Denis Buckley - RIP

Denis was a former member of St Finbarr's AC and was at one time the NACAI 880 yards Irish Champion.

Condolences to his family.

This is the notice... https://rip.ie/death-notice/denis-buckley-cork-carrigrohane-631346

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

A look at the Junior parkrun numbers in Co Cork - 2023 to 2025

Back in March of 2026, Aideen Coleman sent me a message to say that the Junior parkrun in Ballincollig for 4-14 year olds had over 300 finishers, more than the local 5k parkrun the previous day. I put up a post about it HERE.

After that, I was thinking about all the other parkruns in Co Cork. How are they getting on? What are their numbers like? Are they all growing like Ballincollig?

First off, there are eight 2km junior parkruns in Co Cork and the locations are shown on the map above. I calculated the average number of finishers per week for each event for 2023, 2024 and 2025 and I plotted them as a chart.

Ballincollig was the only event to show growth for two years in a row. Out of the eight junior parkruns, six recorded a decline in 2025. Dunmanway (Dromleena Lawn), Togher (Clashduv), Ballinlough (Nursery Drive) and Haulbowline all showed a large drop in 2025.

I asked Aideen why the Ballincollig junior parkrun is so popular compared to the rest and she said that having a 5k parkrun at the same location on a Saturday is a huge help. 

There is a certain amount of synergy between the two events in that the 5k parkrun participants are much more likely to be aware that there is a junior parkrun at the same location on Sunday and might bring their kids along. The 5k parkrun can also help in terms of being a pool for potential volunteers to help out at the junior event.

It's probably no accident that Ballincollig and Mallow are the two largest junior parkruns in Co Cork and both have 5k parkuns on Saturday. Aideen gave the example of the Tralee parkrun so I looked at those numbers...

Sure enough, Tralee seems to be doing quite well and compares favourably to the numbers for the junior parkruns in Co Cork.

Do numbers really matter???... Some may argue that large numbers don't really matter and they'd have a point. As long as there are enough volunteers and the event goes ahead week after week then that's fine.

It is probably fair to say however that reasonable numbers do matter. The more children taking part means more parents in attendance and the larger pool of people from which to draw volunteers.

In conclusion... Looking at the stats, it's very much a mixed picture for the junior parkruns in Co Cork. While Ballincollig and Mallow seem to be doing pretty well, some of the others seem to be in decline.

Looking at some events, they have had to cancel events from time to time due to a lack of volunteers. If the decline in numbers continues then it seems likely that some events may cease in the future.

If anyone is interested in trying to boost their numbers then it might be worth contacting the team behind the Ballincollig parkrun to see what they are doing right.

Notice: Killeagh 4 mile road race - Thurs 21st May 2026

This 4 mile race in East Cork is organised by Killeagh Community Healthy Clubs Project in association with Youghal AC. It will be held this year on Thursday the 21st of May 2026 at 8pm.

Please note that you can still enter on the day.

Online entries HERE

From the organisers... Our annual Killeagh 4M road race takes place this year on Thursday the 21st of May at 8pm. As usual this race will be chipped timed and run under an Athletics Ireland Permit and in association with our friends in Youghal AC. 

Results of the Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k - Tues 19th May 2026

The Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k is the most popular race on the BHAA calendar and this year was no exception with 1048 finishers. While that is down a bit on the numbers for 2025, it's the second highest numbers for this race.

Top 3 men & women...
 1 Eoghan McElhinney 0:15:37 Temp Reg
2 David Carter M-1 0:15:49 Clancy Construction
3 Niall Shanahan 0/40M M-2 0:15:53 Dept of Ed
44 Sinead O'Connor 0/40F F-1 0:18:13 Dept of Ed
52 Orla Drumm 0/40F F-2 0:18:27 HSE
62 Kealey Tideswell 0/40F F-3 0:18:43 OpenText

Final results HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy has some pre-race photos HERE 

15% Discount...... John Buckley Sports gave out 15% discount to all finishers in the race. Use your race number and present it in the shop to avail of the 15% discount. It will apply to any purchases in their shop which is across from the Opera House in the heart of Cork City. Needless to say, the amount you save with the discount may well exceed the race entry so they are well worth getting. Note that the discount is not restricted to just one item. When you are using it, you can buy several products at the one time and get 15% off the lot. 

The expiry date on the race number discount is the 31st of December 2026 so you have plenty of time to use it.

John Buckley Sports shop is across the river from the Opera House.

Addendum... It looks as if there was some issue with the course being too long this year. I checked the Strava account of someone who did the race this year and last year.

It does look as if the BHAA put the start line about 300m too far down the Marina. They admitted there was an issue on Facebook.

Notice: Cork BHAA John Buckley Sports 5k road race - Tues 19th May 2026

The annual John Buckley Sports 5k road race is one of the most popular races in Cork City and always attracts a large crowd. Organised in conjunction with the Cork BHAA, this race is suitable for all types of runner...from the serious to the more casual runner. The entry fee is only €5 for Cork BHAA registered runners or €10 for non-reg runners.

You can pre-enter this race by going to https://johnbuckleysports.com/

You can also enter on the night but it really helps if you pre-enter so that they can have everything ready. Please note that the race HQ is at the LEE ROWING CLUB near the Pairc Ui Chaoimh stadium.

