Cork BHAA Calendar for 2019

The Cork Business Athletic Association (BHAA) have just released their provisional race calendar for 2019. There are 17 listed which is the same as the list for 2018.

It's good to see the Cork to Cobh 15 mile road race still on the calendar as it is really a flagship event for the BHAA.

MORNING RACES
Sun. 6 January     11am ESB Cross Country Challenge 5km Beaumont Park
Sun. 13 January 11am F.M.C. 5km Little Island
Sun. 10 February 11am Janssen 6km Little Island
Sun. 7 April 11am UCC / Carmel Lynch Memorial 10km Lee Road Cct

EVENING RACES
Wed. 24 April 7.30 pm     Stryker 4 Miles Carrigtohill
Wed. 8 May 8pm Pfizer’s 6 Mile Ringaskiddy
Tue. 21 May 8pm John Buckley Sports 5km Marina
Wed. 12 June 8pm Merck Millipore 5km Carrigtwohill
Wed. 26 June 8pm VMWare 5km Ballincollig
Wed. 3 July 8pm CPO 5km Mahon
Wed. 10 July 8pm Gas Networks 5km Marina
Wed. 31 July 8pm Novartis 5km Ringaskiddy
Wed. 7 August (TBC) 8pm Army/Navy 5 Miles Haulbowline
Wed. 14 August     8pm Musgrave S&S Club 5km Marina

MORNING RACES
Sun. 6 October     9am BHAA Cork-Cobh 15 Miles
Sun. 3 November 11am HSE 5k Little Island
Sun. 8 December 11am Cork Simon Christmas Run     5km Blackrock

Results & Photos of the Togher 5k road race... Sun 30th Dec 2018

 There was a record turn out of 740 runners for this years Togher AC 5k road race, a jump of 28.7% on last year.

1 Paul Moloney     Mallow AC 15:33 SM 723
2 Eric Curran     Leevale AC 15:36 SM 721
3 Gavin Sweeney Togher AC 15:49 SM 642
16 Michelle Finn Leevale AC 16:58 SF 789
41 Niamh Moore     Leevale AC 18:05 SF 770
44 Teresa Murphy Kent ac 18:14     SF 431

The full results can be seen here... http://www.premiertimingsystems.ie/2018-Race-Results/Togher-AC-5K-Race-Results

Photos...(Updated 10:38am Mon 31st Dec)
1) There are a number of albums going up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.
...a) Start
...b) Finishers under 24:25
...c) Finishers over 24:25 
...d) Prizes

2) Damien O'Sullivan has a small gallery HERE

3) Derek Costello of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 29th Dec 2018

Another big turnout for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park with 264 taking part.

1 Rory O' SULLIVAN    17:34    VM40-44    M1 St Finbarrs AC
2 Unknown
4 Nick HOGAN    17:40    VM35-39    76.13 %    M3
3 Lizzie LEE    17:39    VW35-39    F1    Leevale AC
39 Deirdre HARRINGTON    22:06    VW45-49    F2    Durrus Athletic Club
43 Siobhan HOLLAND    22:18    VW40-44    F3    St Finbarrs AC

Results

Lizzie Lee sets a new course record while brother Tom finishes in 13th place in 20:30

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

Results & photos of the Glen River 5k parkrun... Sat 29th Dec 2018

There was a jump in numbers for this weeks 5k parkrun in the Glen in Cork City with 101 taking part.

1 Brian LINEHAN    19:44    VM55-59    M1
2 Declan O DONOGHUE    19:50    SM30-34    M2
3 Clifford BROWNE    20:01    SM30-34    M3
22 Danielle MCCARTHY    23:48    SW30-34    F1
24 Imelda LYONS    24:01    VW40-44    F2
31 Helen ROCHE    25:01    VW45-49    F3 Wibbly Wobbly Wonders

The results are HERE

Photos...
1) Mick Dooley has a small gallery HERE
2) The organisers has two small galleries... Album 1... Album 2

Results of the Shandrum AC 5k... Sat 29th Dec 2018

111 runners turned out for this 5k race in North Cork, down slightly on the 120 last year.

1 Niall Shanahan     An Bru Ac Bruff 15:21     SM     1699
2 Joe O Brien     Dooneen AC 17:41     SM     1718
3 Johnny O Sullivan     Galtee Runners 17:52     M40     1697
11 Aisling Dunne  19:06     JW     1711
17 Sinead Buckley     North Cork AC         20:22     SF     1745
23 Mary Buckley     Donoughmore AC         21:08     F50     1694

Full results

Results of the Carrigaline Christmas 5k & 10k run... Sat 29th Dec 2018

About 150 turned out for this Christmas event in Carrigaline where there was a 10k, 5k and a 2k for kids.

