Results of the Churchtown 4-mile road race - Thurs 23rd of July 2026

The Churchtown South 4 Mile road race was held on Thurs 23rd July 2026 on yet nice dry evening in east Cork. There were 187 finishers this year.

Top 3 men & women...

1 John Meade St. Finbarrs AC M45 21:23 2 Donal Coakley Glanmire AC M40 21:45 3 Nathan Ryan O Hehir St. Finbarrs AC M 22:02 4 Jessica Coyne Leevale AC F 22:17 11 Lizzie Lee Leevale AC F45 23:19 17 Sinéad Flannery Ballintotis Fit For Life F45 25:10 

Full results below courtesy of John Hennessy

Place Name Club Category Time
1 John Meade St. Finbarrs AC M45 21:23
2 Donal Coakley Glanmire AC M40 21:45
3 Nathan Ryan O Hehir St. Finbarrs AC M 22:02
4 Jessica Coyne Leevale AC F 22:17
5 Michael Furlong East Cork AC M 22:21
6 Tim O Connor M45 22:35
7 Nick Hogan M45 22:47
8 Jason O Mahony Cork City AC M45 22:58
9 Alfie Davis Leevale AC M50 23:00
10 Gabriel Murphy M 23:14
11 Lizzie Lee Leevale AC F45 23:19
12 Sheldon Kirkwood Cork Track Club M40 23:47
13 Julien Cazelles M45 24:01
14 Thomas Hennessy Midleton AC MJ 24:02
15 Mark Cronin Midleton AC M45 24:50
16 Tim Hannon Midleton AC M45 24:56
17 Sinéad Flannery Ballintotis Fit For Life F45 25:10
18 Martin Hennessy East Cork AC M55 25:19
19 Linda Kelly Watergrasshill AC F50 25:24
20 Zena Mullane Aghada Running Club AC F40 25:44
21 Ger O'Regan Midleton AC M55 25:48
22 Luke Morrison St. Nicholas AC MJ 25:51
23 Tom O'Neill Aghada Running Club AC M40 25:52
24 Andrew De Klerk Ballintotis Fit For Life M50 25:58
25 Luke O'Reilly Aghada Running Club AC M 26:02
26 Katie Hennessy Midleton AC FJ 26:03
27 Gearoid Collins M 26:05
28 Seamus Ahern M 26:12
29 Donal McCarthy M45 26:19
30 Fiona Hallahan F 26:20
31 Aoife O Connor F 26:38
32 Tony Mc Carthy M 26:51
33 Cormac Ronayne M 26:53
34 Adam Ricken M 27:06
35 Trevor Kenneally Ballintotis Fit For Life M 27:07
36 Feargal Culligan M 27:08
37 Rob Mc Grath M 27:11
38 Maeve Boland Eagle AC F 27:16
39 Alan Hawkes M40 27:17
40 Dillon O Neill M 27:20
41 Conor Moloughney Ballintotis Fit For Life M 27:27
42 Brian O Callaghan M45 27:28
43 David Levy M40 27:29
44 Darragh O Sullivan M40 27:33
45 Richardt Rabe Midleton AC M45 27:40
46 Edmond Nicholson Youghal AC M50 27:47
47 Pat O'Connor Eagle AC M55 27:47
48 Brian Motherway M45 27:53
49 Anthony Archer M45 28:05
50 Tony Hennessy Midleton AC MJ 28:07
51 Mick Murphy Midleton AC M55 28:16
52 David O'Dwyer East Cork AC M50 28:28
53 Kieran Ivers Churchtown South AC M40 28:39
54 Avril Crowley East Cork AC F50 28:55
55 John Joyce M 29:00
56 Ross Kelleher M40 29:01
57 Rebecca Hennessy FJ 29:08
58 Gary Gibbons Eagle AC M50 29:09
59 Garrett Boyle Ballintotis Fit For Life M40 29:21
60 Louise Barry Midleton AC F45 29:29
61 Diarmuid Costine M40 29:32
62 Noel Brosnan M40 29:33
63 Adam Mc Auliffe M 29:37
64 David Curtin Midleton AC M 29:40
65 Gary Roche M45 30:01
66 Eileen Leahy Midleton AC F 30:08
67 David Murphy M55 30:16
68 Donal O Donoghue Watergrasshill AC M55 30:31
69 Rachel Fleming DSD F 30:32
70 Brian Crowley M40 30:33
71 Michael Daly Aghada Running Club AC M 30:42
72 Sinead Fitzgerald Aghada Running Club AC F50 30:46
73 Richard Coughlan Midleton AC M 30:53
74 Vincent Lucey M 31:10
75 Marian Cronin Ballintotis Fit For Life F40 31:17
76 Anna Preston Ballintotis Fit For Life F35 31:24
77 Fraser Macgilp Ballintotis Fit For Life M60 31:25
78 Catherine Cashman F40 31:35
79 Colin Murphy M50 31:38
80 Liam Walsh M 31:50
81 Denis Carroll Eagle AC M65 31:52
82 John Howard M55 31:57
83 Mollie Steele F 31:59
84 Luke Hallissey M 32:07
85 Liam Burns Youghal AC M55 32:12
86 Darren Clifford St. Finbarrs AC M 32:13
87 Rosaleen Mackeown Leevale AC F50 32:15
