Guest Post: SEAN TOBIN SETS NEW IRISH BEST FOR FOUR MILES... by John Walshe

At the Clonmel 4 mile race on St.Stephen's Day, Irish international Sean Tobin set a new national record of 17 mins 45s for a 4 mile race. In this guest post, John Walshe puts the performance into context.

SEAN TOBIN SETS NEW IRISH BEST FOR FOUR MILES... by John Walshe

There was a world-class performance from Clonmel’s Sean Tobin at his own club’s annual MSD four-mile race held in the town on St Stephen’s as the 25-year-old knocked 49 seconds off of his already impressive course record of 18:34 when crossing the line in a time of 17:45.

Tobin finished all of one minute and 20 seconds ahead of Thomas Hayes of Kilkenny City Harriers with Kevin Moore of Dundrum – two top runners in their own right - taking third spot in 19:37.

The previous best time by an Irish athlete over four miles was set by Noel Berkeley when he ran 17:59 back in June 1992 at the Steamboat Classic in Illinois.

That race, regarded as the top event in the world over the rarely-run distance of four miles, has been on the go for over 45 years. Interestingly, the UK best of 17:48 by twice Olympic marathon fourth placer Jon Brown (three seconds slower than Tobin) was also set there in 1997.

When Berkeley ran that 17:59 in 1992 it came a month after he recorded 27:55.82 over 10,000m which is still ranked as the fifth fastest on the Irish all-time list. Later that summer he would represent Ireland over 10,000m at the Barcelona Olympics.

Tobin, with personal bests ranging from 3:57.00 for one mile (Cork City Sports 2017) and 48:34 for 10 miles (Cobh 2019) is no doubt an exciting prospect for the forthcoming track season.

His personal best of 13:56.22 for 5000m from last June is just one of the events that is certainly due for revision.  

Links...
a) Link to results & photos of the 2019 Clonmel 4 mile
b) Link to a list of John Walshe's guest articles

Results & Photos of the Glenville 4 mile race - Sun 25th Nov 2018

A record 387 runners turned out for this years Glenville 4 mile road race organised by Watergrasshill AC, a huge jump of almost 31%.

1 Merritt    Colin    Male    n/a    M 45    0:20:42
2 Meade    John    Male    Gilead    Overall Male Runner    0:20:52
3 Durkan    Eoin    Male    Donore Harriers    Overall Male Runner    0:21:03
1 Lee    Lizzie    Female    Leevale A/C    F 35    0:22:41 (Course record)
2 Veale    Kate    Female    West Waterford A/C    F   0:24:25
3 Geary    Ann    Female    Midleton AC    F 40    0:24:48

Category results at the bottom of the page.

First 3 men in the 2018 Glenville 4 mile (L-R) John Meade, Colin Merritt & Eoin Durkan. Photo: Mick Dooley

Photos... (Updated Mon 26th Nov 10pm)
1) There are several albums up on the Running in Cork Facebook page.
...a) Before the race and the first hill
...b) About the 3.8 mile mark - (less than 32:16)
...c) About the 3.8 mile mark - (32:16 plus) 
...d) Prize giving

2) Andy O'Rourke has three galleries up on Facebook with about 40 in each.
... Album 1 ... Album 2 ... Album 3

3) Mick Dooley has a nice gallery of photos HERE

4) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a gallery on Flickr

5) Belinda Sullivan has a gallery here 

Results...
Bib #    Last Name    First Name    M/F    Team Name    Eligible Division(s)    Finishing Time
192    Merritt    Colin    Male    n/a    M 45    0:20:42
62    Meade    John    Male    Gilead    Overall Male Runner    0:20:52
118    Durkan    Eoin    Male    Donore Harriers    Overall Male Runner    0:21:03
64    Davis    Alfie    Male    Leevale AC    M 40    0:21:12
402    Fitzgibbon    John    Male    Thurles Crokes    Overall Male Runner    0:21:19
147    Hayes    Dermot    Male    Dundrum AC    M 50    0:21:23
494    McKeown    Kieran    Male    Watergrasshill AC    M 40    0:21:36
162    O'Shea    Barry    Male    Middleton AC    Overall Male Runner    0:21:42
51    Collins    Mark    Male    Grange Fermoy AC    Overall Male Runner    0:21:57
94    Scully    Shane    Male    Nenagh    Overall Male Runner    0:22:16
53    Sheahan    Kieran    Male    Watergrasshill AC    Overall Male Runner    0:22:24
184  Lee    Lizzie    Female    Leevale A/C    F 35    0:22:41
93    O'Sullivan    Johnny    Male    Galtee Runners A/C    M 45    0:22:46
484    O'Mahony    Ken    Male    Togher A/C    Overall Male Runner    0:23:02

