:14:59    DEVEREAUX, Stephen    youghal AC    M50    06:01.6    65    17
    18    0:15:04    CASHMAN, Paul    Unattached    M    06:03.6    33    18
    19    0:15:06    AHERN, Liam    Watergrasshill AC    M    06:04.4    370    19
    20    0:15:08    HANNON, Tim    Midleton AC    M    06:05.2    96    20
    21    0:15:08    BARRY, Thomas    youghal AC    M    06:05.2    367    21
    22    0:15:09    NICHOLSON, Edmund    youghal AC    M45    06:05.6    220    22
    23    0:15:12    CRONIN, Niamh    st finbarrs    F40    06:06.8    358    23
    24    0:15:16    KENNY, Aaron    youghal AC    M    06:08.4    377    24
    25    0:15:18    O'ROURKE, Grattan    Unattached    M    06:09.2    365    25
    26    0:15:22    KEARNEY, Sorcha    st finbarrs    F40    06:10.8    357    26
    27    0:15:26    COLLINS, Trevor    Unattached    M40    06:12.4    40    27
    28    0:15:28    O'BRIEN, Claire    Watergrasshill AC    F    06:13.2    229    28
    29    0:15:31    O'SULLIVAN, Daire    Mallow AC    M    06:14.4    356    29
    30    0:15:33    CRONIN, Tim    Unattached    M40    06:15.3    57    30

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 20th Jan 2018

A big crowd of 291 runners turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park following the floods of last week.

1 Mark HOGAN    18:04    SM30-34    M1
2 Unknown
3 Denis BUCKLEY    18:16    JM15-17    M3
34 Olga O'SULLIVAN    22:29    VW40-44    F1 Dell EMC Running Club
42 Rachel O'CALLAGHAN    22:59    VW40-44    F2
52 Maria MADIGAN    23:44    VW40-44    F3 

Full results

Photos...
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE
2) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE 

Fastest Marathon & Half-Marathon Times for Cork Runners in 2017

Athletics Ireland recently compiled the stats for 2017 and they show the fastest times achieved by various Irish athletes in 2017.

In the marathon distance, 4 runners from Cork made the top 20.

Marathon
9 2:24:09 Alan O'Shea (Bantry AC) ...Rotterdam   
13 2:28:26 Cillian O'Leary ...Berlin   
14 2:28:37 Eoin Sugrue (Non-club Cork) ...Dublin   
16 2:28:53 Alan O'Brien (Eagle AC) ...Berlin   

In the Half-Marathon, there were two...
18 67:48 Tim O'Donoghue (East Cork AC) ...Waterford
19 68:05 Alan O'Shea (Bantry AC) ...Waterford   

In the women's events, there were 4 from Cork in the top 20 in the marathon...

Marathon
4 2:38:26 Claire McCarthy (Leevale AC) ...London
7 2:46:37 Aoife Cooke (Youghal AC) ...Amsterdam
10 2:48:17 Jill Hodgins Cork ...Cork
19 2:58:51 Sorcha Kearney (St.Finbarr's AC) ...Dublin

Two made it into the top 20 in the Half-Marathon...
5 76:34 Claire McCarthy (Leevale AC) ...Cork
12 79:18 Aoife Cooke (Youghal AC) ...Charleville

Full list

Poll for best 5k race in Cork in 2017 now open

The poll for best 5km race in Cork in 2017 is now open.

These were the nominations....

5km...
Togher 5k (Dec 2017)
Newmarket 5k (Dec 2017)
Kilcredan 5km (May 2017)
John Buckley Sports 5k (May 2017)
Cloyne 5k (Aug 2017)
Carrigtwohill 5k (Barrycourt Castle) (July 2017)
Daniel Kingston 5k in Macroom (June 2017)
Carrig na bhFear 5k (Aug 2017)
Emer Casey 5k in Youghal (Apr 2017)
Youghal AC 5k (July 2017)
Bweeng 5k (May 2017)
Conna 5k (Aug 2017)
Shandrum AC 5k (Dec 2017)

You can vote here.... https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K76HGM6

The polls will close at the end of January.

Poll for best 4 mile race in Cork in 2017 now open

The poll for best 4 mile race in Cork in 2017 is now open.

These were the nominations....

4 mile
Ballintotis 4 mile (Apr 2017)
Carriganima 4 mile (Sept 2017)
Killeagh 4 mile (Mar 2017)
Clonakilty 4 mile (Aug 2017)
Rathcormac 4 mile (Aug 2017)
Cty Masters 4 mile in Castlelyons (Mar 2017)

You can vote here.... https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DZBV5NC

The polls will close at the end of January.