88 Kate Fleming Ballintotis Fit For Life F 32:18
89 Jacob Crowley MJ 32:31
90 Ellen O Connell Ballintotis Fit For Life F 32:32
91 Denis Looney Eagle AC M 32:43
92 Tiarna Sands F 32:44
93 Brigid Ryan Midleton AC F55 32:47
94 Nessa Cronin FJ 32:48
95 Noel Camilleri Bondin Midleton AC M40 32:52
96 Martina Beechinor West Waterford AC F50 32:53
97 John Carey M60 32:57
98 Patricia Ivers Churchtown South AC F40 33:00
99 Alex O Connor M 33:04
100 Robert O Neill M40 33:06
101 Eileen Cazelles FJ 33:11
102 Fiona Camilleri Bondin F40 33:24
103 Sinead Ivers F45 33:27
104 Daniel O'Callaghan M 33:32
105 Dave O'Regan M40 33:35
106 Margaret Jones Midleton AC F55 33:37
107 Michelle Cott Ballintotis Fit For Life F45 33:44
108 Emma Ni Neill Ballintotis Fit For Life F 33:52
109 Thomas O'Riordan Midleton AC M50 34:11
110 Eibhlin Healy Ballintotis Fit For Life F 34:14
111 Felicity Mc Grath Aghada Running Club AC F50 34:18
112 Christine Murphy Midleton AC F55 34:32
113 Trina Donovan Aghada Running Club AC F45 34:39
114 Marie Archer F45 34:44
115 Kathy Murphy F50 34:47
116 Denis Fitzgerald Watergrasshill AC M40 34:50
117 Natasha Durity F50 35:03
118 William Kenneally M 35:05
119 Finola Nyham F45 35:06
120 Andy Wheeler M55 35:10
121 Brian Cahill M50 35:10
122 Rory Beausang M 35:13
123 Claire O'Farrell F35 35:14
124 Kitty Harrington Buckley St. Finbarrs AC F60 35:15
125 Alan Stirling M40 35:26
126 Cathy Hartley Coleman Watergrasshill AC F50 35:37
127 Orna Garde F40 35:42
128 Bernadette Looney Eagle AC F55 35:43
129 Noah Phipps M 35:45
130 Edward Long Ballintotis Fit For Life M40 35:47
131 John O'Neill Aghada Running Club AC M50 35:48
132 Vincent Tennanty M 35:50
133 Rachel Cullinane Ballintotis Fit For Life F35 35:55
134 Michael Carroll Ballintotis Fit For Life M60 35:57
135 Finn Crowley M 35:59
136 Daniel Cunningham M 36:04
137 Padraig Finn M55 36:06
138 Bernadette Twomey Midleton AC F50 36:07
139 Shannon Ramzan Coughlan Midleton AC F 36:10
140 Fiona Roche F45 36:14
141 Brian Healy M50 36:17
142 Niamh Jeffrey Ballintotis Fit For Life F 36:26
143 Sarah Tynan F 36:28
144 Katie Mc Grath F 36:29
145 Beth Coughlan F 36:29
146 Mags Coughlan F50 36:30
147 Sean Madden M45 36:56
148 Eibhlin Cleary East Cork AC F40 37:09
149 Marian Crowley F35 37:23
150 Mary Kingston Youghal AC F50 37:32
151 Keva Mc Namara Aghada Running Club AC F35 37:39
152 Donie O Connell Midleton AC M70 37:41
153 Ciaran Newlands M 37:43
154 Orna Power West Waterford AC F60 37:46
155 Christopher Walker M40 38:02
156 Tom O'Neill Ballintotis Fit For Life M70 38:07
157 Antoinette Cody F45 38:15
158 Mark Fuller Midleton AC M55 38:20
159 Eileen O Mahony F35 38:53
160 Ali Cotter FJ 39:03
161 Greg Cotter M55 39:22
162 Robyn Walsh F 39:35
163 Shauna Walsh Aghada Running Club AC F 39:36
164 Erick McPherson M70 39:45
165 Lucy Walsh Ballintotis Fit For Life F55 39:59
166 Jeffrey Nicholson Youghal AC MJ 40:13
167 Jack Lawton M 40:17
168 Keela Van Niekerk F35 40:43
169 Stephen Van Niekerk Ballintotis Fit For Life M 40:43
170 Mary Smiddy F 41:12
171 Maura Lawton F55 41:17
172 Juliette Nicholson F 41:57
173 Sarah Sinclair F 42:01
174 Emily Walsh FJ 42:18
175 Claire Walsh F40 42:34
176 Marie McGrath F55 42:37
177 Jemma Looney Eagle AC F 43:17
178 Margaret Sinclair F60 43:25
179 Martin Leahy Ballintotis Fit For Life M55 43:58
180 Michelle Aherne F50 44:31
181 Cathriona Simms Aghada Running Club AC F50 44:31
182 Bridget O Riordan F35 45:09
183 Shane Fleming Glanmire AC M40 45:11
184 Bartholomew Kearney Leevale AC M65 46:44
185 Alison Kenneally Aghada Running Club AC F40 52:38
186 Keith O Shea Aghada Running Club AC M50 52:38
187 Jerry Forde Blarney AC Wheelchair Athlete 58:00

