Notice...Mallow 10 mile road race - Sun 26th March 2017

The annual Mallow 10 mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 26th of March 2017.

Please note that the number of entries has been reduced to 1250. This is 500 less than last year so it's important that you enter as soon as possible before it sells out.

Race Entries.....You can enter the race online HERE

The postal entry form is HERE

Some key points...
1) The course is the same as last year with the start line closer to the Youth Centre.
2)  The entry fee is €25 plus €1.75 admin charge.
3) Closing date for entries is Friday 10th March although it is very likely to be closed well before then.
4) Transfers available up to midnight February 10th
5) A long sleeve race t-shirt is included in the entry fee.

Course preview.......You can see an updated preview HERE

Race website......There is more info about the race on the dedicated race website http://mallowtenmile.wordpress.com/

Training Plan......For anyone hoping to do their first 10 mile race, there is a 12 week 'Get Around' plan HERE

Athletics Ireland release entry list by club for the 2016 Dublin City Marathon

Athletics Ireland have just released the entry list by club for the 2016 Dublin City Marathon which also doubles up as the National Marathon Championships. You can see it HERE

These are the Cork clubs entered by size...

As you can see, Eagle AC with 47 entries are the largest club from Cork with Watergrasshill AC at 45 just behind. They are followed by St.Finbarr's AC at 30, Mallow AC at 29, Grange Fermoy AC at 24, Youghal AC at 23 and Midleton AC at 20.

You can also note the changes from 2015. In most cases, the level of entries from Cork clubs is greater.

On a national level, West Waterford AC top the list with 150 members entered!

In terms of other club entries from Munster (40+), Clonmel AC have 57 and Waterford AC have 45.

Cheetah Run Entries open today Thurs 28th April 2016

Entries open today for the 2016 Cheetah Run in Fota Wildlife Park. For more details on the race, see this earlier post.

Entries for the 5k race open in two batches...450 at 10am and 450 at 7pm.

The first batch of 450 entries at 10am sold out in about an hour. After the initial surge, things slowed noticeably as people were put into a queue.

Update...The remaining 450 entries opened at 7pm and closed about 10pm.

In terms of how it compares to 2015, it's hard to say. A different entry provider was used this year and that may have made a difference.

I'd guess the morning places went a bit slower and the evening ones a bit faster so overall, it was much the same.

You'll find more info about the race on the Eagle AC website...https://eagleac.net/

The other race is the one mile race for Juveniles (11 to 15). That is limited to 200 places and that will open next Thursday. No one knows what the level of interest will be like in that one. The idea is to give juveniles a race of their own on a properly measured course with chip timing, exactly what their parents might do.

Entries & Stats for the 2016 Mallow 10 mile road race

The annual Mallow 10 mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 20th of March and entries closed last Friday.

There are 1,375 entries and the master list can be seen HERE

From the organisers...."Please check your own name for your age category and club and if there is any error.  This is important to allow a smooth presentation of prizes.  On the day changes become difficult to manage during prize giving.   This year with 2 team prizes on offer, it's important that people have identified their club to make them eligible for team prizes.  We won’t be able to modify the club on the day.

The contact address mallow10milerace AT gmail DOT com

All numbers will be posted out on Monday so people should expect to get them during the week.   If anybody hasn’t received their number by Tuesday the 15th, they can contact me and I will reissue a new number that can be collected at the help desk.

Paudie Birmingham....Mallow AC "

Remember, there is loads of info up on the race website... https://mallowtenmile.wordpress.com/

Some stats.......
1) 42.8% of the entries are from women which is pretty much in line with most popular 10 road races and half-marathons.

2) Roughly 56% of all entries are members of an athletics club or running group.

3) These are the clubs with 10 or more entries...

Mallow AC as the host club has the largest number of entries followed by Grange Fermoy AC. Eagle AC is the largest from Cork City while Clonmel AC has an impressive number considering they are over 40 miles away.

4) This is a breakdown of the entries by age (in four year blocks)...