Notice : Great Glenville 4 mile race - Sun 25th Nov 2018

The annual Glenville 4 mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 25th of November 2018 and it should be of particular interest considering its proximity to Cork City.

In terms of getting there, the village of Glenville is only 5 miles or 8 kms from Watergrasshill and the M8 motorway.

The race starts at 11:30am and the race HQ is the Glenville Primary School. The village is pretty small so the race HQ, start and finish point are all close by.

Preview.......You'll find directions, maps and a course profile HERE

Results & photos of the Lee Fields 4 mile road race... Sun 17th June 2018

A total of 236 runners turned out for this 4 mile road race in Cork City on what was an overcast but humid day for running. Former Cork City Marathon winner Cillian O'Leary took the men's title with half of the top top 10 men coming from Leevale AC.

The first woman home was Carol Flynn of Leevale AC with Mallow AC taking the other two podium spots.

1    Cillian O'LEARY    00:20:04    5890    Male (1)   
2    Eric CURRAN    00:20:25    5875    Male (2)   
3    Andrew SHEEHAN    00:21:03    5795    Male (3)    Leevale AC
29    Carol FINN    00:25:22    5833    Female (1)   
33    Lorraine BOLSTERTAVOLIERI    00:25:48    5515    Female (2)    Mallow AC
36    Sharon WOODS    00:26:07    5821    Female (3)    Mallow AC

Full results are up on the MyRunResults website

Photos...
1) There are 267 photos near the finish line HERE

First 3 women

Notice...Lee Fields 4 mile road race - Sun 18th March 2018

Please note that the organisers have cancelled the Lee Fields 4 mile road race on Sunday the 18th of March due to the adverse weather conditions forecast.

They are planning to hold it on a future date once this can be organised.


The annual Lee Fields 4 mile road race is coming up in Cork City on Sunday the 18th of March 2018. Note the start time of 10:30am.

Notice - Killeagh 4 mile road race...Thurs 24th May 2018

This is the third year of this 4 mile race and it's organised by Killeagh Community Healthy Clubs Project in association with Youghal AC. It will be held this year on Thursday the 24th of May 2018 at 8pm.



Considering that Killeagh is on the N25 Cork-Waterford road, the race should have a pretty big catchment area.

As you can see from the course map below, the race takes in a loop to the west of Killeagh. The race finishes at the entrance to the Killeagh GAA grounds which is the race HQ. There will also be changing and shower facilities here.

Note from the organisers.....The race HQ is in Killeagh GAA complex, where we will have registration on the morning of race. There are great facilities there for changing, showers and catering afterwards. There is plenty on parking at the GAA grounds and there is a walk way through an estate to the start line.

We are happy to have our new sponsor Niall Guerin of Niall Guerin construction, NGC, come on board this year.

The race has AAI permit and is accurately measured by Jones Counter and will be chip timed.

There are prizes in all the age categories including a prize for breaking the course record
and loads of spot prizes as well with a great spread afterwards. There are also showers and changing facilities available and there is a walk taking place at 10am.

A full preview of the course can be seen HERE

Killeagh Healthy Clubs Project is an initiative to promote health and well being for the Killeagh community and is organised by a combination of personal from Killeagh adult and juvenile GAA clubs, Inch Rovers Ladies Football Club and Killeagh Camogie Club. This group have a number of initiatives underway, walking groups, couch to 5k, healthy food demonstrations etc.

Results & Photos of the Great Glenville 4 mile road race...Sun 26th Nov 2017

A record 265 runners took part in this years Great Glenville 4 mile road race on Sunday the 26th of November 2017. This race was organised by Watergrasshill AC in association with Glenville GAA.

