Stanislaw Byczek - RIP

It's sad to hear about the recent passing of Stan Byczek who was very much part of the Cork running scene for many years. 

Carrigtwohill AC wrote the following...  𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡, 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗠𝗔𝗡 – 𝗥𝗜𝗣

It was with great sadness that Carrigtwohill AC received the news that Stanislaw Byczek passed away on Easter Sunday in his native Poland.  His funeral was held yesterday.  We extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Stan’s family and friends.

Stan grew up in Kraków.  In his younger years, he did a lot of kayaking but running became his life passion.  Along with a friend, Stan set up the KB Dystans Kraków Runners’ Club at the turn of the century.  It was on his initiative that the Marzanna Half Marathon was set up.  It is still held annually, over 20 years later.

Results of the East Cork Division Road Championships in Ballynoe - Thurs 24th April 2025

East Cork Division Road Championships in Ballynoe  - Thurs 24th April 2025. Hosted by St Catherine's AC.

Women's 3K
Pos Forename Surname Category Club Time
1 Tamzin Muldowney F East Cork AC 11.34
2 Sinead Falvey F Midleton AC 12.21
3 Linda O'Sullivan F Watergrasshill AC 12.24
4 Faye O'Riordan F Carraig Na Bhfear AC 12.28
5 Dee Duran F Midleton AC 12.43
6 Kathleen Ryan F Midleton AC 12.53
7 Laura Moore F Carraig Na Bhfear AC 13.04
8 Colette O'Donoghue F Watergrasshill AC 13.08
9 Deirdre Ansbro F Youghal AC 13.14
10 Siobhan Walsh F Carraig Na Bhfear AC 13.28
11 Eileen Leahy F Midleton AC 13.43
12 Ann Marie Holland F Youghal AC 14.00
13 Leona Browne F Watergrasshill AC 14.24
14 Orlaith Merritt F Carraig Na Bhfear AC 14.32
15 Ciara Magner F Watergrasshill AC 14.38
16 Claire O'Brien F Watergrasshill AC 14.53
17 Lorna O'Brien F East Cork AC 15.07
18 Brigid Ryan F Midleton AC 15.23
19 Claire Fitzgerald F Midleton AC 15.53
20 Christine Murphy F Midleton AC 16.06
21 Faye Wright F Watergrasshill AC 16.46

Notice: Cork BHAA Stryker 4 mile race in Carrigtwohill - Wed 30th Apr 2025

This 4 mile race in Carrigtwohill in East Cork is coming up on Wednesday the 30th of April at 7:30pm. This is a change from the last few years when it was held in August and it is now reverting back to its more traditional April date.

As with all Cork BHAA events, the entry fee is €5 for registered runners and €10 for non-registered.

Located just a few minutes drive from the Jack Lynch tunnel, this one is very close to Cork City and is easy to get to.

Results of the Shandrum 4-mile road race - Thurs 24th Apr 2025

The annual Shandrum 4-mile road race in north Cork was held on Thurs 25th Apr 2025 on a very wet evening.

As can be seen from the chart above, the damp conditions really seem to have had a big impact on the numbers with a drop of 42% on last year.

Top 3 men & women...
 1 James Doran Brosna     20:36 M40 238  
2 Ruairi Manning Cork Track Club AC 20:53 MS 678  
3 Declan Guina West Limerick AC  20:59 MS 810  
8 Carol Finn Leevale AC  22:56 FS 823 Course Record
9 Martina Kiely St Finbarrs AC 23:14 F40 837  
15 Emma Flynn North Cork AC  25:12 FJ 832  

Full results HERE

Results of the Bandon AC 5k - Thurs 24th Apr 2025

New course record for Sean Doyle

The 2025 edition of the Bandon AC 5k was held on Thurs 24th April on what turned out to be a really wet evening. This was the second year of this 5k race in Bandon.

Despite the awful conditions, there were 316 finishers which is down 3% on the 327 for the inaugural year in 2024. Fingers crossed for a dry 2026!