Results of the Churchtown South 4-mile road race - Thurs 24th July 2025

176 runners turned out for this years Churchtown South 4-mile road race on Thurs 24th July 2025.

Top 3 men & women...

230 Conor Mc Cauley Leevale A.C.  M 40 20:07
312 Tony Forristal East Cork AC M 20:10
104 Davin Sean St. Finbarrs A.C. M 20:48
221 Lizzie Lee Leevale A.C.  F45 00:22:41
330 Fiona Santry East Cork AC  F35 23:47
183 Emma Desmond Cork City A.C.  F35 25:11

Photos...

1) Photos by Joe Murphy...
a) Pre-race & Start .. Race 1 ... Race 2 ... Race 3 ... Race 4 ... Race 5 ...

Full results below...

 Bib # Last Name First Name M/F Team Name Eligible Division(s) Finishing Time

230 Mc Cauley Conor Male Leevale A.C. M 40 00:20:07
312 Forristal Tony Male East Cork AC Overall Male Runner 00:20:10
104 Davin Sean Male St. Finbarrs A.C. Overall Male Runner 00:20:48
304 Casey Ruairi Male Togher AC Overall Male Runner 00:21:56
292 Kelly Keith Male Youghal AC M45 00:22:16
350 Hogan Nick Male M 40 00:22:37
182 Davis Alfie Male Leevale A.C. M45 00:22:38
221 Lee Lizzie Female Leevale A.C. F45 00:22:41
237 Mc Keown Kieran Male Grange/Fermoy A.C. M 50 00:22:43
305 Coffey Donal Male Leevale AC M45 00:22:46
294 Furlong James Male Overall Male Runner 00:22:50
189 Gibbons Paul Male Sliabh Bhuide Rovers A.C. M45 00:23:10
500 Mcnamara Diarmuid Male Grange/Fermoy A.C. Overall Male Runner 00:23:13

Results of the Churchtown South 4-mile road race - Thurs 25th July 2024

The Churchtown South 4-mile road race was held this year on Thursday 25th July 2024. There were 168 finishers this year while there were 209 for the inaugural event in 2023.

Top 3 men & women...

1 TONY FORRISTAL (EAST CORK A.C. M:1 RUNNER 34 20:52
2 JAMES MCCARTHY  (EAST CORK A.C. M:2 RUNNER 138 21:08
3 VIVIAN FOLEY (EAGLE A.C.) M: 3 RUNNER 33 21:09 
12 MICHELLE KENNY (LEEVALE A.C.) F: 1 RUNNER 114 23:48 

15 REBECCA MC EVOY (ST. FINBARRS A.C.) F: 2 RUNNER 56 24:27

18 TAMZIN MULDOWNEY  F: 3 RUNNER 68 24:38

Full results below...