FTD Brothers Marathon in Cork - Mon 18th May 2026

The FTD brothers are currently doing 33 marathons in Ireland in 33 days and on Monday the 18th of May, they will be starting one in Cork City.

They will be starting at 10am in Tramore Valley Park and are doing a loop around the city as shown on the map below.

Update: Doug Minihane has a photo gallery of the run HERE

Details below...On Monday 18th May, Jordan & Cian will take on the Cork leg of their incredible challenge:

Results of the Darrara NS 5k & 10k - Fri 15th May 2026

First 3 men in the 5k (L-R)... Diarmuid Nolan, Rob Kehoe & Sean Lucey

The annual Darrara National School 5k & 10k near Clonakilty was held this year on Friday 15th of May 2026.

5k - Top 3 men & women...
1 664 17:30 Diarmuid Nolan 1st Male 5K
2 656 18:35 Rob Kehoe 2nd Male 5K
3 611 18:42 Sean Lucy 3rd Male 5K
11 683 21:59 Eleanor Griffen 1st Woman 5K
20 661 24:02 Julie O'Keeffe 2nd Woman 5K
22 652 24:06 Joan Collins 3rd Woman 5k

10k - Top 3 men & women...
108 706 35:30 Aidan McCarthy 1st Male 10K
111 721 35:52 Conor O'Leary 2nd Male 10K
112 717 36:00 Kevin Wilmot 3rd Male 10K
123 757 39:53 Julie O'Brien 1st Woman 10K
137 747 43:09 Sinead O'Regan 2nd Woman 10K
147 727 45:28 Maura Regan 3rd Woman 10K

First 3 women in the 10k (L-R)... Julie O;Brien, Sinead O'Regan 2nd & Maura Regan 3rd

The combined 5k & 10k times are show below...

Position Bib Number Time Name Notes

1 664 17:30 Diarmuid Nolan 1st Male 5K
2 656 18:35 Rob Kehoe 2nd Male
3 611 18:42 Sean Lucy 3rd Male
4 670 18:45 Paul Deane
5 660 19:30 David O'Keeffe
6 463 19:33 Donnacha Ryan
7 649 20:25 Alan Dromey
8 638 20:32 Niamh Fleming
9 686 21:28 Ciaran Deasy
10 435 21:47 Isaac Buckley

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 16th May 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 16th May 2026. Approximately 1058  runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

Report... It was a bit of hit or miss as regards the rain this morning with plenty of scattered showers passing over Co Cork.

The person with the highest number of parkruns this weekend was Craig Alan Smith with 676, a visitor from the UK who did the Bere Island parkrun for the first time.

Tramore Valley... The Tramore Valley Park parkrun was the largest parkrun in Co Cork this weekend with 271 finishers.

Ballincollig... Well done to Joe Conroy who completed his 300th parkrun this weekend. Joe has done 281 of these in Ballincollig. Liam Thompson reached the 200 mark with 191 in Ballincollig.

John Kissane has a video of the start of the Ballincollig parkrun...

Clonakilty... Well done to Diarmuid Ó Súilleabháin who completed his 300th parkrun this weekend! Claudia Graepel reached 100 with 95 of those being in Clon.

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

Upcoming milestones....

***

Ballincollig Regional Park:  269 this week, 266 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 David CARRASCO COQUILLAT Male SM25-29 17:36

2 John MULVIHILL Male VM45-49 18:59

3 Declan BARRY Male VM40-44 19:01

4 Úna O'BRIEN Female SW20-24 Waterford AC 19:10

11 Natasha TOOLE Female SW30-34 20:12

20 Ailbhe GAMMELL Female SW20-24 21:12

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/424/

Tramore Valley Park: 271 this week, 258 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Shane BYRNE Male SM18-19 17:59

2 Mark REDWOOD Male VM50-54 Riverside Runners 18:02

3 Leo CASEY Male JM11-14 19:00

14 Mari BURKE Female VW45-49 21:07

20 Lauren CLARKE Female JW15-17 Westport AC 21:39

40 Kate O' BRIEN Female SW30-34 23:08

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/202/

Glen River: 45 this week, 52 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Marcus BISHOP Male SM30-34 17:45

2 Colin MORRISON Male VM50-54 19:59 

3 David MCEVOY Male VM40-44 20:54

10 Niamh SHEEHAN Female VW35-39 Togher AC 24:42

14 Catherine DEENIHAN Female VW55-59 UCC Staff Athletics Club 25:55

20 Deirdre FITZGIBBON Female VW45-49 29:31

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/311/

Midleton Greenway: 143 this week, 108 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 John SPELMAN Male SM20-24 17:43

2 Aaron HARTE Male SM25-29 17:52

3 Sean MCGUILL Male SM30-34 18:43

22 Eve MCDNOGH Female SW20-24 23:13

28 Elsie CORCORAN Female JW11-14 24:05

37 Maggie STACK Female VW50-54 Watergrasshill AC 25:29 

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/66/

Mallow Castle: 64 this week, 53 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Daniel MURPHY Male JM15-17 19:04

