Looking back 20 years - the last race of the Millennium

On the last day of the decade, someone sent on a photo of this special commemorative plate from the last race of the Millennium twenty years ago in 1999.

It reads 'Duhallow A.C Millennium Road Race December 31st 1999'.

I'm not sure where it took place... maybe Newmarket?

Cork BHAA calendar for 2020 announced

The Cork BHAA have released their provisional calendar for 2020 and they have 17 races listed, the same as 2019.

Most of the regular races are back again but there are a few small changes.

The Merck Millipore 5k in Carrigtwohill and the CPO 5k in Mahon are gone. In their place, there is a new 5k in CIT and the DePuy Synthes 5k in Ringaskiddy.

As always, it's good to see the Cork to Cobh 15 miler making its annual appearance in October.

Note the word provisional! Dates and time may change.

- - - January 2020 - - -
Cork... Sun 5th (11am)... Cork BHAA ESB Cross Country 5k Challenge... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Beaumont Park... 
Cork... Sun 12th (11am)... Cork BHAA Dupont-FMC 6km... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Little Island... 

- - - February 2020 - - -
Cork... Sun 9th (11am)... Cork BHAA Janssen 6k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg 10... Little Island...  

- - - March 2020 - - -
Cork... Sun 1st (11am)... Cork BHAA CIT 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10...
Cork... Sun 29th (11am)... Cork BHAA UCC 10k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg 10... Lee Rd-Straight Rd ...  

- - - April 2020 - - -
Cork... Wed 22nd (7:30pm)... Cork BHAA Stryker 4 mile... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Carrigtwohill...

- - - May 2020 - - -
Cork... Wed 6th (8pm)... Cork BHAA Pfizers 6 mile... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Ringaskiddy... 
Cork... Tues 19th (8pm)... Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Marina...

- - - June 2020 - - -
Cork... Wed 10th (8pm)... Cork BHAA Cork-Kerry HSE 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg 10... Tramore Valley Park... 

Cork... Tues 23rd (8pm)... Cork BHAA VMWare 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg 10... Ballincollig...

- - - July 2020 - - -
Cork... Wed 8th (8pm)... Cork BHAA Gas Networks Ireland 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg 10... Marina... 
Cork... Wed 29th (8pm)... Cork BHAA Novartis 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg 10... Ringaskiddy...

- - - August 2020 - - -
Cork... Wed 5th (8pm)... Cork BHAA DePuy Synthes 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Ringaskiddy... 
Cork... Wed 12th (8pm)... Cork BHAA Musgrave S&S 5k... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Marina...

- - - September 2020 - - -
...

- - - October 2020 - - -
Cork... Sun 4th (8am)... Cork BHAA Cork to Cobh 15 mile... Reg €? / Non-Reg ?...

- - - November 2020 - - -
Cork... Sun 8th (11am)... Cork BHAA race - TBC... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... TBC...

- - - December 2020 - - -
Cork... Sun 6th (11am)... Cork BHAA Cork Simon 5k Turkey Trot... Reg €5 / Non-Reg €10... Blackrock...

Cyclist wanted for Jerry Forde for marathon in Blackrock on Sat 4th Jan 2020

Marathon Club Ireland (MCI) are holding a low key marathon on the Mahon - Blackrock walkway on Saturday the 4th of January 2020. Jerry Forde hopes to take part but he needs to be accompanied by a cyclist as he is in a wheelchair.

Does anyone with a bike want to help out? Even for part of it? It starts at 8:30am and the course will be over 5 loops of the walkway including a section on a public road.

It should take no more than 6 hours at most so it could be someone cycling the whole 26.2 miles with Jerry or maybe do 2 loops and then hand over to someone else.

If you can help out then leave a comment with your email address (it won't be published). I'll contact you then.

Results & Photos of the Togher 5k road race - Sun 29th Dec 2019

Start of the 2019 Togher 5k road race

This years Togher 5k road race was held in dry overcast conditions with the temperature up around 11 deg C. For a mid-Winter race, it seemed really mild.

A total of 784 runners took part in the race, up 5% on last year.