Place Name  (Team) Hometown Bib # Time Division Rank

1 TONY FORRISTAL  (EAST CORK A.C.) 34 00:20:52 Overall Male Runner: 1

2 JAMES MCCARTHY (EAST CORK A.C.) 138 00:21:08 Overall Male Runner: 2

3 VIVIAN FOLEY (EAGLE A.C.) 33 00:21:09 Overall Male Runner: 3

4 DONAL COAKLEY (LEEVALE A.C.)  15 00:21:12 Overall Male Runner: 4

5 NICK O'DONOGHUE (EAST CORK A.C.) 152 00:21:22 Overall Male Runner: 5

6 JOHN SPELMAN (EAST CORK A.C.) 105 00:22:09

7 KIERAN MC KEOWN (GRANGE/FERMOY A.C.) 61 00:22:14 M45: 1

8 KEITH KELLY (YOUGHAL A.C.) 45 00:22:17 M45: 2

9 KEN INCE (EAGLE A.C.) 41 00:22:43 M40: 1

10 PAUL CASHMAN 13 (WATERGRASSHILL A.C.)00:23:10 M45: 3

Results of the Churchtown South 4-mile road race - Thurs 27th July 2023

First place finish for Lizzie Lee at the Churchtown South 4-mile road race

This was a new race on the calendar and is a shorter version of the previous Churchtown South 5-miler which ended back in 2017.

Top 3 men & women...

1 125 Tony Forristal East Cork AC M 20.51
2 128 James McCarthy East Cork AC M 21.04
3 12 Donal Coakley Leevale A.C. M 21.06
7 46 Lizzie Lee Leevale A.C. F40 22.32
18 91 Michelle Kenny Leevale A.C. F40 23.39
31 41 Linda Kelly Carrigaline A.C. F45 25.26

Photos...

1) Sharon Murray has a small gallery HERE

2) Gearóid Ó Laoi has several galleries...

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

3) Graham Meikle has several galleries...

a) Finish line 1 b) Finish line 2 c) Finish line 3

d) Pre-race e) e) Post race

Full results below... (Updated 9:42am)

Churchtown South '4' 27 July 2023

Place Race Number Name Club Category Time

1 125 Tony Forristal East Cork AC M 20.51

2 128 James McCarthy East Cork AC M 21.04

3 12 Donal Coakley Leevale A.C. M 21.06

4 103 Brian Harty East Cork AC M40 22.15

5 119 Donal Giltinan East Cork AC M40 22.23

6 54 Seamus Mc Sweeney St. Nicholas A.C. M50 22.26

7 46 Lizzie Lee Leevale A.C. F40 22.32

8 23 Alfie Davis Leevale A.C. M45 22.34

9 101 John Spelman East Cork AC M 22.35

10 129 Peter Howie Ballymore/Cobh M 22.37

Churchtown South course makes the news...

 

The Churchtown South 5 mile road race was the third race in the popular Ballycotton Summer Series and used to attract of field of 500 or so runners on the third Thursday of July every year.

It was a two lap course taking in small, narrow and quiet country roads which was probably some of its appeal.

When it was last held in 2017, the roads were in a pretty bad state and it looks as if they're got worse in the last four years.

It recently made the news as you can see from this Virgin Media news report below...

#WATCH Homeowners in #Ballyregan in #Cloyne in East Cork are calling on Cork County Council to fix potholes on the road where they live

They say they're damaging cars and make for dangerous driving conditions

Southern Correspondent @PaulByrne_1 reports ⤵️#VMNews | @Corkcoco pic.twitter.com/RUTHT2yNkK

— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) October 31, 2021

Churchtown South 5 mile race cancelled & fundraising for hall

As you might expect, the Churchtown South Community Council 5 mile Road Race on the 25th of June has been cancelled. See message below...

"Due to present circumstances, the Churchtown South RACE, planned for June 25th, has been cancelled. We hope to run it next summer."...Conor Tierney, Churchtown South Community Council


I know a lot of you will have fond memories of Churchtown South and the annual race there every year when it was part of the Ballycotton Summer Series.


Conor mentions that they are now fundraising for their community hall...

Donation link HERE

Guest Post : 10 Things I Think About The Churchtown South 5 Mile Road Race...by Donal Coakley

10 Things I Think About...by Donal Coakley

In these guest posts, Donal Coakley of Leevale AC gives his own light-hearted perspective of some of the races that he has competed in. 

In this post, he gives his thoughts on the third race in the Ballycotton Summer Series. 

10 Things I Think About The Churchtown South 5 Mile Road Race

1. Squalls of Fun

I think John Walshe forgot to pay the weather man. Normally the weather is perfect for the Ballycotton series. This evening we had squally schizophrenic weather. It didn't know what it was doing. Big black clouds, with howling wind followed by glorious sunshine then freezing cold. It wasn't very nice. It even rained, I haven't seen rain in a long time.