2 Vinny GRIMES Male VM35-39 19:45

3 Patrick AHERN Male VM35-39 19:55

5 Elaine O'CALLAGHAN Female VW40-44 22:45

8 Aoife MCCANN Female SW30-34 23:14

13 Elspeth AHERN Female VW35-39 24:06

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/229/

Youghal (Pobalscoil na Tríonóide) : 42 this week, 43 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Ciaran MITCHELL Male VM35-39 20:00

2 John O'REGAN Male VM55-59 Le Cheile AC 20:25

3 Shane MURPHY Male SM20-24 21:16

14 Jenny FLYNN Female JW11-14 26:08

15 Melanie KELLY Female VW65-69 26:09

17 Shannon SOTOK Female SW30-34 28:09

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/210/

Macroom Castle Demense: 38 this week, 35 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Conor LUCEY Male VM40-44 19:39

2 Jude MURPHY Male SM18-19 20:00

3 Matt MURPHY Male SM20-24 21:38

9 Chloe RACINE Female SW25-29 24:21

14 Caroline O DONNELL Female VW55-59 25:36

17 Carmel PURCELL Female VW45-49 West Muskerry A.C. 26:51

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/577/

Clonakilty:  39 this week, 34 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Donnacha RYAN Male JM11-14 19:38

2 Niall O'CONNOR Male VM50-54 West Cork Triathlon Club (WCTC) 20:40

3 Diarmuid Ó SÚILLEABHÁIN Male VM40-44 Leevale AC 21:19

7 Cheryl CARMODY Female VW40-44 Gneeveguilla Athletic Club 23:57

9 Eileen MCCARTHY Female VW55-59 Galway City Harriers 24:21

14 Sandra WALSH Female VW55-59 25:43

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/532/

Glengarriff Woods: 54 this week, 63 last week.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Michael MCCOLGAN Male VM35-39 21:17

2 Tony MCELHINNEY Male VM60-64 Bantry Athletic Club 24:43

4 Adrian MAIDMENT Male VM50-54 Redway Runners 25:23

3 Pippa O SULLIVAN Female JW15-17 25:03

6 Julie MARTIN Female VW55-59 Redway Runners 26:10

9 Majella O' MAHONY Female VW40-44 27:18

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/454/

Bere Island: 27 this week, 48 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Billy MORIARTY Male JM15-17 St Brendan's AC Ardfert 20:34

2 Darragh LAFFAN Male VM35-39 21:33

3 Stephen SHERIDAN Male SM30-34 21:45

6 Suzanne LABOWICZ Female VW40-44 23:00

8 Carol LUCEY Female VW45-49 Togher AC 24:18

9 Laoise Ann O SULLIVAN Female JW11-14 24:25

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/545/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 28 finishers this week, 27 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Mark DAVIES Male VM45-49 22:28

2 Andrew WHELTON Male SM25-29 22:44

3 Aaron ROSS Male SM25-29 23:15

6 Laura HEANEY Female SW20-24 26:58 

11 Brid COLLINS Female SW20-24 29:12

12 Louise LYNCH Female VW60-64 Sanctuary Runners 29:24

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/465/

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

Guest Post: Reality v Expectation... by Pat Walsh

* Reality v Expectation *

'But past is all his fame. The very spot

Where many a time he triumph'd is forgot.' Goldsmith.. The Deserted Village

When do we accept ourselves and where we are. As runners we are fantastic and still we beat ourselves up trying for further glory. When does acceptance finally hit us with the reality of age and just how we are actually beating it and performing on a daily basis.

I’m old in my sixties or am I young in my sixties?

I run a few times a week and go to races. I'm doing things that a person of my age couldn't, wouldn't or be encouraged to attempt years ago.

I have the mentality of a 23 year old

I have the social internet skills of a 33 year old

I have lovely friends I run with who are 43. 

My Garmin tells me my actual fitness age is 53

My birth cert age is 63 and not long to go for free-travel

My knees feel 73 years old

I’m home from hols today and tomorrow’s parkrun could feel like 83 after all the beer and food.

Serious

Too many people pack up or lose enjoyment when they are not hitting the marks and making improvements continually. We age, accept it, but please allow yourself to be able to get slower and know that you are ahead of 99% of the population because you run. Accept your body however flawed it may be.

With age comes a deterioration in function but runners defy / delay / beat  / kick the sh**e out of ordinary process. We are special. Injuries happen, recover, drive on.The majority of runners who stop running do so because of inability to accept a slowing process instead of embracing the love of still running. 

I love seeing young people running and performing, striving to improve and setting new records. That is life and progress. 

If your best days are behind you in term of times then maybe your best days are ahead in terms of love of running. The head or the heart? Support or despair?

Lecture over

'And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew, that one small head could carry all he knew.' Goldsmith.. The Deserted Village

#pwr

Notice: Ardmore 5-mile road race - Fri 22nd May 2026

The second race in the 2026 West Waterford AC Summer Series is coming up on Friday 22nd of May with the Ardmore 5-mile road race. 

The race starts at 7:30pm and the pre-entry fee is €12 - LINK or €15 on the night.

Considering the location, it should be of interest to runners in east Cork.

