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Thursday, February 28, 2019

FILM REVIEW : 7 DAYS - THE STORY OF "BLIND DAVE" HEELEY

 

Now for something different! I was sent on a film to review recently titled '7 Days - The Story of "Blind Dave" Heeley'.

The film portrays the life story of Dave Heeley, a runner who was inspired to undertake the challenge of running the “Sevens” -  seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. The only problem is that Dave is completely blind.

The film follows his progress through the seven events with flashbacks to his earlier life when he was beginning to lose his sight. It's an inspirational story of how someone battled against adversity to complete what must have seemed at the time like an impossible goal.

I found it a enjoyable film to watch and at roughly 41 minutes in length, it's just about right. It obviously doesn't have the special effects or locations used for say a Hollywood blockbuster but it does a good job of getting the story across.

"Blind Dave" Heeley seems to be a remarkable character and he has raised an incredible £3 million to date for charity.

The film website is here... https://www.pixelrevolutionfilms.com/7days

It is hoped that there will be a charity screening in the UK in mid-May as well as at some upcoming film festivals. It is hoped that it will be released online for the general public in late May or early June, via a paid link.

There is a video trailer and a radio interview below..

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Results of the poll for the best Half-Marathon in Munster in 2019



Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll for the best Half-Marathon in Munster in 2018.

These were the nominees...
Charleville Half-Marathon (Sept 2018)
Cork City Half-Marathon (June 2018)
Dingle Half-Marathon (Sept 2018)
Clonmel Half-Marathon (Aug 2018)
Clonakilty Half-Marathon (Dec 2018)
Run Killarney Half-Marathon (July 2018)
Cahir Half-Marathon (July 2018)
Rosscarbery Surf, Turf 'n' Tar Half-Marathon (May 2018)
Waterford AC Half-Marathon (Dec 2018)
Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon (Sept 2018)
East Cork Harbour Half-Marathon (Aug 2018)


As you can see, the Clonmel Half-Marathon topped the poll! Some of the comments left for the Clonmel Half are shown below...

Guest Post : THE ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY... by John Walshe


The English National Cross-Country Championships attracts thousands of entrants and this year was no exception. With a start line as wide as a field, the assembled field eventually thins out as shown in the above photo... if you could call that 'thin'! :o)

(Videos of this years races)

In this guest post, John Walshe of Ballycotton looks at this years event and reflects on the same event 40 years ago.

THE ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY
(By John Walshe)

On Saturday last the Saucony/English National Cross-Country Championships took place on the grounds of Harewood House on the outskirts of Leeds. At what was regarded as one of the best venues in recent years, the 10-race programme attracted over 9000 entrants, culminating in the 131st senior men’s championship over 12km which had over 2000 finishers.

It was a great day for the local Leeds City club as they took both senior titles. Their women defeated Aldershot, Farnham & District (who had the individual winner in Emily Thornhill-Hosker) by three points while the Leeds City men had a clearer victory, finishing 81 points ahead of Tonbridge. Last year’s junior champion, Mahamed Mahamed from Southampton, won an exciting senior race by just one second from Emile Cairess of Leeds.

Less than three-and-a-half-minutes covered the top 100 finishers. An indication of the standard can be seen from the performance of Sean Fitzpatrick from Kent AC. After finishing third in 25:58 six days before at the Carrigaline five-miler, the 2:28 marathoner could only manage 282nd at Leeds.


Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Notice : Mallow 10 mile road race - Sun 24th March 2019



The Mallow 10 mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 24th of March 2019 at 12:30pm. Entries opened on Friday December 7th.

Update Sat 8th Dec... 1000 of the 2000 online entries are now gone.
Update Fri 4th Jan... 1600 of the 2000 online entries are now gone.
Update Tues 5th Feb... Fewer than 100 places left now! 
Update Tues 19th Feb... Just under 50 places left. Race website updated with details of elite entry requirements and all the prizes. 
Update Sun 24th Feb... All 2000 entries have been sold. The transfer window is still open until Friday 1st March.

Link... https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/MallowAC10mileroadrace2019

Entries are now open.  

There will be a lot of demand for this race and it will certainly sell out. Outside of the Dungarvan 10, this is probably the second most popular 10 miler in Munster.

Going on previous entries, the Dungarvan 10 is an event that sells out in hours where as the Mallow 10 sells out in days.

Updated info will appear here and on the race website... https://mallowtenmile.wordpress.com/

Monday, February 25, 2019

New junior 2k parkrun in Ballincollig on the way!


It looks as if there is a group forming in Ballincollig to set up a junior event there, a separate entity totally from the 5k event.