1 O'Shea    Alan    Male    Bantry AC    19:39.77
2 Curran    Eric    Male    Leevale   20:23.84
3 Mansfield    David    Male    Clonliffe Harriers  20:43.07
1 Hegarty Lisa   Female   Leevale      23:46.01
2  O' Brien Claire  Female  Watergrasshill AC   25:51.00
3  Ennis Joan  Female  Grange Fermoy   F 50    26:24.58

Photos... (Updated Tues 10:20am)
1) There are 4 galleries on the Running in Cork Facebook page
...a) Pre-race & start
...b) Runners at about 3.8 miles
...c) Photos from Mick Dooley
...d) Prize giving photos
2) Glenville GAA club has a gallery HERE 

Full results below....

Results of the Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile race...Mon 17th Apr 2017

A total of 122 runners turned out on Easter Monday the 17th of April for the annual Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile road race. This race is organised by Gneeveguilla AC and always has a large number of category prizes on offer.

As can be seen from the chart above, the numbers are up a fraction on last year which is a plus. Any race that isn't losing numbers at the moment is doing well.

1 19:18    CIOBANU, Sergiu    Clonliffe Harriers    M    04:49.4
2 19:54    MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC    M    04:58.4
3 19:58    O'SHEA, Alan    Bantry AC    M35    04:59.4
16 23:37 FINN, Carol    Leevale AC    F    05:54.1
28 25:31 CAHILL, Sharon    Riocht AC    F50    06:22.6
31 25:55 WOODS, Sharon    Mallow AC    F40    06:28.6

The full results are up on the Gneeveguilla AC website

Photos...
1) Gneeveguilla AC have several photo galleries... Race 1 ...  Race 2 ... Race 3 ... Presentation 1 ... Presentation 2 ...

Results & photos of the Ballymore Cobh AC 4 mile road race...Thurs 11th Aug 2016

A total of 230 runners turned out for this years 4 mile road race in Cobh organised by Ballymore Cobh AC. This is just 9 runners down on the 2015 figure of 239.

1 Neville DAVEY             M40     20:23
2 Tim TWOMEY         Leevale AC     MS     20:56
3 Jonathan BRISKMAN             MS     21:25
12 Jill HODGINS             F35     23:36
16 Joyce WOLFE         Leevale AC     F35     24:22
21 Lorna DAVEY FITZGERALD         Mallow AC     F35     24:51

>>Results.......The full results can be seen HERE

The chip timing company MyRunResults have them up on their site and you can search through the teams and categories.

Photos...
1) There are 200+ photos on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
2) Ballymore Cobh AC have a huge gallery HERE

Finish line video....

One of the race sponsors is the Edge Sports Shop who are one of the main sports stores in Cork City. Their website is http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/

Notice...Ballymore Cobh 4 mile road race - Thurs 11th Aug 2016

Ballymore Cobh AC are holding their 4 mile road race on Thursday the 11th of August 2016. This is the second year of this particular event and it's a reasonably fast course.

The race costs €10 to enter. You can enter on Wed 10th in the Care Plus Pharmacy in Cobh between 6:30pm to 8:30pm. On the day, the race HQ will be in the local scout hall and entries will be taken from 6:30pm. You can also enter online beforehand HERE

The 4 mile route is pretty fast as it starts on high ground just to the north of the town and finishes near the square which is just above sea level.


Preview......You can get more info about the course including maps, directions, photos, etc HERE

Cobh CarePlus Pharmacy are a major sponsor of the race and their shop is located at 3 East Beach, Cobh. Pre-entries will be taken there on Wednesday evening (10th Aug) between 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

One of the other sponsors is the Edge Sports Shop who are one of the main sports stores in Cork City. Their website is http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/

Notice...Inniscarra 4 mile road race - Fri 17th June 2016

This 4 mile road race in Inniscarra is coming up on Friday, the 17th of June 2016...

The race HQ is the GAA grounds in Ballyanly which is to the north-west of Cork City...

It's probably not the easiest of courses but it's on nice quiet country roads. On a nice sunny summer evening, it's a nice spot for a race. The ease of access and proximity to Cork City is another major plus.

Preview...More information on the course can be seen HERE

The organisers have more info HERE

Results of the Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile road race...Mon 28th Mar 2016

The annual Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile road race was held on Easter Monday the 28th of March 2016 and attracted a field of 120 runners, a welcome jump of about 25% on the figure for 2015.