Top 3 men & women...
 1 Sean DOYLE Cork City A.C. M MS 588 14:37
2 Naoise O'FLAITHEARTAIGH Bandon A.C. M MS 792 15:36
3 Ray O'CONNELL Togher A.C. M M40 764 16:09
8 Hannah STEEDS Leevale A.C. F FS 871 16:47
11 Jennifer MARTIN F FS 699 17:04
14 Fern MULLANE West Muskerry A.C. F FU18 733 17:23

Full results HERE

Note that the results are provisional for the moment, give them time to check them.

ONGOING

Route Corridor Options for the West Cork Greenway - 2nd Consultation - Apr 2025

Back in May and June of 2024, Cork County Council carried out a consultation on the concept of a 'West Cork Greenway'. The resultant report can be viewed HERE

The second consultation is now open and submissions will be accepted until the 2nd of June 2025. The corridor options are shown above and as you can see, there are plenty to choose from.

Crossbarry to Bandon: Consultations of the proposed Cork City to Kinsale Greenway are now past the second consultation phase and the report from that is covered in this previous post.

All going well, the Greenway at Crossbarry will connect to the Goggins Hill tunnel and then onto Cork City.

The route choices from Crossbarry to Bandon are shown below...

The BROWN option pretty much follows the R589 road and I'm not sure it has much going for it.

The GREEN option basically just follows more roads and again, pretty boring.

The PINK option closely follows the old railway line and it has a lot going for it.

a) It follows the route of the old railway line so the gradients are gentle.

b) It's a quiet route and stays mostly away from busy roads.

c) The 122-metre long Kilpatrick Tunnel will be a major feature on the Greenway.

A new elevated bridge over the Bandon River would need to be constructed. This again is another scenic feature. Here is a view of what it was like when the train was running...

From this viewpoint, the train would cross over the river and then into the tunnel.

d) The Claire O'Leary Walk is also marked on the map. This is being refurbished at present and a new section connecting it to Bandon is being built. If the Greenway doesn't go along this route then the Claire O'Leary walk effectively connects to nothing. The north-east end of the walk ends on the busy N71 road which is unsuitable for walkers or runners.

Bandon to Clonakilty: The main routes which are the BLUE and PURPLE seem to pretty much track the N71 south the Clonakilty. It probably isn't the nicest route but the gradients are the easiest.

The GREEN route by contrast is quieter but the route is much hillier.

I've also shown the route of the old railway line which went from Ballinascarthy to Timoleague. This is a lovely quiet area and is pretty much flat.

A new walk called the Argideen Valley Trail was developed recently with signage maps and way markers. It's a linear walk and goes from Ballinascarthy to Courtmacsherry with various historic points of interest along the way.

It's supposed to be a walking route but I have my doubts that many people walk it. I've cycled it twice and it really is a nice route.

The photo above shows a footbridge over a small river on what is known locally as Ford's Lane. The old railway was on the far bank.

Monteen Castle is another historical feature just off the old Ballinascarthy to Timoleague railway line.

The options closer to Clonakilty are shown below...

The Joe Walsh Walk is an existing greenway which goes from the hospital entrance to the West Cork Technology Park. It would seem likely that any new greenway route is likely to connect to this rather that going further west via Shannonvale to Clonakilty.

The DARK BLUE route basically follows the R600 from Clonakilty to Timoleague. 

The ORANGE route is extremely hilly and just seems to be there for the sake of being an option.

South of Clonakilty, there are options to put in a Greenway to Inchydoney.

In conclusion: Needless to say, a lot of people will have many different opinions on the various routes. It's easy to say such and such a route is best but the landowners especially farmers may have a very different opinion. 

Go to the project website, have a closer look at the information and then fill out the survey form.

The website is https://www.wcgbandon.ie/

Numbers on the rise for the Valentia Half-Marathon & 10k event...

Well done to Cork runner Gene Dywer who was the first woman home in the 10k race on Valentia island in Co Kerry last Saturday, 19th of April 2025.

Looking through the results, the numbers at the Valentia Half-Marathon & 10k have really grown in the last two years as can be seen from the chart below.

For years, the numbers for the half and 10k were pretty poor but it has really taken off in 2024 and 2025.

Full results for the 2025 event can be found at https://my.raceresult.com/335921/

Notice: Bandon AC 5k road race - Thurs 24th Apr 2025

Following on from the success of the inaugural Bandon AC 5k last year, the second edition is coming up this year on Thursday 24th April 2025 at 7:30pm.

