Results of the Cloyne 5k race... Tues 31st July 2018

280 runners turned out for this years Cloyne 5k road race on what was a cool evening compared to the weather of late.

1 Alan O'SHEA    00:15:11    728    M (1)    MS (1)    Bantry A.C.
2 Paul MOLONEY    00:15:12    542    M (2)    MS (2)    Mallow A.C.
3 Andrew SHEEHAN    00:15:51    548    M (3)    MS (3)    Leevale A.C.
40    Evelyn CASHMAN    00:19:26    651    F (1)    F45 (1)    Youghal A.C
46    Ruth MILLERICK    00:19:41    696    F (2)    F35 (1)    Youghal A.C
51    Michelle NOLAN    00:19:54    729    F (3)    F45 (2)    Youghal A.C

The full results can be seen HERE

Irish team announced for the European Athletics Championships in August

Irish team announced for the European Athletics Championships in Berlin, August 7th-12th. Cork athletes in Red

Women: Phil Healy (Bandon AC) 100m & 200m, Gina Akpe-Moses (Blackrock AC-Louth) 100m, Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (DSD AC) 800m, Claire Mooney (UCD AC) 800m, Ciara Mageean (UCD AC) 1500m, Emma Mitchell (Queens University AC) 10,000m, Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle & District AC) 3000m steeplechase, Michelle Finn (Leevale AC) 3000m steeplechase, Breege Connolly (North Belfast Harriers AC) marathon, Gladys Ganiel (North Belfast Harriers AC) marathon, Laura Graham (Mourne Runners AC) marathon, Lizzie Lee (Leevale AC) marathon.

4x100m relay panel: Phil Healy (Bandon AC), Gina Akpe-Moses (Blackrock-Louth), Ciara Neville (Emerald AC), Joan Healy (Bandon AC), Niamh Whelan (Ferrybank AC), Molly Scott (SLOT AC).

Photos of the Cork City FC 5k... Sun 29th July 2018

 
The Liam Miller Memorial 5k organised by Cork City FC was held on Sunday the 29th of July 2018 in Curraheen.

Results

Photos...
1) Doug Minihane has a gallery of photos HERE
2) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE

Notice : Cloyne 5k road race - Tues 31st July 2018

The annual Cloyne 5km road race takes place in East Cork on Tuesday, the 31st of July 2018 at 8pm. As races go, this is a reasonably flat and fast course. There are no real hills as such, just a few short sections where the road rises by a few metres at most. Outside of the Centre Park Road course in Cork City, it doesn't get much flatter. If you want to try for a fast 5k time, then this is the one to do.

If you are coming from the Cork city, then Cloyne is just a 22-25 minute drive from the Jack Lynch tunnel. Considering the number of runners within say a 30 minute drive of it, the race is likely to attract a large crowd.

From the organisers...The race will be chip timed, and the route (start/finish) and HQ all remain the same as last year. Registrations on the day of the race will open in the School from 3.00pm for anyone that wishes to enter earlier in the day.

Preview...A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos and description can be seen HERE

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 28th July 2018

There was another big turn out in this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park with 258 taking part.

1 Lance DOHERTY    18:35    VM40-44    M1    St Finbarrs AC   
2 Cathal PRENDEVILLE    18:39    VM35-39    M2
3 Piotr SPYT    19:16    VM40-44    M3    Polish Runners Club Ireland
53 Maria MADIGAN    23:35    VW40-44    F1
58 Julia O'HALLORAN    23:50    SW30-34    F2
62 Sheila O'BRIEN    23:59    VW35-39    F3

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Colette Ryan has a gallery HERE

Results of the Ballinacurra 4 mile race... Thurs 26th July 2018

After a prolonged period of dry weather, the rain unfortunately arrived just in time for this 4 mile road race near Midleton in East Cork.. Despite the conditions, a total of 192 runners still out for this 4 mile road race.

1. 573 Paul Moloney m Mallow AC 00:20:01
2. 517 Andrew Sheehan m Leevale 00:20:41
3. 518 Kevin O'Leary m East Cork AC 00:20:54
20. 558 Rhona Pierce w Leevale AC 00:25:18
26. 658 Una Murphy Plant w Kinsale 00:25:58
31. 739 Helen Gilroy w Midleton AC 00:26:39