2. Tower of Power

I think I could patent my pre-race tower of power. It's made with bananas, peanut butter and rice cakes. The bananas are the pillars. The rice cakes are the floors and the peanut butter is the cement. The higher the tower the more energy you get. David Cody was very impressed that I could eat such a tall tower.

Results of the Churchtown South 5 mile road race...Thurs 27th July 2017

The annual Churchtown South 5 mile road race was held on Thursday the 27th of July and there was a total of 532 runners, the exact same as 2016. As can be seen from the chart above, the field was slightly faster this year. This was also the 3rd race of 4 in the 2017 Ballycotton Summer Series.

The winner of the men's race was Sean Hehir who will be representing Ireland in the marathon at the World Championships in London next month.

The photo above shows Sean Hehir (L) receiving his prize from Seamus Hartnett (R) who ran this course 30 years ago in 1987 in a time of 24m 50s and finished in 5th place.

1 24:38 Hehir, Sean Rathfarnham-WSAF AC M 4:55.5
2 25:01 McCarthy, James East Cork AC M 5:00.1
3 25:09 O'Shea, Alan Bantry AC M 5:01.7
1 31:23 Kevany, Sinead Midleton AC F40 6:16.5
2 32:25 Leonard, Helen Leevale AC F45 6:28.9
3 32:38 Bruton, Jessica Leevale AC F 6:31.5

Photos...
1) There are some prize presentation photos HERE

Series...The positions after the Churchtown South 5 mile road race can be seen HERE
(Use the tabs at the botton of the spreadsheet to select each race)

Interview with Irish international Sean Hehir...



Breakdown of clubs...
Midleton AC 55, Ballintotis Fit4Life 32, Eagle AC 25, Watergrasshill AC 22, St.Finbarr's AC 22, Aghada RC 19, St.Catherine's AC 18, Ballymore-Cobh AC 15, St.Nicholas AC 14, Leevale AC 13, East Cork AC 11, Youghal AC 11.

Full results below...

Notice...Churchtown South 5 mile road race - Thurs 27th July 2017

The 3rd race of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series is coming up on Thursday evening the 27th of July 2017 with the Churchtown South 5 mile road race at 8pm. As always for these races, a large crowd is expected so try to arrive early if you are going....say between 7 and 7:20pm.

Some info from the organisers.......People who have ran the first two races in the Summer Series (Ballyandreen and Shanagarry) are automatically entered for tonight’s race. The numbers are in alphabetical order and can be seen on the wall in the community centre - It would help if people could find their number in advance and ask for it at one of the entry desks. 

The list is also available online HERE

Again, it would be appreciated if people had the correct fee of €5 ready to speed up the process. Entries will open from 6pm onwards with the race starting at 8pm. For new people on the night (who haven’t run the two races), there will be a separate entry desk as normal – entry fee again €5.

With the huge increase in participants, the start of races now poses its own problems. For safety reasons, we urge people to line up in accordance with their ability. Unless you are running under 30 minutes you have no business at the front – the race is over five miles and there will be plenty of opportunity to move up after the initial rush, so pace yourself accordingly. It goes without saying that headphones should not be worn at any stage.....Ballycotton Running Promotions

Overall Series...The overall positions in the Ballycotton Summer Series after 2 races can be seen HERE  (courtesy of John Robinson). Remember, there are top 50 men and top 30 women t-shirts at the end of the series.

A preview of the course with maps, directions and photos can be seen HERE

Results & photos of the Churchtown South 5 mile road race...Thurs 28th July 2016

The annual Churchtown South 5 mile road race was held on Thursday the 28th of July in almost ideal conditions for running. A total of 532 runners took part in what was the third race of four in the Ballycotton Summer Series.

The numbers for 2016 were down just three on the 535 in 2016. I guess we all get a bit complacent about the numbers but getting 500+ runners for a 5 mile race in a small village in East Cork in the middle of the week is pretty special. I'm not sure if people realise just how big the race numbers are in Cork in comparison to other parts of the country. I put up a lot of results for other races on the Running in Munster site and there are races in or near Limerick City and Waterford City that get just over 100 runners.


The chart above shows a breakdown of the various paces and what is remarkable this year is that only 22 runners broke 30 minutes i.e. ran faster than 6 minute per mile pace. Since the race started in 1980, that is the lowest number ever.