Update Mon 21st Apr: Just 50 places left!

Entries HERE

Bandon AC are currently developing a full size 400m athletics track and all proceeds from the race go towards this project.

Latest info from the organisers: "Registration and number collection: Colaiste Na Toirbhirte from 6pm last number collection 7:00pm

Late registrations: This option will not be available if race sells out. it will be €25 on the night and will be accepted up to 7pm.

Results & Photos of the Kinsale 10-mile road race - Mon 21st Apr 2025

The 2025 edition of the Kinsale 10-mile road race was held on Easter Monday, 21st of April after being rescheduled from the 23rd of February date due to heavy rainfall.

There were 801 finishers this year which is down about 14% on the numbers last year. It's possible that the drop was due to some runners not being able to make the rescheduled date.

Top 5 men & women...
1454 1 Ryan CREECH Leevale A.C. M 49:16  
150 2 Donal COAKLEY Leevale A.C. M 55:32  
1284 3 Donacha KELLY Tracton A.C. M40 57:02  
136 4 Donnacha CASSIDY M 57:32  
1637 5 Fergus NUGENT Eagle A.C. M45 58:21
829 22 Catherine MURPHY Eagle A.C. F45 1:03:31  
20 30 Breda GAFFNEY Mallow A.C. F50 1:04:43  
1716 31 Grace REILLY F40 1:05:20  
1634 33 Laura NOONAN F 1:05:37  
228 52 Niamh CRONIN St. Finbarrs A.C. F45 1:07:57

Full results HERE

Photos... Updated Mon 22nd Apr 6pm

1) Joe Murphy has several galleries... Album 1 ... Album 2 ... Album 3 ... Album 4 ... Album 5 ... Album 6 ... Album 7 ... Album 8 ... Album 9 ... Album 10 ... Album 11 ... Album 12 ... Album 13 ... Album 14 ...

2) Siobhan Russel has a few pics HERE

First place finish for Catherine Murphy of Eagle AC

New course record of 49m 16s for Ryan Creech of Leevale AC

Another weekend, another race! Visiually impaired runner Ross Gallagher completes the 2025 Kinsale 10-mile road race in a time of 97m 38s.

Visually impaired runner Ross Gallagher completes his 200th 5k parkrun!

A belated congratulations to Ross Gallagher who completed his 200th 5k parkrun in Glengarriff back on the 12th of April 2025!

It's a fair achievement for anyone to rack up 200 5k parkruns but especially so for a visually impaired runner. 

Ross has completed 141 of the 200 at the Tralee parkrun while he has completed 32 in Co Cork.

We should also give credit to all of those volunteers who gave up their time to guide Ross around the various courses.

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 19th Apr 2025

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 19th Apr 2025. Approximately 1051 runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

Report... Despite the rain, there were still over 1000 participants this week. As expected, there was a drop in numbers at most events due to the weather but it was interesting to see that there was a jump in numbers for the parkruns in west Cork. Maybe due to people returning home for the Easter weekend break?

Midleton... Michael McCarthy, a first time visitor to the Midleton parkrun reached the 400 milestone! 355 of his 400 5k parkruns have been at the Tramore event in Waterford.

Ballincollig... Well done to Marie Murphy who completed her 100th 5k parkrun!

Tramore Valley Park... Well done to Anthony Walsh who completed his 100th 5k parkrun this weekend! Anthony has completed 94 at the Tramore Valley Park event with the remaining 6 in Ballincollig.

Another runner hitting the century mark in Tramore Valley Park this weekend was Chris Hearn.

ONGOING

If I missed anyone who passed a notable milestone like 100, 200, 250 or above parkruns then let me know.