Photos...
1) Kieran O'Callaghan has a gallery HERE

Results...
TotalRank    Bib    Name    M/F        Club    Chip Time
1.    573    Paul Moloney    m        Mallow AC    00:19:59,88
2.    517    Andrew Sheehan    m        Leevale    00:20:39,37
3.    518    Kevin O'Leary    m        East Cork AC    00:20:53,93
4.    585    Michael Corbett    m        St. Finbarrs AC    00:21:02,39
5.    568    Tim Twomey    m        Leevale AC    00:21:22,44
6.    770    Nigel Sheehan    m        Youghal    00:22:14,89
7.    598    Cathal O'Connell    m        St. Finbarrs AC    00:22:36,04
8.    543    Trevor Cummins    m        Ballymore Cobh AC    00:23:02,53
9.    588    Ruairi Myers    m        Carrig Na Bhar    00:23:57,22
10.    520    Ray O'Sullivan    m        Aghada RC    00:24:04,29

Results of the Ballydesmond 1-mile… Wed 25th July 2018

73 runners turned out for this years Ballydesmond 1-Mile race in NW Cork on Wed 25th July 2018, up from the 62 in 2017. This was the 4th race of 5 in the one-mile series.

1 Colm McCarthy West Limerick AC 630 SnrM 0:04:43
2 Aidan Cahill FFMV 701 SnrM 0:04:45
3 Dermot Dineen FFMV 677 M40 0:04:50
13 Siobhan Daly Gneeveguilla AC 635 F35 0:05:21 
17 Saoirse Tomkins Gneeveguilla AC 669 FU15 0:05:
26 26 Gillian Murphy Star of the Laune AC 640 SnrF 0:05:50 

Results… https://gneeveguilla.wordpress.com/results/2018-2/ballydesmond-1-mile-wed-25th-july-2018/

Notice : Carraig na bhFear 5km road race - Tues 21st Aug 2018

This 5km road race in Carraig na bhFear is coming up on Tuesday the 21st of August 2018 at 7:30pm.

The race is organised with the assistance of Carraig na bhFear AC and results will be published after the race.

From the organisers.... Carraig na bhFear GAA are hosting a fundraising 5k run in Carraig na bhFear on Tues 21st August at 7:30pm. Admission is €10 and a Family of 4 for €30. Registration begins at 6:30pm at the Primary School on the night. You can run, walk or crawl around the course as you please and it promises to be a great night of fun and chat. Tea, Coffee and refreshments will be available for all afterwards in the school.

Carraig na bhFear is just 10kms to the north of Cork City so this one should be of interest to a lot of runners.

Pre-entry link

Facebook event page

Preview.......Directions and a course preview can be seen here... http://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.ie/2013/01/cork113.html

Notice : Ballinacurra 4 mile race - Thurs 26th July 2018

This 4 mile road race near Midleton is coming up on Thursday the 26th of July 2018...

Located just to the south-east of Midleton, this 4 mile race is on nice quiet country roads and should be within easy reach for a lot of people. The entry fee is €10 for runners and you can enter online HERE.

You can also enter on the night.

The race is being organised by the Ballinacurra Villagers Running Club in association with Ballinacurra GAA.

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

Cork runner Lizzie Lee wins South Dublin 10k...

 

 The South Dublin 10k on Sunday the 22nd of July attracted a large field of 2249 runners making it one of the largest 10k races in the country.

The first woman across the line was Lizzie Lee from Cork with a time of 33m 24s. What's pretty amazing is that Lizzie actually finished in 3rd place overall with only two men managing to stay ahead of her. Lizzie's team mate John Shine of Leevale AC was the 3rd man home.

5 Lizzie Lee Female 1 F35 1 LEEVALE AC 00:33:24 3    
4 Laura Graham Female 2 FS 1 MOURNE RUNNERS 00:35:09 19    
7 Catherina McKernan Female 3 F45 1 00:36:01 36
3 David Flynn     Male 1 MS 1 CLONLIFFE HARRIERS A.C. 00:32:02 1    
1926 Itato Giancaterina Male 2     MS 2 00:33:20 2    
3582 John Shine Male 3 MS 3 LEEVALE AC 00:33:34 4


Full results

Photos...
1) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a gallery HERE

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 21st July 2018

258 runners turned out on Sat 21st July for the 108th 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park. As can be seen from the chart above, it's pretty close to the long term average of 265.

1 Rory O' SULLIVAN    17:26    VM40-44 M1    St Finbarrs AC
2 Cathal PRENDEVILLE    18:44    VM35-39 M2
3 Piotr SPYT    19:31    VM35-39 M3    Polish Runners Club Ireland
17 Aoife MAHONY    21:22    VW35-39 F1    Cork Triathlon Club
23 Helen WALSH    21:37    VW40-44 F2    Togher AC
27 Sinéad HEALY    21:48    VW45-49 F3   

The full results can be seen HERE

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

Results & photos of the Ardfield 10k race... Fri 20th July 2018

1. 676 John Meade m St.Finbarrs A.C 00:35:22
2. 758 Padraig Sheehan m Crussaders AC 00:36:13
3. 706 Chris Murnane m 00:37:16
4. 718 Carmel Crowley w Bandon 00:39:39
15. 798 Agata Laskowska w 00:45:04
25. 773 Martene Fitzgerald w 00:47:06

Full results

Photos...
1) Donal O'Regan has a gallery HERE

Results of the Cork BHAA Dell-EMC 4 mile... Thurs 18th July 2018

290 runners turned out for this 4 miler in Ovens to the west of Ballincollig.