The first three home in the 10k pictured above were all from Eagle AC.

Category results below....

Notice : Togher 5k road race - Sun 30th Dec 2018

The annual Togher 5k is coming up over the Christmas period on Sunday the 30th of December at 1pm.

This is always a popular race and is one of the biggest in Cork over Christmas. As 5k courses go, this one is pretty fast and it's mostly around quiet housing estates.

Update : 19th Dec. Over 400 pre-entered now. Long sleeve top for first 700. 
Update : 28th Dec. Over 600 pre-entered now.

Entries...The online entry fee is €15 and includes a long sleeve dry fit top. You can enter online HERE

Entries on the day also cost €15. All proceeds from the event go towards Togher AC and Cork Mental Health Foundation.

Dry fit tops for the 2018 Togher 5k

Course Preview...Full details on the course with directions, maps, photos, preview, etc can be seen HERE

From the organisers....Following on from the success of our event last year we are back this year with kind sponsorship from Ryans of Togher SuperValu. We are delighted to be running this event again in association with Cork Mental Health Foundation and Housing Association. All funds raised will go to support this great organisation and Togher AC.


Togher AC website... http://www.togherathletics.org

We look forward to welcoming you all during the festive period on December 30th :-)

The course has been properly measured by Jones Counter.

Results of the Belgooly 4 mile... Wed 26th Dec 2018

This 4 mile run in Belgooly was held on St.Stephen's Day. Results here... https://www.myrunresults.com/events/belgooly_annual_4_mile_road_race_/2959/results

Photos of the Charleville Lions Club run... Wed 26th Dec 2018

About 40-50 runners turned out for the Charleville Lions Club St Stephens Morning Run/Walk. Photos from North Cork AC.

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Tues 25th Dec 2018

There was a big turnout for the 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park on Christmas Day with 302 taking part.

1 Tobi GRAB    18:11    VM40-44    M1    Leevale AC
2 Ruairi O'CALLAGHAN    18:27    VM40-44    M2    Eagle A.C.
3 Denis MCCAUL    18:30    VM45-49    M3    Sportsworld
19 Niamh CORBETT    20:56    SW20-24    F1
35 Siobhan HOLLAND    22:20    VW40-44    F2    St Finbarrs AC
44 Olga O'SULLIVAN    22:40    VW40-44    F3    Eagle A.C.


Full results

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

Running events over the Christmas period... Tues 25th Dec 2018 to Tues 1st Jan 2019

I have been more or less updating the race calendar every single day since the start of December with events that are coming up over the Christmas period.

There is at the latest count 94 running related events in the area shown in the map.

These are broken down as follows...

Cork 25, Kerry 14, Clare 12, Tipperary 11, Wexford 10, Limerick 9, Kilkenny 7, Carlow 5 and Waterford 3.

There is something in there for everyone... road race, parkruns...the usual ones and extra ones, trail runs, fun runs, GOAL miles, etc.  No matter where you live, there is bound to be something close by.

There is no point in putting them all up here as there are just too many! As always, have a look at the race calendar for the full listing and latest info... https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

Cameo roles for Cork runners in the Young Offenders

It looks as if a few Cork runners landed cameo roles in the Christmas edition of the Young Offenders TV programme. Make sure to keep an eagle eye on the box over Christmas.

Results & Photos of the Glen River 5k parkrun... Sat 22nd Dec 2018

After the downpour last week, the numbers were back up again this week with 88 taking part. This was the 5th edition of this particular event and the weekly numbers can be seen above.

1 Unknown
2 Ken INCE    18:26    VM35-39    M2    Watergrasshill AC
3 Richard MURPHY    19:11    SM25-29    M3
8 Jennifer GOGGIN WALSH    19:59    VW35-39    F1    Carraig na bhFear AC
29 Cherie TURNER    23:58    VW45-49    F2    St Finbarrs AC
36 Aisling HOLMES    25:12    SW25-29    F3

Results... http://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=5

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

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 22nd Dec 2018

After the flooding last week, the 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park was back in action this morning with 259 taking part.

1 Unknown
2 Nick HOGAN    18:23    VM35-39    M2
3 David BUTLER    19:01    SM25-29    67.92 %    M3    St Finbarrs AC
15 Niamh CORBETT    20:58    SW20-24    F1
18 Linda KELLY    21:17    VW40-44    73.92 %    F2
24 Helen WALSH    21:29    VW40-44    73.24 %    F3 Togher AC

Results... http://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=129

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

The organisers of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun are putting on an extra two runs over the Christmas period... one on Christmas morning and one on New Years Day.

