No Clonakilty marathon in 2024...

With all of the road races on the calendar, it's easy to forget that the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon was usually on at this time of year. There is no sign of it in 2024 and not even a mention of it on their Facebook page.

While the event has had its critics over the years, it still had a large following. The 2023 edition had a total of 1236 finishers between the full, half & 10k which is no small number and a lot of people treated the trip to Clonakilty as a weekend away.

Here are some of the recent comments that went up on their Facebook page under old posts from last year...

"Can you please let us know if the marathon is going ahead this year? i have run the last 4 marathons. there is another race i can do instead last week of November but it will sell out soon so please can you let us know."

"I just lost my spot in the waterford 1/2 marathon as i was waiting for a response from you guys if this was going ahead. not responding to those who have supported your race year on year is not right😡"

"Any news on Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon?"

"What a Shame & What a let down. 😪"

"Any update Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon please. Either way I think you need to just tell people, I've supported this wonderful marathon for many years and would still do it with late notice. 🙏"

"Hi there, also wondering if it’s going ahead this year? Thanks"

All of these comments and requests for information have been met with silence from the organisers.

It costs nothing to just say 'Sorry, there will be no event in 2024'. It's disappointing to see a complete lack of any communication and it shows a lack of respect for those who have supported the event over the years.

Will it be back in 2025? Or is it gone for good?

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 25th Nov 2023

The 13th edition of the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon was held on Saturday 25th November 2023 with a total of 1237 runners taking part across the three events. The weather was cool and dry which contrasts with some of the previous years which were very wet.

As can be seen from the chart above, the numbers were well down on previous years. The marathon with 240 finishers was well down on the 400 or so which normally take part but at least it didn't get cancelled. The half-marathon had 594 finishers which is a steep drop from the usual 900 or so. The 10k had 402 finishers which is down on the 500 of last year.

Why the big drop???... First off, there was the whole debacle of where the event would be held? Going from Clonakilty to Courtmacsherry and back again.

However, the primary reason for the drop was probably the fact that entries only opened with 10-weeks to go. At that stage, a lot of people will have committed to other events and that's not even looking at the expense of trying to book accommodation in Clonakilty at the last moment. Events like this should be opening at least 6-months in advance.

The Clon Crew get a lot of criticism from a number of people but any event that can manage to attract over 1200 runners to Clonakilty on a cold day at the end of November isn't doing too bad.

Marathon - Top 3 men & women...
1 Tudor MOLDOVAN 2:30:58 1 M MS Clonliffe Harriers A.C.
2 Mike SHEEHY 2:49:31 189 M M40 West Limerick A.C.
3 Mike GRIFFIN 2:52:06 310 M M40 Mayo A.C.
1 Dolores DUFFY 3:39:04 1449 F F50 Watergrasshill A.C.
2 Kate SMITH 3:42:11 55 F FS
3 Emily AHERNE 3:44:36 201 F FS

Half-Marathon - Top 3 men & women...
1 Niall SHEIL 1:16:52 1463 M St. Killians A.C.
2 John O'BRIEN 1:19:35 1475 M Ballymore Cobh A.C.
3 Dan O'SULLIVAN 1:21:11 1690 M Donoughmore A.C.
1 Lorna WOLFE 1:26:24 1547 F Leevale A.C.
2 Karen WALSH 1:30:09 1146 F
3 Anita LOCKE 1:30:25 1657 F St. Finbarrs A.C.

10k - Top 3 men & women...
1 Mihai SPRINCEAN 29:51 2442 M Clonliffe Harriers A.C.
2 Mark WALSH 30:40 2438 M Leevale A.C.
3 Nathan Ryan O'HEHIR 32:46 824 M St. Finbarrs A.C.
1 Catherine MURPHY 36:24 2402 F Eagle A.C.
2 Genevieve COLLINS 42:22 2238 F Beara A.C.
3 Kate WALSH 43:14 2019 F

The results of all three events can be found HERE

Photos...

1) MyRunResults has a small gallery HERE

2) The organisers have a number of galleries out on the course...

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

The 2023 Clonakilty Marathon is on the move again...

There's a bit of a saga with this one. The Clonakilty Waterfront marathon, half-marathon & 10k is usually held in late November /the start of December every year. There was some doubt if it was going ahead this year until the organisers announced the date eventually with just 10-weeks to go.

1) It was going to be held on Saturday the 25th of November 2023

2) It was going to be held in Courtmacsherry which is 15kms from Clonakilty... a kind of a Ryanair job.

So it was going to be the Clonakilty marathon but just not in Clonakilty.

I'm sure a lot of people didn't mind as it looked as if the three courses would be easier with fewer hills.

On the 11th of November, the organisers announced that they were going back to Clonakilty!

They wrote this on their website... "After the endless heavy rain falling over the past two weeks and the forecasted rain due to fall in the coming two weeks ,to avoid disappointing or cancelling the race we have taken the hard decision to move back to our original race course in Clonakilty and our Start /finish line in the Showgrounds based on the link N71 road next door to The Clonakilty Park Hotel .