1 Anthony Mannix M-1 00:21:22 Dell-EMC
2 Mark Collins M-2 00:22:11 Avondhu MF
3 Cathal O'Connell 0/55D M-3 00:22:39 UCC
29 Breda Gaffney 0/45J F-1 00:25:59 Dept 0f Social Protection
38 Noreen Mackey F-2 00:26:40 CIT
44 Linda O' Sullivan 0/45J F-3 00:27:02 Goldstar Telecom

Results

Guest article : HOOPER WAS JUST TOO HOT FOR HIS RIVALS ...By John Walshe

In this guest post from John Walsh of Ballycotton, he recounts the 1978 national marathon in Tullamore...

HOOPER WAS JUST TOO HOT FOR HIS RIVALS ...By John Walshe (Evening Echo 03/07/2018)

The month of June is usually favourable to most outdoor activities, but running 26-plus miles may not be one, as participants in the recent Cork City Marathon can testify.

Forty years ago this month, on a Sunday afternoon, the BLE National Marathon took place in Tullamore. Like the Limerick championship two years earlier which was the selection race for that summer’s Olympics, the European Championships in Prague of 1978 ensured that all of the country’s long distance men would toe the line in the midland town.

The preview in the previous week’s Cork Examiner stated that a record entry of 104 had been received. This included a number from Britain including 20-year-old Alan McGee, the 1977 Fell Runner of the Year who had recorded 2:21 in his marathon debut, along with the likes of Norman Deakin (Stoke) with a best of 2:17:20, Doug Gunstone from Edinburgh (2:19) and Kevin Best who had run a fast time for 20 miles.

Results of the Knocknagree One-Mile road race... Wed 18th July 2018

This one-mile road race in Knocknagree in NW Cork attracted a field of 75 runners which was well up on the 50 of last year.

Positionn  Name    Category    Club    Time
1 Aidan Cahill    SnrM    FFMV    0:04:43
2 Patrick O'Donghue    SnrM    Lucan Harriers    0:04:45
3 Dermot Dineen    M40    FFMV    0:04:47
9 Shona O'Brien    Jnr F    Gneeveguilla AC    0:04:59
19 Siobhan Daly    F35    Gneeveguilla AC    0:05:20
20 Saoirse Tomkins    FU15    Gneeveguilla AC    0:05:22

Results... https://gneeveguilla.wordpress.com/results/2018-2/knocknagree-1-mile-wed-18th-july-2018/

Results of the Carrigtwohill 5k road race... Wed 18th July 2018

335 runners turned out for this years Carrigtwohill 5k road race on Wed 18th July 2018.

1 Trevor Power 15:47 Senior Male 1
2 Brian Kearney 15:55 Senior Male 2
3 Michael Corbett 15:57 Over 40 3
19 Deirdre Casey 18:53 Over 35 Ladies 1
21 Jessica Bruton 19:13 Senior Ladies 2
33 Michelle Nolan 19:45 Over 45 3

Photos...
1) Michael Buckley Photography has a gallery HERE and HERE 
2) Andy O'Rourke has a gallery HERE and HERE

Full results below...

Reminder : Entries to the Run Killarney Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k close Fri 20th July

Just a reminder that entries to the Run Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k close this Friday the 20th of July. The race is on Saturday the 28th of July.

It's the only time of the year where you can run safely on the road from Moll's Gap to Killarney.

Entries HERE

Info in a previous post HERE

Cork sprinter Phil Healy sets new 200m national record

Top Cork sprinter Phil Healy set a new national record when she ran 22.99 seconds in the 200mat the Cork City Sports last night. The 23 year old Balndon AC athlete from Ballineen recently broke the Irish 100m record.

These are the top 5 times from Irish women....

Notice…Carrigtwohill 5km road race – Wed 18th July 2018

The Carrigtwohill 5km road race is coming up on Wednesday, the 18th of July 2018.

The venue for the race is Barryscourt Castle just to the south of the town of Carrigtwohill in East Cork. This race always attracts a large crowd every year and is bound to attract a large turnout this year again.

The race which starts at 8pm costs €10 to enter and all proceeds are going to charity. There is also a walk starting at 6:30pm and that costs €5 to enter. You can also enter online HERE

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

For more info, go to the race website... https://carrigtwohill5k.wordpress.com/

Notice : MMRA Carrauntohill Classic in Co.Kerry - Sun 22nd July 2018

The Munster Mountain Running Association are holding a race up Ireland's highest mountain next Sunday the 22nd of July. In terms of mountain races, this one is one of the famous in the country.