This event will be for 4 to 14 year olds and will be held on a 2km course in the Regional Park every Sunday morning at 9:30am. As with all parkruns, it will be completely free.

They've already got a course mapped out which they're waiting for approval from the council for & also they're trying to do a bit of fundraising to pay for the startup costs.

If you're interested in being involved or want to help out then send an email to john DOT kissane AT parkrun DOT com

He will then put you in touch with the event director.

History of Cobh junior parkrun numbers up to 24th Feb 2019

As well as the usual 5k parkrun on Saturday mornings for adults, there are also 2k parkruns for 4-14 year olds around the country on a Sunday. The only one in Cork at present is in Cobh.

The chart above shows the numbers taking part since it first started back in May of 2018.

To date, 535 registered 4-14 year olds have taken part.
The average attendance is 90.3.
The average time for the 2k course is 13m 15s.

If you want more information on this event or the concept of a junior parkrun, go to http://www.parkrun.ie/cobh-juniors/

If the interest was there, this could be replicated all over Cork county. It's really a case of an interested group coming together and starting one.

Here is the start line at the Cobh junior parkrun last Sunday...

Dublin Marathon announce extra 2,500 places available


Dublin City Marathon have announced that 2,500 extra entries for the 40th event this year will go on sale on Monday 1st July - bringing the total number of entries up to a record 22,500.

In addition to the 2,500 extra entries for the 2019  Dublin Marathon, places are also expected to be made available following an opportunity for current entrants to avail of a refund window from 9am 3rd June - Midnight 16th June.

The refund will be available on “Manage My Bookings” via the entrant’s confirmation link.

All entries will then go on sale to the general public @ 9am on the 1st July for €90

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Results of the Adare 10k - Sun 24th Feb 2019



A total of 657 runners turned out for the annual Adare 10k in Co Limerick on Sunday the 24th of February 2019. This popular race sold out months ago and attracts runners from a wide catchment area including Cork.

1 Rory O'CONNOR    30:43    MS (1)    North Cork AC
2 Sean HEHIR    30:53    MS (2)    Rathfarnham WSAF AC
3 Alan O'SHEA    31:37    MS (3)    Bantry AC
16 Barbara CLEARY    36:07    F45 (1)   
18 Siobhan O'DOHERTY    36:47    FS (1)    Borrisokane AC
19 Íde NIC DHOMHNAILL    37:20    FS (2)    Donore Harriers


Results

Photos... (Updated Mon 25th Feb @10pm)
1) Eamonn Doody has several galleries.... Album 1... Album 2... Album 3... 
2) Willie Fitzgerald has a large gallery HERE

Results of the Kinsale 10 mile - Sun 24th Feb 2019



It was a bit dull and grey for the first outing of this new 10 mile race in Kinsale.

1. Tim O Donoghue East Cork AC M18-39 51:56
2. Tom Lupton Portlaoise ac M18-39 56:10
3. Jeremy O'Donovan St finbarr's M40-44 56:17
47. Katie Hickson Cork triathlon club F40-44 01:05:35
54. Irene Gorman Crusaders ac F18-39 01:06:47
68. Lorna Wolfe F18-39 01:07:54


The results are up HERE

Someone sent me a text to say that they got 10.2 miles on their GPS watch with this one. It would normally be around 10.05. Maybe it was just something up with the watch? Anyone else see something similar?

Photos... (Updated Mon 25th Feb 2019)
1) Derek Costello has two galleries...
...a) Mile 3
...b) Mile 7
2) Brian Kearney has gallery #1 HERE
3) The organisers have some prize giving photos in this folder

Video clip from 14 year old Ruairi Devlin.



 

Photo credit : Derek Costello

Results of the poll for the best 10 mile race in Munster in 2018



Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for the best 10 mile road race in Munster in 2018.

As people generally travel further for longer races, the poll covered all of Munster this time instead of just Cork for the shorter ones.

These were the nominations...
John Treacy 10 mile road race in Dungarvan (Feb 2018)
Kingdom Come 10 mile in Castleisland (Apr 2018)
Mallow 10 mile (March 2018)
Duhallow 10 mile in Newmarket (Apr 2018)
Blackwater 10 mile in Clondulane nr Fermoy (May 2018)
John Buckley Sports 10 Miler in Cork City (Sept 2018)
Sonia O'Sullivan 10 mile in Cobh (Apr 2018)
Killarney 10 mile (Sept 2018)


As can be seen from the award above, the John Treacy 10 mile road race in Dungarvan topped the poll and by some margin. The Mallow 10 mile road race just managed to squeeze ahead of the John Buckley Sports Cork City 10 miler to take second.