We know some people may be disappointed in not running the stunning Courtmacsherry Bay route, we can only say we too are disappointed having tried everything to make it happen but unfortunately the weather is out of all our control as clearly witnessed by the devastating flooding all around Cork and the rest of the Country in the past few weeks .

We can only look forward and focus on providing a safe and great race day in Clonakilty this coming November 25th and we appreciate your understanding, support and patience."

Again, a lot of people won't be bothered but it does mean that the courses will be hillier. They had issues last year with a very muddy finishing stretch in Clonakilty which generated a lot of complaints so I don't know if that will be sorted this year?

One of the big problems with the Clonakilty Marathon is the time of year as they're at the mercy of the weather at the end of November. Even at this stage, there's no guarantee that the marathon route by Long Strand won't be flooded. 

No doubt the change of venue will generate some complaints but the event has a large fan base as well who will turn up regardless.

So for now, it's the 25th of November 2023 in Clonakilty......weather permitting.

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 26th Nov 2022

 

Due to some flooding on the course near the coast, the marathon in Clonakilty was cancelled this year. The half-marathon and 10k however though did go ahead with just over 1400 runners crossing the finish line.

When you consider that it was wet and windy and that half of the 5k parkruns in Cork were cancelled on the same day, 1400 plus runners is a big turnout for an event in West Cork. If the weather was fine then it would have been obviously larger.

A few days ago I posed the question if €50 for a 10k race was too expensive... link here

Well, there were 525 finishers in the Clonakilty 10k so perhaps €50 isn't too expensive despite what many people think.

The one thing I noted about the 10k results is that only 20 runners ran under 45 minutes on what is a reasonably good course. It suggests that the faster club runners gave this one a skip but there were many more runners who were more than happy to enter.

Half-Marathon... Top 5 men & women...

1 Tudor Mircea MOLDOVAN Clonliffe Harriers M MS 426 1:13:21
2 Alexander WALLACE St Cocas AC M M40 312 1:13:32
3 Danny MULLINS M MS 1377 1:16:22
4 Simon NOLAN Bandon AC M MS 296 1:17:05
5 Niall SHEIL St Killians AC M M40 1632 1:17:38
1 Carmel WARD Raheny Shamrock AC F F40 313 1:30:36
2 Jean LUCEY F FS 352 1:31:12
3 Sinead RIGNEY F FS 1851 1:31:53
4 Mary O'SHEA Gneeveguilla AC F F40 1743 1:34:40
5 Karen WALSH F F40 1754 1:34:44

Full half results HERE

10km... top 3 men & women...

1 Garrett LORDAN Clonakilty Road Runners M 2215 (33:40) 33:43
2 Tadhg O SULLIVAN Bweeng Trail Blazers M 2573 (34:09) 34:13
3 Connor MCCRORY Bweeng Trail Blazers M 2227 (37:45) 37:49
8 Catherine MURPHY Eagle AC F 2602 (40:34) 40:35
15 Suzanne PURCELL F 2390 (42:31) 42:35
17 Jackie CARTY Kilmore AC F 2490 (43:27) 43:27

Full results HERE

€50 for a 10k road race... How much is too much?

I was updating the race calendar recently with all types of entry fees for the various distances on offer. The one event that really stood out was the 10k race as part of the Clonakilty marathon with an entry fee of €50.

The entry fee for this years Clonakilty marathon was €70 and it was €60 for the half, both kind of par for the course in terms of prices for these kinds of distances.

Their 'mini-marathon' is a 10k race which at €50 is roughly double the price of other similar races of this kind of distance. Not only was it €50 but there was an additional 'transaction fee & postage' which probably brought the total cost up to around €55 for a 10k race!

To me, it seems very expensive but maybe it's not for others?

I could play devil's advocate here and suggest the following...

1) The dry fit tops... I've done the Clonakilty marathon several times and they gave out a fine long sleeve running top for the race. I've used mine for training and with all of the washes, they never seemed to fade or degrade. They mightn't be from a brand like Nike or Asics but they seem pretty good.

2) The medal... Not really my thing but the Clon organisers do seem to go to some trouble to make it a special item to mark the occasion rather than some generic thing.

3) The buzz... Between the marathon, half-marathon and 10k, there is a buzz about the event in Clonakilty with all the people taking part. Some people like the buzz of a big event.

4) Weekend away... Some people might be doing the 10k as part of a weekend away. Maybe their friends are doing the full or half and the 10k suits their needs perfectly. Add in the cost of accommodation and meals and the race entry fee is soon only a small part of the overall cost.

It's easy to be critical of race entry fees if you're a regular at road races but for someone else, this race might be a one off. For a busy person on a good salary, €50 to take part in a sporting event might be no big deal.