Description: Carrauntohil (East from Cronins yard)
Date: Sunday 22 July, 2018
Time: 13:00
Climb (m): 1100
Distance (km): 15.00
Event Difficulty: 10 (Extreme) - Extreme, >1,000M ascent or > 30Km

The entry fee is €10 and IMRA membership is required.

MMRA... 1st place male & female will receive €500 each. 2nd place male & female Pair of runners / inov8 (or other). 3rd place male & female Pair of runners / inov8 (or other.

For more info, go to https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/1627

Route...

Relive 'MMRA Carrauntohill Classic Route'

       

Promo video...

Results of the Youghal 5k road race... Thurs 12th July 2018

233 runners turned out for this years Youghal 5k road race on Thurs 12th July 2018.

1 Andrew Connick Ferry-bank 15.36
2 James Ledingham Kilkenny Harriers 15.39
3 Kevin O Leary East Cork 15.59
1 Aoife Cooke Youghal AC 17.34
2 Sinead Kevany Midleton AC 18.08
3 Kate Veale West Waterford AC 18.51

Male Junior
1 Craig O Brien Ferrybank 17.15


Final results below... (Updated Mon 16th July 2018)

Results & Photos of the Banteer Show 5k... Sun 15th July 2018

For the vast majority of road races, the first person home is nearly always a man. For this 5k race in Banteer however there was an exception as Martina Kiely of St.Finbarr's AC ran a time of 18m 14s to be the first across the line.

Organised in association with Mount Hillary AC, there was a modest field of 61 finishers.

1    796    Martina Kiely    St Finbar    F    18.14
6    759    Niamh Harte    North Cork    F    19.18
15    751    Elaine Guinane    Eagle AC    F    21.38
2    756    Patrick O'Keefe    Mt. Hillary AC    M    18.31
3    797    Denis Kiely    St Finbar    M    19.10
4    795    Dan Burke    Millstreet AC    M    19.13

Juvenille
30    794    Amy Barrow    N/A    J    23.24
36    773    Eoin Looney    North Cork    J    24.35



Photos...
1) Mount Hillary AC have a gallery of photos HERE

Full results below...

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 14th July 2018

269 runners turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollg Regional Park on Sat 14th July 2018.

1 Michael BUCKLEY    18:12    VM40-44 M1
2 Sean DAVIN    18:54    SM25-29    M2
3 Alan SMITH    19:00    SM25-29    M3    London Heathside
13 Sandra MANNING    21:04    VW35-39    F1    Eagle A.C.
25 Joanne MCCANN    21:37    VW40-44    F2    Mallow AC
30 Catherine REDMOND    22:03    VW40-44    F3

Full results

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

Results of the Bere Island Midsummer Run... Sat 14th July 2018

A record 128 runners turned out for this years Midsummer Run on Bere Island in West Cork.

10k...
37 Shane Kearney St Catherines AC 10 M S 00:38:44
24 Conor Murphy Beara AC 10 M V 00:40:08
23 Billy Murphy Beara AC 10 M S 00:40:45
26 Alice Coppinger Bantry AC 10 F V 00:46:22
73 Brid McGovern 10 F V 00:48:11
89 Niamh Donnelly 10 F V 00:48:18

5k...
No First Name Surname Club Race M/F Cat Time Net
29 Dave O'Connor St Catherines AC 5 M S 00:18:10
19 Kieran Murphy St Catherines AC 5 m v 00:21:24
97 Aisling Kirby Donore 5 F S 00:21:53
54 Lorraine O'Sullivan St FinbarrsAC 5 F V 00:22:52
86 Maggie O'Shea 5 F S 00:24:23

Photos...
1) Proinnsias O'Keeffe has an album HERE 


Full results below...

Irish women's relay team win Silver at World U-20 Championships

The Irish women's 4x100m relay team won silver at the World U-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland today. The team of  Molly Scott, Gina Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville and Patience Jumbo-Gula ran a national under-20 record time of 43.90 to finish behind Germany and in front of Great Britain to take Silver.

In the video below, the Irish team are in lane 5.

SILVER! 🥈
They’ve only gone and done it! Fantastic run in the 4x100 relay. 43.90 for @RunMollyRun13, @GinaAkpeMoses, @ciara_nev100 and @Patience_Jumbo.
Incredible pace from Patience at the end!
What a team, what a day! 🇮🇪 #HerSport #HerAthletics https://t.co/CHGnfM7f9V pic.twitter.com/HWlCaNt1o1

— HerSport (@HerSportDotIE) July 14, 2018

West Cork Island Run Series... July & August 2018

The West Cork Islands Run Series consists of running events on islands in West Cork during the months of July and August 2018. While the first one on Bere Island is a timed event, the remainder are more of a fun run format with the aim of getting people to visit the islands.

