Full results HERE
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| First place finishes for Gavin Kenny & Linda Kelly |
Proceeds from this event went to two deserving charities, Cork Cancer Care Centre and Feileacain.
New feature! Sometimes I come across some news items of interest but I don't have the time to put up individual posts about them. I'll collect these here every month under the new News Bites post.
Here are a selection of short news items that I came across during the month of September 2023.
27th Sept 2023 - Rosscarbery 5k deferred... A 5k run is usually held in Rosscarbery in October every year. The upcoming event has been deferred until the Spring of 2024.
26th Sept 2023 - Record number of Junior parkrun events... The parkrun organisation have announced that a record 427 junior parkrun events were held worldwide last weekend. There are currently 7 in Co Cork with an 8th on the way in Haulbowline.
26th Sept 2023 - Dingle entries open Wed 27th Sept... The Dingle Marathon & Half-Marathon will be held next on Saturday 7th September 2024. Entries open on Wed 27th Sept 2023 and the entries for the half will be snapped up in no time. If you want to do it then enter asap. It's €84.73 for the full marathon and €73.83 for the Half-Marathon. - Update: The Half sold out on the 28th of Sept.
Cork Sports Partnership are organising a series of Sports First Aid courses in Cork City on four dates in Q4 of 2023. They run from about 9:30am to 3:30pm and they cost €42.40.
Considering the modest fee, a lot of clubs might consider paying for some of their members to attend.
The courses will be held at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience Events Centre on the Lee Road which is about 400m west of Thomas Davis Bridge.
From Cork Sports Partnership... "This Sports First Aid Training course is advisable for anybody who is involved or participates in sport ie coaches, parents, teachers, physical activity leaders etc. Delivered in person this course is interactive and delivered by ER Training.
Upcoming Dates: Saturday 28th October, Sunday 12th November, Sunday 26th November, and Saturday 2nd December 2023
Contact Louise at lburke AT corksports DOT ie for questions or queries"
You can register HERE
For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo from the 2023 Cork City Marathon and someone in Bishopstown using a water hose to help cool down one of the runners.
You can find the 150-piece jigsaw HERE
Brooks are one of the current sponsors of the parkrun and they are holding a number of shoe trials and fitting around the country. On Tuesday the 3rd of October 2023, they will be at John Buckley Sports in Cork City which is across the river from the Opera House.
Parkrun Ireland sent out the following message... "Are you looking for the perfect shoe for your parkrun journey? Join our friends at Brooks and their team of Tech Rep experts as they travel around the country offering free shoe fittings and technical advice to all walkers, joggers and runners!"
📍John Buckley Sports - Mulgrave Rd, Camden Quay, Cork
📆 Tuesday 3 October
⏰ 17:00 for a 5k trial run
"Register for a free try-on event and 5k run at 17:00 from the retail store with the chance to trial the latest Brooks products, followed by post-run refreshments – what could be better?!"
One of the big road races this week in Ireland was the Grant Thornton 5k in Dublin on Tues 26th Sept with 3,011 runners crossing the finish line. It can be interesting to look at big races like this and see what the national trends might be.
As can be seen from the graphic above, there was some recovery in numbers in 2023 compared to a big drop in 2022. The Grant Thornton 5k race in Cork shows a similar pattern in that the numbers were much higher in the years before 2020 with a big drop in 2022 and then a modest recovery in 2023.
The Dublin numbers for 2023 are down 29% on the figure for 2019 while Cork shows a very similar pattern with a 30% drop for the same 2023 to 2019 comparison.
It also follows the pattern for a lot of road races i.e. numbers in 2023 were better than 2022 but not back to where they used to be.
The big question now is if the bigger race numbers will return over the next year or two or are the numbers for 2023 the new norm? With race entry fees rising, I suspect it'll be the latter.
The Éalú Lua Adventure Race takes place this Saturday (30th September) in Ballingeary. Participants will run, cycle & kayak around the picturesque villages, hills & valleys as well as Locha Lua.
Registration will close at the latest noon on Thursday. This is an ideal event for new to or starting out in adventure racing.
Update - 28th Sept 2023 : CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER FORECAST
From the organisers... "A Chairde, We regret to inform you that due to the current and forecasted heavy rainfall and strong winds we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's Éalú Lua Adventure Race. We have sent an email with further information including refund details to all entrants.
We apologise for any convenience caused.
Ó foireann Éalú Lua."