See all the comments below from those that voted for the John Treacy 10 mile in Dungarvan...

Darragh McElhinney sets new Junior Indoor 5000m record of 14.13



How about this for a time! Darragh McElhinney of Bantry AC set a new Irish Indoor 5000 metre record of 14 minutes and 13.68 seconds on Saturday at a competition in Athlone.


The former indoor record of 14m 37.02s was set by Aaron Hanlon in Boston, USA in December 2014.

Darragh is currently 18 years old and will be 19 next November.

Thanks to Steve Macklin for the photo. Steve has been coaching Darragh over the last few years.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Results & Photos of the Mallow 5k parkrun... Sat 23rd Feb 2019

131 turned out for the 5k parkrun in Mallow Town Park this week.

1 John MC LOUGHLIN    18:58    SM30-34    M1
2 Conrad DALY    19:38    SM30-34    M2
3 Fergal MURPHY    20:24    SM25-29    M3
20 Nicola O'DRISCOLL    24:37    SW25-29    F1
22 Siobhan LAVERY    24:43    VW50-54    F2
24 Breda GORMAN    24:58    VW35-39    F3


Results

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

Results of the Glen River 5k parkrun - Sat 23rd Feb 2019


The damp conditions saw the numbers drop below 100 this week as 84 turned out for the 5k parkrun in the Glen in Cork City.

1 Florent CHEVALLIER    19:27    SM30-34    M1
2 Stephen CROWLEY    19:53    SM25-29    M2
3 Brian LINEHAN    20:03    VM55-59    M3
11 Fiona SHINE    21:38    SW30-34    F1    Crusaders Athletic Club
21 Eimear KENNEDY    23:47    SW30-34    F2
26 Lisa SHINE    24:49    VW35-39    F3    Crusaders Athletic Club


Full results

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun - Sat 23rd Feb 2019



Just under 400 runners turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park.

1 Rory O' SULLIVAN    16:58    VM40-44    M1    St Finbarrs AC
2 Tim POWELL    17:31    SM25-29    M2    Serpentine RC
4 Unknown                                   
3 Regina CASSIDY    18:30    SW25-29    F1
39 Eimear O'LEARY    22:40    VW35-39    F2
46 Maria MADIGAN    23:07    VW40-44    F3


Results

Photos...
1) Collette Ryan has a gallery HERE
2) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a gallery HERE 

Friday, February 22, 2019

Preview of the Kinsale 10 mile course

The brand new Kinsale 10 mile road race is coming up next Sunday and was advertised on the flyer as a fast scenic course. In this post, we'll have a look at the course to see how it measures up.


Is it a 'fast course'? Well, probably not and here's why.

With any course, you'll never get back the time running downhill that you lose running up a hill. It's very difficult to get a flat course in a place like Kinsale and this one hits 60m or about 200ft just after the 5 mile mark. To put that in perspective, that's higher than the highest point of the finish of the Ballyandreen 5 mile course that many of you will be familiar with the 'Beast'.

In comparison with the likes of the Dungarvan '10' or the Mallow '10', there is roughly 50% more climbing. In comparison to the old Ballycotton '10', it has about double the amount of climbing.

With the Ballycotton, Dungarvan and Mallow courses, they all remain in a valley. The Kinsale one has no option but to go up one of the surrounding hills.

Not so much a fast course but still pretty reasonable. 

I'd guess for the average runner used to finishing around the 70 minute mark, you could add 30-60 seconds to your time.

This is a profile of the route...


Description...... After a fast downhill start, the going is pretty flat until about 2.5 miles. From there there is gradual climb with a few dips up until you reach Ballynamona Cross Roads at 5.3 miles which is around 200ft above sea level.

After that, there is a gradual downhill for about two miles so this section will be very fast. Then back on the flat at 7.5 miles and an uphill finish at the very end.

You should expect to still run a reasonable time but not just as fast as Dungarvan or Mallow.

Weather... The weather forecast is for it to be 10 deg C with a strong southerly breeze which will be a headwind in the second half of the race. It's also supposed to be cloudy and overcast which is a pity as it's a lovely spot when the sun is out.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Athletics Ireland membership growth grinds to a halt in 2018


Athletics Ireland have just released their membership stats for the end of December 2018 and here are some of the key points...

1) Membership numbers have effectively stopped growing

2) A drop in Juvenile numbers

3) Masters numbers (adults aged 35 and above) continues to grow

4) Senior numbers (adults aged 20-34) level off


The stats in more detail....

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Clonakilty parkrun on 23rd Feb 2019 Cancelled

The organisers of the 5k parkrun in Clonakilty have to cancel the event on the 23rd of February. It looks as if they are having trouble getting volunteers.