1 Rory O Connor North Cork A.C  15:05     SM     841
2 Gavin Sweeney Togher AC  15:21     SM     933
3 Mark Smith     Eagle AC 15:40     M40     736
15 Michelle Finn Leevale AC  16:18     SF     908
37 Niamh Moore     Leevale AC  17:33     SF     892
45 Claire O'Brien Watergrasshill AC 17:59     SF     517

Full results HERE

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

2) There are 4 albums up on the Running in Cork Facebook page
...a) Pre-race
...b) Finish 1
...c) Finish 2
...d) Finish 3

3) Derek Costello has 4 galleries... Pre-race ... Mile 1 Pt1 ... Mile 1 Pt 2 ... Finish under 20 mins

4) Mick Dooley has a gallery HERE

Waiting for the off...

Wibbly Wobbly Wonders Running Club out in force...

Members of Watergrasshill AC on tour...

Results & Photos of the Glen River 5k parkrun - Sat 28th Dec 2019

The last 5k parkrun of 2019 in the Glen River Park on the north side of  Cork City attracted a field of 99 which is above the average for the year.

1 Paul DUGGAN Male VM50-54 St Finbarrs AC 18:30
2 Brian LINEHAN Male VM55-59 20:06
3 Conor KELLY Male SM25-29 20:17
27 Ursula KILKELLY Female VW50-54 24:48
38 Kate LEAHY Female VW40-44 25:51
40 Tara KELLEHER Female JW15-17 25:54
Full results

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

 The chart above shows the numbers per week since the Glen River 5k parkrun started back in November of 2018. The 99 for the last event of 2019 was above the long term average of 80 to date.

After a dip in numbers in the middle of 2019, the numbers at the end of 2019 were more promising. For a free event on the north side of Cork City, this 5k parkrun should be getting at least 100 every week.

12-week Training Programme for the Mallow 10 mile starts 30th Dec 2019

The Mallow 10-mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 23rd of March 2020...more info HERE.

I'll be running a 12-week training programme for it which will start on the 30th of December. Details below...

Please note that this is tailored for each individual person.

For it to be of value...

a) You'll have to answer questions initially so that a suitable programme can drawn up. This will be based on your current training and experience and how much time you have available. It's a plan designed to suit your life and work schedule as opposed to the other way around.

b) You'll also have to provide feedback every two weeks and the plan will be based on this.

c) You really do have to follow the plan. There is no point dipping in and out of it or be off running 5k races every weekend when you're supposed to be doing a long run. The plan can be adapted to accommodate the occasional race but they must be occasional.

The cost for the 12-weeks is €49.

If interested, email: johndesmondrunning AT gmail DOT com

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun - Sat 28th Dec 2019

365 runners turned out for the last 5k parkrun of 2019 in Ballincollig Regional Park. 

1 Richard MURPHY Male SM30-34 18:18
2 David BUTLER Male SM30-34 St Finbarrs AC 18:55
3 Tom SHEEHAN Male VM55-59 18:58
15 Deirdre CASEY Female VW35-39 20:51
31 Karen SCULLY Female VW40-44 21:38
40 Mary SWEENEY Female VW55-59 St Finbarrs AC 22:07
Full results

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

Results & Photos of the Shandrum 5k road race - Sat 28th Dec 2019

This 5k in north Cork attracted a modest field of 146 runners on Sat 28th Dec 2019.

1 Paul Fitzgerald     Limerick AC 16:55 SM 805
2 Robert Troy     Newtownshandrum 16:58 JM 850
3 John O Brien     St Finbarrs AC 17:09 M45 785
8 Breda Gaffney Mallow AC  18:36     SF     865
9 Martina Kiely St Finbarrs AC      18:43     SF     898
12 Lisa Murphy     St Michael's AC  19:11     SF     795

Results

Photos...
1) Eamon Doody has a gallery HERE

New 5k parkrun proposed for Youghal in East Cork

It was announced recently that a new 5k parkrun might be start in Youghal in East Cork in 2020!

The proposed route is from Claycastle car park, up past the light house, around Greenpark and back. Note however that this route must be approved first by parkrun Ireland for insurance reasons.

The proposed start date is April 2020.