If the weather is nice, each one would make for a stunning run.

The details for the four in 2018 are shown below...

Cork... Sat 14th July (1pm)... Bere Island Midsummer Run 5k & 10k ... €20 ... includes t-shirt ... Event # 1 of 4 in the West Cork Islands Run Series 2018... info...

Cork... Sat 4th August (12:30pm)... Cape Clear 5k Run ... €10 ... Event # 2 of 4 in the West Cork Islands Run Series 2018... 

Cork... Sat 11th August (2:30pm)... Sherkin Island 'Do Run Run' 8k / 4k ... €15 ... Event # 3 of 4 in the West Cork Islands Run Series 2018...

Cork... Thurs 16th August (1pm)... Heir Island Run 5k ... €10 ... Event # 4 of 4 in the West Cork Islands Run Series 2018...

Notice : West Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon - Sat 8th Sept 2018

The 2nd West Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon is coming up this year on Saturday the 8th of September 2018 at 9am. When this new half-marathon opened last year, it sold out in just 2 day!

Update Mon 2nd July.... Entries are now open... https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/EurofinsGreenwayHalfMarathon20182017 

Updated Fri 13th July..... All of the original  750 places are gone. As of this morning, West Waterford AC have made an additional places available. Click on the link above and enter asap if you want to do this half-marathon.

Results of the Coachford 5 mile race... Thurs 12th July 2018

A record 358 runners turned out for this years Coachford 5 mile road race which was held on Thurs 12th July 2018. In contrast to a lot of other races which have shown declining numbers, this one jumped by 32% !

1 Sheehan    Andrew    Male   Leevale    Overall Male     26:17
2 Curran    Eric    Male  Leevale    Overall Male     26:41
3 Morgan    Michael    Male St Finbarrs AC    M 40     27:16

First 3 men. Photo: Mick Dooley

1 MARGARET    MURPHY    Female  MALLOW A.C    F 35     31:31
2 Murphy    Karina    Female    St Finbarrs AC    F 35     32:36
3 O'Neill    Nollaigh    Female   Leevale A.C    F 45     33:09

First 3 women. Photo: Mick Dooley

Photos... (Updated 13th July @17:04am)
1) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE and of the finish HERE
2) Mick Dooley has a gallery HERE
3) The organisers have three galleries.. Start and one mile mark # 1 and # 2 

Category results at the bottom of the post.

Full results below...

Bib #  Name  M/F    Athlete Type     Team Name     Cat     Finishing Time
91    Sheehan    Andrew    Male    Runner    leevale    Overall Male     26:17
59    Curran    Eric    Male    Runner    leevale    Overall Male     26:41
113    Morgan    Michael    Male    Runner    St Finbarrs AC    M 40     27:16
9    Murphy    Cian    Male    Runner    Iveragh AC    Overall Male     27:36
180    DONAL    COAKLEY    Male    Runner    LEEVALE A.C    Overall Male     27:40

Notice : Ardfield 10k race nr Clonakilty - Fri 20th July 2018

The village of Ardfield is located just to the south of Clonakilty in West Cork and is a lovely part of the county. The roads in general are relatively quiet and there are extensive views out over the West Cork countryside and coastline.

Next Friday the 20th of July 2018, there is a 10 km road race in the village. The course has been accurately measured by Jones Counter and the event has an Athletics Ireland permit.

The race is suitable for runners and walkers and it will be chip timed by Titan Timing.

Results of the MMRA trail race near Kilworth... Wed 11th July 2018

79 runners turned out for this MMRA trail race near Kilworth on Wed 11th July 2018.

1    Paul Deane    1761    M40    0:19:30 Clonakilty ...    Cork
2    Tom Blackburn    608    M50    0:19:51 Mooreabbey ...    Limerick
3    Colm Ryan    2642    M    0:19:57 West Waterf...    Waterford
17    Kealey Tideswell    815    F    0:23:27 Clonmel AC    Tipperary
31    Debbie McCarthy    244    F40    0:25:12 Riverstick ...    Cork
40    Gwen Conroy    2459    F40    0:26:31 Watergrasshill

Results

Guest Post: RECALLING A YOUGHAL ROAD RACE OF TWENTY YEARS AGO - John Walshe

 Guest post from John Walshe of Ballycotton recounting the Youghal 4 mile and Tour de France of 1998...