The fourth Douglas Credit Union Charity 5k is coming up in Tramore Valley Park in Cork City on Sunday the 1st of October 2023 at 11am.
The entry fee is €12 (plus €1 online fee) and all proceeds from this event go to two deserving charities, Cork Cancer Care Centre and Feileacain.
ENTER HERE
(€6 for U16's... must be accompanied by an adult)
You can also enter on the morning of the event.
There will be prizes for top 3 men and women along with spot prizes for those taking part.
Runners, joggers, walkers and buggies are all welcome.
This is a chip timed race through popupraces.ie
Please note that there will be a draw for a free pair of Brooks running shoes for all those who pre-enter courtesy of John Buckley Sports.
At the 2023 Berlin Marathon last weekend, Tigist Assefa from Ethiopia set a new women's world record for the marathon with a finishing time of 2h 11m 53s. The previous record of 2:14:04 was set by Brigid Kosgei in the 2019 Chicago Marathon. The previous record to that was the 2:15:25 set by Paula Radcliffe in the 2003 London Marathon.
Assefa also ran the 2022 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:15:37, which was the third-fastest women’s marathon in history at the time.
The improvement of the new record was 2m 11s and it's fair to say that the huge improvement will raise a lot of eyebrows. Irish sports journalist Cathal Dennehy made the following observations...
1) Tigist Assefa's time of 2:11:53 was faster than the first 11 men's winners of the Berlin Marathon (1974 to 1984).
2) It took until 1967 for a man to run a marathon this fast.
3) The half-marathon split of 1:06:21 would have been a half-marathon world record for women until 2001.
A lot of coverage has been given to the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 shoes which weigh just 138 grams. Like other modern high tech shoes, these ones have a forefoot rocker which is designed to trigger forward momentum and increase energy return.
Not only do these shoes cost an eye-watering €500 but Adidas say that they are designed for 'one race – so one marathon – plus familiarisation time'.
The world record time was due in no small part to the technology of these new shoes but I'm sure a lot of people will question if there was something else.
The big race in Dublin over the weekend was the Rathfarnham 5k with a field of 996 runners. The winner was Michael Harty from Cloyne in East Cork who finished in a time of 14m 32s.
This brand new event is coming up on the Waterford Greenway near Dungarvan on Saturday 4th November 2023.
Here are the race distances with entry fee and starts times...
50K Ultra - € 35 - Saturday, November 4, 2023 8:30 AM
Full Marathon - € 30 - Saturday, November 4, 2023 8:30 AM
Half Marathon - € 25 - Saturday, November 4, 2023 9:00 AM
10K - € 15 - Saturday, November 4, 2023 9:30 AM
5K - € 10 - Saturday, November 4, 2023 12:00 NOON
ONLINE ENTRY... https://www.njuko.net/paulbrunnockmci
These are the basics as far as I know...
1) The start and finish point is near the Railway Cottage at Ballinroad which is just to the east of Dungarvan.
2) Each distance will be on the Greenway and it's a case of running out and back.
3) The various turn around points are shown above. The 5k goes straight out 2.5kms, turns around and comes back.
The 10k turns around just before the Ballyvoyle Tunnel and also crosses the Ballyvoyle Viaduct. There are some great views of Clonea Strand and Helvick Head on the way back.
The Half runners get to run through the tunnel twice and cross two viaducts.
The marathon runners turn at the far side of the Coach House in Kilmacthomas while the 50k ultra runners turn a bit further on at the 25k mark.
4) As per the Greenway code, everyone should run on the left.
5) As you might expect with an old railway line, any gradients are very gentle.
From West Waterford AC... "PAUL BRUNNOCK MEMORIAL RUN.
Many of you will remember back to the 2nd of January 2023 when word filtered throughout our club and the wider running community that we had lost Paul Brunnock. For anyone who knows Paul you will remember him in his West Waterford AC club running gear, most probably Blue shorts and his absolute love for running.
As it turns out Paul had always had an idea of using the greenway to host a running event. Paul being Paul couldn’t decide if it should be a fast 5k event or long a 50k event or, perhaps something in the middle. Paul left his idea on the long finger and unfortunately he never got to compelete it.
Our club West Waterford AC in association with Marathon Club of Ireland have decided to come together to complete Pauls vision. Together we will host the Paul Brunnock Memorial Run. Mark your calendar for Saturday the 4th of November 2023.
When West Waterford AC and Marathon Club of Ireland will come together and host the Paul Brunnock memorial Run. A 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon and a 50k.