Guest Post: SEAN TOBIN SETS NEW IRISH BEST FOR FOUR MILES... by John Walshe

At the Clonmel 4 mile race on St.Stephen's Day, Irish international Sean Tobin set a new national record of 17 mins 45s for a 4 mile race. In this guest post, John Walshe puts the performance into context.

SEAN TOBIN SETS NEW IRISH BEST FOR FOUR MILES... by John Walshe

There was a world-class performance from Clonmel’s Sean Tobin at his own club’s annual MSD four-mile race held in the town on St Stephen’s as the 25-year-old knocked 49 seconds off of his already impressive course record of 18:34 when crossing the line in a time of 17:45.

Tobin finished all of one minute and 20 seconds ahead of Thomas Hayes of Kilkenny City Harriers with Kevin Moore of Dundrum – two top runners in their own right - taking third spot in 19:37.

The previous best time by an Irish athlete over four miles was set by Noel Berkeley when he ran 17:59 back in June 1992 at the Steamboat Classic in Illinois.

That race, regarded as the top event in the world over the rarely-run distance of four miles, has been on the go for over 45 years. Interestingly, the UK best of 17:48 by twice Olympic marathon fourth placer Jon Brown (three seconds slower than Tobin) was also set there in 1997.

When Berkeley ran that 17:59 in 1992 it came a month after he recorded 27:55.82 over 10,000m which is still ranked as the fifth fastest on the Irish all-time list. Later that summer he would represent Ireland over 10,000m at the Barcelona Olympics.

Tobin, with personal bests ranging from 3:57.00 for one mile (Cork City Sports 2017) and 48:34 for 10 miles (Cobh 2019) is no doubt an exciting prospect for the forthcoming track season.

His personal best of 13:56.22 for 5000m from last June is just one of the events that is certainly due for revision.  

Links...
a) Link to results & photos of the 2019 Clonmel 4 mile
b) Link to a list of John Walshe's guest articles

Results of the Belgooly 4 mile road race - Thurs 26th Dec 2019

The Belgooly 4 mile road race was held on the 26th of December and the numbers were down about 14% this year.

The results are up on the MyRunResults website HERE

Photos...
1) Derek Costello has several galleries...
a) HERE
b) Finish Part 1
c) Finish Part 2
d) Finish Part 3

Results of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun - Wed 25th Dec 2019

There was a suprisingly big turnout of 371 runners for the 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park on Christmas Day.

1 Sean OKEEFFE Male VM40-44 Eagle A.C. 17:33
2 Mark MCCOLGAN Male SM30-34 East End Road Runners 17:45
3 Don HEALY Male VM35-39 17:53
19 Niamh CORBETT Female SW20-24 Raheny Shamrock AC 19:28
33 Deirdre CASEY Female VW35-39 20:44
59 Siobhan HOLLAND Female VW40-44 Eagle A.C. 22:10

Results

Notice: Togher 5k road race in Cork City - Sun 29th Dec 2019

The annual Togher 5k is coming up over the Christmas period on Sunday the 29th of December 2019 at 1pm.

Update: 16th Dec 2019... Pre-entries have now passed the 500 mark!
Update: 22nd Dec 2019... Pre-entries now at 600.
Update: 23rd Dec 2019... Pre-entries now at 750.
Update: 25th Dec 2019... Pre-entries are now closed after reaching 800. 200 entries available on the day.

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.

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.

There is a free long sleeved dry fit top for the first 800 to enter.

Race calendar updated with Christmas events...

No matter where you live, there are plenty of events to choose from over the Christmas period. I have been updating the calendar with all the various races and runs and you can see the calendar HERE

I'll be adding more as I come across them. If any race organisers have races and events they want listed then send me the details via this survey form.

Results of the Glen River 5k parkrun - Sat 21st Dec 2019

The numbers were back up this week with 97 taking part in the 5k parkrun in the Glen in Cork City.

1 Mark MCCOLGAN Male SM30-34 East End Road Runners 18:02
2 Ken INCE Male VM35-39 Watergrasshill AC 18:12
3 John LONGAN Male SM25-29 St Finbarrs AC 18:46
18 Sandra WALSH Female VW45-49 23:28
20 Emma LARKIN Female VW40-44 23:40
25 Deirdre HARRINGTON Female VW35-39 West End Runners 24:22

Results

Photos...
1) The organisers have a gallery HERE
2) Mick Dooley has a gallery HERE 

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun - Sat 21st Dec 2019

 There was another large turnout for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig with 344 taking part.