1    0:26:36    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:19.1
2    0:26:54    O'CONNELL, John    Leevale AC    M    05:22.7   
3    0:26:59    CORBETT, Michael    St. Finbarrs AC    M40    05:23.7
10    0:28:35    COOKE, Aoife    Youghal AC    F    05:42.9
38    0:30:58    MOORE, Niamh    Cork Varsity AC    F    06:11.5
39    0:31:00    SANTRY, Fiona    East Cork AC    F    06:11.9

Results...The full results can be seen HERE

Close contest for 2nd and 3rd in the women's race with just two seconds separating Niamh Moore and Fiona Santry in the end. Photo: Gearóid Ó Laoi

Photos...
1) Some of the prizewinners can be seen in an album on the Running in Cork Facebook page HERE
2) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a small gallery HERE

* * *

Overall Series...

The positions in the Ballycotton Summer Series after the Churchtown South race can be seen HERE

These were compiled by John Robinson of Mallow AC.

Sean McGrath of East Cork AC...winner of the 2016 Churchtown South 5 mile road race

Aoife Cooke of Youghal AC...first woman home

Niamh Moore was the second woman home with just two seconds separating her from Fiona Santry in 3rd place. Niamh won the Cloyne Summer 4k just a few days earlier.

Results of the Churchtown South 5 mile road race...Thurs 23rd July 2015

A total of 535 runners turned out for this years Churchtown South 5 mile road race, the 3rd race of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series. As you can see from the chart above, it is down on last year but is still more in line with the two proceeding years.

A notable feature of the results this year was that the first two men broke 25 minutes which is sub 5 minute mile pace. The last time the 25 minute barrier was broken on this course was way back in 1997.

1 24:27    CREECH, Ryan    Leevale AC    M    04:53.3
2 24:54    O'SHEA, Alan    Bantry AC    M    04:58.7
3 25:02    HARTY, Michael    East Cork AC    M    05:00.3
33 30:04    MACKEOWN, Rosaleen    Leevale AC    F40    06:00.7
57 31:39    SANTRY, Fiona    East Cork AC    F    06:19.7
65 31:57    CARROLL, Aoife    Mallow AC    F    06:23.3 

The full results can be seen HERE

John Robinson has compiled a list of the overall positions for those that did the first 3 races in the series. It can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a gallery of photos HERE

Details of the Ballycotton Summer Series...May to Aug 2015

The Ballycotton Summer Series is the oldest road race series in the country and it's hugely popular every year. The dates and times are always the same...4th Thursday of every month from May to August....Starts at 8pm except for the last one which is 7:30pm. The top 50 men and top 30 women in the series get finishers t-shirts.

Every race usually gets around 500 runners so it's advisable to get to each one well before the start time. This map shows the locations of each race...

Previews of each course......
1) Ballyandreen 5m...(May)...HERE
2) Shanagarry 5m...(June)...HERE
3) Churchtown South 5m...HERE
4) Ballycotton 5m...HERE

(Ballyandreen 5m........Ballycotton Running Promotions will be taking entries Wed 27th May at Midleton Community Centre from 6-7pm. Also entry on the night)

Results of the Churchtown South 5 mile road race...Fri 24th July 2014

A record 588 runners took part in this years Churchtown South 5 mile road race, the third race in the Ballycotton Summer Series. That's up 7.7% on last years numbers and up 37 on the previous record of 551 set back in 2012.


The chart below shows the history of the numbers and times. You'll notice how things have changed in the last decade. In 2004, only a small percentage of the field were over 40 minutes

It was also probably one of the warmest evenings for a road race so far this year. At about 3pm yesterday, the thermometer was hitting 28 deg C and it had gone down to 25 deg C by about 7pm. 

1       25:27    HARTY, Michael    East Cork AC    M    05:05.3
2       25:43    MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC    M    05:08.5
3       26:41    MEADE, John    St. Finbarrs AC    M    05:20.1
59     31:18    HOLLAND, Ann-Marie    St. Finbarrs AC    F35    06:15.5
99     32:45    CRONIN, Niamh    St. Finbarrs AC    F35    06:32.9
104   32:51    GRANT, Karen    Midleton AC    F    06:34.1

The full results can be seen HERE

Overall positions...John Robinson has compiled the overall positions in the series after 3 races. You can see them HERE

Photos...
1) Paudie Birmingham has a gallery of photos HERE

Notice...Churchtown South 5 mile road race - Thurs 24th July 2014

The 3rd race of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series is coming up on Thursday evening with the Churchtown South 5 mile road race at 8pm. As always for these races, a large crowd is expected so try to arrive early if you are going....say between 7 and 7:20pm.