Surge in Over 65's joining parkrun in the UK

There was an article in the Guardian recently about how those in the over-65 age category are starting to do 5k parkruns in increasing numbers.

As can be seen from the chart above, the growth in the 18-24 age category has leveled off in 2018. This is also the age category which has been declining in athletic clubs for years.

In contrast, those aged 65 and over are taking to parkrun in droves and has grown fourfold in four years.

This surge is probably due to the very nature of parkrun. Road races can seem very intimidating to members of the public whereas 5k parkruns are all about participation. They're all about some light exercise early on a Saturday morning and people can run, jog or walk as they like.

“My confidence and self-esteem have gone through the roof. If you can run, you feel you can do anything,”

The full article can be seen here... https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/dec/15/over-65s-join-parkruns

US Runner Sets New Women's 24 Hour World Record

US ultra runner Camille Herron recently set a new world 24-hr record at the Desert Solstice track international invitational race in Phoenix , Arizona, her very first attempt at the distance.

The 36-year-old from Oklahoma ran 262.2 kms (162.9 miles) to beat Poland's Patrycja Bereznowska's best set in Belfast last year by 2.2kms (1.3 miles). That works out as 8:53 min/mile pace!

Herron ,who is also the 100 mile world record holder (12:42:41) ,won the Desert Solstice race outright beating a top-notch field. She is coached by her husband, Dublin native Conor Holt.

Huge demand for East Cork accommodation as Cork Ironman sells out

The very first full IRONMAN triathlon event in Ireland takes place in Youghal on 23rd June 2019 and has sold out already! Up to 2,650 athletes from across Europe, the US, Australia and elsewhere in the World are expected to take part. 62 countries will be represented with 21% coming from the USA alone.

The full IRONMAN triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run to finish off.

The race starts with a 3.8km swim from Claycastle beach in Youghal Bay. This is followed by a two-lap 180km (112-mile) bike ride taking in roads in the East Cork countryside. The course goes into Midleton and will rise to a maximum elevation of 190m above the town before turning back to Youghal.

The final event is a 42km (26.2-mile) run which consists of several laps of Youghal town.

To accommodate this number of participants, thousands of beds in the East Cork area are required. Accommodation in hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses in Youghal and surrounding areas is almost sold out and organiser John Innes said the local accommodation is being offered primarily to the athletes themselves.

Householders and landlords across East Cork were invited in July to register their properties if they wish to rent accommodation for the event, which is set to become one of the biggest sporting occasions in Youghal in decades.

Anyone who wishes to become involved in offering Airbnb accommodation for the event, or clubs who wish to take part in the organisation of the event, can log onto www.youghal.ie for more details.

These are the guideline prices that you should expect to pay/receive for renting a house/apartment:
1 Bed Apartment/House     €500
2 Bed House     €600-700
3 Bed House     €700-€800
4 Bed House     €800-€900
5 Bed House +     €900 +

These are the guideline prices per Room that you should expect to pay/receive:
Single Room     €50-70
Double Room     €80-100
Triple Room     €110-12

End of the road for the Belfast 24 Hour

The 10th and Final Energia 24 Hour Race will take place in Victoria Park Belfast on June 22nd - 23rd 2019. Entries are currently over the 200 mark with a limit of 350. 18 relay teams have signed up to date.

Back in 2009, 24 hour races were still very minor events that didn't attract much attention. Thanks to the likes of the Belfast 24 and other events, they have certainly become a lot more popular.

In its early years, the Belfast 24 hour was held at the Mary Peters track in the south of Belfast. This is a lovely location with the track in a kind of bowl which protects it from the elements. There were however issues with noise and neighbours and doing continuous loops of a 400m track wasn't the easiest mentally either.

In the last few years, the event moved to Victoria Park in east Belfast. This used a one-mile loop and was a big hit with the runners. It also doubled up every year as the Irish 24 hour National Championship.

The above photo shows Aidan Hogan from Cork who ran a big PB of 243.9kms (151.5 miles) to take his first Irish title at Energia24 in Belfast during the Summer of 2018.

There's lots of info on the race at: www.energia24.co.uk

Update on Ballincollig Regional Park... Wed 19th Dec 2018

This is an example of some of the flooding near the playing pitches at the western end of the Ballincollig Regional Park (taken Wed 19th Dec 2018).

This seems to be an improvement on the flooding that was there last Saturday when the 5k parkrun had to be cancelled. However, it looks as if more rain is on the way Thursday night and Friday morning.