In the USA, high entry fees for road races like this seem to be the norm and it does seem to me that we are heading in that direction. In 10-years time, will €50 for a 10k road race in Ireland be the norm?

In 2023, we will have the introduction of the new 'One-Day Licence' which will add €3 for non-club runners in events with Athletics Ireland permits. This is bound to increase the upward pressure on race entry fees.

At the end of the day, it's up to race organisers what they want to charge and it's up to runners to decide how much they are willing to pay. But €50 for a 10k road race still sounds very expensive.

The question remains... How much is too much???

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 27th Nov 2021

There was a real nip in the air for this years Clonakilty Marathon with over 1000 runners taking part across the three events.

In the 10k, there were 250 finishers. As you can see from the chart above, this is well down on previous years for whatever reason. (Update: I'm told that the entry fee for the 10k was €50 which could well explain the drop in numbers)

Top 3 men & women...

1 Kieran MCKEOWN 00:34:45 5289 M Watergrasshill A.C.
2 Conor O'LEARY 00:35:44 5215 M
4 Craig HARRINGTON 00:37:35 5111 M Togher AC
3 Catherina MCKIERNAN 00:37:20 5284 F
12 Aileen O'MAHONY 00:42:27 5216 F
13 Pauline ROBERTSON 00:42:32 5267 F Brothers Pearse AC

In the Half-Marathon, there was 920 finishers which compares well to previous years.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Tudor MOLDOVAN 01:12:20 2382 M MS Clonliffe Harriers
2 Niall SHEIL 01:16:23 2127 M M40 St Killians AC
3 Kevin GILLEECE 01:17:02 8344 M M40 Kilfinane AC
28 Niamh CRONIN 01:29:23 2402 F F40 St Finbarrs AC
32 Aoife MAHONY 01:30:26 2015 F F40 Eagle AC
38 Selenia NOLAN 01:31:27 2308 F F40 Ennis Track AC

In the marathon, there were 417 finishers which again compares well to previous years.

1 Alexander WALLACE 02:32:00 730 M M40 St Cocas AC

2 Mick SILKE 02:46:46 8309 M M40

3 Ciaran HUGHES 02:49:00 385 M MS Dublin Runners

30 Tara MALONE 03:11:55 664 F F40 1Zero1

33 Colleen ROBINSON 03:12:59 712 F F40

38 Dolores DUFFY 03:15:11 830 F F50 Watergrasshill AC MCI

Full results of all three races on the MyRunResults website HERE

Weather for the Clonakilty Marathon & parkruns on Sat 27th Nov 2021

The weather for the weekend is a bit of a mixed bag. On Saturday, it's going to be cold with a strong north-westerly wind during the morning. It is however likely to be sunny.

The map shows the situation on Saturday. There is a high pressure system out in the Atlantic rotating clockwise and there is a low pressure system over the North Sea going anti-clockwise.

The net result is like someone left the fridge door open and cold Arctic air flows down over Ireland and the UK.

On the plus side, that strong wind should prevent any frosts or ice on the roads and it should be a bright sunny morning. The only thing is that it's going to feel really cold.

A map of the half-marathon and 10k courses are shown below. Essentially, you will have the wind behind you for the first half and into your face for the second half for each race.

Over the years, the Clonakilty marathon has had more than its fair share of bad weather. This time around, it looks like it's going to be one of the better ones. There are some lovely scenic spots out along the marathon and half-marathon routes with expensive views over the Cork coastline.

Hills... For the 10k, there is a modest hill marked in Orange which starts around the 4.5 mile mark. It lasts about 0.7 miles. This hill is also near the end of the half-marathon course around the 11 mile mark.

For the half-marathon, there is a major hill at 4.7 miles which is about 2 miles in length. It's more of a long slog than being steep.

Gear???... I suspect it might be a day for the long sleeve with maybe a singlet over it. Only the fastest runners will opt for a singlet on its own.

5k parkruns... It should be a really good day for doing a parkrun, just wrap up!

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 8th Dec 2018

Looks like they got a nice day for this years Clonakilty Marathon albeit a little windy.

Looking through the results, the numbers are just a tad down this year.

The marathon hit a new record with the highest number of finishers ever in the events history. The half-marathon was also up slightly but the drop this year was in the 10k for whatever reason.