1 Nick HOGAN Male VM35-39 Sanctuary Runners 17:20
2 Ray O' CONNELL Male VM35-39 17:42
3 Unknown
12 Carol FINN Female SW30-34 19:19
18 Colette O DONOGHUE Female VW35-39 Watergrasshill AC 19:47
31 Mairead PEREZ Female VW45-49 20:56

Results

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

Mallow parkrun in doubt for the weekend - Sat 21st Dec 2019

After all the rain in the last 48 hours, the park in Mallow is in a pretty poor state with a lot of standing water.

On the left is a photo taken on Thursday the 19th of December.

More rain is predicted for Friday night so there is some doubt if the event will go ahead on Saturday.

Check the 'Mallow Town parkrun' page on Facebook for updates.

Update: Fri 20th Dec... parkrun on Saturday 21st Dec is now cancelled!

Sport Ireland introduce funding policy for pregnant athletes

Sport Ireland fund Irish athletes in various sports by their carding scheme. If an athlete has the potential to medal at an international level then they can avail of financial grants. In many cases, this may well be the only source of income for that person.

In the past, if a female athlete became pregnant then they could potentially lose their only source of income as they were no longer competing.

Sport Ireland has now introduced a new maternity policy which guarantees 12 months' funding for pregnant athletes. Under the policy, carded athletes will continue to receive financial support until the birth, after which they are assured another six months' worth.

The Chief Executive John Treacy said..."The athlete is at the heart of everything we do. The policy will give our athletes peace of mind and support in their decision to start a family and continue to compete." 

Link...
1) Article on BBC Sport.
2) Sport Ireland news

Example of a 200m synthetic grass athletics track

Clane AC in Co.Kildare recently opened their brand new 200m athletics track which has a synthetic grass surface.

This may be of interest to any clubs in Cork or Munster, especially those with a lot of juvenile members.

The artificial grass is 24mm in length and is built on a sand and silicon shock pad underneath. The advantage of course is that it can be used in all weather conditions.

The whole project including ground works and lighting cost roughly €240,000.

If anyone is interested then Google 'Clane AC' and 'PST Sport'.

Watergrasshill AC trip to the Malaga Marathon - Dec 2019

The Malaga Marathon and Half-Marathon in Spain was held this year on Sunday the 15th of December. As can be see from the photo and results below, a large contingent of runners from Watergrasshill AC made the trip.

Marathon... In the full 26.2 mile marathon, both Conor Mullane and Ken Crowley broke the 3-hour barrier with times of 2h 57m 03s and h 58m 54s respectively.

Pos.    Dorsal    Nombre    Club    T. oficial    T. Real
188    849    CONOR MULLANE    WATERGRASSHILL    02:57:20    02:57:03
220    481    KEN CROWLEY    WATERGRASSHILL A.C.    02:59:10    02:58:54
303    322    STEPHEN ROONEY    WATERGRASSHILL, CORK    03:03:43    03:03:27
599    1477    DEREK WALSH    WATERGRASSHILL A.C.    03:18:46    03:17:45
923    1932    JIM OKEEFFE    WATERGRASSHILL AC    03:29:57    03:28:56
1561    1552    LISA CROWLEY    WATERGRASSHILL AC    03:49:47    03:49:03

I also came across a runner from St.Finbarr's AC in the results...
1054    1685    DONAL MURRAY    ST FINBARRS A/C    03:33:40    03:32:13

Half-Marathon...