***

Ballincollig Regional Park: 239 this week, 313 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Tiarnan O DONOGHUE Male JM15-17 Togher AC 19:07

2 John Paul PEYTON Male SM25-29 19:20

3 James CALLANAN Male VM55-59 19:31

15 Adil Cahit ANSAROGLU Female VW40-44 21:58

23 Susan O'DONOVAN Female VW40-44 23:00

44 Claire O'SULLIVAN Female SW30-34 24:42

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/371/

Tramore Valley Park: 243 this week, 224 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Aidan BENJACAR Male JM15-17 Clonliffe Harriers A.C. 16:17

2 Alan O'SULLIVAN Male VM40-44 Eagle A.C. 18:20

3 Mark LALLY Male VM40-44 Lucan Harriers 18:29

27 Mari BURKE Female VW45-49 22:50

35 Ruth FORBES Female VW45-49 Carrigaline A.C 23:15

37 Ruth MCCARTHY Female SW25-29 23:32

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/149/

Glen River: 50 this week, 75 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Colin MORRISON Male VM50-54 19:43

2 Diarmuid DEASY Male SM18-19 20:53

3 David WILSON Male VM55-59 21:46

4 Irene EIGHAN Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 22:05

9  Gillian SOHUN Female VW50-54 23:06

13 Deborah O Female VW45-49 24:54

Glen River results...  https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/255/

Midleton Greenway: 143 this week, 162 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Barry WALSH Male VM40-44 St Finbarrs AC 17:49

2 Finn DUCKETT Male JM11-14 Westport AC 18:01

3 Brendan MAGUIRE Male VM45-49 18:06

9 May DUCKETT Female JW11-14 Westport AC 19:48

20 Mary-Jane CASEY Female JW11-14 21:22

25 Bernadette CROWLEY Female VW35-39 21:42

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/12/

Mallow Castle: 56 this week, 66 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Nick COTTERILL Male VM40-44 BERT Squad 18:06

2 Craig ADOLPH Male VM35-39 18:27

3 Alan SKELTON Male VM35-39 19:28

22 Jennifer LYONS Female VW35-39 26:08

23 Lucy SLY Female SW25-29 26:12

25 Helen HEALY Female VW55-59 Mt. Hillary AC 26:34

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/177/

Youghal (Pobalscoil ne Tríonóide) : 56 this week, 55 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Christopher CUMMINS Male VM35-39 18:24

2 Unknown  

3 Derek SMYTH Male VM45-49 19:42

5 Emer FINLAY Female SW30-34 21:45

10 Sorcha KILGANNON Female SW18-19 23:38

11 Josephine O SULLIVAN Female VW45-49 23:53

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/155/

Macroom Castle Demense: 45 this week, 50 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Jean LUCEY Female VW40-44 20:02

3 Daire O MAHONY Female JW11-14 21:36

5 Jennifer RING Female VW45-49 22:50

2 Matt MURPHY Male SM18-19 21:24

4 Derry CASEY Male VM50-54 West Muskerry A.C. 22:23

7 Gerald MCCARTHY Male VM45-49 23:41

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/523/

Clonakilty: 36 this week, 56 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Cillian MCGILLYCUDDY Male SM30-34 22:19

2 Lennart LINDENFELD Male JM15-17 22:50

3 Colm O'SULLIVAN Male VM55-59 Bishopstown Orienteering Club 23:01

7 Niamh O'BRIEN Female VW35-39 23:51

8 Sandra WALSH Female VW50-54 23:55

9 Lorna WALSH Female SW25-29 24:23

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/477/

Glengarriff Woods: 124 this week, 55 last week.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Cormac O'REGAN Male VM40-44 Cork Triathlon Club 19:43

2 Sean O LOINGSIGH Male VM40-44 20:26

3 John JORDAN Male VM40-44 20:52

17 Breda LYNCH Female VW35-39 24:10 

18 Em GORDON Female VW35-39 Romsey Road Runners 24:22

24 Marian MINEHANE Female VW40-44 25:24

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/396/

Bere Island: 98 this week, 58 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Daniel SULLIVAN Male VM35-39 18:26

3 Garry HILLIARD Male VM50-54 21:26

4 Cyril MCNAMARA Male VM55-59 22:47

2 Michelagh MURPHY Female SW20-24 21:22

17 Nina MURPHY Female VW35-39 26:11

20 Laoise Ann O SULLIVAN Female JW11-14 27:14

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/488/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 38 finishers this week, 20 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Jai CHAUHAN Male JM15-17 Eryri Harriers 20:35

2 Florence FITZGERALD Male VM35-39 22:06

3 Paul CASSIDY Male SM30-34 22:15

5 Amber CHAUHAN Female JW11-14 Eryri Harriers 23:51

6 Helen MORGAN Female VW45-49 Eryri Harriers 24:33

18 Isobel HARGADEN Female SW30-34 30:07

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/408/

For more information about the weekly 5k parkruns in Co Cork, go to this page HERE.