Results & Photos of the MMRA Corrin Hill Trail Race...Sun 14th Jan 2018

Not so long ago, the MMRA trail races used to attract somewhere in the region of 30 to 50 runners per event. 30 seemed to be the norm and it was 50 on a good day.

Contrast that to the numbers on Corrin Hill near Fermoy last Sunday the 14th of January when a whopping 198 runners took part! Even the numbers last year were a record with 141 taking part. This year was up 40% on that.

The attraction of trail races is that it offers something different. It's not like you're putting your name down to run up and down a mountain and it's not that far removed from doing say the usual type of road race.

There are 9 more events left in the MMRA Winter-Spring Series. Info HERE

1    Mark Nolan    821    M    0:27:24    Kerry
2    Andrew Fleet    405    M    0:27:50    West Waterford AC    Waterford
3    Sean Quirke    776    M40    0:27:58    Bilboa A/C    Limerick
22    Emma Donlon    634    F    0:32:04    MSB   
56    Marie O'Shea    600    F40    0:36:15    MooreAbbey Milers AC    Tipperary
59    Kealey Tideswell    815    F    0:36:33    Clonmel AC    Tipperary
Full results

Check out the start below. It takes quite a while for all the runners to stream past.



Photos...
1) The MMRA have a number of galleries... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ... 7 ... 8 ...

Brian Buckley has a video below...

Results of the Cork BHAA FMC 6k...Sun 14th Jan 2018

After a decline for two years, the numbers were up slightly this year for the Cork BHAA FMC 6k race in Little Island.

Pos Name Cat Prize Time Company Team
1 Alan O'Brien M1 00:19:06 McCarthy Insurance Group
2 Jeremy O Donovan 0/40A M2 00:19:18 Eli Lilly
3 John Meade M3 00:19:29 Joyce Wolfe Physiotherapy
12 Claire McCarthy 0/40I F1 00:20:45 McCarthy Insurance Group
58 Breda Gaffney 0/45J F2 00:22:27 Dept 0f Social Protection
61 Ellen Hanley 0/40I F3 00:23:34 Avondhu

Full results

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

Ballincollig 5k parkrun cancelled due to flooding

Unfortunately, all of the rain got the better of this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park.  The heavy rain last Wednesday waterlogged the ground and the 14 hours of rain on Friday then had no place to go.

Here is a message from the organisers..."Results are not available for the Ballincollig parkrun as we had to cancel the event due to severe flooding on one section of the course. We would like to thank everyone for their understanding with our decision to cancel due to health and safety reasons. We would especially like to thank the many volunteers who were present from 8.30-10 am as they prepared for the event and then remained on as many people ran alternative routes. It is our understanding that the Operation Transformation walk scheduled to take place at the CIT was also cancelled due to flooding. We hope to see everyone out in force next week.

Kind regards...Maretta Brennan (Event Director)"

Notice...MMRA Corrin Hill Trail Run - Sun 14th January 2018

This is the first race of the 2018 Munster Winter/Spring League, of which there are 10 races across Munster on Sunday mornings between January and April. Complete 4/10 runs in the league for a finisher's prize.

From the Munster Mountain Running Association...This is a lovely course through Corrin Woods just outside Fermoy and is an ideal introduction to trail running for newcomers so why not come and give it a go.

You can bring the whole family to Corrin because there will be an adult race, a junior race (age 10 - 16) and an accompanied kiddies run (under 10) and there will be tea and sandwiches for everyone afterwards.

Adults:        Starts at 11:00         ENTRY €5
Juniors:     Starts at 10:30         ENTRY €5
Kiddies:     Starts at 10:30         ENTRY FREE

The run will be fully marked with a 5.7km distance and 150m in climb for the adult race. 

The Juniors race is approx 2km with 60m of climb.

The kiddies race is 1km and the child must be accompanied by an adult

In order to be eligible to run, please note that your ONE-OFF ANNUAL REGISTRATION FEE(€10) MUST BE PAID ONLINE IN ADVANCE. This applies to adults and juniors. U10s do not need to be registered.

You can sign-in for the run between 10:00am and 10:45am to ensure the adult race starts on time. Juniors should sign in before 10:20.

For more information, go to https://www.imra.ie/events/details/id/1533/ 

The entrance to the woods is just off the M8, about 5 minutes on the Cork side of Fermoy.  See Google Maps Link or location map below:
 

This is the first race of the 2018 Munster Winter/Spring League, of which there are 10 races across Munster on Sunday mornings between January and April.