If you are thinking of going to the parkrun next Saturday, just confirm that it is going ahead before traveling.

The brain-changing benefits of exercise

The brain-changing benefits of exercise by neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki

Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 16th Dec 2018

After a miserable wet start to the day, the weather forecast was spot on as the clouds parted for the start of the Newmarket 5k at 1pm. As conditions go, it was more or less perfect with bright winter sunshine for the whole race. No sooner was the race over when the rain returned.

One particular feature of this race is that the field was very strong. An amazing 108 of the 344 finishers were under 20 minutes which is way faster than most 5k races.

As can be seen from the chart above, this year set a new record for the number of finishers! A lot of races in 2018 have seen their numbers drop or flatten out. The Newmarket race has been growing since 2015.

1     Hiko Tonosa     D.S.D.A.C         14:40     SM
2     Thomas Hayes     Kilkenny City Harriers         15:06     SM
3     James McCarthy     East Cork AC         15:19     SM
16     Michelle Finn     Leevale AC         16:36     SF
18     Grace Lynch     Iveragh AC         16:40     SF 
24     Anna Reddin     Crusaders  AC       17:15     SF

Full results...
http://www.premiertimingsystems.ie/2018-Race-Results/Newmarket-Christmas-5K-Race-Results

Photos...
1) There will be 3 albums up on the Running in Cork Facebook page
...a) Pre race & start
...b) Finish line photos
...c) Prizes

2) TMC Photography has a gallery HERE

New club Doneraile AC out in force

 

Kanturk Road Runners make the short trip to Newmarket

The club with the most entries was Mallow AC

Results of the Cloyne Commons 4k... Sun 16th Dec 2018

224 turned out for this 4k in Cloyne in East Cork on Sun 16th Dec 2018.

1 13:30    HARTY, Brian    Unattached    M    05:25.8
2 14:07    INCE, Ken    Watergrasshill AC    M    05:40.7
3 14:23    KELLY, Chris    Aghada RC    M    05:47.1
14 15:46 O'BRIEN, Claire    Watergrasshill AC    F    06:20.5    22    14
20 16:23 O'CONNOR, Ali    Clonmel AC    F    06:35.4
27 17:16 LEAHY, Eileen    Midleton AC    F    06:56.7

In association with East Cork AC - Cloyne Commons 4k Race 2 - Sun 16 Dec 2018. 9:30 am
Results for All Competitors in finish order.    Pace    Race    Race
    Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
    1    0:13:30    HARTY, Brian    Unattached    M    05:25.8    930    1
    2    0:14:07    INCE, Ken    Watergrasshill AC    M    05:40.7    7    2
    3    0:14:23    KELLY, Chris    Aghada RC    M    05:47.1    961    3
    4    0:14:57    SMITH, Kevin    Midleton AC    M40    06:00.8    915    4
    5    0:14:59    BRUTON, Pat    Unattached    M50    06:01.6    17    5

Results of the Glen River 5k parkrun... Sat 15th Dec 2018

Just 27 hardy runners turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in the Glen on the north side of Cork City which is understandable considering the rain.

They were joined this week by Sonia O'Sullivan and daughter Sophie who represented Ireland on the Under 20 women's team at the European Cross Country Championships in Denmark last weekend.

Fair play to the organisers and stewards who had to stand around in those conditions this morning. Without volunteers like that, parkruns would be impossible.

1 Brian LINEHAN    19:18    VM55-59    79.62 %    M1
2 Jp MCSHERRY    19:36    VM40-44    71.26 %    M2
3 John LONGAN    19:58    SM25-29    64.61 %    M3
7 Sonia O'SULLIVAN    21:02    VW45-49    78.76 %    F1 Glenhuntly AC
9 Sophie O'SULLIVAN    21:19    JW15-17    71.77 %    F2 Hampton Court Dragons
20 Maretta BRENNAN    28:24    VW50-54    61.33 %    F3

The full results are here... http://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=4

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

Weather impacts on local parkruns

The heavy rainfall on Friday and early on Saturday has had an impact on the 5k parkruns in Cork with Ballincollig, Macroom and Glengarriff being cancelled.

The photo above shows the playing pitches in Ballincollig Regional Park on Saturday morning about 9am. With more rain on the way, there is likely to be a lot of standing water around next week. Check to confirm that it is on next Saturday if you are traveling.

Jingle Jog 5k in Rosscarbey on Sat 15th Dec postponed

Due to the weather forecast, tomorrow’s Jingle Jog in Rosscarbey has been postponed until the 29th of December.

Running events coming up next weekend... Sat 15th & Sun 16th Dec 2018

The Christmas period is one of the busiest times of the year for running events and it really kicks off next weekend.