RECALLING A YOUGHAL ROAD RACE OF TWENTY YEARS AGO - John Walshe
(Youghal News, July 11th 2018)

With the annual road race promoted by Youghal Athletic Club taking place this week, it might be an opportune time to look back at a similar event of 20 years ago which was held in conjunction with probably the biggest sporting occasion to hit the seaside town, writes John Walshe

Anyone in their mid-twenties and upwards can no doubt recall the summer of 1998 when the Tour de France came to these shores. The excitement and hype hasn’t been experienced since but will hopefully be replicated on a similar scale next June with the staging of IRONMAN Ireland, Cork, in the town.

For months beforehand the arrival of the greatest bike race on earth was eagerly awaited, but it didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts. Willy Voet, a soigneur in the French Festina team, was stopped by French customs agents as he tried to cross the French-Belgian border and in his Festina team car the agents found large quantities of syringes and controlled substances including narcotics, EPO, growth hormones, testosterone and amphetamines

The full impact of the drugs scandal which would later discredit that Tour (only 86 riders of the 189 would make it to the finish in Paris) hadn’t yet impacted on the general public when the race set out from Enniscorthy to Cork on the third stage on the Monday morning of July 14th. However, just as the mass of cyclists reached the outskirts of Youghal, tragedy struck the man in the Yellow Jersey, Chris Boardman, who crashed heavily into a wall and had to be airlifted to hospital.

Boardman had won the prologue the previous Saturday and was one of the favoured sprinters in the race, having won an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. So, if you ever need a trick question for a table quiz or the like, you could always ask the participants to ‘name the Olympic champion who hit the wall in Youghal!’

Both Youghal and Midleton towns had built festivals around the Tour and on the previous Thursday evening Youghal AC played its part with the promotion of a four-mile race. Held on the same circuit that will be used for two laps on Thursday night, on that occasion it consisted of three times around the town plus four hundred metres.

As can be seen from the attached results (below), numbers taking part compared to the present day were comparatively small, with just 72 runners plus the man in the wheelchair, Jerry Forde, who will no doubt be there again on this occasion. The winner was Roy Fahy of Leevale in a time of 20:10, just three seconds ahead of his clubmate Jason Foulkes. Fahy later joined the East Cork club in whose colours he would go on to win the Cork City Marathon a decade later. 

Eric Meade (East Cork) finished third in 21:23 ahead of James Murphy of Grange-Fermoy (21:41) with local Youghal man John Malone fifth in 21:51. It was another local runner, the legendary Mary Sweeney, who won a closely fought women’s race, her time of 24 minutes flat giving her six seconds to spare over Catherine Hennessy from New Ross with Joan Hough (St Finbarr’s) third in 24:20.

An interesting finisher in 47th place in a time of 27:16 was one Robert Heffernan. Then aged 20, the Togher athlete’s international walking career would begin in earnest the following year when he finished 13th at the European U23 20km in Sweden.

Of those 72 finishers, at least a dozen will probably toe the line again on Thursday evening. However, as they say, a lot of water has passed under Youghal Bridge in the past two decades and sadly for some their times for the 5km will probably be a lot slower than what they ran for four miles on that July evening back in 1998.    

Results below...

Races over the next few days... Thurs 12th -Sun 15th July 2018

Plenty of events to choose from over the next few days....

Cork... Thurs 12th (8pm)... Youghal 5k road race... €10... flat 5k on the streets of Youghal town... info...

Cork... Thurs 12th (8pm)... Coachford 5 mile road race... €10 online / €12 on the night... proceeds to charity... info...

Tipperary... Fri 13th (7:30pm)... Clerihan 5 mile... €10... Organised by Clonmel AC... also 5k option... info...

Sat 14th (9:30am)... 5k parkruns - Various locations - Free
Cork - Ballincollig, Macroom, Clonakilty, Rineen Woods, Glengarriff Woods, Bear Is /// Limerick - University of Limerick, Newcastle West /// Kerry - Killarney, Tralee, Listowel, Inch /// Clare - Ennis, Kilrush, Clarisford /// Tipperary - Clonmel, Templemore /// Waterford - Tramore /// Kilkenny - Kilkenny Castle /// Carlow - Carlow town /// Wexford - New Ross, Gorey, Johnstown ///

Cork... Sat 14th (1pm)... Bere Island Midsummer Run 5k & 10k ... €20 ... includes t-shirt ... Event # 1 of 4 in the West Cork Islands Run Series 2018... info...

Cork...Sun 15th (9:30am)... Cobh 2km Junior parkrun (4-14 yr olds)...€free ... info...
Cork... Sun 15th (12:30pm)... Banteer Show 5k road race... €10...

Notice : MMRA 6km trail race in Kilworth - Wed 11th July 2018

 

 For anyone who wants to try out a short trail races in a woods, this one is near Kilworth on Wed 11th July. Info from the organisers below...