"Hey all really sorry about this but there will be no parkrun in Clonakilty this Saturday 23 February. We have no run director to take charge. We are really struggling to fill the run director role each week - while we have a core team they all lead busy lives and invariably cannot be available every weekend. We would ask anyone who would be willing to come onto the core team to raise their hands and let us know - it’s not a hard job and would only require the odd weekend here and there if we can get enough volunteers for the role - without this vital role being filled parkrun cannot take place & Clonakilty parkrun will not survive. Please spread the word as there will not be any notice posted on the gate on the morning. Thanks all & apologies again."

If you live in or near Clonakilty and you can help out, give the guys a shout.

Their website is http://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/

Results of the Poll for the Best 10k Race in Cork in 2018


Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll for the best 10k race in Cork in 2018.

These were the nominations....
Courtmacsherry 10k (June 2018)
Rebel Run 10k (Oct 2018)
Thomas Kent 10k in Castlelyons (Nov 2018)
Crosshaven 10k (March 2018)
Cork BHAA UCC 10k (Apr 2018)
Bweeng 10k (May 2018)
East Cork Harbour Marathon 10k (Aug 2018)
Rosscarbery Surf, Turf 'n' Tar 10k (May 2018)


As you can see above, the Thomas Kent 10k topped the poll with the Crosshaven 10k just pipping the UCC 10k for second place.

Here are some of the comments left in the poll for the Thomas Kent 10k...

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Results of the MMRA Claragh Mtn race - Sat 9th Feb 2019

A total of 84 runners turned out for this MMRA 7km trail race up and down Claragh Mtn near Millstreet.

1 Neilus Healy    591    M    0:32:52
2 Barry Hartnett    307    M    0:34:54    Moorabbey Miler AC Tipperary
3 Paul Minogue    22    M    0:35:25    Clonmel AC    Tipperary
20 Debbie McCarthy    210    F40    0:44:20    Riverstick ...    Cork
33 Tricia Twohig    415    F    0:46:48    Mt Hillary ...    Cork
47 Elaine Kelleher    1398    F40    0:49:44    Cork


Full results... https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/1686

Monday, February 18, 2019

Results of the Poll for the Best 5 mile race in Cork in 2018


Thanks to everyone for took part in the poll for the best 5 mile road race in Cork in 2018.

These were the contenders...

Coachford 5 mile (July 2018)
Kinsale Regatta 5 mile (Aug 2018)
GR8KM in Mitchelstown (Aug 2018)
Millstreet 5 mile (June 2018)
Cork BHAA Army-Navy 5 mile (Oct 2018)
Midleton 5 mile (May 2018)
Carrigaline 5 mile (Feb 2018)
Churchtown 5 mile (Aug 2018)
Skibbereen 5 mile (Nov 2018)

As can be seen above, the Coachford 5 mile road race topped the poll! This one was pretty much a two horse race with Midleton not too far behind in second place.

Here are some of the comments left for the Coachford 5 mile race...

Photos of the St Vals Ladies Football 5k in Kilmurry - Sun 17th Feb 2019

1. John O'Mahony
2. John Cronin.
3. Angus Noonan
1. Helen Anderson
2. Hilda O'Mahony
3. Pauline Calan


Photos...
1) Prizes
2) Small gallery

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Results of the Cloyne Commons 4k - Sun 17th Feb 2019

A busy day for races in Cork with 229 taking part in the Cloyne Commons 4k.

1 0:13:37 SWORDS, Graham East Cork AC M 05:28.6 49 1
2 0:13:50 HARTY, Brian East Cork AC M 05:33.8 458 2
3 0:14:00 GOLLOGLY, Pauric Leevale AC M 05:37.8 80 3
6 0:14:24 SANTRY, Fiona East Cork AC F 05:47.5 7 6
20 0:15:20 MACKEY, Noreen Kilmurray Ibrickane Club F 06:10.0 10 20
23 0:15:53 O'NEILL, Nollaig Leevale AC F45 06:23.3 17 23

Cloyne Commons 4K Challenge Race 4 Sunday 17 February 2019

Video at bottom of post.

Provisional Results for All Competitors in finish order. Pace Race Race

Results & Photos of the Carrigaline 5 mile road race - Sun 17th Feb 2019



Conditions for the race were almost perfect albeit a bit windy, nicely sandwiched in between the heavy showers at 7am and 1pm. A total of 295 runners took part.

