The main race in Cork this weekend is the annual Cork BHAA Cork to Cobh 15 mile road race on Sunday, the 30th of September. Note that the Montenette Hotel will not be in use for this race.
Entries on the day cost €20 and will be taken at Union Chandlery on Alfred St. There are no changing facilities. They will transport gear bags from there to the finish line in Cobh.
The race starts at 9:00am.
Entry list... A list of those who have pre-entered can be seen HERE
In 2018, race HQ is on Alfred St
Course...Starting at St.Patricks Church, you run past the railway station and towards the Dunkettle roundabout....up over the flyover by the tunnel......then taking a left and onto the old road which passes Glounthaune church.Then onwards towards the main roundabout before Carrigtwohill and then take the bridge over the main road and head towards Fota, Belvelly bridge and on into Cobh. The finish is close to the main square in the centre of Cobh. Overall, there are a few small hills but nothing major, just one pull at 12 miles near the old IFI plant and another smaller one before 14 miles.
Transport......Please note that you have to make your own way back to Cork City.
Options - You probably have a few options in terms of transport...
1) Two cars...take 2 cars to Cobh, leave one in Cobh and drive up to Cork
2) Train...The train timetable shows it will leave the train station in Cobh for Cork City at 12:30, 1:30, 3:00 and 4:30 pm depending on how long you want to stay around after the race.The cost is €5.
Pace......If you are going for a specific time in the Dublin City Marathon in four weeks time, then it's an ideal chance to test your target marathon pace. Say your target for Dublin is 3h 30m.....then you could run Cork to Cobh at 8 min per mile pace. If you arrive in Cobh and you're comfortable then 3h 30m is a realistic target. If you're exhausted after 15 miles at that pace then you should think about a more realistic target. If you add in a warm up of a few miles beforehand then all the better. It will give you a more accurate appraisal.
Race.....Just remember that the last third is the hardest. Over the years, many people get to the Belvelly Bridge by Fota tired and then struggle over the last 5 miles. Going slightly slower in the early stages will pay off in the later stages in this race. Avoid going off too fast at the start.
Litter: The BHAA have been contacted by Tidy Towns associations along the route who have asked that they leave the route as they find it. Please aid them by not throwing gel wrappers away except at water stations and by leaving the water plastic cups near the water stations. They will be tidying the route after the race but this is done by volunteers who have better things to be doing with their time.
Water stations are at 4, 8, and 12 mile marks.
T-shirt will be provided after the finish line. Know what size you want to avoid queues backing up.
Weather........Updated Sat 29th Sept 1pm
The weather forecast is for dry, cool and overcast conditions. Temp about 10 deg C. There will be a breeze from the north-west which will be behind the runners for most of the race. Overall...lookng pretty good.
Are there any Pacers at all for this Race?
ReplyDeleteNo pacers for this one. The roads are open so it's probably best to have everyone strung out rather than have big bunches where cars might have trouble getting past.
ReplyDeleteWhat does one get here in this race for their €20?
ReplyDeletet-shirt at the finish line. Pretty reasonable price for a long race and cheaper than most.
ReplyDeleteAny idea when the results will appear John? Great weather today and a great race, must be the best value race in the county if not the country! Well done to Cork Bhaa.
ReplyDeleteI question the whole pacer thing... and I've been a pacer. When I run a race, I run how I feel, not how somebody with a balloon attached feels. They might feel good when I feel bad and vice versa. With some pre planning a runner can gauge what pace they need to run at for their target time and be responsible for their own finishing time!
ReplyDelete