The list below which is extracted from the race calendar gives a good idea of what is on offer. Which event you take part in really depends on where you live.

The big race on Co.Cork next weekend is the annual Newmarket 5k organised by Duhallow AC on Sunday the 16th of December. They have had quite a large number of pre-entries to date and you can still enter on the day.

Weather Forecast : Loads of rain on Saturday and Monday. Much better on Sunday.

These are the running events in the South of Ireland on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th of December 2018.

- - - December 2018 - - -

Sat 15th (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 ///

Kerry... Sat 15th (8:30am)... Glenageenty Trail Marathon... €40... NE Kerry...
Kerry... Sat 15th (9:30am)... Glenageenty Trail Half-Marathon... €30...
Kerry... Sat 15th (10:30am)... Glenageenty Trail 10k... €20...

Cork... Sat 15th (9:30am)... Jingle Jog/Walk in Rosscarbery... €5... POSTPONED
Kerry... Sat 15th (10am)... Barradubh Santa 5k Fun Run / Walk... €7... Also 2.5k option...
Cork... Sat 15th (12 noon)... Glanmire 5k Santa Charity Fun Run... €20...

Sun 16th (9:30am)... 2k Junior parkruns - Various locations - Free
Cork - Cobh /// Limerick - Shelbourne Park /// Kerry - Tralee /// Wexford - Heritage Park ///

Cork... Sun 16th (9:30am)... Cloyne Commons 4k... €5... info...
Clare... Sun 16th (10:30am)... Run Santa Run Ennis... €5... Clare County Council Car Park... in aid of Clare Crusaders Clinic...
Kerry... Sun 16th (11am)... Tralee 5km Santa Fun Run... €10...

Cork... Sun 16th (1pm)... Newmarket Christmas Classic 5k road race... €15 on the day... organised by Duhallow AC ...info...

Race calendar... http://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

End of the road for the Tralee Marathon

After several years of decline, it looks as if it's the end of the road for the Tralee Marathon in Co.Kerry. Usually held around St.Patrick's Day in March, the full marathon had just 139 finishers this year.

The first year of the Tralee Marathon was back in 2013 and at the time, there was a lot of excitement with runners in Kerry opting to do a marathon in their home county. Over time however, several other marathons and half-marathons started up and the numbers gradually declined.

As can be seen from the graph above, the full has been in decline since the inaugural event and it hit its lowest point in 2018. Once the numbers get below a certain level, it's hard to justify a full marathon event.

The event is now being rebranded as the Tralee Harriers Half-Marathon and 10k going forward.

From the organisers..."With declining numbers over the last few years we have taken the decision of not running a full marathon but we will have a 1/2 marathon and 10km on Saturday 16th March 2019"

Addendum : It looks as if there is another marathon in Tralee on the 20th of April and it is a stand alone event. Despite its name, it looks like a completely different event to the one that is cancelled. It is also on the same day as two other half-marathons in Kerry so it will probably be a low key marathon like some of the MCI events.

Guest Post : JOHN O’LEARY’S AMAZING RECORD...by John Walshe

Congratulations to Cork runner John O'Leary who is now 80 years old and moves into the M80 category! To mark the occasion, the following article written by John Walshe for the Leevale AC  50th anniversary book 'Leevale - Home of Champions' has been updated for John's birthday. 

JOHN O’LEARY’S AMAZING RECORD...By John Walshe

Of the 31 runners who ran the first Ballycotton ‘10’ back in 1978, 12 were from the Leevale club. However, for one of that dozen it is not the ten-mile race that holds the most memories but the Ballycotton Summer Series of five milers.

Later in that year of 1978, John O’Leary ran the Shanagarry ‘5’ and so started an incredible sequence that saw the Douglas man take part in a total of 154 consecutive races in the Series. But not alone did he reach that colossal number but he also achieved a milestone in running that will never be surpassed – that of finishing in first place in his age category in a staggering 123 of these events.

John took up running somewhat late in life, as his first sporting involvement was with Douglas Hall soccer club, both as a founder member and as a coach. “I was with them for around 10 years and we used to train at Castletreasure pitch,” he recalls. “As I was then in my late thirties I said I should do something about getting myself fit, so I started running in the field and I eventually ventured out in the dark and ran four miles. I said if I can keep this going for the four seasons, regardless of the weather, I will take up running for good.”

Luckily for John, across the road from his home in Gartan Park lived Jerry Murphy, then one of Cork’s outstanding distance runners. “It was Jerry who got me involved in Leevale and then the late Mick Harte started coaching me, but it was Jerry more than anyone else who influenced me.”