Marathon...
2 Freddy STUKK    02:39:20 2    MS (1)    Raheny Shamrocks
3 Ciaran MCKENNA    02:39:56 171    MS (2)  
4 Derek GRIFFIN    02:46:50 342    MS (3)  
22 Charlotte KEARNEY    03:18:04 372    F40 (1)    Donadea RC
32 Kelli PALIZZI    03:25:02 438    FS (1)    PPRR
35 Ellen AHERN    03:26:40 248    F40 (2)    Rosscarbery Steam Runners

Half-Marathon...
1 Sergiu CIOBANU    01:13:22 1945    MS (1)    Clonliffe Harriers
2 Niall SHEIL    01:14:49 1344    M40 (1)    St Killians
3 Mark GUERIN    01:16:55 5708    MS (2)
13 Jackie CARTHY    01:26:49 1106    F40 (1)    Kilgore AC
28 Kana AKIMOTO    01:32:58 1075    FS (1)    North East Runners Dundalk
45 Deirdre ANSBRO    01:36:11 1413    FS (2)    Youghal AC

10km...
1 Barry O'SHEA    00:35:25 2594    MS (1)    Midleton AC
2 Michiel MEULEMANS    00:35:30 2511    MS (2)    Loopgroep Run Inn
3 Garrett LORDAN    00:35:58 2471    MS (3)    Clonakilty Road Runners AC
5 Catriona MCKIERNAN    00:37:10 9763    F40 (1)   
13 Zoe QUINN    00:39:34 2173    F40 (2)    Raheny Shamrock AC
15 Gráinne O'CALLAGHAN    00:40:14 2550    FS (1)    North Cork AC


The results are up on the MyRunResults website... https://www.myrunresults.com/events/clonakilty_waterfront_marathon_ix/2967/results

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k...Sat 3rd Dec 2016

This is one event that has had more than its fair share of bad luck with various weather events over the years. Between ice and floods, there has been problems on more than one occasion. Last year, there was a big storm which resulted in the cancellation of the event in December and it was held in February instead.

The numbers for December 2016 are up on last February but down on previous years. As events go in Cork, it is still pretty big with about 1500 people taking part.

10km...
1 Tim MURPHY 35:29 M (1) (1)Mullingar Harriers
2 Ronan WOGAN 36:07 M (2) (2)Boherneem AC
3 Andrew HOBBS 36:21 M (3) (3)Leevale AC
7 Margaret MURPHY 38:46 F (1) (7) Bandon AC.
21 Ronnie BARRY 41:39 F (2) (21)Brandon AC
34 Aoife COUGHLAN 44:04 F (3) (34)

Half-Marathon...
1 Niall SHEIL 1:15:43 (1)MS (1)St Killians
2 Paul DEANE 1:22:011262 M (2) MS (2)
3 Dan O'SULLIVAN 1:24:32 M (3)MS (3)
6 Carmel CROWLEY 1:29:40 F (1) F40 (1)
21 Karen WALSH 1:35:03 F (2)FS (1)
28 Mary SWEENEY 1:36:07 F (3)F50 (1) St Finbarrs AC 

Marathon...
1 Gary O'HANLON 2:42:15 M (1) MS (1) Clonliffe Harriers
2 Kevin ENGLISH 2:47:42 M (2) MS (2)
3 Mick MCKENNA 2:51:04 M (3) MS (3) - 
10 Lucy BRENNAN 3:11:21 F (1)F50 (1) Sligo AC
12 Dolores DUFFY 3:13:14 F (2)F40 (1) Watergrasshill AC / MCI
15 Sorcha KEARNEY 3:15:29 F (3)F40 (2) St Finbarrs AC 

The full results can be seen on the MyRunResults website

Photos...
1) Donal O'Regan has an album HERE 
2) MyRunResults have their own gallery up HERE 

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k...Sat 6th Feb 2016

The rescheduled Clonakilty Marathon  was held on Saturday the 6th of February in damp conditions. As you can see, the numbers were well down on previous years and seems to be a trend.

It's possible the drop is partially due to the fact it was rescheduled friom the start of December 2015 but the entries had been reopened as well so that may not have been such a big factor. Still though, there were just over 1300 runners on the day so it's not a small number. There were 262 in the full marathon, 476 in the half-marathon and 576 in the 10k.

10k...
1 Garrett LORDAN IE     Clonakilty Road Runners     Male     38:16    
2 Jerome OBRIEN     IE     Male     39:10    
3 Jeremy AHERN         Male     39:38
1  Anna ONEILL     IE     Doheny AC     Female     42:00    
2 Grainne OCALLAGHAN     IE         Female     43:16    
3 Aoife COUGHLAN     IE         Female     45:32
 
Half-Marathon...
1 Sergui CIOBANU     Clonliffe Harriers     Male     MS     1:15:28    
2 Dermot GORMAN     IE     Raheny Shamrock AC     Male     MS     1:20:30    
3 Billy OBRIEN     IE     An Riocht     Male     M40         1:21:58
1 Karen WALSH         Female     FS         1:34:38    
2 Maria CAREY     IE     Ennis Track AC     Female     FS         1:35:41    
3 Mary SWEENEY     IE     St Finbarrs AC     Female     F50     1:36:03

Marathon...
1 Gary OHANLON         Run Hub     Male     M40         2:48:15    
2 Eddie GARRY     IE     St Finbarrs AC     Male     MS     2:58:02    
3 Lyall GUINEY     IE     Athenry AC     Male     MS     3:03:42
1 Dolores DUFFY     IE     Marathon Club Ireland     Female     F40         3:26:22    
2 Sorcha KEARNEY     IE         Female     F40         3:27:32    
3 Rachel STOKES     IE     Kerry Crusaders     Female     FS     3:36:36 