Guest Post: Invincibility ...by Pat Walsh

 * Invincibility *

Yes I’m Pat and I’m indestructible. 

We are in Summer time and races are full on at the moment. Last few months you could race every weekend and at least the weekdays were a break but now we are in a race every day time. Weeknight short races mixed with longer weekend events. It is full on.

I thought I was invincible and could do it all. No major thought was given to strength work, no major variety in training, races were just tackled and finished and I was a happy man. Drive on to the next race. I did look after flexibility and thought that was sufficient for my needs. I never once considered my birth cert and adjusted my training to a more age appropriate plan.

Until it wasn’t. Hindsight is brilliant. You will always be right but maybe if I could have spotted the issues in advance it would have been far better.

One major mistake I made was equating strength with speed. Because I wasn’t really running very fast I thought I didn’t need power in the core, glutes and leg muscles to power me forward.

What I didn’t consider was I needed strength to just maintain good posture while I ran my weekly miles and therefore other things suffered. I got injured and lost 4 months.

As I got older I needed more variety in my overall training to maintain strength and aerobic fitness. This isn’t Olympic qualifying stuff I’m talking about, it is you me and all ordinary runners looking to keep ourselves in good shape, injury free and continuing in a sport we love.

We need variety in running distances and speeds. We needs hills, woods, grass and road. We need regular strength work, either a weekly class or a daily routine at home. Same goes for flexibility.

If time is tight be careful what loses out. Maybe miss a running session but do not neglect the other stuff.

So from now on, I will ask myself:

am I fit enough and strong enough;
am I looking too short term and neglecting something else;
does my weekly / monthly plan contain enough variety of training disciplines.
I can do anything, I can’t do everything.
I want to keep running, I don’t need prizes. I never won them anyway.
I’m not invincible. I now know that. 

This is written by me, for me and it is published here in case it would help anyone else.

Maybe a new career as a volunteer or a lead bike person in a race awaits me..! Joking.. 

Beidh mé ar ais aris.

Have a lovely Easter

#pwr

Results of the Streets of Killarney 5-mile road race - Fri 18th Apr 2025

The 2025 edition of the Streets of Killarney 5-mile was held on Good Friday the 18th of April with 683 runners crossing the finish line. Considering the wet conditions, that's a big turnout for a 5-mile race in Co Kerry and as expected, there was no shortage of runners from Co Cork in the results.

Looking at the race flyer, the entry fee was listed as €28 which was probably well over €30 by the time the additional fees are added on. This is a lot for a 5-mile race although it should be noted that there was a dry fit top included in that price.

Looking at 2024 which was the inaugural year, there were 459 finishers so there is a substantial jump in the numbers this year. The entry fee last year was €25.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Paul MOLONEY Mallow A.C. M M40 671 24:59
2 Kenneth ROGERS St. John's A.C. M MS 786 25:10
3 Gavin SWEENEY Togher A.C. M M40 805 25:26
26 Amy POLLMAN DAAMEN An Ríocht A.C. F FS 768 29:20
29 Carol FINN Leevale A.C. F FS 300 29:30
30 Lily RIORDAN F FJ 785 29:37

Full results HERE

Results & Photos of the Ballintotis 4-mile road race - Wed 16th Apr 2025

As always, there was a big turnout for the annual Ballintotis 4-mile road race with 1200 runners crossing the finish line. 

Top 3 men & women...

1 Ryan CREECH Leevale A.C. M MS 524 19:05
2 Sean DOYLE Cork City A.C. M MS 578 19:21
3 Michael HARTY East Cork A.C. M M40 344 19:30
1 Fiona EVERARD Bandon A.C. F FS 1334 21:41
2 Emma FITZPATRICK Leevale A.C. F FS 113 23:20
3 Sharon RYNNE Leevale A.C. F F35 315 23:43

Full results HERE

As can be seen from the chart above, 2025 was the second highest ever in terms of numbers. It's a credit to the Ballintotis organisers that a small community in east Cork can get such big numbers for an evening road race.