From West Waterford AC... 29th ANNUAL ROUND TOWER HOTEL ARDMORE 5

Race number 2 in our series this year takes us to the fast course in the beautiful village of Ardmore. Join us in Ardmore for a great evening's running and thanks to our sponsor, The Round Tower Hotel we will have prizegiving and refreshments after the race.

Online entry only again and the fee is €12. The entry fee on the night will be €15

We also have an option to purchase an amazing gilet celebrating the summer series for just €20.

Number collection is. at Ardmore GAA club grounds (by kind permission).

Prizes are as follows:
First 3 Male and Female
1 Junior Male and Female
1st Over 40 45,50,60 Male
1st Over 35, 40,45, 50 Female

29th Annual Round Tower Hotel

Ardmore 5 Miles, Friday 22nd May 2026 @ 7.30pm

1st Male - Veronica Ryan Cup
1st Female - Noel Faherty Cup

The course will remain the same as previous years with the 2 lap circuit.

Results of the Cheetah Run 5k in Fota Wildlife Park - Thurs 14th May 2026

(L-R) First 3 men... Andrew Hyland 2nd, Mark Walsh 1st & Eric Murphy 3rd

The annual Cheetah Run 5k in Fota Wildlife Park was held on Thurs 14th of May 2026 on what was a cool but dry evening, perfect for a road race.

There were 725 finishers in this hugely popular event which sold out in under three hours at the start of April.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Mark WALSH #862 Leevale A.C. M MS 15:35 
2 Andrew HYLAND #617 M MS 15:45 
3 Eric MURPHY #292 Carrigaline A.C. M MS 16:50 
5 Orla DRUMM #541 F F40 17:43 
6 Kealey TIDESWELL #412 Clonmel A.C. F F40 17:59 
8 Carol FINN #124 Leevale A.C. F F35 18:10 

Full results HERE

Photos...
1) Mick Dooley has some pre-race photos HERE and post race HERE

2) Derek Costello has two galleries... Part 1 and Part 2

Orla Drumm of Cork City AC was the first woman

Results of the Cork BHAA Pfizers 6-mile road race - Wed 13th May 2026

First place finish for Dr Vivian Foley

The annual Cork BHAA Pfizers 6-mile road race in Ringaskiddy is one of the oldest races on the BHAA calendar and this year, it was held on Wed 13th of May 2026 on what was a very windy, cool but dry evening.

Top 3 men & women...
 1 Vivian Foley 0/55M M1 00:32:30 Owenabue Medical Centre
2 Mark McGarry 0/40M M2 00:33:24 Stryker
3 Alan O'Brien 0/45M M3 00:33:45 McCarthy Insurance Group
20 Michelle Kenny 0/45F F1 00:36:24 Dept of Ed
27 Emma Doyle F2 00:37:11 Murphy Matson O'Sullivan
35 Linda O Connor 0/50F F3 00:38:05 Musgrave

Full results HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy has the following galleries...
a) Album 1 b) Album 2 c) Album 3 d) Album 4 e) Album 5 f) Album 6 g) Album 7 h) Album 8 i) Album 9 

Numbers... There were 284 finishers this year which is down just over 10% on the number for last year. The last time the numbers dropped below the 300 mark was back in 2013.

Results of the Run Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 9th May 2026

Tadhg O'Sullivan of Glanmire AC wins the 2026 Run Killarney Half-Marathon in a time of 70m 49s

The big race in Munster this weekend was the Run Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k which was held on Saturday 9th of May 2026. In the half-marathon, there were 1211 finishers while there were 1206 in the 10k. Entries for this event sold out months ago.

Considering the event was in Killarney, there was of course a huge contingent of runners from Cork taking part.

Half-Marathon - Top 5 men & women...
 1 Tadhg O'SULLIVAN #1168 01:10:49 M MS Glanmire AC
2 Derek GRIFFIN #1597 01:15:40 M MS 
3 Hiroki HINO #530 01:16:20 M MS 
4 Aidan MCCARTHY #795 01:17:15 M M40 
5 John WRAY #1580 01:17:32 M MS Leigh on Sea Striders
19 Eilís RYAN #1318 01:24:50 F FS Newport A.C.
22 Julie O'BRIEN #1215 01:25:26 F F40 Durrus A.C.
26 Kerry EAGER #771 01:26:33 F FS Star of the Laune A.C.
30 Fliss TOURNANT #1576 01:27:23 F FS Watford Joggers
34 Aoife LUCEY #728 01:27:47 F FS West Muskerry A.C.

10k - Top 3 men & women...
1 Ristard CLIFFORD #3000 00:32:50 M MS Killarney Valley A.C.
2 Mark DARBY #2277 00:33:02 00:33:02 M MS Mullingar Harriers A.C.
3 Michael DULLEA #2330 00:33:10 00:33:10 M M40 Skibbereen A.C. 
10 Carol FINN #2364 00:37:28 F FS Leevale A.C. 
11 Siobhan HOARE #2520 00:38:08 F F40 Togher A.C.
13 Brenda O'DONOGHUE #2992 00:38:38 F F40 Togher A.C.

Full results of both events HERE

Photos...

1) MyRunResults have a small gallery HERE

Carol Finn wins the 2026 Run Killarney 10k in a time of 37m 28s

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 9th May 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 9th May 2026. Approximately 989 runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

Report... Cool and dry was the order of business for the eleven 5k parkruns in Co Cork this weekend although there might have been some showers in the far west of the county.