Some info from the organisers.......People who have ran the first two races in the Summer Series (Ballyandreen and Shanagarry) are automatically entered for tonight’s race. The numbers are in alphabetical order and can be seen at THIS LINK  - It would help if people could find their number in advance and ask for it at one of the entry desks. 

Again, it would be appreciated if people had the correct fee of €5 ready to speed up the process. Entries will open from 6pm onwards with the race starting at 8pm. For new people on the night (who haven’t run the two races), there will be a separate entry desk as normal – entry fee again €5.

With the huge increase in participants, the start of races now poses its own problems. For safety reasons, we urge people to line up in accordance with their ability. Unless you are running under 30 minutes you have no business at the front – the race is over five miles and there will be plenty of opportunity to move up after the initial rush, so pace yourself accordingly. It goes without saying that headphones should not be worn at any stage.....Ballycotton Running Promotions

These are the overall positions for men and women after the first two races. Remember, there are top 50 men and top 30 women t-shirts at the end of the series. Click HERE

A preview of the course with maps, directions and photos can be seen HERE

Details about the 2014 Ballycotton Summer Series...

The Ballycotton Summer Series is the oldest road race series in the country and it's hugely popular every year. The dates and times are always the same...4th Thursday of every month from May to August....Starts at 8pm except for the last one which is 7:30pm.

The one big change this year is the number of t-shirts for women. While the top 50 men in the series have got finishers t-shirts, the women have got 20. As I pointed out in this post last Autumn, the number of women now completing the series is at a level that 30 would be more appropriate. The organisers have now taken this on board and the top 30 women will now get t-shirts.

Every race usually gets around 500 runners so it's advisable to get to each one well before the start time. This map shows the locations of each race...

Previews of each course......
1) Ballyandreen 5m...(May)...to follow
2) Shanagarry 5m...(June)...HERE
3) Churchtown South 5m...HERE
4) Ballycotton 5m...HERE

(Ballyandreen 5m........Ballycotton Running Promotions will be taking entries tonight (Tues 20th) at Midleton Community Centre from 6-7pm. Also entry on the night)

Results of the Churchtown South 5 mile road race...Thurs 25th July 2013

A total of 546 runners turned out for this year's Churchtown South 5 mile road race, just five short of the record of 551 set last year. This was the 3rd race of 4 in the ongoing Ballycotton Summer Series and the last race will be the Ballycotton 5 on the 22nd of August.

The graph below shows the growth in numbers since the very first race in 1980.

Some points to take from it...
1) You can see the running boom back in the early 80's and early 90's as well as the huge surge in numbers currently.
2) There was a higher percentage of faster runners up until around the year 2000.
3) Notice how the number of those running under 40 minutes has been steady since 2009. The growth since then has been those running 40 mins plus. This might well be accounted for by more women now taking part in road races and making up a higher percentage of the field.

As for the race itself, there was a closely contested finish to the mens event with only one second between the top two.

Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
1    25:50    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:09.9
2    25:51    HARTY, Michael    East Cork AC    M    05:10.1
3    26:13    BERKELEY, Noel    Dundrum South Dublin AC    M45    05:14.5
34    29:30    MURPHY, Emma    St. Finbarrs AC    F    05:53.9
49    30:20    MCCANN, Angela    Clonmel AC    F40    06:03.9
61    31:09    HOLLAND, Ann-Marie    St. Finbarrs AC    F35    06:13.7

The full results can be found HERE

Overall positions after 3 races...These have been compiled by John Robinson of Mallow AC and can be seen HERE

Race notice...Churchtown South 5 mile road race - Thurs 25th July 2013

The 3rd race of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series is coming up this evening with the Churchtown South 5 mile road race at 8pm. As always for these races, a large crowd is expected so try to arrive early if you are going....say between 7 and 7:20pm.

Some info from the organisers.......People who have ran the first two races in the Summer Series (Ballyandreen and Shanagarry) are automatically entered for tonight’s race. The numbers are in alphabetical order and can be seen at THIS LINK  - It would help if people could find their number in advance and ask for it at one of the entry desks. 

Again, it would be appreciated if people had the correct fee of €5 ready to speed up the process. Entries will open from 6pm onwards with the race starting at 8pm. For new people on the night (who haven’t run the two races), there will be a separate entry desk as normal – entry fee again €5.