1 Sergiu CIOBANU Ages 35-39 Male Clonliffe Harriers 00:25:09
2 Tim O’ DONOGHUE u35 Male EAST CORK A.C. 00:25:27
3 Sean FITZPATRICK u35 Male 00:25:58
9 Claire Mccarthy Ages 40-44 Female LEEVALE A.C. 00:28:14
21 Niamh MOORE u35 Female LEEVALE A.C. 00:31:10
27 Ann Geary Ages 40-44 Female Midleton A.C. 00:31:50


Full results are up on the Eagle AC website

Photos... (Updated Sun 17th Feb 2019 @ 8:58pm)
 1) There are two albums up on the Running in Cork website...
...a) Pre-race and start
...b) There are over 200 finish line photos HERE

2) There are photos of the prize giving up on the Eagle AC Facebook page

3) Siobhan Russell has a few photo HERE

4) Mick Dooley of Eagle AC has a gallery HERE



 

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Results & Photos of the Mallow Town 5k parkrun... Sat 16th Feb 2019

The third parkrun in Mallow... time for a chart! :o))


184 this week. It'll probably take a few more weeks before things settle down and we get an idea of what the long term average is like.

1 Daire O SULLIVAN    18:28    VM35-39    M1 Mallow AC
2 John MC LOUGHLIN    19:02    SM30-34    M2
3 Conor BROWN    19:10    SM30-34    M3 Hackney Rats   
26 Eimear LAVERY    23:41    JW11-14    F1
28 Ashley GEARY    24:16    SW30-34    F2
29 Mary MURPHY    24:29    VW55-59    F3 St Finbarrs AC

Results


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

Treadmill Running - The New Fitness Trend


There was an interesting article in the Guardian recently about how running on treadmills is now the latest fitness trend in the USA.

ClassPass is a gym class subscription service based in New York that offer a variety of fitness programmes. Their fastest growing category in 2018 was basic treadmill running.

"Yes, it seems we’ve exhausted every possible exercise trend, from bikram yoga to SoulCycle, and now we’ve finally come full circle. Running is the hot new fitness trend – only this time it somehow costs lots of money."
Equinox which is a worldwide upmarket gym is reported to opening a string of treadmill only studios to cater for the demand. Their gym in Kensington, London has a membership fee of £250 per month with a £400 sign up fee!

The irony of course is that people are spending quite a lot of money doing something which can be done outdoors for free.

For the full article, have a look at the Guardian website.

Results of the Glen River 5k parkrun - Sat 16th Feb 2019


109 turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in the Glen on the north side of Cork City. Looking at the chart, is 90-100 per week going to be the long term average?

1 Finbarr ODWYER    17:36    VM45-49    M1    Leevale AC
2 Jose Manuel PABON    18:47    VM35-39    M2    Ealing Eagles Running Club
3 Florent CHEVALLIER    19:39    SM30-34    M3
7 Jennifer GOGGIN WALSH    20:19    VW35-39    F1    Carraig na bhFear AC
22 Rachel O'CALLAGHAN    23:06    VW45-49    F2
28 Pamela BARRY    24:02    VW40-44    F3    Aghada Running Club


The full results of the 13th edition can be seen HERE

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun... Sat 16th Feb 2019


Another big week for numbers in Ballincollig with 450 taking part in the 5k parkrun in the Regional Park. Looking back through the records, this was the 11th time that that Ballincollig has gone above 400.

1 Nick HOGAN    17:27 VM35-39    M1
2 Julien PASTEL    18:22  SM30-34    M2    Kinsale Tri Club
3 Trevor COLLINS    18:32   VM40-44    M3    VMware Running Club
4 Sorcha KEARNEY    18:53  VW40-44    F1    St Finbarrs AC
27 Megan O'RIORDAN    21:31 SW25-29    F2
45 Amy DALY    22:38    SW25-29    F3


The full results are HERE

Photos... (Updated Sat 16th Feb 8:24pm)
1) Colette Ryan has a gallery of photos HERE
2) The organisers have a gallery HERE 

Friday, February 15, 2019

Running events coming up on Sat 16th & Sun 17th Feb 2019

No matter where you live, there are plenty of events to choose from this weekend. Here are the ones listed on the race calendar...

Sat 16th (9:30am)... 5k parkruns - Various locations - Free
Cork - Ballincollig, Glen River, Mallow, Macroom, Clonakilty, Rineen Woods, Glengarriff Woods, Bear Is /// Limerick - University of Limerick, Newcastle West, Mungret /// 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 ///

Sun 17th (9:30am)... 2k Junior parkruns - Various locations - Free
Cork - Cobh /// Limerick - Shelbourne Park /// Kerry - Tralee /// Wexford - Heritage Park ///

Kerry... Sat 16th (10am)... Tralee 10 Miler & 5k... 10 mile €26.20 / 5k €12.50...