The full results can be seen HERE

Even though there were over 1300 runners taking part, a lot of the usual clubs were absent while others had a larger presence. There are some people listed under the wrong club but these are some of the clubs taking part in the 3 events...Marathon Club Ireland 81, Born to Run Tralee 36, Clonakilty Road Runners AC 32, Rosscarbery Steam Runners AC 27, St.Finbarr's AC 24, Bandon AC 16, Wibbly Wobbly Wonders 9, Kerry Crusaders 9, Eagle AC 9, Watergrasshill AC 8, Mallow AC 7,

Photos.....(Updated Tues 9th Feb)
1) The organisers have some photos HERE
    & 330 photos HERE  
2) Ronan Wogan has a gallery HERE and another one HERE   

Clonakilty Marathon rescheuled to Sat 6th February 2016

After the cancellation of the Clonakilty Marathon last Saturday, there was a huge number of complaints from runners as it wasn't cancelled the previous day like the Waterford Half was. Another issue was the fact the delay in announcing the cancellation on the morning of the race. The decision to cancel was at 6:45am and notices weren't posted by mail and social media until 8am which could have saved some people from making an unnecessary journey.

If you had planned to do it, then your options now are to do the event on the 6th of February, transfer it to the event in December 2016 or get a refund.

Here is the statement...RESCHEDULED CLONAKILTY MARATHON VI...NEW DATE SATURDAY FEB 6 TH 2016
Dear runner ,walker and wheel chair participant...First i would like to apologise in my delay in updating you regards information. I have been having on going meetings throughout the past few days with the Gardai ,County Council ,Red Cross and road contractors whom are undertaking major road works through the town of Clonakilty at present. As you can appreciate their resources were been stretched throughout the area due to storm and flooding this past weekend.

We the Clon Crew would like to acknowledge their incredible support though past weekend and appreciate in all of their support in facilitating our new agreed race date this evening . I understand your frustration in not receiving information but we must all appreciate others in towns like Bandon and surrounding areas were not as fortunate with flood damage so close to Christmas. The Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon appreciates your support and understanding throughout the past few days .

The decision to cancel so late in the day was not taken lightly ,and one I would not like to take again ,that said your health and safety comes first and foremost to me, the Clon Crew and and all our
support crew . Every effort and chance was given to allow you to enjoy a safe and great race day sadly the odds on the day were stacked against us. We are bless to have had five out of six safe and great weathered races days and God willing for Clon VI round II on Feb 6 th 2016 we will again.

I will get to answer every one who has emailed me in person over the coming week, so please bear with me. You are welcome to email me with any queries but again please understand it will take me time to respond. Our Web site RUNCLON.IE will be updated in the coming days and now that we have a race day agreed we will be in a position to keep you updated going forward .

Please note we will not be addressing any queries going forward in future on face book .Email to INFO@RUNCLON.IE only. Thank you for your on going support and we look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year . On behalf of myself bob and all The Clon Crew,

We wish you all a Peaceful Christmas a Healthy and Happy New Year and look forward to welcoming those of you that can make it home to West Cork in 2016. We will be opening registration for limited new registrations for Clon VI Feb 6th tomorrow

PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ IMPORTANT INFORMATION BELOW

http://runclon.ie/

Important Information...

1. If you have already collected your race/chip number last weekend please hold onto. This race number is your ticket transfer to feb 6th event. You have also collected your t shirt. All you need to do is arrive on time for the 9am start. You are are good to go.

2. If you did not collect your race/chip number we will have it ready for you and your original record of registration is on our system. We would advise you to bring a copy of your original registration as back up...We Will have your t shirt ready for you when you collect your race/chip number.

3. If you cannot make the rescheduled date Feb 6th 2016, you can transfer to the Clonakilty marathon on Dec 3rd 2016. 

4. Refunds; If you cannot attend either dates Feb 6th or Dec 3rd 2016 a refund can be requested directly to bob Hilliard in writing to info@runclon.Ie. Refund request deadline date Dec 23rd 2015.

If you have already collected your race number and t shirt please return to us, otherwise as you can appreciate €10 will be deducted from the original entry fee.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

RETURN POSTAL ADDRESS .
CLONAKILTY WATERFRONT MARATHON
SOLBACKA
BALLINAFFRIN CROSS
TAWNIES LOWER
CLONAKILTY
CO.CORK

Results & photos of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k...Sat 6th Dec 2014

The annual Clonakilty marathon was held on Saturday the 6th of Dec 2014. The 3 races were broken down as follows....10k = 758, Half-Marathon = 724 & Marathon = 376. This is down a bit on last year.....(914 / 803 / 385).