Photos... (Updated 18th Apr 10pm)

1) Mick Dooley has some photos of the start HERE , start group start line photos HERE ,finish line photos HERE and some post race HERE 

2) Joe Murphy has a gallery of the prize winners HERE , pre-race HERE, 

race start 1 HERE, race start 2 HERE, 

finish 1 HERE, finish 2 HERE, finish 3, finish 4, finish 5, finish 6, finish 7, finish 8, finish 9, finish 10, finish 11, finish 12, finish 13, 

Video...

Start of the 2025 Ballintotis race...

***

First 3 men (L-R)... Michael Harty 3rd, Ryan Creech 1st & Sean Doyle 2nd

First 3 women (L-R)... Sharon Rynne 3rd, Fiona Everard 1st & Emma Fitzpatrick 2nd

Final info for the Ballintotis 4-mile road race - Wed 16th Apr 2025

The 2025 Ballintotis 4-mile road race is one of the largest 4-mile road races in Cork & Munster and it's coming up on Wed 16th April. See earlier post HERE

Note the earlier start time this year of 7:45pm! If you're coming from the city then allow plenty of time to get through the Jack Lynch Tunnel.

Here is the latest info from the organisers...

????????? FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – HERE ARE SOME ANSWERS

Car Parks

Arrive early allow time for parking and were possible please car pool.

There are three main Car Parks for participants.

All traffic to be directed to N25 Main road to fill all 3 car parks

Car Park A & B is located at N25 @Ballintotis Turn (Left & Right )

Car Park C is located Back of the lake

Car Park D is located Foy’s Field

Car Park E is located Castle Field

If walkers wish to leave before the race they need park in car park A

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. 

Race Entry Desks - Entry Desks are located in Main Hall of Community Centre – Open from 1pm onwards on Wednesday 16th. Entry Fee is 15 euro (Plus €2 for non athletics Ireland members). Please enter via the side door of the hall.

On Line Entries - Those who have entered on line in advance can also collect their number in Community Centre at the aforementioned times at SEPERATE designated desks.

Changing Facilities/ Toilets

A Marquee is located on the green adjacent to Church Car Park.

Toilets only are located in the Church Car Park area.

Walk - The walk begins at 5.45pm sharp. Entries will be taken in the Community Centre from 5.00pm onwards. Refreshments served for all walkers in the Marquee at the front the

Community Centre immediately after the conclusion of the Walk.

Race Start/Finish

The race begins at 7:45pm sharp – the Start Line is approx 200 meters from the Church on way to Main Road. The Finish Line is in front of the Church.

ALL RUNNERS ARE ASKED TO BEGIN THE RACE IN THE TIME ZONE, WHICH REFELCTS THEIR EXPECTED FINISHING TIME. The race is chipped timed with timing mats at the start and finish line.

Water/Refreshments - Bottled water will be available immediately after the race.

Refreshments will be served after the race in the Community Centre. Please enter the Community Centre via the SIDE door after the race for the people who wish to avail of Refreshments – 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 will take place OUTSIDE THE MAIN HALL after the race at approx 9.00pm.

First Aid - located at the community centre and is provided by the Irish Red Cross

Communication - Key locations around the course will have a 2 way radio to link back to race Comms Centre which can also be contacted on the mobile number below. All instructions regarding changes to traffic flow and cark park changes will come from the Coms Center (Patsy)

Any questions on the night Contact 086- 6079108

Traffic Route - All Midleton/ Cork side traffic use car park A and B

All traffic from Youghal /Waterford side can go to car park C and D

No turn Left off the N25 at the back gates 

Car Park C&D can be accessed down by boats for traffic coming from Castlemartyr (L7721)

All traffic coming from Ballinacurra & Ladysbridge will be directed Down shanahan’s road (which will be against the walk) and into car park E (Castle Field)

Walkers - The walkers leave the hall @ 17:45hrs heading East with a car driving in front and behind the last walker, following the race route in reverse and will be directed over a shorter route (not going to the main road)and Return to the community centre via Shanahan's road 

From 18:30 hrs any car travelling east from Wesley corner will be advised of walkers on the route and be give the option of the Ladysbridge road for non race traffic.