Jack O'Keeffe Festival of Road Races...KISKEAM-BOHERBUE '4'     Monday 28 March 2016

Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
1    0:19:41    HARTY, Michael    East Cork AC    M35    04:55.2
2    0:19:59    MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC    M    04:59.7
3    0:20:19    O'SHEA, Alan    Bantry AC    M35    05:04.7
8    0:22:03    FINN, Michelle    Leevale AC    F    05:30.7
18    0:24:04    KIELY, Martina    St. Finbarrs AC    F    06:00.9
22    0:24:34    FINN, Carol    Leevale AC    F    06:08.4 

The full results can be found on the Gneeveguilla AC website HERE

Photos...

Winners of the 2016 Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile...Michael Harty of East Cork AC and Michelle Finn of Leevale AC

Photos of the Glanmire GAA Ladies Football 4 mile run...Sun 25th Jan 2016

A total of 330 people took part in the Glanmire Ladies Football 4 mile fun run in Glanmire on Sunday the 24th of January 2016.

1st male: Sean o Sullivan
2nd male: Bryan Crowley
1st female: Deloras Duffy
2nd female: Jessica Mccarthy
1st wheelchair: Jerry Forde

Photos...
1) Gerard O'Sullivan has two albums of mostly Black & White photos.....HERE and HERE

Results & Photos of the Cobh 4 mile road race...Fri 14th Aug 2015

This 4 mile road race organised by Ballymore Cobh AC attracted a field of 239 runners, a good turnout considering it was going head to head with the 5 mile race in Coachford. The course seems to have lived up to its promise of being a fast 4 miler with plenty of good times being posted.

The mens race was won by Ryan Creech of Leevale AC who won a Bronze medal in the 10,000m at the National Track & Field Championships in Santry last Saturday.

1 RYAN CREECH     THE EDGE     MS     18:45
2 JAMES MCCARTHY     EAST CORK AC     MS     19:58
3 DAVID KEENAN          MS     20:48
22 LORNA WOLFE     LEEVALE     FS     24:50
26 JESSICA BRUTON     COBH TRIATHLON CLUB     FS     25:05
28 JENNIFER GOGGIN WALSH      FS     25:10

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos......(Updated 18th Aug)
1) Kieran Minihane has a gallery HERE
2) There are 204 up on on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
3) Jonathan Kenneally of Eagle AC has 300+ photos HERE
4) The Cobh Edition has a gallery HERE

Video......
1) Precision Timing have a video of the finish line. Click HERE and click on the square bottom right for full screen.

First 3 men...David Keenan 3rd, Ryan Creech 1st & James McCarthy 2nd

Notice...Milford 4 mile race, N.Cork - Sun 2nd Aug 2015

This is a new 4 mile road race in the village of Milford in North Cork. The course has been accurately measured by Jones Counter and has an Athletics Ireland permit.

Proceeds from the event go towards the Shane Fitzgibbon Rehab Fund. Shane is a local GAA who had to have a brain tumor removed in January of 2015. You can find out more about Shane and fundraising efforts for his recovery at http://www.shanefitzgibbonrehabfund.com/

You can enter online HERE or on the day of the race for €15.

Prizes.......There are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd for men and women. It's €75 for 1st, €50 for 2nd and €25 for 3rd. There will also be €20 each for the first junior boy and girl home.

There are also prizes for the top 3 mixed (male and female) teams. 5 runners to score.

The organisers are keen to stress that this race is open to all types of runners and walkers.

The village of Milford is located 8 miles west of Charleville and 2 miles from Dromcollogher.

Preview....A full preview of the course with maps, directions, photos can be seen HERE

Results of the Cork BHAA EMC 4 mile road race...Wed 1st July 2015

316 runners turned out for the Cork BHAA 4 mile road race in Oven on Wed 1st July. This was the first year of the race over 4 mile having been 5kms in previous years.