With the huge increase in participants, the start of races now poses its own problems. For safety reasons, we urge people to line up in accordance with their ability. Unless you are running under 30 minutes you have no business at the front – the race is over five miles and there will be plenty of opportunity to move up after the initial rush, so pace yourself accordingly. It goes without saying that headphones should not be worn at any stage.....Ballycotton Running Promotions

A preview of the course with maps, directions and photos can be seen HERE

Results of the Churchtown South 5 mile road race - Thurs 26th July 2012

A record 551 runners attended this year's Churchtown South 5 mile road race, the third race of four in the Ballycotton Summer Series. This is almost 14% up on last year's figure which had equaled the previous record. In just five years, the numbers attending this race have doubled.

This of course resulted in a very crowded start, much like Ballyandreen back in May. Many of the runners at the front were just way too slow to be there which obviously impacted on some of the faster runners behind. However when there was no way for the slower runners arriving late to get around to the back of the field on the narrow roads, I'm not sure they had much choice anyway.

The mens race was won by James McCarthy of East Cork AC in a time of 25:10. The womens race was won by Nollaig Hunter of Leevale AC in 32:07.

Place    Time    Name    Team    Race Age Category    min/mile       
1 0:25:10    MCCARTHY, James    East Cork AC    M    05:01.9
2 0:25:40    O'DONOVAN, Cathal    St. Finbarrs AC    M    05:07.9
3 0:25:41    MCGRATH, Sean    East Cork AC    M    05:08.1

1 0:32:07    HUNTER, Nollaig    Leevale AC    F40    06:25.3

2 0:32:27    LEONARD, Helen    Rathfarnham-WSAF AC    F40    06:29.3

3 0:32:30    WALSH, Niamh    Leevale AC    F    06:29.9

The full results can be found HERE 

Photos......

1) A slideshow of photos by Joe Murphy HERE

Updated Fri 27th @6pm...

Overall results of the Ballycotton Summer Series after three races....HERE

(Credits...Churchtown South Results...John Walshe, Series results...John Robinson)

Preview of the Churchtown 5 mile road race - Thurs 26th July 2012

 Before we have a look at the course, please note the following information from the organisers...

CHURCHTOWN SOUTH ‘5’
(1) Due to the unprecedented weather conditions of late and the unavailability of fields, parking will be a problem at tonight’s race. Therefore, we urge people to make an extra effort to arrive early as those leaving it too late will have a walk of over a half-mile to the hall. Also, bear in mind the various traffic restrictions in place if you are traveling from Cork city.

(2) People who have ran the first two races in the Summer Series (Ballyandreen and Shanagarry) are automatically entered for tonight’s race. The numbers are in alphabetical order and can be seen at THIS LINK  - It would help if people could find their number in advance and ask for it at one of the entry desks. There will be two distribution desks – one with numbers 1 to 200 and the second with numbers from 201 upwards (this includes all females). Again, it would be appreciated if people had the correct fee of €5 ready to speed up the process. Entries will open from 6pm onwards with the race starting at 8pm. For new people on the night (who haven’t run the two races), there will be a separate entry desk as normal – entry fee again €5.

(3) With the huge increase in participants, the start of races now poses its own problems. For safety reasons, we urge people to line up in accordance with their ability. Unless you are running under 30 minutes you have no business at the front – the race is over five miles and there will be plenty of opportunity to move up after the initial rush, so pace yourself accordingly. It goes without saying that headphones should not be worn at any stage.

This is the 3rd race of 4 in the Ballycotton Summer Series and is sure to attract a very large crowd.

Directions...If you are new to the local race scene, try the following route. From Cork, take the usual route to Ballycotton (R629...shown above in Orange). When you get to the crossroads in the centre of Cloyne...

.......the main road takes a 90 degree left. You need to take the turn off which is straight ahead past the old round tower. Just stay on this road (...shown above in red dots). At one stage, you will come to what appears like a fork but you will see that the main road is to the left. Keep on the main route and  you will end up in Churchtown South. Once you get there, follow the stewards instructions regarding parking.

Entries...The event centre for this race is the small community hall which is located next to the road junction as shown above.

On the night, a list of the names and numbers will also be displayed outside and inside the hall. Also, it saves a lot of time if you have the correct entry fee (which is again just €5) at the ready.

Runners who have not run both races (non-Series) can enter in the normal way at a separate table (fee again €5).

The race starts at 8pm and people are requested to arrive early in view of the large numbers expected.   

Course...It is essentially 2 laps of a 2.5 mile course. When you run the course, you would think that it should be a fast course as there seems to be very few hills. However, while there are no obvious steep hills like Ballyandreen or Shanagarry, there are some long drags in it which have the same net effect. For my money, it is as tough a course as either of the first two in the series.

As always, try to get there early (~7pm) to allow plenty of time for entering, warming up and getting to the start line.