For a full list of races, check out https://corkrunning.blogspot.ie/2018/01/mmra-winter-spring-league-in-munster.html. Complete 4/10 runs in the league for a finisher's prize.

MMRA Winter / Spring League in Munster - Jan to Apr 2018

The Munster Mountain Running Association (MMRA) will be hold a series of 10 trail races from January to April 2018 throughout the province. For anyone new to trail running, this is a good way to start as it's not as hard as the mountain races which are held later on in the year.

As the poster above shows, there are 10 races in the league and you only need to complete 4 to qualify for a league finisher's prize.

Please note, you must purchase annual IMRA membership online for €10 to take part in any of the MMRA events. Once this annual €10 fee is paid, most of the races in the series cost just €5 each.

You will not be able to run if you turn up at your first race without having purchased online registration.

Munster Winter/Spring League 2018

10 races...Best 4 races to score
Date    Time    Venue/Event            Code    Climb    Dist.    Diff.
Sun Jan 14    11:00 AM    Corrin Hill    CHW    260m    6.60km    6
Sun Jan 28    11:00 AM    Cratloe Woods    CTO    160m    9.30km    4
Sun Feb 11    11:00 AM    Tralee-Tonevane    TRA    200m    8.00km    5
Sun Feb 18    11:00 AM    Crohaun        CRN    300m    6.00km    6
Sun Mar 11    11:00 AM    Ballinaboola    BAL    300m    10.00km    6
Sun Mar 18    1:30 PM    Claragh Mtn    CMN    340m    7.00km    6
Sun Mar 25    11:00 AM    Glanageenty    GR    400m    9.50km    6
Sun Apr 8    11:00 AM    Slievenamon    SVN    570m    8.00km    7
Sun Apr 15    11:00 AM    Curragh Woods    CRW    220m    7.00km    6
Sun Apr 22    11:00 AM    Silvermines    SIL    230m    7.40km    6

Guest Post : BLAST FROM THE PAST – BALLYCOTTON ‘10’ 1985... by John Walshe

BLAST FROM THE PAST – BALLYCOTTON ‘10’ 1985...by John Walshe of Ballcotton

This picture - courtesy of Pat Moore, formerly of Nike – was taken by Fr Liam Kelleher and shows the top eight finishers from the Ballycotton ‘10’ of 1985.

The winner was Jim Dingwall from the City of Hull AC in a time of 48:05. Tragically, 20 years after his victory, the Scottish international (who had a marathon best of 2:11:44) died at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer.

All eight were inside 50 minutes and finished in the following order (left to right): Jim Dingwall, 1st, 48:05; Dick Hooper, 2nd, 48:16; Robert Costelloe, 3rd, 48:36; John Lenihan, 4th, 49:07; Liam O’Brien, 5th, 49:23; Noel Harvey, 6th, 49:56; Peter Maher, 7th, 49:57; Tony Ryan, 8th, 49:58.

End of the road for the FACE 5k in KIlworth

One of the more popular 5k races in Cork for the last few years has been the FACE 5k in Kilworth. It was held in mid-February every year and the numbers for the last few years were 299 in 2015, 333 in 2016 and 321 in 2017.

Unfortunately the charity behind the race, F.A.C.E. (Fermoy Action Children's Education) is no longer in operation as of the 31st December 2017.

FACE was set up by Tom Flynn eight years and the race was organised first back in 2014. While it's easy to take race numbers for granted, Tom and the team from FACE put in a huge amount of work to prepare for the annual race. Looking at the list of sponsors every year, it's obvious to see how much work went into the race and why the race was so successful.

If you want to see any of the previous results, have a look at the FACE 5k website... https://face5k.wordpress.com/

Statement from FACE below...

Adare 10k passes the 600 mark

This might be of interest to runners in North Cork, Limerick or N Kerry. The entries for the Adare 10k have now passed the 600 mark

Last year the 850 was reached just before race day at the end of February. At the moment, it looks are if that limit may be reached earlier this year.

More info on the race HERE

45-64 year olds can reverse heart risk with exercise regime

A recent study published in the journal Circulation has shown that that sedentary people aged from 45 to 64 can reduce the risk of heart failure with a regime of exercise. To achieve this, the researcher recommend doing aerobic exercises four to five times a week for a two year period.