It's important to remember that this chart is for absolute numbers and not percentages. It's also important to note that this is for a 10 mile road race. It might be different for say a 5k which tends to attract a higher percentage of women..

As you can see, the bulk of all entries are between 30 and 49 years old with a peak around 34-45. It's interesting to see that those in their 20's are largely missing. It may not be all that suprising when it probably matches the age profile of most clubs. As shown in this previous post , the growth in club members who are masters (aged 35 and above) has been very strong over the last few years while the number of adults aged 34 and under has been pretty flat.

The chart below shows an averaged out version of the one above...

 

There is one obvious feature from the graphs...

a) As a percentage, there are more women than men in the 22 to 33 year old age bracket. Is it a case that younger men are off playing other sports in their 20's and only take up running when they're older?

Final list of entries for the 2014 Ballycotton 10 race...

The final list of entrants for the 2014 Ballycotton 10 mile road race is now available.

The list in numerical order is HERE

The list in alphabetical order is HERE

As you can see from the graph, the overall numbers are up slightly this year with an extra 70 entries. It's impossible to read anything in that really as the numbers from non-club entrants were limited and the entry process has a huge effect. If the entries were open like they are for other races then it would probably top 5,000 which of course the small village of Ballycotton couldn't handle.

In terms of club entries, these are the top 10...

These are the clubs with more than 10 entries...
Midleton AC 157, St. Finbarrs AC 109, Eagle AC 102, Mallow AC 76, Youghal AC 72
Kilkenny City Harriers A.C. 65, Galtee Runners AC 51, West Waterford A.C. 47, Waterford A.C. 38, Leevale AC 34
Slaney Olympic AC    32, Ballintotis Fit4Life    30, Clonakilty RR AC    22, Donore Harriers    22, Clonmel AC    19
Limerick Country Club AC    19, Sli Cualann AC    18, East Cork AC    16, Newbridge A.C.    16, Ballincollig AC    15
Donoughmore AC    15, St. Catherines AC    15, Tallaght AC    15, Bandon AC    14, Bridge Milers-Olympic Harriers    14
Carrigaline RR AC    14, Celbridge AC    14, Crusaders AC    14, Raheny Shamrock AC    14, Carraig na bhFear AC    13
Navy AC    13, Sportsworld RC    13, Limerick AC    12, Athenry AC    11, Sliabh Buidhe Rovers AC    11

In terms of non club runners, these are the main locations...(20+)
unatt/Cork    514, unatt/Dublin    132, unatt/Midleton    97, unatt/Glanmire    75, unatt/Ballincollig    60
unatt/Carrigaline    59, unatt/Cobh    39, unatt/Limerick    35, unatt/Carrigtwohill    32, unatt/Cloyne    31
unatt/Blarney    29, unatt/Watergrasshill    29, unatt/Bandon    27, unatt/Waterford    27, unatt/Kinsale    26
unatt/Ballycotton    25, unatt/Kilkenny    24, unatt/Mallow    21

Thanks to John Quigley of Eagle AC for the above stats

Note from the organisers...
(1) Please note we *do not have a waiting list or cancellation policy*. We allow for a
certain percentage of ‘no shows’ and therefore accept more than we can accommodate.
(2) We do not refund people unable to take part.
(3) If unable to run, *ON NO ACCOUNT can you give your number to another
runner* (when you signed the form, you agreed to this).
(4) The race packages (number, programme, etc) will be posted out approx two weeks before the race day of March 9th.

Corrections to the entry list below (name, category or club, etc) please email: ballycottonrunning@eircom.net OR John Walshe at jowalshe@eircom.net

Please note this is for corrections *ONLY*.

The lowdown on the Ballycotton '10' entries...

It's that time of year again as the mad rush to enter the 2012 Ballycotton 10 Mile Road race begins.

For new runners.......The Ballycotton '10' is the 2nd largest race in Cork and is one of the largest 10 mile road races in the country. It attracts not only local runners but also runners from the rest of Ireland and the UK. Entries open about 3 months before the race in March and the open section with 2,500 entries fills up in about 3 days.

The 2012 Ballycotton '10' race will take place on Sunday, the 4th of March.