The numbers seemed to be down quite a bit this weekend and it may well be due to the Run Killarney Half-Marathon and 10k which had a large number of Cork runners taking part.

The person with the highest number of parkruns completed this weekend in Co Cork is Joanne Sullivan on Bere Island with 486.

Macroom... Well done to Matt Murphy who completed his 200th 5k parkrun! 198 of these have been at the Macroom event.

Ballincollig... Justin McGurk completed his 100th 5k parkrun and all 100 have been in Ballincollig.

Tramore Valley Park... Chris Finnegan completed his 100th 5k parkrun this weekend. Chris has done 11 in Tramore Valley, 16 in Ballincollig with the rest mostly being in the UK.

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

Upcoming milestones....

a) Tramore Valley Park - 200th event - 2nd May 2026

***

Ballincollig Regional Park:  266 this week, 292 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Tobi GRAB Male VM45-49 Úlla ag Rith 18:59

2 Niall MCSWEENEY Male VM40-44 Eagle A.C. 20:26

3 Charlie RYAN Male JM11-14 20:49

16 Rhea TUMMON Female SW30-34 22:43

34 Aislinn CAMBRIDGE Female VW45-49 23:50

38 Maria CRONIN Female VW45-49 Cork Triathlon Club 24:06

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/423/

Tramore Valley Park: 258 this week, 303 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Richie LOMBARD Male SM25-29 16:36

2 Shane WINTERS Male JM11-14 17:39

3 Calvin KILBRIDE Male SM20-24 17:54

5 Fiona ROCHE Female VW40-44 Raheny Shamrock AC 18:23

18 Patricia VICARIO Female VW45-49 20:37

30 Caitlin BOARDMAN Female JW11-14 22:19

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/201/

Glen River: 52 this week, 73 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Aaron HORNIBROOK Male VM35-39 19:17

2 Peter FLEMING Male SM30-34 Maldon Soul Runners 21:11

3 Donal FALLON Male VM40-44 Mt. Hillary AC 21:42

11 Denise TWOHIG Female VW50-54 St Finbarrs AC 23:43

15 Stephanie O SULLIVAN Female SW25-29 25:27

17 Catherine DEENIHAN Female VW55-59 UCC Staff Athletics Club 26:03

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/310/

Midleton Greenway: 108 this week, 141 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 William MEYER Male SM25-29 20:04

2 Trevor COLLINS Male VM45-49 VMware Running Club 20:09

3 James 0 MAHONY Male VM35-39 20:31

14 Edie Mae BROWNE Female JW10 22:34

15 Leona BROWNE Female VW40-44 Watergrasshill AC 22:35

16 Amy DUKE Female VW35-39 22:37

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/65/

Mallow Castle: 53 this week, 80 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Eldho GEORGE Male VM35-39 21:38

2 Conor CROWLEY Male SM20-24 21:56

3 Joseph BARROW Male VM50-54 Sanctuary Runners 22:08

5 Edel BUCKLEY Female VW40-44 22:53

15 Paula GOMEZ Female JW15-17 25:42

17 Mary COUGHLAN Female VW45-49 26:10

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/228/

Youghal (Pobalscoil na Tríonóide) : 42 this week, 43 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Ciaran MITCHELL Male VM35-39 20:26

2 Henry HUGHES Male VM35-39 Thames Valley Harriers 20:30

3 Bruno ZAMORA Male SM30-34 20:53

10 Hope FAULKNER Female SW30-34 22:20

11 Éadaoin COLEMAN Female VW40-44 22:21

12 Laura BEAUSANG Female JW11-14 22:57

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/208/

Macroom Castle Demense: 35 this week, 51 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Thomas BROWNE Male SM20-24 18:14

2 Padraig SHEAHAN Male VM60-64 Millstreet Athletic Club 19:21

3 Conor LUCEY Male VM40-44 19:27

14 Carmel PURCELL Female VW45-49 West Muskerry A.C. 26:00

17 Clodagh KELLEHER Female SW25-29 27:45

18 Jennifer DUGGAN Female JW15-17 27:46

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/576/

Clonakilty:  34 this week, 63 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Niall MCCARTHY Male SM30-34 16:44 

2 Paul DEANE Male VM45-49 Clonakilty Roadrunners AC 19:25

3 Barry KIRBY Male SM25-29 20:13 

11 Anna O'NEILL Female VW55-59 23:27

18 Iseult O REGAN Female JW15-17 26:44

22 Liz O SULLIVAN Female VW55-59 30:17

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/531/

Glengarriff Woods: 63 this week, 113 last week.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Darragh COPPINGER Male JM15-17 19:42

2 Finn CONNER Male JM15-17 19:50

3 Cathal D'HONDT Male JM15-17 22:30

7 Pippa O SULLIVAN Female JW15-17 25:01

18 Majella O' MAHONY Female VW40-44 27:30

19 Mary MANNING, O' SULLIVAN Female VW50-54 28:08

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/453/

Bere Island: 27 this week, 48 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Con BRODERICK Male SM25-29 21:11