Sonia O'Sullivan awards daughter Sophie with Euro Silver medal

After the recent 800m final at the European U18 Championships, Sonia O'Sullivan was asked to present the medals.

This video clip from European Athletics shows the race with a nervous spectator...

Think being an athlete is nerve-wracking? Being the parent of an athlete is even more nerve-wracking!

Watch Sonia O'Sullivan live every moment of Sophie's silver medal-winning run in the 800m final at the European U18 Championships last night! pic.twitter.com/v7mwL52NKH

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 8, 2018

Latest stats from Athletics Ireland confirm membership drop

A few days back, Athletics Ireland released their membership stats for the end of June 2018 and they confirm the trends noted in this post from last month.

1) From the end of June 2017 last year, membership in Athletics Ireland has dropped 1%.
2) Juvenile membership has dropped 2.2%.
3) Senior adult membership (20-34 year olds) has dropped 4.4%.
4) Masters membership (adults aged 35 and older) has risen 2.7%.

For the last few years, juvenile membership has been growing steadily and has added to the overall Athletics Ireland membership figure. This has now stalled.

Senior membership reached a peak in 2014 and has been declining since then. The only sector that is growing is the Masters category which is due to what is termed 'recreational runners' joining clubs around the country.

Cork... The picture in Cork follows a similar pattern in the last 12 months. Overall club membership has dropped 2%. Juvenile membership has dropped by 8.8% which seems pretty large in contrast to the national figure of 2.2%.

In terms of adults, senior membership has dropped 5.7% while the masters membership is up 9.9%. The growth in adult membership is mainly due to the creation of small regional clubs around the county like Doneraile, Beara, Durrus, Churchtown, Shandrum which have lots of masters runners.

For adult membership in clubs in Cork City, membership has dropped over the last year. The combined total of adult membership in Leevale, Eagle, St.Finbarr's, Togher and Watergrasshill is down 4% compared to last year.

These are the clubs in Cork with 100 or more adult members...

Sophie O'Sullivan wins Silver in Women's 800m final at the European U18 Championships

Sophie O'Sullivan wins Silver in Women's 800m final at the European U18 Championships in Hungary.

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 7th July 2018

The numbers were back up again this week with 281 turning out for the 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park.

1 Paul HUNT    17:38    VM35-39    M1    Clapham Chasers RC
2 Michael BUCKLEY    17:58    VM40-44    M2
3 Denis BUCKLEY    18:03    JM15-17    M3   
14 Lorraine SMYTH    20:27    VW35-39    F1    Clapham Chasers RC
19 Niamh CORBETT    21:08    SW20-24    F2
31 Annmarie BURNS    21:45    SW30-34    F3

The full results are HERE

Photos...
1) The organisers have a set of photos HERE

Results of the Durrus Family 5k fun run... Fri 6th July 2018

68 turned out for this 5k organised by Durrus AC in West Cork on Friday 6th July 2018.

1 00:20:22 221 Damien Malone M Schull Tri Club
2 00:22:23 225 Eoin Collins M Kealkil
3 00:22:24 235 Sean McCarthy M Durrus AC
6 00:24:06 233 Helen Anderson F Clonakilty
13 00:27:08 215 Bebhinn Horstmanshoff F Durrus AC
14 00:27:13 204 Lily Collins F Durrus AC

Full results HERE

Notice : Youghal AC 5k road race... Thurs 12th July 2018

This 5km road race is coming up in the town of Youghal in East Cork on Thursday, the 12th of July 2018...

This popular 5k race is organised by Youghal AC, goes through the main streets of the town and is very flat.

With its location near the county boundary, the race is sure to attract runners from both East Cork and West Waterford.

The race is on a flat fast course on the streets of the historic town and passes under the iconic Youghal Clock Tower...

Organised by Youghal AC, this race has an Athletics Ireland licence and has been measured accurately by Jones Counter.

Course Preview..........A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos, etc can be seen HERE

Results of the Corkbeg 4 mile race... Thurs 5th July 2018

A total of 244 runners turned out for this 4 mile race near Whitegate in East Cork, a drop of about 14% on last year.

1 19:30    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    04:52.4    553    1
2 20:46    CURRAN, Eric    Leevale AC    M    05:11.4    409    2
3 21:08    CORBETT, Michael    St. Finbarrs AC    M40    05:16.9    405    3
6 23:11    HODGINS, Jill    Leevale AC    F40    05:47.7    518    6
28 25:46    NOLAN, Michelle    Youghal AC    F45    06:26.4    504    28
30 25:55    MILLERICK, Ruth    Youghal AC    F35    06:28.6    569    30

Full results below...

Sophie O'Sullivan wins 800m heat at Euro U-18 Championships

How about that for a championship debut?