We want to use the event to remember Paul and while it will no doubt be an emotional day, we hope to gather as many of Paul’s friends, fellow runners, club-mates and strangers to remember the great man we so suddenly lost.
As it’s a memorial event we won’t be presenting prizes for winners but we can guarantee all entrants a special Paul Brunnock commemorative medal. More importantly than medals, we are presenting you the opportunity to participate in an event that originated in the mind of Paul Brunnock.
Paul was a warrior on the roads. He completed it all. 5k’s, 10k’s, Half Marathon’s, Full Marathons, Back to Back Marathons, 50k’s, 100k’s, 100 milers the list goes on and on.
To quote another warrior ... “What we do in life echoes in eternity”
What Paul achieved in his life will never be forgotten. Let’s all come together to celebrate Paul and let’s help to complete his vision of a running event on the greenway.
(Blue Shorts Optional) " Stay Classy "
ONLINE ENTRY... https://www.njuko.net/paulbrunnockmci
** How to win a category prize **
How to win a prize, I have no idea.
I run because I can and I enjoy it. I look at the winners in the categories and I know how hard they work to be up there and they deserve anything they get. I’m a runner, they are athletes. I wasn’t doing times 20 hears ago that are winning my age group so it isn’t a bother to me.
Don’t get bogged down in times and what others are doing. If you are running a race then you are in the top 5% in the country for fitness for your age group anyway. Do you need more than that?
#pwr
For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo from last Sunday's Echo Women's mini-marathon.
This one has 126-pieces so it should be pretty easy to do. You can find it HERE
This brand new 10-mile road race is coming up in the village of Churchtown in north Cork on Saturday 18th November 2023.
Entries HERE
Churchtown is located just 4kms west of the N20 Cork to Limerick road so access couldn't be easier.
All runners in the race will receive a microfleece travel towel as shown above.
Course... The 10-mile route is shown below...
As you can see, the course is a 10-mile loop to the north-east of Churchtown. The road on the right is the N20.
It looks like a reasonably fast course and I'd put it on a par with the likes of Dungarvan or Mallow. I have a brief preview of the course here... https://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.com/2013/01/cork127.html
Family day out??... It might be worth mentioning that the Donkey Sanctuary is only 4kms away near Liscarroll if anyone wants to make it a family day out.
From the organisers... "We are delighted to announce Fitness Solutions Mallow as our Main Sponsor for The Churchtown 10 Mile Road Race!
The Echo women's mini-marathon was held on Sunday 17th Sept 2023 on what was an overcast but dry day. A total of 2664 runners and walkers crossed the finish line this year, a drop of 8% on the figure for 2022.
The first woman was Lizzie Lee pictured above in a time of 17m 19s, just 7-seconds ahead of Hannah Steeds in second place.
Full results HERE
Full results HERE
** Plan for Fun **
Do you just go where the road takes you?
Do you not worry about fuel or hydration and wonder sometimes why your run wasn’t as much fun as you may have thought?
We are all different and have varying ways of approaching things.
I personally like to:
This comes to mind watching the rugby this week and the athletics a few weeks ago. I was listening to the interviews about the preparation in advance and the ability to perform. Most of the outcomes can be pre-determined by the preparation. They speak of little glitches in preparation having huge consequences on the day.
As amateurs we cannot hope to match 10-20% of their levels of readiness, but we can still help ourselves. How we can we just rock up on the day and hope it all goes well.
Running should and can be fun. But the most fun is from a well planned run where you enjoyed it all, hit no surprise dips and finished without being totally shattered or dehydrated.
Fun is looking back after the run and thinking that it was ok, I was capable, I was able to chat, I wasn’t dying for water or feeling my energy levels had bonked.
No-one reading this article is a professional but never be afraid to learn from them and adapt their best practices to suit your own needs.
Don’t be a slave to the watch or get too worried about times. If your enjoyment is a run with friends, then do a little in advance to make it as enjoyable as possible.
Sometimes the fun is sitting having a cup of coffee afterwards and not having to lay on the ground hoping to drink it through a straw.
#pwr #havefun
At the Cork BHAA race in Little Island earlier this year, it would be safe to assume that few of the 400 participants would be aware of the running achievements of the smiling lady behind the counter patiently handing out cups of tea and coffee.
But it’s not only for the numerous competitive honours achieved that Brid Murphy should be acknowledged and remembered, but also for the remarkable, inspiring and equally tragic story that lays behind her introduction to the sport.