First of all, a quick recap...
Just in case you are seeing this for the first time, a quick look to see what group you are in when it comes to entries...
A) Any athletics club member OR anyone who ran in all 4 of the Ballycotton Summer Series races can avail of a 2 week window to get their entries in (closing date Dec 15th).
B) Anyone living overseas can avail of a 6 week window (closing date 9th Jan)
C) If you do NOT qualify for one of the above conditions then you have to try and be one of the first 2,500 entries!!!

More details in an older post HERE

OK....now for the lowdown...Here are the sequence of events...

1) Monday 28th Nov 2011......The organisers will post out entry forms to anyone that provided them with a stamp addressed envelope. If you have not done so already then you should get everything ready on the Monday.........envelope, stamp and €15 entry fee.
2) Tuesday 29th Nov 2011...AM. Some if not most people will get their forms in the post. Going on previous years, many will not. You should fill it out properly (instructions below) and get it in a postbox that has an evening collection.
3) Tuesday 29th Nov 2011...PM. The entry form will be available online which you can download and print.

As soon as it appears, I will be putting up a notice on the Running in Cork Facebook page to inform the 900+ subscribers there. If you are on Facebook and have not already subscribed then visit the page HERE and click the LIKE button. As soon as I send out the notice, it will appear on your Facebook wall, no need to be constantly checking. After that, I will put up the link on this site but you need to keep checking here. The Facebook page if you use it is the easiest option.

Again, your objective is to try and get it in a post box for collection on Tuesday evening.

4) Tueday 29th Nov 2011...Entry forms will be available in the following retail outlets on Tuesday evening...John Buckley Sports (Cork), Ger Wyley Sports (Dungarvan) and local shops in Ballycotton and Shanagarry.

Going on previous years, if you post your entry form on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon before the last post is collected then I'd be reasonable confident that you'll get in ok.

Post it Wednesday night, Thursday morning or Thursday afternoon and you are in the 'maybe' bracket. Post it on Friday and you are likely to be too late. If you take the approach of 'Ahh sure.....I'll post it next weekend'..........that's fine except the entries will be well closed by next week!!
Don't forget that the fact you are reading this on a Monday or Tuesday means that you are ahead of most. There will be loads of people who will not have checked the details in time and will miss out. That's why if you can follow the instructions here, post it Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning then you're probably as good as in.

Please note that you can only enter by post. There is no online entry and you cannot drop your entry in to someones house. By having postal entries only, everyone has the same chance of getting in.

The entry form....when you get it, cut off the section for entries only. DO NOT RETURN THE WHOLE FORM! I think the organisers have a pretty good idea of what the entry conditions are at this stage and they don't need you sending them the whole form to remind them ;o)

Read the advice given by Ballycotton Running Promotions below on what to do with the entry form. Read it CAREFULLY.....it would be a shame to go to all that trouble in sending off a form early only to be disqualified because you filled out the form incorrectly.

BEFORE YOU FILL OUT THE FORM…...Instructions from Ballycotton Running Promotions
Read all of it carefully – all the information you need is there...
Each person should fill out their own individual form – when people fill a form for someone else, it invariably leads to mistakes in spelling, date of birth, etc which causes problems to the information already on the data base.
Fill out the form in sequence (surname, first name, age on day of race, date of birth, male/female, etc.) Please write in BLOCK CAPITALS

Remember the club is Athletics Ireland club – (not BHAA, soccer club, GAA club).
 
Telephone/email contact is convenient for checking mistakes!
If you ran in ALL FOUR of this year’s Ballycotton Summer Series 5-mile races, tick the box.
Sign your name on the bottom… by doing this you also agree NOT to transfer your number to another runner in the event of being unable to run.
Please detach (tear, or cut off if form is downloaded) the section of the form with your details and only send this along with the entry fee of €15 to: Ballycotton Running Promotions, Ballycotton, Co. Cork.
 
Entry fee is €15. Cheques or postal orders should be made payable to Ballycotton Running Promotions. Don’t staple cheque to form. Cash is sent at your own risk.
 