Kerry... Sun 17th (9am)... Hardman Half-Marathon Gap of Dunloe... €35...
Cork... Sun 17th (9:30am)... Cloyne Commons 4k... €5... info...

Cork... Sun 17th (11am)... Carrigaline 5 mile road race... €15... info...

https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/2019/01/notice-carrigaline-5-mile-road-race-sun.html

Waterford... Sun 17th (11am)... Kilmacthomas 4 mile race... €8... link... info...

https://munsterrunning.blogspot.com/2019/02/notice-kilmacthomas-4-mile-in-co.html


Limerick... Sun 17th (12 noon)... Glenbrohane 5k fun run... €11.09... nr Kilmallock...

Clare... Sun 17th (12 noon)... Love 2 Run Charity 4 mile run/walk... €10... plus 4 x 1mile Relay...  Centre Point Hermitage, Ennis...
Cork... Sun 17th (12 noon)... St.Val's Ladies Football Club 5k fun run/walk... €10... Kilmurry...
Clare... Sun 17th (1pm)... Barefield 5 mile... €?... Part of the Run Clare Series...

As always, check out the race calendar for upcoming events... https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Results of the Poll for the Best 4 mile race in Cork in 2018


Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll for the best 4 mile road race in Cork in 2018. Congratulations to Watergrasshill AC on their Great Glenville 4 mile run topping the poll!

Hot on their heels was Ballintotis in 2nd place and Buttevant just behind in 3rd.

These were the nominations....
Ballintotis 4 mile (Apr 2018)
Lee Fields 4 mile (June 2018)
Killeagh 4 mile (May 2018)
Great Glenville 4 mile (Nov 2018)
Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile (Apr 2018)
Buttevant 4 mile (May 2018)
Inniscarra 4 mile (June 2018)
Rathcormac 4 mile (Aug 2018)
Belgooly 4 mile (Dec 2018)
Clonakilty 4 mile (Aug 2018)


All of the comments about why runners voted for the Glenville 4 mile road race are shown below...

Notice : Carrigaline 5 mile road race - Sun 17th Feb 2019

Eagle AC are organising their annual 5 mile road race in Carrigaline on Sunday, the 17th of February 2019 at 11am.



While you can enter on the day of the race, you can also pre-enter from via the link below.

The pre-entry link is https://eagleac.niftyentries.com/Carrigaline-5-mile-Road-Race

Everyone who pre-enters will be put into a draw for a €30 One4All voucher.

The race is organised by Eagle AC, has an Athletics Ireland permit and has been accurately measured by Jones Counter. More info on the Eagle AC race page.

Location...The town of Carrigaline is only five miles south of the South Ring Road so it is within easy reach of Cork City. Race HQ is at the local community sports hall where runners can enter on the day. For those who pre-enter in advance, they can skip the queues there and pick up their numbers at the pre-entry desk.



The race is sponsored by The Edge Sports Shop


Route Preview.........A preview with maps, directions and details of the course can be seen HERE

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Ciara Mageean breaks her own 1500m indoor national record



Irish international Ciara Mageean has just broken her own national indoor 1500m record at the AIT International Grand Prix indoor meet in Athlone on Wed 13th Feb 2019.

Her latest time of 4m 06.78s was almost two seconds ahead of her old record which she set back in 2016. Not only is she the fastest Irish woman over the distance but she is the only one to break 4m10s!

Usually records on the track are broken by fractions of a second but to take almost two seconds off her old time just shows what great shape she is in.

New record...
1 4.06.78 NR Ciara Mageean AIT Int GP Athlone 13 Feb 2019

Previous table before today...
1 4:08.66 NR Ciara Mageean 168/56 Karlsruhe 6 Feb 2016
2 4:11.06+ NR Sinéad Evans NBG    New York NY 8 Jan 2000
3 4:11.07 Rose-Anne Galligan AIT GP Athlone 17 Feb 2016
4 4:11.27 Sonia O'Sullivan WC Lisboa 10 Mar 2001
5 4:11.31+ Roísín McGettigan Reebok Boston MA 7 Feb 2009
6 4:12.50 Geraldine Hendricken NC Belfast 16 Feb 2003
7 4:13.16 Claire Tarplee XL-Galan Stockholm 21 Feb 2013
8 4:13.96 Fionnuala McCormack NC Athlone 17 Feb 2013
9 4:14.2a Mary Purcell EC Sindelfingen 2 Mar 1980
10 4:14.54 Emma Mitchell Athlone 21 Feb 2018
11 4:14.63 Kelly Neely NC Belfast 7 Feb 2010
11 4:14.63 Kerry O'Flaherty Athlone 15 Feb 2017

Video below...

