Notice: Ballintotis 4-mile road race - Thurs 20th April 2023

The Ballintotis 4-mile road race is coming up on Thursday 20th April 2023 at 8pm. This race is notable for two main reasons...

1) It's the first 4-mile evening road race in Cork after the clocks change.

2) It's the biggest 4-mile road race in Cork.

The entry link is HERE

There's always a great buzz at this race as it's one of the first big evening races in daylight.

Updates below...

Update Wed 19th Apr 2023... Entries

If you still want to register for the  Ballintotis 4 mile road race, you can enter in person at Ballintotis Community Centre today from 5pm to 8pm and from 1pm tomorrow Thursday the 20th, race day. Race numbers  that were not selected to be posted out can be collected at those times as well.

Update 17th Apr 2023... Car Parks

There are three main Car Parks for participants, Car Park A is located on the Main N25 Road. At the Ballintotis Junction. If walkers wish to leave before the race begins. they need to park in this car park. Car Park B is located across from the Hall in Ballintotis. Car Park C is located on the road immediately east of Loughaderra Lake. Car Parks may be prioritised to cater for traffic flow - please follow the instructions of Gardai and stewards. In relation to the car parks on race route – cars will not be allowed exit until all runners have passed. Please arrive early to allow time for parking and where possible please carpool.  All enquiries in relation to car parking and travel issues please call. 086- 6079108.

Entry Desks
Entry Desks are located in the Main Hall of the Community Centre –  Walk-in entries will be Open from 5pm to 8pm on Wednesday 19th and from 1pm onwards on Thursday 20st. Entry Fee is 15 euro for registered
Athletics Ireland Club members and 17 euro for non Athletics Ireland members - this is in keeping with new guidelines for all races issued at the start of 2023.
The age limit as always for participation is 16 years or older.
 Please enter via the side door of the hall. Those who have entered online in advance can also collect their number in the Community Centre at the aforementioned times at separate
designated desks.

Changing Facilities
Changing Facilities/ Toilets – A Marquee is located on the green adjacent to Church Car Park.  Toilets are located in the Church Car Park area.

Walk

The WALK begins at 6.00pm sharp. Entries will be taken in the Community Centre from 5.00pm onwards. There will be spot prizes available for walkers. Entry per adult is 10 euro - children free.

 Refreshments served for all walkers in the Marquee at the front of the
Community Centre immediately after the conclusion of the Walk.

Race Start
The race begins at 8pm sharp – the Start Line is approx. 200 meters from the Church on the way to Main Road. The Finish Line is in front of the Church. The race is chipped timed
with timing mats at the start and finish line. All runners are asked to start in the time zone which reflects their expected finishing time.

Post Race
Refreshments will be served after the race in the Community Centre for those who wish to avail of this option. Please enter the Community Centre via the side door. – A second marquee
has been erected at the front of the Community Centre where runners can mingle after receiving their refreshments.

Prize Giving
Prize Giving Weather permitting, will take place outside the main Hall after the race at approx. 9.20pm.
Key Locations
Key Locations around the course will have a 2-way radio to link back to the  Community Centre. All instructions regarding changes to traffic flow and car park changes will come from
the Community Centre.

First Aid
First Aid is located at the community centre and is provided by the Irish Red Cross 
General Race Enquiries
Please Call - John 086-8778182

From the organisers... The 12th running of the  Ballintotis 4 mile road race, hosted by Ballintotis Area Community Council and held in association with East Cork AC, will take place this year on Thursday April 20th  (starting time 8pm.)   

In 2010, the first staging of the race took place and attracted 425 runners, a figure which at that time well exceeded the organisers' expectations.  Our 10th anniversary race in 2019 saw a record breaking 1240 finishers.

The event formerly took place in Castlemartyr, but East Cork AC moved the race to Ballintotis, which has proved a hugely popular location, with the venue boasting in excess of 1,000 participants on a number of occasions. The scenic 4 mile loop includes a lap of road bordering Loughaderra Lake in the closing stages. 

Again this year's race offers great value for money with a very attractive prize structure overall and a full list of category prizes in all age groups (1st 2nd and 3rd) as well as the opportunity to win one of the many spot prizes on offer. As always all participants will receive the famous Ballintotis running Buff.

Registration is open on line from February 1st and is limited to participants over 15 years of age.

Registration costs 15 euro  including service charge, with the option of  availing of your race number being posted out for an additional cost.             .

Please enter on  https://eventmaster.ie/event/JVojipvHRk/VdKAcwyTJ

From Wed Feb 1st onwards 

In the inaugural race 12 years ago James McCarthy took top spot with a time of 19:54. McCarthy went onto win the race a remarkable eight times in a row, his best time being 19:23 set in 2016. Then in 2018 ... a new man was on the podium as another East Cork A.C competitor Michael Harty won in style and in the process set a new course record of 19:15, with the previous record also being broken by Sergiu Ciobanu who was runner up. Our 2019  race saw a new name on the roll of honour - as yet another East Cork Man - Kevin O'Brien broke the tape in a time of 20.13.

The entry was a remarkable 1,170 runners in 2015.  Irish Olympian Sonia O Sullivan was among those taking part  that year following up on her previous visit in 2013.  

Fellow Olympian Lizzy Lee from Leevale is the ladies course record holder (21:22), with her Irish International colleague Claire McCarthy posting the second fastest time around the course.   Fiona Santry of East Cork A.C made it back to wins in the ladies race in 2019 to complete a fine double..

Last year was a truly memorable one for both Michael Harty and Lizzy Lee who were crowned race winners again in Ballintotis after their respective superb performances.

Anybody requiring further information on this year's race can e-mail their query to ballintotisrace@gmail.com or call 086 8778182.

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Location... Ballintotis is located just west of Castlemartyr in East Cork.

Preview......You can see a preview of the course HERE

Please arrive early as very large entry expected.

Where it all began - the start of the very first Ballintotis 4 Mile Road Race in 2010.

The success of the Ballintotis event which was brought to the picturesque venue by East Cork A.C in 2010, is due to a number of factors. It's fair to say that the generous sponsorship and backing from the local business community has been a key component in it's rise and with this in mind, the local Ballintotis Race Committee wish to acknowledge again the wonderful backing of the their sponsors.

Here are some updates and advice for those taking part  this year in the race or walk or indeed coming to watch the action.

Car Parks
There will be a number of  main Car Parks for runners and walkers and these will be located in close proximity to the Race HQ at Ballintotis Community Centre. At various times, different Car Parks may be prioritised to cater for traffic flow - so the advise is to please follow the instructions of gardai and stewards who will be on duty. In relation to the Car Parks on race route – cars  will not be allowed exit until all runners have passed.

Race Start/Finish
The race begins at 8pm sharp – the Start Line is approx 200 meters from the Church on way to the main Road. The Finish Line is in front of the Church. ALL RUNNERS ARE ASKED TO BEGIN THE RACE IN THE TIME ZONE, WHICH REFLECTS THEIR EXPECTED FINISHING TIME. The year’s race is again chipped timed by Ronan Wogan and the team at myrunresults and as always there will be with timing mats at the start and finish line.

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All Race Enquiries to 086-8778182