Once described in a magazine as “bubbling and effervescent and who speaks with a merry twinkle in her soft and musical Cork voice,” as she sits in the family home at Glounthaune looking out over Cork Harbour, one cannot but help notice the change in tone as she emotionally recalls a heart-rending incident all of 40 years ago.
“Our little boy David, our third child, was born on December 23, 1982 and he tragically died of a cot death on February 7, 1983. Naturally enough, the whole family – my husband David and our two other children, Vincent and Valerie – were devastated.”
Brid, a native of Mallow, then aged 30, had heard of cot deaths. But, naturally enough, never thought it would darken their door. The family lived in Ballyvolane at the time and after the tragedy she hated being on her own in the house when her two children had gone to school and with David at work.
“A number of my neighbours had started training for the Echo Mini-Marathon and my brother Michael, who knew I liked sports, suggested that I join them as I found it very hard to get up in the morning and get myself motivated.
“There was one neighbour who used to go out at seven in the morning and I started with her, another one went out at 10 o’clock and I joined her as well and then a group of us would go out again in the evening. It was just something to focus on.”
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| Brid Murphy (L) pictured with Ann Cummins (R) at a Cork BHAA race earlier this year |
It was quite an achievement for someone who had never run before. And, in the autumn of 1983, when she was expecting her second daughter, Edel, Brid completed the Mini-Marathon for the first time. “The doctor said it was okay to run, he knew it was helping me and helping the family as well.”
Moving on to 1986, Brid’s running had now progressed to such an extent that she had joined Leevale Athletic Club. “I got a lot of help there from the late Kevin Barry who made me very welcome, along with Anne Murphy from Dublin, then based in Cork, who made out a training schedule for me.”
That year she ran the Mini-Marathon (then over 10km) in 42 minutes. The following year she finished second and although first place would elude her, she would also add another second in 1995, along with four third-place finishes (1990, 91, 92, 94).
“It was Pat Dempsey, who lived near me, along with Jackie Motherway, who got me into marathon running. I only had one long run done when I ran Dublin in 1987, and despite hitting the wall I finished in 3:47. The following year, again training with Pat and with advice now from Donie Walsh, I broke the three hours.”
The years of 1989, 1900 and 1991 saw her finish third on each occasion at the Dublin show-piece. Her fastest time of 2:43:00 was achieved in 1992, which also gained her the coveted BLE national title. First that year was Karen Cornwall from the UK in 2:41:58 and just 11 seconds ahead of Brid was Ethiopian Addis Gezahegne who had recorded 2:35:05 in Rotterdam the year before.
That time of 2:43:00 would remain the fastest by a Cork woman until Sonia O’Sullivan’s 2:29:01 in London 13 years later. It still places Brid Murphy fifth on the all-time Cork list. She would retain her national title the following year in Clonmel, recording 2:51:33. Nebraska-based Catriona Dowling, home on holidays for the race had kept Murphy company for 13 miles before the Dubliner moved ahead. By 20 miles she had a lead of two minutes, but the Leevale athlete never panicked and closed her down with two miles to go to take the win.
Brid would add another marathon title in 1996; this was no doubt the sweetest of all as it took place in her home town of Mallow. Her time of 2:52:52 gave her a margin of almost 20 minutes over Mary-Beth Dillon from the USA. Having decided not to travel to Boston, her decision proved to be correct as she took her third national crown, a remarkable achievement at 43 years of age. Third overall that day was another vet, Eileen Kenny from St Finbarr’s (mother of Leevale’s Michelle).
The IAAF World Marathon Cup was incorporated into the London Marathon of 1991 and there, as part of the Irish team, Brid had recorded another fine time of 2:47:41. At that stage she was part of a national marathon squad led by Brendan O’Shea, a former national marathon champion himself but better known as the man who had guided Jerry Kiernan to ninth place in the 1984 Olympic Marathon. “When I had finished third the first time in Dublin, Brendan got in contact and he was very good to me, including me in weekend coaching sessions and the like.”
Training in the lead up to marathons would reach an elite level of 100 miles a week. “Maybe for about three weeks, we would reach that amount. On a Sunday morning we would do 22 or 23 miles and then go out again in the evening to bring the total up to the full marathon distance.”
The Belfast Marathon of 1992 saw Brid finishing second behind Catherine Smyth from Dublin. This was not without drama, as she explains: “The morning of the marathon I was on the way down for breakfast when the lift broke. I was there for about three-quarters of an hour and the hotel said as it was a Bank Holiday they didn’t know when they could get me out.” Luckily, it was Brendan O’Shea who managed to locate someone to get the problem sorted. Amazingly, Murphy wasn’t fazed as she went on to record what would be her second fastest time of 2:45:49.