Race - The race starts at 19:45hrs and the back of the race will pass Wesley's corner (L4) @ 20:10hrs All traffic diverted to Ladysbridge road until back of the race passes Foy's (L5). No Cars out of Car park C & D until the back of the race has passed,

New Cork LUAS plans avoids using Greenways

The 'Emerging Preferred Route' for the new Cork LUAS light rail line has just been published and the good news is that it is going to avoid using the established greenways around Blackrock.

The original proposal was to have the Cork LUAS line running along the Marina and then down the greenway to Mahon. The photo above shows an artists impression of it going through the old Blackrock Railway Station and the map for the original proposal is shown below.

This original plan was very car-centric and the aim seemed to be to cause as little disruption to traffic as possible. The new plan goes through areas where more people live.

There will be no doubt a lot of objections from some car owners about the new Cork LUAS plan but from a walking, running & cycling perspective, the greenway in Blackrock remains intact.

You can view the plans at https://www.luascork.ie/

Notice: Ballintotis 4-mile road race - Wed 16th April 2025

As the evenings gradually begin to get brighter, it's good to look forward to the Ballintotis 4-mile road race in east Cork. The race is on Wed 16th April 2025 at 7:45pm.

Note two things... it's on a Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday and the race will have a new start time of 7:45pm as opposed to the traditional 8pm. This is an important consideration if you're coming from the city and going through the tunnel. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time.

Enter HERE

From the organisers... Ballintotis Road Race - All Set For Year 14

Results & Photos of the Karen Fenton Memorial 5k - Sun 13th Apr 2025

Even though it was evenly matched at the 3k mark, Tomas Kiely of North Cork AC would use the hills in the last two kms to take the win

There were 311 finishers in this years Karen Fenton Memorial 5k in Ballinora on Sun 13th Apr 2025.

Top 3 men & women...

1. 741 Tomas Kiely m North Cork A.C. 17:10  
2. 2253 John Longan m 17:21  
3. 221 Alan O Sullivan m Eagle A.C. 18:21  
10. 2278 Maggie O'Neill f 20:11  
14. 626 Lily Manning f 20:34  
25. 229 Mairead Perez f    Eagle A.C. 22:05  

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) There are two galleries up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.

a) Album 1 b) Album 2

Maggie O'Neill closed down a substantial gap to take the win

Two races in one day! After helping pace the 2:10 group in the Great Railway Run 25k from Cork City to Carrigaline at 9:30am, Siobhan Holland was back in action again at 12:30pm at the Karen Fenton Memorial 5k in Ballinora

Thumbs up...

Results & Photos of the Great Railway Run 25km - Sun 13th Apr 2025

Evan Fitzgerald of West Waterford AC wins the 2025 Great Railway Run in a new course record time

The Great Railway Run 25km race from Cork City to Carrigaline was held this year on Sun 13th Apr 2025. The race was held in cool but dry and sunny conditions and the runners were finished before the showers arrived.

There were 503 finishers this year which is up about 15% on the 438 of 2024.

Top 5 men & women...

1 Evan Fitzgerald West Waterford AC   1:21:03 MS 581 Course Record
2 Paul Moloney Doneraile AC   1:24:55 MS 586
3 Donal Coakley Leevale AC   1:29:57 MS 585
4 Nathan Ryan O'Hehir St Finbarrs AC   1:30:54 MS 223
5 Ruairi Manning Cork Track Club AC   1:31:46 MS 555
28 Catherine Murphy Eagle AC   1:41:47 F45 396
39 Breda Gaffney Mallow AC   1:46:32 F50 82
47 Kathy-Jean Horgan-Casey Mallow   1:48:34 F45 596
49 Emma Doyle Leevale AC   1:48:57 FS 199
64 Olga O'Loughlin St Finbarrs AC   1:53:42 F45 571

Full results HERE

Catherine Murphy of Eagle AC is the first woman home

Photos to follow... plenty on the way.... Updated Sun 13th Apr 9pm

1) There are five galleries up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.

a) Album 1 b) Album 2 c) Album 3 d) Album 4 e) Album 5

2) Derek Costello has the following galleries...

part 1  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194766955985774&type=3
part 2  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194771849318618&type=3
part 3  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194776382651498&type=3
part 4  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194780729317730&type=3
part 5  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1194784455984024&type=3

All aboard! The 2-hour pace group...

2:10 or bust...

The pillar in the background was part of the footbridge that used to go over the railway line allowing access to the small quay for boats