John’s first race was an international four-mile event at Loughrea and he also remembers the first cross-country medal he won: “It was a County Novice ‘B’ race and one of my team-mates on the Leevale team that day was Marcus O’Sullivan, who would go on to win three World Indoor titles.”

Finish of the 2018 BHAA 5k Simon race

He won his first road race prize at that Shanagarry race in 1978 and the following year, having turned 40, won his first category prize. As he moved up the age categories, he continued his amazing winning progression. He was unbeaten in the M55 age-group with 20 wins and won the M60 category on 19 occasions and continued into both the M70 and M75 categories.,

“I took up running as a science, not as a sport. I wanted to see what the body could go through and that helped me. I always knew when to ease off and I also knew the meaning of the word recovery,” concludes this remarkable man, who will celebrate his 80th birthday this month of December, 2018.

John O'Leary at the last Ballycotton 5 race in August 2017

A full list of John Walshe's articles can be found here... https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/john-walshe.html

Kate Veale of West Waterford AC wins National 20k Race Walk Championships

Kate Veale of West Waterford AC took another huge step back to the top level of race walking this morning at the national 20 k championships held in St Anne's Park Raheny Dublin. Kate took gold in a huge new personal best 1.37.54 knocking almost 5 minutes off her previous best .

Kate's time also was inside the qualifying times for two significant races in 2019
The European cup of race walking and the World universities games but she will have to wait as selection will be decided by Athletics Ireland in the near future.

Updated on 13th Dec...
Interview on WLRFM... Listen from 01:08:20 to 01:15:00

Elite entries for the 2019 Dungarvan 10 mile race

The normal round of entries for the 2019 John Treacy 10 mile road race in Dungarvan closed at the start of November. They are however accepting 'Elite Entries' and the standard required is shown below...

From West Waterford AC..."If you wish to apply as an elite runner please send your information to info AT westwaterfordathletics DOT org stating your name, date of birth, club and fastest time and location for either half marathon or 10 mile race ran in the last 3 years.

Half Marathon time: Under 1.20 for men (1.30 for women)
10 Mile Time: Under 60 mins for men (65 for women)"

The race starts at 1:30pm on Sunday the 3rd of February 2019.

New development at UCC Farm to start in early 2019

It looks as if part of the UCC Farm is going to be developed in 2019 with work likely to commence early in the year.

The first two pitches on the left as you enter the UCC Farm will be developed with new buildings being constructed. This was flagged several years back but the economic climate was different back then.

Back in mid  2013, the first building was supposed to go up in late 2014 so the timeline for this project is over 4 years behind.

Many local runners use the UCC Farm for short training runs as the softer surface makes a welcome change from the pounding on the roads and footpaths. By running around the perimeter and staying off the playing pitches, there is a nice 2.25 mile loop. Obviously the new development will make those loops shorter.

Previous posts about the development HERE

The image below shows what the UCC Farm may look like eventually...
 

It's going to take some time before it's completely developed but 2019 should mark the year when it started.

Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA 5k Turkey Trot - Sun 9th Dec 2018

A grand total of 241 runners turned out for this years Cork BHAA 5k Turkey Trot in Mahon with a cheque for €3,000 to Cork Simon. As can be seen from the chart at the bottom of the post, the numbers were down about 14% this year which was probably due to the number of events on over the weekend.

Contestants were not allowed wear watches for this 5k and the winners were those who finished as close as possible to their estimated finish times.

The first three men and women across the line are shown below...

1 James McCarthy  16:22
2 Brian Harty 17:33
3 Conrad Daly 19:13
24 Benvon Lyons 21:19
28 Ann Marie Burns 21:46
35 Siobhan Holland 22:28

Full results are up HERE

Two little elves from the Kingdom

Photos...
1) There are two albums up on the Running in Cork Facebook page...
...a) Pre-race and start
...b) Finish

And finally...this was of course the last race of the 2018 Cork BHAA calendar. Here are some of the Cork BHAA guys that help put on this successful race series every year.

2019 Dublin Marathon sells out

On Monday the 10th of December 2018, the last of the 20,000 entries were sold for the next Dublin marathon at the end of October 2019. It's pretty amazing really considering how far away it is.

Looking back at earlier posts on the blog, the 2018 race sold out at the end of May 2018 and the 2017 race sold out on the 12th of July.

The big difference now is that before, the race was selling out around the time people might start think about doing a training plan. Now it's almost 11 months in advance which seems way off into the future. It's very likely that the number of 'no shows' will rise as well as people get swept up in the panic to enter and never turn up on the day. 