The big change this year of course was the out and back nature of the race route as opposed to the old route which turn half and full runners out to places like Rathbarry, Long Strand and the coastline.

10k...
1 Killian OCONNOR     Eagle AC    M (36:20)    36:20  
2 Ian DORGAN     St finbarrs     M40    11736    (37:04)    37:04  
3 Tim HARNEDY     M (37:28)    37:28  
20 Margaret MURPHY     Bandon AC    F (40:03)    40:03  
23 Grainne OCALLAGHAN     unattached    F (40:32)    40:33  
24  Anna O NEILL     Doheny A.C. F40 (40:38)    40:38

Half-Marathon...
1 Sergiu CIABANU Clonliffe Harriers A.C. M (1:15:35)    1:15:35   
2 Mark CRONIN St. Finbarrs A.C. M (1:16:40)    1:16:40   
3 Michael MORGAN St Finbarrs Cork    M (1:16:57)    1:16:57   
44 Orla CROSBIE F40 (1:31:48)    1:31:51   
47 Mary SWEENEY St Finbarrs F50 (1:32:06)    1:32:06   
51 Sandra MANNING Eagle AC    F (1:32:48)    1:32:48   

Marathon...
1 Gary O Hanlon     Amphianking M40 (2:29:12)    2:29:12  
2 Raivis ZAKIS West Waterford A.C    M (2:38:48)    2:38:48  
3 Gabriel PICARELLI Cia dos Cavalos    M (2:42:34)    2:42:35  
9 Nollaig O NEILL     Leevale AC        F (3:01:24)    3:01:26  
14 Isobel OAKES      F (3:05:00)    3:05:22  
40 Tara MALONE    Enniskillen running club    F (3:19:23)    3:19:32    

The full results can be seen on the Precision Timing website.

For errors and corrections, contact  info@precisiontiming.net

Photos...(Updated Sun 5pm)
1) The organisers have some photowall shots HERE 
2) Pre-race photos HERE 

More to follow...

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon, Half-Marathon and 10k...Sat 7th Dec 2013

The Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon this year returned back to the town itself and it seems have been a great success. The overall numbers were up slightly this year as well so here is a breakdown of the numbers...The full Marathon was up a fraction from 374 to 381 runners, the Half-Marathon dropped from 894 to 797 and this year's 10k race had 913 as opposed to 700 in the 6 mile race last year.

Probably one of the main talking points this year will be the course...and the hills! The Marathon course in Clonakilty is as always the best event of the three on offer. Although there are no shortage of hills, it is easily the most scenic and didn't really change much from previous years. It was my 6th time doing a marathon there this year so there must be something nice about it ;o)

The Half-Marathon was a completely new course and had quite a steep climb at 2.4 miles. The organisers could possibly have taken a more gentle route but the route would have taken in less of the coastline. This was actually an issue with the Half-Marathon when it was held in the town a few years back. It was probably easier to run but it was very obvious to anyone doing the marathon that the half runners didn't really get to see any of the coastline. Given the choice between a 800m hill and a more interesting scenic route, I'd go for the scenic option. There are plenty of flat half courses in or around towns if the only thing that matters is time.

The 10k by it's very nature couldn't go very far before turning for home. The route out to Inchydoney and back is probably the nicest course possible for a 10k starting and finishing in the town.

Overall, I didn't really see any major issues with the event. I've been to plenty of events this year where there was nothing given out when you finished the race except maybe for a bottle of water. For a Marathon in the middle of Winter, a tinfoil blanket, a cup of tea and of course some Clonakilty Black Pudding really hits the spot at the finish. Actually, I was thinking of that Black Pudding several times over the last few miles ;o)

For me anyway, the Clonakilty Marathon in the middle of winter is easily one of the best events of the year.

Opinions.......Did you take part in the 10k / Half / full Marathon? What did you think?

Results...

Marathon...
1 Gary OHANLON     Clonliffe Harriers     M 2:46:06
2 Raivis ZAKIS     West Waterford A.C.   M  2:47:59
3 Rory Mooney     M  2:48:36
4 Joasia ZAKRZEWSKI     Dumfries Running Club     F 2:48:41
12 Angela MCCANN Clomel AC F40 3:02:42
20 Maura REGAN     Eagle AC F 3:09:52

The full Marathon results can be seen HERE

Half-Marathon...
1 Sergiu CIOBANU     clonliffe harriers     M 1:08:45
2 Stephen CLEARY Clonakilty     M 1:14:16
3  Robert CLEARY     M 1:20:37
10 Lizzie LEE Leevale AC     F 1:26:32
11 Annmarie HOLLAND St Finbars     F 1:26:53
24 Karen WALSH  F  1:30:34

The full Half-Marathon results can be seen HERE

10 km mini-marathon...
1 Jude MCENTEE     BMOH     M  33:24
2 Michael DULLEA    Skibbereen     M  33:40
3  Alan OBRIEN     Eagle AC     M 35:50
23 Anna ONEILL     Dohery A/C  F40  41:14
42 Mags DEMPSEY Tracton AC  F  43:11
50 Claire O'DONOVAN West Cork Triathlon Club   F (43:29)     43:33

The full 10k results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Peter and Rory Mooney have a gallery HERE 
2) Gearóid Ó Laoi has a gallery of Half-Marathon runners HERE
3) Kieran Minihane has over 300 photos HERE

 One of the features of most local races is of course looking at the photos afterwards. This moment in time was captured yesterday in Clonakilty when two photographers snapped each other at the same time....Kieran Minihane on the left and Gearóid Ó Laoi on the right.