Pos.    Dorsal    Nombre    Club    T. oficial    T. Real
353    5764    EOIN O MAHONY    WATERGRASSHILL AC    01:37:44    01:35:59
907    8004    GEORGE MC DONNELL    WATERGRASSHILL AC    01:52:01    01:48:18
1122    6428    ALAN FOLEY    WATERGRASSHILL AC    01:56:39    01:51:21
1309    6049    ALAN CROWLEY    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:00:20    01:58:38
1310    6381    SUE CROWLEY    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:00:20    01:58:39
1502    8003    CATHY BOWE    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:03:48    01:58:30
1588    7912    TRICIA JOYCE    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:05:47    02:00:28
1807    6601    ANDREA HOULIHAN    WATERGRASS HILL AC    02:11:14    02:05:55
1823    8042    GEORGE MC DONNELL    WATETGRASSHILL AC    02:11:39    02:09:59
1872    6611    JACKIE OKEEFFE    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:13:35    02:08:15
1949    7043    VALERIE LYNCH    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:15:16    02:09:56
2028    7119    HELEN O'CALLAGHAN WATERGRASS HILL SC CORK IRELAND  02:18:09  02:12:51
2100    7374    JASON LYNCH    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:20:54    02:15:16
2256    7441    KATHLEEN PRENDERGAST    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:28:04    02:22:43
2335    7340    NOEL PRENDERGAST    WATERGRASSHILL AC    02:33:50    02:28:11

Again, I found another two Cork runners in the results...
91    5014  RORY O' SULLIVAN    ST FINBARRS AC    01:25:43    01:25:19
1494    6919  STEPHEN MOHALLY    CORK TRIATHLON CLUB    02:03:40 01:58:19

Full results

Photos of the Kinsale Santa Dash 5k - Sun 15th Dec 2019

This festive 5k was organised by Kinsale Triathlon Club and was held on Sunday the 15th of December 2019. It was originally supposed to have been on the 8th of December but it had to be deferred due to bad weather.

As you can see from the photo above, it looks looks like the route took the runners through the narrow roads of this scenic town.

Photos HERE

84-Year-Old runs Antarctic Marathon...

The annual Antarctic Ice Marathon was held recently with 55 runners from 17 countries taking part.

The oldest runner to complete the 26.2 mile course was 84-year-old Roy Jorgen Svenningsen from Canada. He has completed about 50 marathons during his running career with his first way back in 1964!


The race was won by William Hafferty of the USA in a new record time of 3h 34m 12s.

There were three Irish runners in the event. They were...
James Murphy - 4h 21m 15s
Sean O'Hagan - 5h 30m 46s
Paul Grealish - 6h 42m 37s

Clean up of the Mahon & Blackrock Amenity Walkway...

The Amenity Walkway in Mahon and Blackrock is one of the most popular spots in Cork City for running and walking as it's nice and quiet. This takes in the path next to the harbour as well as the old railway line and makes for a nice 5 mile loop.

If you are a regular user of this loop then please read below.

There is a Blackrock Clean-Up Group who meet at 10am on the second Saturday of every month and they help keep the paths tidy.

I went along last Saturday to get see what they did and how they're organised.

14th Dec 2019 - Blackrock Cleanup Group - 19 volunteers collected 35 bags of rubbish

A large group of 19 volunteers turned up at the car park near Blackrock Castle as shown above and all of the equipment needed in terms of vests, pickers, gloves and bags was supplied. It was very well organised with some groups heading over the Jacobs Island to clean that area, some doing the walkway and some tackling the shoreline.

The whole session lasts about 90 minutes and the group heads off for a cuppa afterwards for tea, coffee and a chat.

The map below shows the area they cover...

Green is the area they clean on a regular basis i.e. most months

Orange is the area they clean sometimes i.e. 50% of the time

Red is the area that is cleaned rarely i.e. once a year.

If they could get more volunteers then they would be able to cover a lot more of the walkway.

Why not volunteer??? ... If you are a regular user of the walkway then why not help out? You don't have to turn up every month. Commit to say four times a year or even twice a year. If enough people did this then it would make a huge difference.

It might be something for clubs to also consider. If you use a facility all year round then give something back by helping out.

For more info, have a look at the Blackrock Clean-Up Group on Facebook.

Guest Post: MARATHON WIN FOR CORK ATHLETE ...by John Walshe

MARATHON WIN FOR CORK ATHLETE ... by John Walshe

Following Aoife Cooke’s brilliant run at the Dublin Marathon in October which gained her the Irish title, there was another impressive marathon victory by a Cork woman at the weekend when Joy Miller of East Cork won the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama, in a personal best time of 2:46:35.