In the study, it was found that a group doing aerobic exercises showed "an 18% improvement in their maximum oxygen intake during exercise and a more than 25% improvement in "plasticity" in the left ventricular muscle of the heart - both markers of a healthier heart."

The participants in the study followed a regime which is pretty similar to what many runners do already.

30-minute sessions with a warm-up and cool-down.
a) One high-intensity aerobic session with intervals at 95% of max heart rate.
b) Two or three days a week of moderate intensity exercise
c) Strength & Conditioning session
d) At least one long session of aerobic exercise a week

The full story can be seen on the BBC News website

Results of the Cork BHAA ESB Cross Country 5k...Sun 7th Jan 2018

The 2018 Cork BHAA season of races got off to a good start with 199 runners turning out for the ESB Cross Country 5k in Beaumont Park in Cork City.

While the numbers might seem low compared to a usual road race, it's good going to get nearly 200 people to run on an off road course at the start of January. It's possibly a sign that more runners are now willing to try trail and off road races that they might have in the past.

It might be worth reminding people that the MMRA will be starting their own series of trail races very soon. More details in a few days.


1 Michael Harrington 0/45B M1 00:18:03 Harrington Upvc Ltd
2 Tim Twomey 00:18:18 Temp Reg
3 Sean Dowling 00:18:21 Temp Reg
25 Breda Gaffney 0/45J F1 00:21:17 Dept 0f Social Welfare
29 Ide Donovan 0/45J F2 00:21:58 HSE F-A-1
34 Colette O'Donoghue 0/35H F3 00:22:09 Goldstar Telecom

Full results

Photos...
1) Paula Mulcahy has a gallery HERE
2) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE

Ciara Mageean wins 5k race in Manchester

Irish international athlete Ciara Mageean was in action on Saturday in Manchester when she won a local 5k race outright in a time of 16m 31s. There was a total of 84 runners in the race.

Ciara is now training with the New Balance team in England have made a change from Dublin a few months back.

Sunflowers 5k, 6 Janury 2018; Race 99
Position Name Time  Club Gender Gender position
1 Ciara Mageean 16:31 New Balance Manchester F1
2 Tim Hartley 16:42 Wigan Harriers M1
3 Ashley Crawford 17:52 M2
4 Louise Rudd 18:28 Stockport Harriers F2
5 Rob Fletcher 19:02 Mersey Tri M3
6 Alaina Beacall 19:04 F3

Full results

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun...Sat 6th Jan 2018

The 5k parkrun in Ballincollig got off to a flying start for 2018 with 363 runners turning out on Sat 6th Jan. While there was a parkrun there on New Year's Day, this was the first proper one of the year.

The numbers coincidentally are almost the exact same as last year when 361 turned out for the first event of 2017.
 
1 Damian KENNEALLY    18:16    VM35-39    M1    Eagle A.C.
2 Unknown                                   
3 Colm FITZGERALD    18:34    SM20-24    M3
54 Diane DUFFY    22:29    VW35-39    F1
58 Marie O'SHEA    22:45    VW40-44    F2
69 Louise Lynch O'KEEFFE    23:28    VW50-54    F3

Full results

Photos...
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE
2) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE 

Sportswomen.ie website says Goodbye

It was announced this week that the Sportwomen.ie website is going to close. Set up by Sharon Hutchinson exactly 3 years ago, it has provided coverage of women across a variety of sports including Athletics, Gaelic Football, Camogie, Soccer, Basketball, Hockey, Rugby and Golf.

In a final post, Sharon said..."The website has been a labour of love and it would not have been possible without my band of volunteers, my team of writers, and my supporters, who got what sportswomen.ie was all about. This goodwill has got the project so far but as a social entrepreneurial enterprise, unfortunately it is not paying it’s way and so we have decided to call it a day."

Over the last 3 years, the website has had a lot of athletics related news items as can be seen HERE 

When that is replicated across all the other sports, it represents a huge amount of work for what was essentially a free service. The associated Facebook page had over 5,600 followers which is a pretty healthy number.

According to the final post, the website was launched "to address the poor coverage within the national media of women’s sport." With mainstream media concentrating on the most popular sports, there is no obvious replacement for this service.

What Happened to the Gold medal Irish U23 XC team of 2010?

Back in 2010, the Irish U23 team of David McCarthy (West Waterford), Brendan O'Neill (DSD), Mick Mulhare (North Laois), David Rooney (Raheny), John Coghlan (Metro St Brigids) and Ciaran O Lionaird (Leevale) won the European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal.