2 Ciarán O'SULLIVAN Male VM60-64 24:26

3 Michael O'DRISCOLL Male VM70-74 26:35

5 Angela O'SULLIVAN Female VW60-64 31:51

6 Ann Marie ROBERTI Female VW60-64 33:26

10 Edel MURPHY Female VW55-59 41:34

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/544/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 27 finishers this week, 15 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Donnacha RYAN Male JM11-14 20:53

2 Martin ASHWORTH Male VM60-64 24:20

3 Sam GIBBONS Male SM30-34 Shedleston Harriers 24:27

8 Rachel MAJOR Female VW50-54 Lonely Goat RC 26:48

9 Tania HELEN Female SW30-34 27:13

12 Nicola DALRYMPLE Female SW25-29 Clapham Chasers RC 29:24

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/464/

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

Guest Post: Apologies ...by Pat Walsh

 * Apologies *

Never got around to a proper post this week. I contemplated retirement from running and writing rubbish recently. Let me elaborate.

I cycled with a friend of mine a year or 2 ago on a nice fine summer evening. Thanks Miss Ciara. It was a hilly scenic route and we passed the 42 km mark in a few seconds over 2hrs. Leisure cycling with a little effort, (not your head down, arse up, lycra brigade crew.. don't get me started..!), just normal people using a bike. I remarked that when the sub 2hr marathon mark was broken then a person would be running faster than we were cycling. Congrats Sabastian Sawe and fair play but you are killing me man.

So to compensate I took myself to sunnier climes to do a little warm weather training and wonder have I a future in running. Training for what has yet to be decided but at least the intention was there. 

Sun, sand, sea, some dubious cocktail selections, some boardwalk runs, some sand dunes, some prayers for a good pair of knees. The future isn't any clearer.

Folks don’t take me seriously as I jest.

Glac bóg an saol agus glacfaidh an saol bóg thú. 

Take life fine and easy and life will be fine and easy on you.. The Tailor Buckley. Tailor and Ansty 1942. One of my holiday reading books

#PWR

Results of the Coláiste an Chraoibhín 5k in Fermoy - Thurs 7th May 2026

First place finish for Kealey Tideswell

The annual Coláiste an Chraoibhín 5k in Fermoy was held on Thursday 7th of May 2026 and there were 429 finishers.

Coláiste 5k overall results

Overall Male
1st Place- Dylan Magorrian (17.07)
2nd Place- Fionn Hayes (17.17)
3rd Place- Francis McCurtain (18.07)
Overall Female
1st Place- Kealey Tideswell (18.36)
2nd Place- Olive Kelly (19.14)
3rd Place- Sandra Manning (20.34)

The results are shown below...

301 Dylan Magorrian Jnr Cycle Male 00:17:03
521 Fionn Hayes Snr Cycle Male 00:17:17
579 Francis McCurtin Overall Male 00:18:02
599 Michael O'Mahony Walsh Jnr Cycle Male 00:18:34
321 Kealey Tideswell Overall Female 00:18:36
541 Kenneth Barry Overall Male 00:18:49
397 Dave Collins Overall Male 00:19:01
461 Billy Aherne Snr Cycle Male 00:19:06
578 Olive Kelly Overall Female 00:19:14
357 James O'Connor Snr Cycle Male 00:20:21
392 Neil Murphy Overall Male 00:20:26
395 Sandra Manning Overall Female 00:20:34
387 Liz Oshea Overall Female 00:20:39
279 Sam Barber Jnr Cycle Male 00:20:44
394 Lily Murray Overall Female 00:20:45
217 Gerard McCann Overall Male 00:20:48
330 Darren Kearney Snr Cycle Male 00:21:08

Results of the Midleton 5-mile road race - Thurs 7th May 2026

Niamh Allen was the first woman home with a time of 25m 10s

The 2026 edition of the Midleton 5-mile road race was held on Thurs 7th of May on what turned out to be a dry evening.

"Two course records in Midleton last night. Ryan Creech with his 23:44 improved on the previous best of 24:21 set by Michael Harty two years ago. Michael was just seven seconds outside his time when finishing second in 24:28.

Ryan Creech's 23:44 was probably the first sub-24 in the area since Mark Carroll ran 23:50 at Ballycotton back in 1993.

Niamh Allen - who won last year's race outright in 25:31 - knocked 21 seconds off of that when finish third overall in 25:10." ...JW

Top 3 men & women...
1 Ryan CREECH #5312 Leevale A.C. M MS 23:44 
2 Michael HARTY #5254 East Cork A.C. M M45 24:28 
4 Aidan CONNELL #5302 West Waterford A.C. M M40 26:08 
3 Niamh ALLEN #5555 Leevale A.C. F MS 25:10 
12 Jessica COYNE #5261 Leevale A.C. F FS 28:12 
21 Sharon RYNNE #5564 Leevale A.C. F F35 29:56 

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) Mick Dooley has some pre-race photos HERE and some finish line photos HERE

Leevale take the top 4 places in the women's race (L-R)... Michelle Kenny, Sharon Rynne, Niamh Allen & Jessica Coyne with coach Donie Walsh

Video: The rise and fall of Nike

For decades, Nike shoes and sports gear was  synonymous with the world of running. If you went into any dedicated running store then Nike would certainly be one of their main offerings.