Miller, formerly known as Joyce Curtin, is from Inch near Killeagh. There, she commenced her athletics career with the local Glenbower AC before accepting an athletics scholarship to the US. Now settled in Lexington, South Carolina, Joy, like Aoife Cooke, is also part of coach John Starrett ‘Stazza’s Stable’.

Her time in Tennessee was almost four minutes faster than her previous best of 2:50:28. This was achieved in Houston three years ago. The 32-year-old is also now the sixth fastest Cork woman over the distance.

Joy’s parents, Jim and Mary, were a regular part of the Cork running scene back in the 1980s and 90s with Mary in particular achieving many successes with the East Cork club. Jim is still a familiar figure at the many local races, always willing to help out in any capacity.

In a somewhat unorthodox build-up to her marathon, Joy ran three half-marathons in the previous five weeks, winning two of them. On November 9, she was first in Summerville in a time of 77:02, the following week she won Lexington in 79:26 and then just seven days before Rocket City ran 76:59 when finishing second in Orlando.

Like men’s winner Spencer Fields who clocked 2:22:09, Joy Miller took home a first prize of $1,000 from what was the 43rd annual Rocket City Marathon. It takes place in Huntsville, Alabama, nicknamed ‘The Rocket City’ for its close association with the United States space missions.

The first event was held in December 1977 and saw an exciting finish as British marathon legend Ron Hill (then aged 39) was over two minutes ahead with a couple of miles to go. But in a dramatic finish, local man Steve Bolt – a sub-four-minute-miler – caught Hill in the closing stages to win by five seconds in a time of 2:17:35.

Cork Women Marathon Rankings:
2:29:01 Sonia O’Sullivan (Ballymore-Cobh), London, 2005
2:32:34 Aoife Cooke (Eagle), Dublin, 2019      
2:32:51 Lizzie Lee (Leevale), Berlin, 2015
2:38:00 Claire McCarthy (Leevale), Berlin 2016
2:43:00 Brid Murphy (Leevale), Dublin, 1992
2:46:35 Joy Miller (East Cork), Huntsville, 2019

Photo – Joy Miller after finishing second in the Bryce Canyon Half-Marathon (Utah) in July

You can find a complete list of John Walshe's guest articles HERE

Results & Photos of the Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 15th Dec 2019

Members of Mallow AC at the 2019 Newmarket 5k road race

There was another large turnout for this years Newmarket 5k road race with 335 runners taking part. One of the most notable features in the results was just how fast the field was. An impressive 115 runners ran under 20 minutes.

1     Hiko Tonosa     DSD AC         14:11     SM     382
2     Rory O'Connor     North Cork AC         14:32     SM     292
3     Niall Shanahan     An Bru AC         14:33     SM     356
15     Michelle Finn     Leevale AC         15:49     SF     100
50     Niamh Moore     Leevale AC         17:46     SF     228
58     Martina Kiely     St Finbarrs AC         18:10     F35     172

Results

Photos...
1) There will be three albums going up on the Running in Cork Facebook page...
...a) Pre-race and start
...b) Finish line (1st batch)
...c) Finish line (2nd batch)

2) Polish Runners Club Ireland has two galleries... Album 1 and Album 2 

Pictured pre-race... (L-R) Michelle Finn - Leevale AC (1st), Niamh Moore - Leevale AC (2nd) and Grace Richardson of Kilkenny City Harriers (7th)

Kanturk Road Runners on tour...

Part of the large Leevale AC contingent at the race

Lots of the new bouncy Nike Vapourfly shoes at the start line

Members of Millstreet AC pre-race

Race start...