Video...

Results of the Clonakilty Marathon...Sat 8th Dec 2012

Having done the Marathon here three years in a row, this was by far the best in terms of the weather. Blue skies and sunshine for all three races on what was a very pleasant winters day. This of course really made for very nice views, especially in the full Marathon as it followed the coast.

This was also the first year that it started and finished in Inchydoney as opposed to inside in the town of Clonakilty as it had on the two previous occasions. It was however not without it's problems with it seems a lot of people having trouble getting to the start line on time. It's obvious that if the location is changed then there are going to be new problems and the cul-de-sac nature of Inchydoney made things difficult.

This resulted in a delay in the start of each race which may not have been such a big issue in itself but the real problem was that the Half-Marathon started too soon after the full.. The faster Half runners had to thread their way through a bunched Marathon field on narrow roads. That really needs to be fixed. A larger gap between the races starting would have helped a lot.

The courses were hillier and harder this year. Then again, no-one goes to Clonakilty to run a fast time. Both courses are challenging and I liked the full course. Nice rural country roads with a mix of countryside and coastal running.

From my viewpoint, the finish area was fine with tea/coffee, bars, sausages and black pudding on offer! I heard however that it was a different story for many of the Half-Marathon finishers. There were too many finishing in a short space of time and everything was very crowded. In this respect, the empty building last year was much better as there was loads of space. The marquee was just too small with one entrance/exit. The queues for the spa/showers in the hotel were apparently so long that many people didn't bother.

From my own point of view, I thought it was a good event. It obviously has some issues that need to be dealt with for next year. However, my opinion is from the viewpoint of someone who ran the Marathon as a 3:45 pacer. I did not have to weave my way through slower runners and I finished when most of the Half-Marathon runners had left.

What did you think? Leave a comment below...

Update...Mon 10th Dec...Please note that the results are still provisional at this stage. It would seem as if there are still lots of errors with Half-Marathon runners appearing in the mini-marathon results.

6 mile mini-marathon HERE
(Updated 9:45am Mon 10th Dec)

Half-Marathon results HERE
(Updated 9:45am Mon 10th Dec)

Marathon results HERE

Photos......(Updated 11th Dec 2012)
1) Eoin Fegan has a large gallery of photos HERE

Looking ahead to the Clonakilty Marathon...Sat 8th Dec 2012

For the first two years of this race, all three events started and finished in the town of Clonakilty. This year, the start and finish has been moved to Inchydoney on the coast which means the races go nowhere near Clonakilty itself.

Please note the different scales above for the 10k race and the other two.

10k.......Even though the top graph might suggest otherwise, it's really not too hilly. The start is largely downhill for about a mile....reasonably flat until 5 miles.......and then a pull for the last mile to the finish line. Not a serious hill but a hill all the same.

Half-Marathon......In the first two years, the Half-Marathon turned for home well before it reached the scenic coastal stretch by Rathbarry and Long Strand. While it doesn't quite make it to Longstrand this year, you should get a good view of the coastline. Note the hill around mile 9! By comparison, the finishing hill looks tiny but expect it to be felt as you get tired.

Marathon.......A longer version of the Half with added hills as a bonus! I don't think anyone runs Clonakilty to try and run a Marathon PB as it's not a fast course. The attraction is the coastal route and the scenery. Note that the bad hills are in the second half. Keep something in reserve when you are doing the first half. Remember that hill at the end. It might seem tiny in comparison to the others but at 25 miles, it wont feel so small.

Weather......The current forecast is that it will be sunny, dry and cold......around 5 deg C. In fact the conditions sound ideal. If you are running the Marathon then make sure you have plenty of clothes. A jacket might be overkill but wearing two dry fit tops may not go amiss. Needless to say, gloves and a hat are essential.

Results of the Clonakilty Half and Full Marathon...Sat 10th Dec 2011

Results of the 10k mini-marathon are HERE

Results of the Half-Marathon are HERE

Results of the full Marathon are HERE

Photos....
1) A small gallery by Peter Mooney HERE
2) A large gallery HERE

Photos of the 2010 Clonakilty Half & Full Marathon...

There are 2 galleries of photos now available from Sean Power.