Brid Murphy’s athletics CV certainly makes impressive reading. Numbered among her other achievements are three victories in the Cork to Cobh 15-mile (1993, 94, 96); two Ballycotton Summer Series overall victories (1990, 91); three times a scoring member of the winning Leevale team in the Cork County senior cross-country (1990, 91, 92). Twice in 1991 she broke the hour for 10 miles – at Ballycotton (59:59) and Charleville (59:52).
In 1992, Brid received the Irish Runner/Seiko Award for Outstanding Performances in Athletics and other honours to come her way include a Waterford Crystal Achiever Award in 1994 and a Munster Athlete of the Month for April 1996.
“Looking back, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it and got great opportunities out of it,” says this remarkable and inspirational woman. And she has no regrets given the opportunities and prizes now available in races, especially for women: “No, prizes were never that important to me. If I won something, it was great,” she says with a smile, recalling the type of awards then on offer such as tea sets, bread bins and the like.
There’s no doubt that Brid owes a lot to the Echo Women’s Mini-Marathon and those neighbours in Ballyvolane where it all began. “That really got me going, mentally and physically. It was the first time I ever went running, I started to meet more people and it took the whole family out of a tragic situation and started me into doing something I would never have done.
“Along the way, I also raised a lot of money through sponsorship for research into cot deaths through the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association. Especially in the marathons, even if you felt bad, that was certainly an incentive to keep going.”
A list of previous guest posts from John Walshe can be seen HERE
On the 14th of September 2023, the new athletics track in Newcastle West in Co Limerick was officially opened by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. As you can seen from the photo above, the track is also floodlit which is essential for the dark winter months.
Up to now, most athletic tracks have been in cities like Cork, Limerick and Waterford. This is one of the first of a new wave of athletic tracks which are being built in regional towns.
For reference, Newcastle West in west Limerick has a population of about 7,000 people. New 400m athletic tracks are being constructed in Clonmel (pop 17,000) and Bandon (pop 7,000).
There are plans for new tracks in Mallow (pop 13,000) and Carrigaline (pop 16,000). This then raises the question of whether it's viable to have athletic tracks in towns like Midleton (pop 13,000), Youghal (pop 8,000) or Fermoy (pop 7,000)?
New athletic tracks are probably of most benefit to juveniles and a cheaper 200m track might suit nearly all of their requirements. An obvious place to have one would be in a town like Bantry in west Cork (pop 3,000). It might be too small to justify a full size 400m track but a 200m track might be perfect?
For this weeks online jigsaw, we have a photo taken by Joe Murphy at the 2014 Cork City 10-miler. The photo shows Orla Drumm on her way to winning the race.
This is a tough jigsaw with 396-pieces. You can find it HERE
In 2022, the numbers taking part in the Echo Women's mini-marathon event dropped a whopping 56%... see this previous post. This year, the organisers have now reduced the course from 6kms to 5kms in length.
The 6k course used to go down the Marina to Blackrock and then back up the Blackrock Rd. The new 5k course stays mostly on the Centre Park Rd and Monahan Rd and in around Pairc Ui Chaoimh which means that the Marina and Blackroad Rd can stay open to other users.
The new 5k course has a number of sharp bends which is usually a bad idea when there are a lot of people taking part but the field should have thinned out by the 2km mark so it shouldn't be an issue.
Note that this is a commercial event and none of the proceeds go to charity. If you're doing it, consider making a donation to your chosen charity.
The Mallow Castle 5k parkrun held its 100th edition on the 9th September 2023. The first one was on the 4th of September 2021 and the average number of participants per event is 64.
The chart above shows the numbers for all 100. The numbers seemed to have dropped off in 2022 compared to 2021 but there seems to a recovery in 2023.
This is of course not the first 5k parkrun in Mallow. The previous Mallow Town 5k parkrun was held in the town park next to the river and it was held 55 times with an average of 75.4.
If we take out the first few events then the average for the current Mallow Castle event isn't that far off the old Mallow Town event.
The new Mallow Castle event is also on a paved surface whereas the old parkrun could often be muddy in wet weather as sections were on grass.
For more information on the Mallow Castle 5k parkrun, go to https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/
For more info on the parkruns in Co Cork, click HERE