Results of the Cloyne Commons 4k - Sun 15th Dec 2019

Cloyne Commons 4K Series Race 2
Sunday 15 December 2019. 9:30 am
Provisional Results for All Competitors in finish order. Race Race
Place Time Name Team Race Age Category
1 0:12:42 O'LEARY, Kevin East Cork AC M 499 1
2 0:13:04 MCKEOWN, Kieran Watergrasshill AC M45 1
3 0:13:40 INCE, Ken Watergrasshill AC M 5 3
4 0:13:42 O'SHEA, Barry Midleton AC M 480 4
5 0:13:44 KELLY, Chris Aghada RC M 532 5
6 0:13:51 HENNESSY, John Midleton AC M45 6 6
7 0:14:01 DUGGAN, Paul St Finbarrs AC M50 9 7
8 0:14:11 KEARNEY, Paul Aghada RC M 7 8
9 0:14:19 CASHMAN, Paul Watergrasshill AC M40 15
10 0:14:21 DOLPHIN, Michael Leevale AC M40 14 10
11 0:14:30 TERRY, Warren Unattached M 492 11
12 0:14:38 O'BRIEN, Claire Watergrasshill AC F 491
13 0:14:41 MALONE, John Youghal AC M45 13 13
14 0:14:49 MULROY, Ryan Aghada RC M 482 14
15 0:14:54 COLLINS, Trevor Naas AC M40 22 15
16 0:14:58 MAGHER, John Watergrasshill AC M 518
17 0:14:59 WALSH, Bryan Watergrasshill AC M 26 17
18 0:15:00 CREMIN, Mike Unattached M 494 18
19 0:15:03 RYAN, Don Midleton AC M 21 19
20 0:15:05 GOGGIN WALSH, Jennifer Carraig na bhFear AC F 20
21 0:15:07 FENNESSY, Kevin Unattached M40 495 21
22 0:15:10 DORGAN, Declan Midleton AC M40 18 22
23 0:15:11 O`SULLIVAN, Linda Watergrasshill AC F45 25 23
24 0:15:14 MINIHANE, Briain Unattached M 566 24
25 0:15:18 COSTIGAN, Pat St Catherines AC M45 520 25
26 0:15:21 O'LEARY, Siobhan Midleton AC F45 501 26
27 0:15:27 JACKSON, Carl Unattached M45 488 27
28 0:15:42 MCLEAN, Gerard Midleton AC M45 35 28
29 0:15:43 MULCAHY, John St Catherines AC M 28 29
30 0:15:56 HENNESSY, Martin East Cork AC M 39 30

Results & Photos of the Ballincollig 5k parkrun - Sat 14th Dec 2019

A total of 314 runners turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in Ballincollig Regional Park on Saturday 14th Dec 2019.

1 Fearghal DESMOND Male JM15-17 Leevale AC 17:40
2 Tobi GRAB Male VM40-44 Leevale AC 18:04
3 Jason NICHOL Male VM35-39 18:11
33 Hana FASKA Female SW18-19 Sanctuary Runners 22:01
36 Karen SCULLY Female VW40-44 22:28
37 Clodagh FITZGERALD Female SW25-29 22:29
Full results

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

Results & Photos of the Glen River 5k parkrun - Sat 14th Dec 2019

Sonia O'Sullivan leads out the troops at this weeks 5k parkrun in the Glen in Cork City

A grand total of 79 runners turned out for this weeks 5k parkrun in the Glen on the north side of Cork City.

As you can see from the photo above, the first woman home was Sonia O'Sullivan, a World Champion and Olympic Silver medalist for the 5000m.

What many of you may not know is that the first man home is a record holder in his own right. Brian Linehan holds the record for the fastest time for cycling from Cork to Dublin back in 1994, well before the motorway network was built. His time... 6 hours and 16 minutes from the GPO in Cork to the GPO in Dublin. Video HERE


1 Brian LINEHAN Male VM55-59 20:29
2 Fergal BRENNAN Male VM40-44 20:49
3 Richard HAWKINS Male VM50-54 Eagle A.C.
7 Sonia O'SULLIVAN Female VW50-54 Glenhuntly AC 22:22
11 Edith O'DONNELL Female JW11-14 23:44
15 Sally-Ann LYNCH Female SW25-29 23:53

Results

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

New Greenway opens in Clonakilty...

Back in October 2017, I had a post up on the blog about how a €100,000 grant had been allocated for the development of a new Greenway in Clonakilty in West Cork.

As can be seen from the photo above, the main section of the Greenway is now completed and it was officially opened recently by Cllr Christoper O'Sullivan, The Mayor of Cork County.

The new section is just over a km in length and goes from the Clonakilty Community Hospital to just short of the West Cork Business and Technology Park.

As the map shows below, the new Greenway falls about 450m short of the Technology Park. Funding is now being sought to complete this last section.