1 Micheal Bruton M1 00:21:52 GE Healthcare
2 Micheal Morgan M2 00:22:01 Musgrave M-A-1
3 Michael Corbett M3 00:22:04 Musgrave M-A-1
60 Angela Shine 0/40I F1 00:27:33 Kepak
80 Maria Murray F2 00:28:32 Solarwinds F-A-2
88 Cathy Kenneally F3 00:28:54 EMC F-A-1

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Graham Nudds has a gallery of photos HERE
2) Doug Minihane has a gallery HERE

Results of the Ballinacurra 4 mile fun run...Wed 17th June 2015

Ballinacurra GAA 4 Mile Fun Run

1 22:51    SHEEHAN, Nigel    Youghal AC    M    05:42.7   
2 23:33    HICKEY, Kelvin    unatt/Midleton    MJ    05:53.2
3 23:50    COLEMAN, Ciaran    Youghal AC    M40    05:57.4
21 26:59    LEAHY, Eileen    Midleton AC    f    06:44.6
22 27:11    DOWNING, Eilish    Ballintotis Fit4Life    W40    06:47.6
35 29:22    FOUHY, Aoife    Midleton AC    f    07:20.4

The full results can be seen HERE

Notice...Inniscarra 4 mile road race - Fri 19th June 2015

This 4 mile road race in Inniscarra is coming up on Friday, the 19th of June 2015...

The race HQ is the GAA grounds in Ballyanly which is to the north-west of Cork City...

It's probably not the easiest of courses but it's on nice quiet country roads. On a nice sunny summer evening, it's a nice spot for a race. The ease of access and proximity to Cork City is another major plus.

Preview...More information on the course can be seen HERE

The organisers have more info HERE

Notice...Cheetah Run in Fota Wildlife Park - Thurs 14th May 2015

It's that time of year again! The Cheetah Run is coming up in Fota Wildlife Park on Thursday, the 14th of May. This is a 4 mile race which has been properly measured by Jones Counter and has an Athletics Ireland licence.

This is one of the most popular races in Cork and it's easy to see why. Not only is the race unique in that it is through a wildlife park but anyone entering can also bring family members along.

Last year, the field was limited to 900 runners and entries sold out in a few hours. It's very likely that there will be a similar level of demand this year. There will be chip timing again like last year.

Because of the high demand, the online entries in two batches, once in the morning and once in the evening to accommodate people at work and at home.

Entries....On Thursday the 30th of April, online entries will open at 10am. It will stay open until 450 places are filled. It seems very likely that based on last year, these 450 will sell out very fast. Once the first 450 entries are filled, entries will close. At 7pm that evening, entries will open again until the remaining 450 places sell out.

The entry fee for this years race is €12. This includes free access to the wildlife park for the runner and family members. This normally costs €14.30 per adult, or €44 for a family of two adults and two children.

Eagle AC member Annemarie Power with Olympic legend Sonia O'Sullivan

Please note.....No buggies/baby strollers...no headphones....no transfers....and no late entries.
They cannot cater for walkers, due to the overlap nature of the course.  The minimum age is 18 as per Athletics Ireland permit recommendations.

There will be prizes for the first 5 men and women as well as the usual age categories. The exact number of prizes for the age categories will be determined after the online entries close with the aim of making each age category competitive.

I would seriously advise people that have an interest in doing this race to enter as soon as it opens. It really will sell out early. 

Updates about the race will be made available here and on the race page on the Eagle AC website.

John Buckley Sports is one of the race sponsors and is one of the main specialist running shops in Cork City. They have a wide stock of gear in the shop and on their website....www.johnbuckleysports.com

They have been in business since 1981 and it's fair to say that the shop is highly regarded by many of the runners on the local road race scene. They also have a new app which you can download to your smartphone which gives a generous discount when using it.

Notice...Boherbue to Kiskeam 4 mile road race - Mon 6th Apr 2015

Looking ahead to some more races coming up in the near future, this one might be of interest to anyone west or north of Cork City, in Kerry or south and west Limerick. The Jack O'Keeffe 4 mile road race is in North-West Cork on Easter Monday, the 6th of April 2015.

This 4 mile road race starts in Boherbue and finishes in the village of Kiskeam. As you can see from the map below, it's a central location for a lot of people in N.Cork, W.Limerick & E.Kerry...

The race is being organised by Gneeveguilla AC, one of the largest athletic clubs in Kerry. The entry fee is €15 on the day and there is a huge array of prizes on offer. These are usually in the form of vouchers for a local co-op and are pretty generous.

There will be the usual refreshments of tea. coffee. sandwiches, etc afterwards as well.

Preview.......A full preview of the course with directions, maps, photos, etc can be seen HERE