Just 7 years later, most of them have retired from the sport due to injury or the simple necessity of earning a living. Cathal Dennehy caught up with the seven Gold medal winners to see what they are up to now and the article which is well worth reading is in the Irish Examiner.

Elite Entries for the 2018 Mallow 10 Mile Road Race

 Please note that elite entries for the 2018 Mallow 10 mile road race are now open.

From the organisers...Elite Entry: While the main race is full, we have reserved places for elite entries with recent 10 mile times of sub 56 for men and sub 61 for women.
Contact Paudie Birmingham at padraic DOT birmingham AT gmail DOT com or ring 086 3849159

Note if you have demonstrated the following times in other distances we will also accept.

Male 5k =  16:10
Male 10k =  33:30
Male Half marathon = 1:15

Female 5k =  17:40
Female 10k =  36:30
Female Half marathon = 1:21:30

https://mallowtenmile.wordpress.com/

Nominations for the best 10 mile and half-marathon races in Cork & Munster in 2017?

Now that the new year has started, it's time to look back and consider what were the best races of the year? In this post, we'll look at the best 10 mile and half-marathon races.

As some of the really big races like the Dungarvan 10 are outside Cork but attract a lot of Cork runners, we'll include nominations for any race in Cork and Munster. In your opinion, what were the best 10m and 10k races in 2017 and why?


Leave a comment and we'll start the poll very soon.

Irish Times interview with Sports Ireland Chief Executive John Treacy

The Irish Times had a recent interview with John Treacy, Chief Executive of Sports Ireland. In the podcast (which starts at 36:00), he outlines the work of Sports Ireland and how they interact with the various sporting bodies in the country.

Cork BHAA announce their 2018 calendar

The Cork Business Houses Athletic Association have just announced their new calendar for 2018. Most of the usual ones are in there although there does seem to be two fewer than last year.

The year starts next Sunday with a cross country race in Beaumont Park in Cork City.

Date    Time    Company    Distance    Venue/ Contact
Sun. 7 January 11.00 am ESB Cross Country Challenge 5km    Beaumont Park
Sun. 14 January 11.00 am F.M.C. 6km    Little Island
Sun. 11 February 11.00 am Janssen Pharmaceuticals 6km    Little Island
Sun. 25 February 11.00 am Gas Networks Ireland 5km    Venue TBC
Sun. 8 April 11.00 am UCC / Carmel Lynch Memorial 10km    Western Gateway Buildings
Wed. 25 April 7.30 pm Stryker 4 Miles    Community Centre, Carrigtohill
Wed. 9 May 8.00 pm Pfizer’s 6 Miles    Ringaskiddy
Tue. 29 May 8.00 pm John Buckley Sports 5km    Marina
Wed. 13 June 8.00 pm Merck Millipore 6km    Merck Millipore Plant, Fota Road
Tue. 26 June 8.00 pm VMWare 5km    GAA Grounds, Ballincollig, Trevor Collins, 087 6787647
Wed. 4 July 8.00 pm CPO 5km    Mahon
Tues 10 July 8.00 pm Dell-EMC 4 Miles    Ovens
Wed. 1 August 8.00 pm Novartis 5km    Ringaskiddy
Wed. 8 August 8.00 pm    Army / Navy 5 Miles    Naval Base, Haulbowline
Wed. 22 August  8.00 pm    Musgrave S&S Club 5km    Shandon Boat Club
Sun. 30 September 9 am    BHAA Cork-Cobh 15 Miles    Venue: Union Chandelry 
Sun. 9 December 11.00 am Cork Simon Christmas Run 5km  St Michael’s Hurling Club, Blackrock

Results of the Bandon 5 mile - Mon 1st Jan 2018

After an increase in numbers last year, 150 runners took part this year which represents a 12% drop.

1 25.14 441 James McCarthy East Cork SM
2 25.50 437 Alan O'Brien Eagle AC SM
3 26.36 425 John Meade St Finbarrs AC SM
16 30.07 330 Sharon Rynne Kilmurray -Ibrickane SW
19 30.53 305 Theresa Murphy Kent AC F40
27 31.42 316 Sorcha Kearnry St Finbarrs AC F40 

Full results HERE

Nominations for the best 5 mile and 10k race in Cork in 2017???

Now that we're into 2018, it's time to look back and consider what were the best races of 2017? In this post, we'll look at the best 5 mile and 10km races. In your opinion, what were the best 5 mile and 10km races in Cork in 2017 and why?

There were a wide number of races to choose from, be it BHAA, club or charity events.

Leave a comment and we'll start the poll very soon.