Notice: Bandon AC 5k road race - Thurs 25th Apr 2024

The Bandon AC 5k is a brand new road race on the calendar and it's coming up on Thursday 25th April 2024 at 7:30pm.

Entries HERE

Latest info from the organisers: "The registration will be in the secondary school Colaiste na Toirbhirte, Presentation College, Bandon, Co.Cork. The school is located on the bypass and is right next to where the race will start from.

Registration on the night will be open from 18:00. Online entries will be closed at 7:30pm on the 24th April. We will accept Late Entries on the night (€ 20 to enter then), this will be closed strictly at 18:30.

Parking: There will be limited parking around registration, there is plenty of parking in the town of Bandon (GAA club should have some parking available), but please do not park in any housing estates near the startline. There will also be parking in the church grounds- St Patrick’s on the night

We have been delighted to get sponsorship from Supervalu, Lilly Kinsale, The Edge Sports, Callan Kitchens, B Fit and Wild Side Sports.

We have been overwhelmed with the support locally and this has been a huge help for us in organising prizes and paying for the event."

Bandon Athletic Club are currently building a new 400m athletics track and as you might imagine, it's an expensive project. Proceeds from the race will go towards their track development fund.

Artists impression of the new athletics track

Course... The 5k course uses a lot of the old course that was used for the 5-miler on New Years Day some years ago.

The race start just off the Bandon Relief Road and the first 500m is downhill to a junction with the Kilbrittan Road, a very fast start. Then there is a short 500m gradual climb until you turn off left  after the 1km mark and onto a quiet country road.

For those of you who remember the old 5-mile course, you had to basically climb the hill on the Kilbrittan Rd all the ways from the town. On the 5k route, you essentially come out halfway up the hill.

From memory, I don't remember anything especially tough or hard about the section from 1 to 3kms. When it was part of the 5-mile race, I just remember running through some crossroads on narrow country roads and it was reasonably flat.

Just after the 3km mark, there's a turn left and then it's very gradual downhill through a glen to the finish line. Despite what the profile above might suggest, you're following a stream all the way down a glen for the last 2k so there is no climbing here.

It's probably one of the fastest finishes of any race as you don't lose that height advantage in one burst, it's more of a gradual 2km downhill stretch which is ideal.

Overall, a nice fast 5k course on quiet country roads to the south of Bandon.

Track under development in Q1 2024