As the photo of the Greenway shows, it is also lit at night. Considering the flat level surface, it would make an excellent location for doing intervals and some speed work.

It would also make a good location for some Couch to 5k training for beginners.

Just a thought but once the next section is completed, it might make a good location for a Junior 2k parkrun on Sundays?

Friday Fun: One for the Ultra Runners

One for the Ultra Runners out there 😂

Notice: Newmarket 5k road race - Sun 15th Dec 2019

This popular 5 km road race is coming up in the town of Newmarket in North-West Cork on Sunday the 15th of December 2019. This is a fast 5k course and gets a good turnout every year.

Entries... You can pre-enter online HERE for €15

You can also enter on the day for €20.

Updated route for the 2020 IRONMAN in Youghal announced

The 2020 IRONMAN triathlon in Youghal in East Cork is coming up on the 21st of June 2020 and promises to attract some 2,600 athletes. This is a huge sporting event for the East Cork region and it is estimated that it is worth some €8 million to the local economy.

The inaugural event in the Summer of 2019 just happened to fall on a really bad day weather wise and the swim part had to be cancelled. Considering that it is on the longest day of the year in the middle of Summer, the 2020 event will be much better.

The organisers have now announced the route for the 2020 event.

Swim... This is 3.8 kms in length and runs parallel to the beach. Obviously the weather and the direction of the wind is a big factor here.

Bike... The cycle is 180 kms in length and is made up of two loops of East Cork. They have reduced the amount of climbing in 2020 from 1900m to 1700m.

The southern part of the loop is relatively flat while most of the climbing is in the northern part. There are some really nice scenic sections in there especially after Ballymacoda and around East Ferry.

Run... The run is a full marathon of 42.2 kms and is essentially dead flat. It is made up of four loops through the town.

For more info, go to https://www.ironman.com/im-ireland

New maps released for the Galtee, Knockmealdown and Comeragh Mtns

This should be of interest to any local trail runners or anyone who likes to do a bit of hill walking from time to time.

EastWest Mapping are a small company based in Wexford that produce a series of high quality maps. While the Ordnance Discovery produce a fine series of maps which cover the country, the EastWest maps go into much greater detail.

In 2018, they released a map covering the  Comeragh mountains to the north of Dungarvan in West Waterford. Now they have released new maps for the Galtee and Knockmealdown mountains...

A lot of maps are based on just satellite images whereas for the EastWest maps, the owner Barry Dalby spends a huge amount of time walking the ranges looking at paths, details and talking to locals about place names and features.

A sample of a map is shown above. While the Discovery maps are 1:50,000 with 10 metre contours, the EastWest maps are 1:25,000 with 5 metre contours i.e. twice the resolution and with a lot more information.

The paper maps retail at €12.90 each while the 'encapsulated' waterproof version is €20.50.

I purchased the waterproof Comeragh map a few months back and I found it to be excellent. I'll certainly be buying the two new ones.

If you're interested in buying one for yourself or as a stocking filler for someone for Christmas, you can purchase them online from the website... https://www.eastwestmapping.ie/

Race numbers for the Cloyne Commons 4k on Sun 15th Dec 2019

The second race in the Cloyne Commons 4k series is coming up on Sunday the 15th of December 2019. For those who did the first, your race number is listed below...

Race No.    Name    Team    Cat
1    MCKEOWN, Kieran    Watergrasshill AC    M45
2    KELLEHER, Kenneth    East Cork AC    M40
3    WAHBI, Mohamed    St Finbarrs AC    M
4    GRUFFERTY, James    Leevale AC    M
5    INCE, Ken    Watergrasshill AC    M
6    HENNESSY, John    Midleton AC    M45

Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA Simon 5k Turkey Trot - Sun 8th Dec 2019

253 runners turned out for this years Cork BHAA Simon 5k Turkey Trot in Balckrock in Cork City.

1 Barry Meade  18:07
4 Paul Downey 19:21
3 James Ahern 19:15
2 Niamh Moore 18:21
14 Linda O'Connor 20:52
20 Lelia Kenny 21:35

Results

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy has two galleries... Part 1 ... Part 2
2) Mick Dooley has some photos HERE

 

First home... Niamh Moore and Barry Meade. Photo: Mick Dooley