The Half-Marathon gallery is HERE

The Full Marathon gallery is HERE

Results of the Clonakilty mini, Half and Full Marathon - Sun 11th Dec 2010

With the recent cold spell, there was always a question mark about whether this event would go ahead or not. The thaw just arrived in time and though there was patches of slush and ice on the roads, it was still safe enough for a road race to go ahead.

Weather conditions for the 3 races were good with a temperature of 5 deg C, cloudy and very light winds.

As an event, it really went remarkably well. There have been several events elsewhere in the country this year where things went pear shaped and lots of mistakes were made. Examples were Limerick Marathon, Galway Half-Marathon, Bogtrotters Marathon in Roscommon, Kinnity Castle in the midlands. If you take that list as a percentage of the total then you would expect that nearly half of new events will have large mistakes in them. The difficulty of organising 3 races on one day, all starting together and going well shouldn't be underestimated.

It was very obvious that a LOT of work went into this event in Clonakilty. There were loads of large signs showing the various routes and an army of marshals / stewards manned the many road junctions. Overall, it had the feel of an event that was running for several years.

Now I'm sure that there must have been a few mishaps. I heard that some of the runners at the front of the mini race may have taken a wrong turn? The directions for the Half-Marathon start could have been better.The dry fit tops at the finish could have been a bit more obvious. I'm sure that any lesson learnt from this year will go into improving the event next year.

Mini-Marathon....
This race was 5.98 miles long, They started with the Marathon runners, did a loop around the town and then out by the estuary before heading across a causeway and returning to Clonakilty.

Half-Marathon...
This race started in a slightly different location but used the same route as the Marathon and mini. Again after a loop around the town, it headed out along the estuary. One interesting feature was the out and back section going to Inchydoney. You could watch the front runners in the Half and Full coming back as you headed out. There were a few hills in it....some of them short and pretty steep but nothing that you would consider a show stopper. I know someone who ran a Half-Marathon PB so it can't have been so bad.

As many of you know, this event was going head to head with the Half-Marathon in Waterford. A lot of people from Cork had planned to do one or the other. How do they compare?
Well, having done both then I would say it depends on what you want. If getting a PB or fast time is your main concern, I'd say Waterford is faster. If price is a major issue for you, then probably Waterford. But in terms of a nice route, Clonakilty wins hands down. Running around by the estuary and around the quiet country roads of west Cork is a lot nicer than along the hard shoulder of the road between Waterford and Tramore.

It would be interesting to hear what the Half-Marathon runners thought of the Clon Half-Marathon route? Hard?

Full Marathon...
This was the race that I took part in. While it followed a lot of the Half-Marathon route, we split away around the 8 mile mark as we headed towards the coast. It was a really nice scenic route, especially down near the coast but the hills!! If you thought the Half-Marathon was hard then it was like a fun run in comparison to the Full Marathon ;o)
I don't know how many times we went up a hill only to drop down on the other side back to sea level. Up we went, down we went....it was almost like whoever designed the route has a grudge against Marathon runners! But you know what? It was great! There is a real sense of satisfaction finishing a Marathon like that.
I don't know what lunatic designed that course but I like his style :o))

I've run a good few Marathon routes in Ireland at this stage and I have to say, I'd rate the Clonakilty Marathon as one of the better ones. It may not have the buzz of Dublin or the scenery of Dingle but if you're not too concerned about times and want a good challenging course on a scenic route, I'd recommend it.

Costs......
One of the issues that some people raised before the event was the entry fee which was higher than other similar events. While the organisers can justify their own costs, I'll just give a quick run down of what you got for your entry.........Accurate course measured by the same person that measured the Cork City Marathon route.......chip timing......safe course with loads of race stewards....dry-fit running top....physio.........tea (before! and after)....sausages and some of that Clonakilty Black Pudding afterwards :o).....medal....goodie bag....vouchers which are useful if you live in the area. It's up to each individual to decide if they think that is value for money or not.

Results.........
The mini marathon results in Excel format can be found HERE

Half-Marathon.......
There were 509 finishers in the Half-Marathon. The mens race was won by Alan O'Shea in a time of 1:08:23 and the first lady home was Joyce Wolfe in a time of 1:30:32.
The results of the Half can be found in Excel format HERE

Full Marathon....
There were 201 runners in the Full Marathon and it was won by George Waugh of Rising Sun AC in an amazing time of 2:34:01. That was an incredible time considering all of the hills in it. George already has a Marathon win under his belt having won the Limerick Marathon back in May of this year and surely on a flat course, breaking 2:30 must be a possibility for him.

The ladies race was won by Valerie Glavin of Athenry AC in a time of 3:19:12. Obviously the long trip was well worth it for the Galway athlete.

The results of the Full Marathon in Excel format can be found HERE

Photos....
A slideshow of the full Marathon can be seen HERE

and of the Half-Marathon HERE

Comments....
So what did you think of the event? Which race did you take part in? Click on the comment link below and let others know what you thought of it...