Results of the MMRA Slí Gaeltacht Mhúscraí events... Sat 9th Feb 2019

The Munster Mountain Running Association organised this trail Ultra and Half-Marathon in West Cork on Saturday the 9th of February 2019 and about 180 people took part.

In the 71.5 kms Ultra, there was 78 finishers while there was 97 in the half.

Slí Gaeltacht Mhúscraí Ultra
https://www.imra.ie/events/results/id/1670/

Slí Gaeltacht Mhúscraí Half-Marathon
https://www.imra.ie/events/view/id/1671

Sign of the Times - Cabbage Patch 10 mile race in London comes to an end

I had this story up in December of 2018. It now looks as if the race has got a reprieve!

The Stragglers Running Club
13th Feb 2019

We have some exciting news! The Cabbage Patch 10 will be continuing in 2019 and the race organisation is being taken over by The Stragglers!

We have assembled an experienced group of race organisers from the club to oversee the race and with the full support of the Cabbage Patch 10 founders, the race will go ahead on Sunday 20 October 2019.

There will be the usual call for lots of race marshals from Keith later in the year but please put the date in your diary. News on how to enter will follow soon.


************
As roads get busier and more congested in urban area, it's getting harder and harder to organise road races. As outlined in a previous post, Gardaí in Cork have warned that races will need strict road management plans in future.

In the UK the story is the same and during the week, the Cabbage Patch 10 mile race in London announced that it was coming to an end after nearly 40 years.

Start of the Cabbage Patch 10 mile in London

The last race was in mid-October when they had 1422 finishers so it was a reasonably big event.

"Especially in these increasingly difficult litigious and onerous days. The challenges presented by the modern era of local authority business strategies and traffic movement by population lifestyle preference has resulted in the possibility of putting on the race, now being considered as, too difficult to surmount."

It's likely that there will be more races in or near towns and cities that will share the same fate. 

Announcement below...


*CABBAGE PATCH 10 ANNOUNCEMENT*
Due to many different and some difficult circumstances, our beloved race The Cabbage Patch 10 and its team are proudly standing down.


Progress on new Marina Park in Cork City


It looks as if there is some movement on the new proposed Marina Park in Cork City! Funding has been secured to develop the old show grounds which is adjacent to the Pairc Ui Chaoimh stadium.

The following information was secured after a Freedom of Information request...


One of the big changes is the removal of the steam between Pairc Ui Chaoimh and the Lee Rowing Club and it will be diverted onto the existing stream to the south of the GAA grounds.

While this project will improve access for running and walking in that general area, it should probably be seen as the first step in the overall development of this new park. If the whole Marina was pedestrianised at weekends then it raises the possibility of holding a weekly 5k parkrun there.

Perhaps ;o)

More drawings and info can be seen on the Marina Park account on Twitter.

Cork runners take titles at Killarney 5k race - Sat 9th Feb 2019



The Valentines 5k race in Killarney was held on Saturday the 9th of February 2019 and was organised by local club Gneeveguilla AC.

The first man and woman home was Mark Walsh and Niamh Moore of Leevale AC.

1    67    Mark Walsh    SnrM    Leevale AC    0:16:01
2    100    Tim O'Connor    O40M    An Riocht AC    0:16:15
3    104    Donal White    O40M    An Riocht AC    0:16:26
14    66    Niamh Moore    SnrF    Leevale AC    0:18:50
17    102    Niamh O'Sullivan    O55F    An Riocht AC    0:19:08
21    92    Marie McCarthy    O40F    FFMV AC    0:19:30


The full results are now available on the Gneeveguilla AC website.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Irish results from the 2019 Barcelona Half-Marathon - Sun 10th Feb 2019



The annual Barcelona Half-Marathon in February is a hugely popular race with runners from all over Ireland taking part every year. 2019 was no exception with 255 Irish runners listed in the results.

A total of 16,418 runners from all over Europe took part, many no doubt looking for a welcome break from the cold weather to run in nice mild conditions. Add in the modest costs of flights, food and accommodation and it can work out as a reasonable alternative to say Dublin or one of the cities in the UK.

The Irish results are shown below with plenty of runners from Cork listed....

Monday, February 11, 2019

Results & Photos of the Kilmacsimon Rowing Club 10k & 6k - Sun 10th Feb 2019



This 10k and 6k organised by Kilmacsimon Rowing Club was held on Sunday the 10th of February 2019 near Inishannon in Cork.  A total of 123 took part, 64 in the 10k and 59 in the 6k.