Sophie O'Sullivan, daughter of 1998 European 5000m and 10,000m champion Sonia O'Sullivan, won the second heat of the 800m at the European U18 Championships. pic.twitter.com/EHD30KaGFR

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 5, 2018

Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA CPO 5k... Wed 4th July 2018

 

There was a 21% drop in numbers for this years Cork BHAA CPO 5k road race in Mahon in Cork City with 260 runners taking part.  That's down almost 50% in three years.

There didn't seem to be any major factors that would impact on the race as the weather was fine and there was no World cup match. It just seems to follow the general trend at the moment of an easing back of the race numbers.

On a positive note, there seemed to be some new names appearing in the top three.

1 Alan O'Shea M1 00:15:25 Mercy Hospital
2 John Meade M2 00:16:05 Joyce Wolfe Physiotherapy
3 Chris O'REILLY M3 00:16:09 Murphy Construction
30 Meadhbh Moynihan F1 00:18:55 Complete Financial F-C-2
40 Breda Gaffney 0/45J F2 00:19:20 Dept 0f Social Protection
60 Fiona Everard 00:19:57 Temp Reg

Full results HERE

Photos to follow... 
1) There are 3 galleries up on the Running in Cork Facebook page
...a) 1st lap
...b) 2nd lap
...c) Nice gallery from Adrian Foley
2) Joe Murphy has a gallery HERE

Good numbers for the Cobh 2k Junior parkrun...

A new junior 2km parkrun started in Cobh at the end of May 2018 and the numbers are shown above. As with all new events, there is an initial surge due to the novelty and it has slowly dropped off to about the 100 mark now.

What suprised me in particular was just how many are taking part. When I first heard of this event a few months back, I thought it might get something like 30-40 children every week. When I looked at the numbers today, I noticed that they're getting a lot more than that.

This 2km parkrun is held every Sunday morning Carrignafoy, Cobh at 9:30am and caters for 4 to 14 year olds.... a bit like the 5k parkruns on Saturdays except for kids. The event is completely free and all adults need to do is to register their children to get a unique bar code so that they can get their times later. More info on the Cobh Junior parkrun HERE

At the moment, there are only two Junior parkruns in Munster...one in Cobh and one in Tralee. There must be loads of small parks in Cork and Munster where similar event could be hosted?

Sonia O'Sullivan helping out at the Cobh junior parkrun

Marquee site sells for €15 million...

It was announced recently that the Marquee site next to Pairc Ui Chaoimh has been sold for €15 million with the potential for 1000 homes going there.

As can be seen from the photo above, the site outlined in Red is next to the Centre Park Road / Monahan Rd circuit (in yellow) which is used for the annual Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k.

A few years back, this circuit which is close to the centre of Cork City was used on a regular basis for 5k races. As the Marquee site gets developed and with a new bridge going across to Tivoli, this whole area is going to become a lot busier in the future. It's probably only a matter of time before a 5k race will be impossible to be held there.

Evening Echo story

Notice...Coachford 5 mile road race - Thurs 12th July 2018

The annual Coachford Autumn Festival 5 mile road race to the west of Cork City is coming up on Thursday the 12th of July 2018.

This should be particular interest to anyone west of the city as there aren't that many races in this particular area.

The entry fee is €10 online or €12 on the night. Proceeds from the race go towards Marymount Hospice, CUH Childrens Unit and local charities. There is also an optional event t-shirt for €8 extra.

From the organisers...*Registration in Coachford GAA Complex from 6pm. €12 Entry , Chip Timing.
Race Starting @ 8pm Sharp, Fully Stewarded. (Course measured with Jones Counter by Kevin Cummins)


€12 on the day registration OR €10 online. All online registrations entered into a draw for a family pass to Ballyhass, Coachford. Online registration opened until midnight on July 10th. We will have some t-shirts on the night for you to purchase on a first come first served basis.
https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/COACHFORD5mileroadrace20182

Preview......More info about the course including maps and photos can be seen HERE

Prize info below...

Results of the Dromcollogher 4 mile in Co.Limerick - Mon 2nd July 2018

A total of 172 runners turned out for this years Dromcollogher 4 mile road race in Co.Limerick, up from the 157 of last year. This is a race with a long tradition and many runners from Cork have taken part in it over the years.

1 20:06 SEAN HEHIR, Rathfarnham WSAF AC    M  Course  Record    5    1
2 20:21 SEAN DOYLE, An Bru AC    M    7    2
3 21:07 ANTHONY MANNIX, Leevale AC    M    23    3
10 24:12 SORCHA NIC DHOMHNAILL, Donore Harriers    F  Course Record    73    10
12 24:45 IDE NIC DOMHNAILL, Donore Harriers    F    72    12
23 25:58 BRIGITA LUKSTE, North Cork A. C.    F    58    23

Full results HERE