What will it be next year? Will it sell out in November?

There is a transfer window for those with entries but I think it is pretty early in 2018.

Over 19,500 entries sold already for the 2019 Dublin City Marathon

Update 9th December. It is likely to sell out on Mon 10th Dec.

Updates...
Mon 10th Dec 2018... SOLD OUT!
Sun 9th Dec 2018... Now 19,500 gone. Likely to close on Mon 10th.
Wed 4th Dec 2018... Now 18,000 gone.
Tues 27th Nov 2018... Now 16,000 gone.
Sun 18th Nov 2018... Now 13,300 gone
Wed 14th Nov 2018... Now 12,500 gone.
Wed 7th Nov 2018... Now 10,000 gone.
Sat 3rd Nov 2018... 7,000 gone.

It's hard to believe but 10,000 places for the 2019 Dublin City Marathon have been sold already!

The entry fees are broken down as follows... Entry fee:  The first 7,000 entries are at €70, the next 7,000 are at €80 and the last 6,000 are at €90.

Amazingly, the first batch of 7,000 were snapped up by Saturday the 3rd of November, just 6 days after the 2018 event! By Wed 7th, it was at 10,000. That means there are now less than 10,000 left.

Although 12 months is a long time to plan ahead, you should probably be thinking about entering if you are interested. If nothing else, you should keep a close eye on the entries to see how things progress.

The entry link is http://kbcdublinmarathon.ie/enter-marathon/

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 8th Dec 2018

Looks like they got a nice day for this years Clonakilty Marathon albeit a little windy.

Looking through the results, the numbers are just a tad down this year.

The marathon hit a new record with the highest number of finishers ever in the events history. The half-marathon was also up slightly but the drop this year was in the 10k for whatever reason.

Marathon...
2 Freddy STUKK    02:39:20 2    MS (1)    Raheny Shamrocks
3 Ciaran MCKENNA    02:39:56 171    MS (2)  
4 Derek GRIFFIN    02:46:50 342    MS (3)  
22 Charlotte KEARNEY    03:18:04 372    F40 (1)    Donadea RC
32 Kelli PALIZZI    03:25:02 438    FS (1)    PPRR
35 Ellen AHERN    03:26:40 248    F40 (2)    Rosscarbery Steam Runners

Half-Marathon...
1 Sergiu CIOBANU    01:13:22 1945    MS (1)    Clonliffe Harriers
2 Niall SHEIL    01:14:49 1344    M40 (1)    St Killians
3 Mark GUERIN    01:16:55 5708    MS (2)
13 Jackie CARTHY    01:26:49 1106    F40 (1)    Kilgore AC
28 Kana AKIMOTO    01:32:58 1075    FS (1)    North East Runners Dundalk
45 Deirdre ANSBRO    01:36:11 1413    FS (2)    Youghal AC

10km...
1 Barry O'SHEA    00:35:25 2594    MS (1)    Midleton AC
2 Michiel MEULEMANS    00:35:30 2511    MS (2)    Loopgroep Run Inn
3 Garrett LORDAN    00:35:58 2471    MS (3)    Clonakilty Road Runners AC
5 Catriona MCKIERNAN    00:37:10 9763    F40 (1)   
13 Zoe QUINN    00:39:34 2173    F40 (2)    Raheny Shamrock AC
15 Gráinne O'CALLAGHAN    00:40:14 2550    FS (1)    North Cork AC


The results are up on the MyRunResults website... https://www.myrunresults.com/events/clonakilty_waterfront_marathon_ix/2967/results

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 8th Dec 2018

188 turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park in what were dry but windy conditions. This is down somewhat on the 312 of last week and the average of 290 for 2018. Perhaps the Clonakilty marathon on Saturday and the Cork BHAA Turkey Trot coming up on Sunday might have been a factor.

1 Unknown
2 Alan O'SULLIVAN    19:48    VM35-39    M2
3 Kevin GLEESON    20:12    VM35-39    M3
21 Olga O'SULLIVAN    22:35    VW40-44    F1    Eagle A.C.
33 Linda HOGAN    23:22    VW50-54    F2
36 Gillian COTTER    23:29    VW45-49    F3    St Finbarrs AC
Full results

Photos...
1) Collette Ryan has some photos HERE

Results & Photos of the Glen River 5k parkrun... Sat 8th Dec 2018

76 runners turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in the Glen, down slightly on the 81 last week.