10k...
John Collins    0:38:50
Edwin Sutton    0:40:00
Alan Ryan    0:42:40
Anna O'Neill    0:47:02
Sinead Oregan    0:47:36
Danielle McCarthy    0:50:45


Photos...
1) Kilmacsimon Rowing Club have 217 photos HERE

Full results below....

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Results of the Cork BHAA Janssen 6k in Little Island - Sun 10th Feb 2019



352 turned out for this 6k race in Little Island which is by chance the exact same as last year.

1 Alan O'Shea M1 00:18:31 Mercy Hospital
2 Andrew Sheehan M2 00:19:00 Eli Lilly M-A-1
3 Anthony Mannix M3 00:19:11 Dell-EMC
21 Michelle Kenny 0/35H F1 00:22:20 Dept of Ed F-A-2
25 Andrea Bickerdike F2 00:22:36 CIT
31 Dympna Ryan 00:23:14 Temp Reg


Full results

Results of the Glanmire Ladies Football 7k race - Sun 10th Feb 2019

A grand total of 119 people turned out for this 7k race in Glanmire, way down on the 336 that took part last year. The Cork BHAA had a race just a few miles away in Little Island at the same time so the 10th of February was a really bad date to choose.

1390    Meade   John    Male    st finbarrs ac    Overall Male Runner    0:23:32
1385    Sosnowski    Wieslaw    Male    Over 40 Male    0:24:29
358    McGrath   Jack    Male    middleton    Under 12 Male    0:27:39
363    Tideswell    Keeley    Female    Over 35 Female    0:29:07
372    McGrath    Susan    Female        Over 35 Female    0:31:00
397    Morrisey    Pamela    Female     Over 35 Female    0:32:43


Full results below...

Happy Feet running club raise funds to buy bus for local scout group


Members of the Happy Feet running club were out in force recently for the official handover of a bus for the local scout group. The club which is based in the Blarney area helped raise funds for the bus in memory of member Cory Rea who has sadly passed away.

Cory was passionate about the running club and the local 11th Cork Cloghroe Scout Group and it had been his intention to raise funds for a new bus for the scouts. Members of Happy Feet ran the Dublin Marathon on behalf of Cory and the funds raised helped realise the completion of the project.

Thanks to Mick Dooley for the info.

Photos


Saturday, February 09, 2019

Fearghal Curtin from Youghal wins 5,000m race in USA in 13m 52s!

How about this for a time! Last night, Fearghal Curtin from Youghal, won the Iowa State Classic 5000m final in a time of 13m 52s. That works out as 4m 28s per mile pace!

Thanks to Chris Mintern of Leevale for the info.


Results & Photos of the Mallow Town 5k parkrun - Sat 9th Feb 2019



171 turned out for this weeks 5k in Mallow, down from the 228 for the inaugural event last week.

1 Sean O'RIORDAN    20:16    SM25-29    M1
2 David O'CONNOR    20:31    VM35-39    M2    St Finbarrs AC
3 Dave LYONS    21:33    VM40-44    M3    Mallow AC
21 Eimear LAVERY    23:48    JW11-14    F1
25 Ashley GEARY    24:14    SW30-34    F2
29 Edel BUCKLEY    24:55    SW30-34    F3


Results

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

Results & Photos fo the Glen River 5k parkrun - Sat 9th Nov 2019



The numbers were back into three figures again this week with 103 taking part in the 5k parkrun in the Glen in Cork City.

1 Connor MC CRORY    19:05    VM35-39    M1
2 Tobi GRAB    19:12    VM40-44    M2    Leevale AC
3 Trevor COLLINS    19:13    VM40-44    M3    VMware Running Club
11 Irene EIGHAN    21:27    VW35-39    F1    St Finbarrs AC
18 Helen ANDERSON    22:34    VW40-44    F2
23 Pamela BARRY    23:11    VW40-44    F3    Aghada Running Club


Results

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

Record numbers turn out for Ballincollig 5k parkrun - Sat 9th Feb 2019



A whopping 604 turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park, smashing the old record of 533 set back in January. Obviously the weather was ideal with sunshine and blue skies but that's a pretty amazing turnout.

1 John O BRIEN    17:55    VM45-49    M1    St Finbarrs AC
2 Gavin LYNCH    18:30    VM35-39    M2    Templemore AC
3 Brian SHIELS    18:47    VM40-44    M3
6 Sorcha KEARNEY    19:03    VW40-44    F1    St Finbarrs AC
14 Nollaigh O'NEILL    20:04    VW45-49    F2    Leevale AC
15 Riina KUUSELO    20:06    VW40-44    F3    Knowle and Dorridge Running Club


Results

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