As we reach March 2026, a number of successful evening run series in Munster have come to an end. There was one in Fethard in Tipperary during February and there were two popular series in Dungarvan and Waterford City which ran throughout the winter.
There used to be a evening 3k series in Midleton in east Cork and it was last held in February of 2011... results.
The series was organised by East Cork AC and they decided at their AGM later in the year to discontinue the series as the numbers were too large for a residential area.
That means the last evening series in Cork was 15-years ago. My question now is if it's time for a new evening series???
First of all, let's look at the evening series that have recently finished.
Fethard... This was a 3k series was organised by Fethard AC and it was held on the four Thursday evenings in the month of February at 7:30pm. The entry fee was €25 for the series or €8 per night.
Dungarvan... This one is the largest evening leagues in the country and is organised by West Waterford AC. They have a choice of a long and short course and it is held on 11-evenings from November to February. The series costs €45.
In the last event, they had 188 finishers in the short race and 283 in the long event. The series has been running for 31 years and has featured on RTE television.
Waterford City... This one is organised by Waterford Road Runners and runs for 12-weeks from November to February. It costs €50 for the series and that includes a t-shirt. Their numbers have ranged from 71 to 187 finishers with an average of 126.
The photo above shows the turn around point on the course which is on a wide footpath.
What about Cork???... Surely if they can organise successful evening series in Tipperary and Waterford then it can be done in several locations in Co Cork.
One obvious issue is a quiet location... industrial estates? Greenways? Wide footpaths?
Insurance? Permission? Permits?... There are bound to be issues but it's already happening in other areas. I think there is a big market there for a number of 3k series with low entry fees. No prizes, just accurate timing for a basic entry fee.
Would a 3k on the Midleton Greenway be possible at twilight in March or October? Joe Walsh walkway in Clonakilty? Clare O'Leary Walk in Bandon?
There must surely be loads of suitable locations.
2 comments:
Why does everything have to cost money in Ireland? Sport, especially running, should be accessible by all regardless of financial situation. Why couldn’t there be a free event similar to park run, cap the numbers, divide groups with staggered start times or alternating routes from a single start point. In other countries like Scotland an initiative like this would be free of charge.
PS Im not just a keyboard warrior, I would be up for leading a capped group as part of a bigger event
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