1 Ken INCE    18:34    VM35-39    M1    Watergrasshill AC
2 Craig HARRINGTON    18:46    SM25-29    M2    Togher AC
3 Martin COLWILL    18:57    VM50-54    M3    Bideford AAC
22 Catherine REDMOND    23:58    VW45-49    F1
26 Sinead ROCHE    24:50    JW11-14    F2
27 Helen ROCHE    24:51    VW45-49    F3    Wibbly Wobbly Wonders

Results

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

Athletics Ireland release membership stats for clubs for Nov 2018

Athletics Ireland have just released the latest stats for the membership of athletic clubs in the country as of the end of November 2018. This is the adult membership of athletic clubs in Cork with 100 or more members in 2017/2018...

Some clubs have shown strong growth over the last 12 month with Mallow AC being the largest. Clubs like Togher AC have seen the benefits of their Couch to 5k programme while St.Catherines AC in Conna have also seen a big jump in numbers.

Doneraile AC are a new club and pop straight in as the 8th largest.

The overall figures for Cork county show that real growth in adult membership has been in several new regional clubs starting up. New clubs like Mt.Hillary AC, Doneraile AC, Bridevale AC and Beara AC account for 360 of the additional 442 adult club members in 2018.

Adults Getting Older.... The trend for adult club members to be older continues. At the end of November 2017, 19.3% of adults were under the age of 35. At the end of November 2018, that had dropped to 17.5% and looks set to continue.

Going back to 2013, that figure was at 27.3%.

Drop in Juvenile Numbers... The most significant change in the club membership numbers is the drop in the number of Juveniles. That is down 5.6% in the last 12 months.

Full stats are available on the Athletics Ireland website.

Lizzie Lee and Mick Clohisey qualify for the IAAF World Championships

It has been announced that following winning the national marathon titles at the recent Dublin Marathon, both Lizzie Lee from Cork and Mick Clohisey have qualified for the 2019 IAAF World Championships. This is scheduled to be held between 27 September and 6 October 2019 in Doha, Qatar. Should be a warm marathon!

Talk by Irish marathon record holder Cartherina McKiernan in Clonakilty - Fri 7th Dec 2018

 

From the organiers of the Clonakilty Marathon... 8pm, Friday 7th December 2018 at The Clonakilty Hotel. (FREE ADMISSION)

Q&A with Chi Running Instructor and Winner of Berlin Marathon, Amsterdam Marathon & London Marathon our national record holder of Marathon distance, a time of 2:22:23, Catherina McKiernan.

Get top running tips from a true Irish sports legend.

East Cork Harbour Marathon donate €9000 to Marymount Hospice

From the organisers of the East Cork Harbout Marathon...
Last Friday we presented all Benefactors with the funds you all helped us raise in this years East Cork Harbour Marathon.

Marymount University Hospice were presented with €9K!!

We are thrilled to have raised €24,812.59 since 2016 for Marymount Hospice.

A sincere Thank you to each and everyone of you, for your support year on year.

Thank you.
East Cork Harbour Marathon Team

€250 Nike Vaporfly Shoes...Value for Money???

When Eliud Kipchoge broke the marathon record in Berlin in September, he was wearing Nike Vaporfly 4% running shoes. There has been a huge amount of publicity and hype about this shoe and its performance of late. At roughly $250 or €250 a pair, they're certainly not cheap.

Nike claim the shoes can improve performance by as much as 4% and there has been a huge demand for them. At the recent New Work Marathon Expo, people were queuing up to buy them. Think about that... a $250 sale every minute or so for hours on end.

Do they live up to the hype though?

The shoes contain a curved, carbon-fiber plate embedded in a thick layer of lightweight foam. Tests done with fast male runners determined that the 4% shoe slightly changed how the men ran. This reduced the amount of muscular activity around their ankles and feet and lessened the amount of energy they burned. It seems that the internal structure acts like a lever instead of a spring and this leads to improved efficiency.

It's one thing improving the efficiency of highly trained athletes but will the shoes work for the ordinary Joe Soap?

As Dr.Kram who supervised one of the studies said....“The shoes might help” to shave a minute or five from a plodding runner’s 10K or half-marathon finishing time But, realistically many people will get much more than a 4 percent improvement from more training and maybe a little weight loss.”

On the other hand, €250 for something that will last perhaps 6-12 months is small beer compared to the entry fees of some of the big marathons.

As the saying goes... Caveat Emptor.

More information about the Nike Vaporfly studies can be seen on the New York Times website.

RIP - Cork runner Paddy Daly

A bit of sad news this time. Paddy Daly (#417 in the above picture) was a regular on the Cork race circuit and ran with the Army team at the Cork BHAA races. He passed away on Wednesday the 4th of December 2018.

Details about the funeral arrangements on the RIP.IE website

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.