About a decade or so ago, Nike started selling directly to the consumer. It just seemed strange at the time that retailers were buying product directly off Nike while at the same time trying to compete with them online.

Nike then tried to cut out the retailers and sell directly to consumers. The problem though was that a lot of people liked seeing and trying out new shoes and gear in person before they bought it and Nike sales suffered as a result.

In the video below titled 'The rise and fall of Nike', YouTuber Michael Girdley looks at how it happened.

Video description... "What happened to Nike? This business breakdown explores the rise and fall of Nike, how the world's biggest sportswear brand built its dominance, and why a direct-to-consumer strategy helped trigger one of the biggest self-inflicted declines in modern retail. If you've been wondering why is Nike bad now, why Nike quality decline has become part of the conversation, or why Nike lost momentum with customers and retailers, this video breaks it down."

Video below...

Upcoming flat 5k nr Cashel - Wed 6th May 2026

If anyone is looking for a fast 5k then the BK5K in Dundrum, nr Cashel is one of the fastest 5k courses in Munster and it's coming up on Wed 6th of May 2026... https://munsterrunning.blogspot.com/2026/04/notice-bk5k-road-race-in-dundrum.html

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 2nd May 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 2nd May 2026. Approximately 1221 runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

Report... The early morning rain had cleared by 9:30am and it turned out to be a pretty nice day for the parkruns this weekend.

We have a tie this week for the person with the most number of finishes. Joanne Sullivan on Bere Island is at 485 and Mark Burr, a visitor from the UK at the Glengarriff parkrun is also on 485.

Tramore Valley Park... Tramore Valley celebrated its 200th event this weekend! If we go back ten years to May 2016 then the parkrun in Tramore Valley Park had been cancelled by Cork City Council after just 15 events. Little did we know then that it would take until July of 2022 before it would restart. 

At times, it looked as if it would never come back so getting to 200 editions now is a big deal.

Ballincollig... Ann Dalzell was a visitor from the UK and she completed her 200th parkrun in Ballincollig. Local Seamus Lankford reached the century mark with 94 of them being at the Ballincollig event.

Macroom... Well done to Kevin Lynch who completed his 250th parkrun this weekend! Kevin did the 250 parkruns in 67 different locations with 72 in Macroom, 53 in Ballincollig and 21 at Tramore Valley Park.

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

Upcoming milestones....

a) Tramore Valley Park - 200th event - 2nd May 2026

***

Ballincollig Regional Park:  292 this week, 292 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Sean TWOHIG Male VM35-39 St Finbarr's AC 17:47

2 Jack CONNOR Male SM25-29 19:16

3 Trevor WOODS Male VM55-59 Cork Triathlon Club 19:21

22 Lorraine O SULLIVAN Female VW45-49 22:07

34 Rhea TUMMON Female SW30-34 23:03

50 Mairead PEREZ Female VW50-54 Eagle A.C. 24:33

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/422/

Tramore Valley Park: 303 this week, 302 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Unknown

2 Calvin KILBRIDE Male SM20-24 18:02

3 Matthew ELLIS Male SM30-34 18:15

21 Jenny COTTER Female VW40-44 21:29

23 Théa KINNERK Female JW11-14 21:58

28 Clodagh CREEDON Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 22:41

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/200/

Glen River: 73 this week, 45 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Cian BRANNIGAN Male SM25-29 20:57

3 Darragh MCCOURT Male JM15-17 21:40

4 Michael NAUGHTON Male VM55-59 Togher AC 22:04

2 Nollaigh O'NEILL Female VW50-54 21:15

9 Denise TWOHIG Female VW50-54 St Finbarrs AC 23:26

12 Anne WOLFE Female VW50-54 St Finbarrs AC 23:56

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/309/

Midleton Greenway: 141 this week, 301 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Michael BYRNE Male VM45-49 18:34

2 Derek SMYTH Male VM45-49 18:38

3 Oisín MURRAY Male JM15-17 18:50

8 Fiona HALLAHAN Female SW30-34 20:28

13 Elsa RYAN Female SW18-19 21:45

14 Faye COURTNEY Female JW11-14 21:53

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/64/

Mallow Castle: 80 this week, 76 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Thomas BROWNE Male SM20-24 17:35

2 Matthew COOKE Male JM15-17 18:52

3 Luke ROBERTSON Male JM11-14 North Cork AC 19:43

7 Breda GAFFNEY Female VW50-54 Mallow AC 20:19

8 Anna HOGAN Female VW45-49 UCC Staff Athletics Club 20:32

19 Kate MCSWEENEY Female SW30-34 24:19

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/227/

Youghal (Pobalscoil na Tríonóide) : 42 this week, 43 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Ciaran MITCHELL Male VM35-39 21:05

2 Conor SHEEHAN Male JM15-17 21:52

3 Brendan COLEMAN Male VM45-49 21:57

8 Laura BEAUSANG Female JW11-14 22:56

11 Cait DELANEY Female SW25-29 23:34

13 Josephine O SULLIVAN Female VW45-49 24:02

Youghal results... https://www.parkrun.ie/pobalscoilnatrionoide/results/207/

Macroom Castle Demense: 51 this week, 49 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Jude MURPHY Male SM18-19 20:17

2 Conor LUCEY Male VM40-44 20:35

3 David BRADLEY Male JM15-17 21:28

15 Emma CLEVERLEY Female VW40-44 25:06

17 Eliza CANTY Female JW10 25:19

18 Rachel NEVILLE Female JW11-14 West Muskerry A.C. 25:28

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/575/

Clonakilty:  63 this week, 35 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Alex O SHEA Male VM50-54 St Finbarrs AC 18:23

2 Paul DEANE Male VM45-49 Clonakilty Roadrunners AC 18:46

3 John HEFFERNAN Male VM50-54 21:08

6 Stacey CLARK Female VW35-39 Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC 23:30

10 Luisne DÉISEACH Female JW15-17 24:06

11 Ailbhe BYERLEY Female JW15-17 24:17

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/530/

Glengarriff Woods: 113 this week, 89 last week.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Gary CONSTABLE Male SM30-34 18:50

2 Finn CONNER Male JM15-17 19:46

3 Eamon RYAN Male VM40-44 Lucan Harriers 19:56

4 Rachel HAWKER Female SW30-34 Kenmare Athletics Club 21:07

7 Sorcha MC CARTHY Female SW20-24 22:49

10 Pamela KIRBY Female VW45-49 23:55

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/452/

Bere Island: 48 this week, 24 last week. 

First 3 men & women...

1 Colin MCKEAGUE Male SM20-24 23:53

3 Colin GLEESON Male VM70-74 Beara AC 24:36

6 David O'DRISCOLL Male VM60-64 25:49

2 Sorcha BRODERICK Female SW25-29 24:30

4 Breeda O SULLIVAN Female VW55-59 Beara AC 24:45

5 Mags O NEILL Female VW45-49 Beara AC 25:24

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/543/

Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 15 finishers this week, 19 last week.

First 3 men & women...

1 Florence FITZGERALD Male VM35-39 21:15

2 Niall O'CONNOR Male VM50-54 West Cork Triathlon Club (WCTC) 22:41

3 Lucas RYAN Male SM25-29 23:56

6 Deirdre MCCARTHY Female VW45-49 Manchester Tri Club 28:08

7 Sharon LEVIS Female VW45-49 28:14

8 Frances LYNCH Female VW60-64 Sanctuary Runners 31:22

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/463/

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

Guest Post: Mickey Mouse Zero Fly-by’s ...by Pat Walsh

 * Mickey Mouse Zero Fly-by’s *

During the week I caught up with with a fellow runner who had a fantastic London Marathon. His time came from 4hr+ to a sub 3.30. He agreed to be interviewed for this post. Name changed to assure anonymity.

Pat... Well done John, what do you put your big improvement down to?

John... Well you know like, I did a bit of training like, and prep work as well but I bought these new super shoes and jaysus man they were fantastic. The bees knees, top class, pure mule man…!

Pat... That is brilliant, can you tell me what shoe type you wore.?

John... It was the Mickey Mouse Zero Fly-by’s 9.0.1 with the go-faster stripe on the side. I was bouncing off the road so much I had to be careful I didn’t hit my head off the low bridges. My wife said I was moving like Roo from Winnie the Pooh. I was a Johnny Dazzler type, I even had to put sunglasses on while I was wearing them. There was bounce from them, it was like running across a new King Koil mattress in a furniture showroom.

Pat... You mention a go-faster stripe on these.

John... Indeed. A little orange strip from front to back and it improves the aero dynamic co-efficient by 0.001% which equates to 6 seconds over an entire marathon. Surely they were worth the small fortune I paid for them, even though we won’t get on any family holiday this year.

Pat... You mentioned training and prep work.

John... Yes I actually trained for this one for 9 months. I did the long and short runs, paced tempo, hills, fartlek, you know the usual stuff you should be doing before a marathon. I was training so much the neighbours starting calling me Kipchoge. Normally I wouldn’t put the runners on until 6 weeks before a marathon. Someone shouted 'Run Forrest Run' at me one day and I don't even look like Tom Hanks.

Pat... I hardly recognized you today, you are looking very fit.

John... Ahhh fair play and thanks. I gave up the fast food and the fry-ups. I only have the occasional beer and I think I’m 2 stone lighter than I was a year ago. I have discovered salads, fresh fruit and vegetables. To be fair, if I died and they buried me tomorrow it would be like planting a human grow-bag. 

Pat... Did you do anything else that may have helped?

John... I suppose I did start that ol’ stretching lark. I touched my toes for the first time since P.E. in secondary school. Herself took me to a yoga class one night. ‘In ainm Dé‘, I did more twisting and turning than a politician on Prime Time. I tried a few stretches on the ground at home one day and the dog ran out of the house barking as he thought I was after getting a seizure.

Pat... I’m absolutely thrilled for you but can I ask a hard question. Maybe your improvement was down to your own work, dedication, diet, training and little to do with the shoe you paid so much for.

John... Ahh jeepers no way man. If you spend the big money on the best of gear it must be a guarantee of a good finishing time. If it was that simple a solution with training and diet then why wouldn’t we all be doing it the proper way in the first place.

Interview suspended a minute later as John fainted when reality dawned on him.

#PWR #satire