Do not send a stamped addressed envelope - you can also send more than one form in the same envelope if required.
Using registered post won’t make any difference – it either gets there in time or not.
The first 2,500 postal entries opened are automatically accepted. After that, any AI club member or any runner who ran in all four of the 2011 Ballycotton Summer Series will be accepted up and including Thursday December 15th. Anyone living overseas will be accepted up to and including Monday January 9th.
As soon as the first 2,500 entries have been received, a notice will be posted on this website. Unless you qualify under the above headings, please do not continue to send in entries. It only causes extra work and expense to send them back.

Reminder about Ballycotton '10' entries...

Just a reminder! The entry forms for the 2012 Ballycotton '10' race are out next Tuesday, the 29th of Nov 2011. It is very likely that the first 2,500 entries will be filled in 2 to 3 days.

Whether you went with the SAE option or you are going to download the form on Tuesday and print it out, you should still get everything else ready. The entry fee is €15. If you need to get a postal order, do it this week. Get the envelope and stamp this week. Pop it in the post next Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. If you can find a post box with morning collection then so much the better. Do NOT wait until Thursday or Friday to post it.

If you are unsure about the entry conditions then look at this earlier post.

On the subject of race entries, another race coming up in early 2012 is the Dungarvan 10 mile. In recent years, it has gone from a relatively small race with a few hundred entries to one of the largest road races in the south-east. For many Waterford based runners, it is now their main 10 mile race and that in turn has taken some of the pressure off the Ballycotton event.

The Dungarvan 10 mile road race is on Sunday, the 29th of January 2012 and is the first race in the John Buckley Sports Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series. It is pre-entry only with a limit of 1,500 runners.

The cheapest entries are before the 16th of December so it's better to enter sooner rather than later.

More info up on the Running in Munster website.

Cork Marathon Entry date extended until 16th of May / Starting Times...

Just a note to say that the Cork City Marathon have extended their closing date for the Marathon and Marathon Relay event until Monday the 16th of May. Entry details can be found on the Cork Marathon website HERE

Please note that the numbers for the Half-Marathon were limited and entries for that event closed some time ago.

They have also announced the start times of the various races. The full Marathon and Relay event will start on Patrick's Street at 9am on Monday, the 6th of June. The Half-Marathon race will start from Mahon at 11:30am. This will mean that the Half-Marathon runners should be merging with the Marathon runners going for a 5 hour time. In that case, the bulk of the Marathon field should have passed once the Half starts. It also means that if you are doing the Half then you should be passing Marathon runners from there until the finish line. If you are doing a 4 hour plus Marathon, the Half-Marathon runners are likely to pass you before the finish line in Patricks Street.

Considering that there are loads of people getting passed anyway with the Relay runners taking part, I'm not sure if it will make any real difference?

Cheaper entries for the Dungarvan '10' close on the 17th of Dec...

The Dungarvan 10 Mile road race on the 30th of January in West Waterford is the 2nd race in the Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series. While that may seem like a bit off yet, I'd just like to remind you that the closing date for cheaper entries is the Friday the 17th of December.

If you enter before the 17th of December, the entry fee is €15. After that date, the entry fee is €20 until the final closing date of the 17th of January OR whenever the limit of 1,500 runners is reached.

You can enter online HERE (...note, there is a small processing fee)

Pictured above is Olympic Marathon Silver Medalist John Treacy receiving his race number from Mel Shanley, sponsor of the Quantum Life Dungarvan '10'. Also pictured on the left is James Veale of West Waterford AC.

Next closing date for Ballycotton '10' entries is 16th Dec...

Just a reminder that the next closing date for Ballycotton '10' entries is Thursday, the 16th of December.

This applies to anyone who is a member of an AAI registered club OR anyone who ran all 4 of the Ballycotton Summer Series 5 mile races in 2010.

The entry form can be downloaded HERE

More info on the forms can be found in an older post HERE

I would recommend that anyone who qualifies should post their entry on Tuesday, the 14th at the latest to avoid disappointment.

After the 16th, entries will be only open to elite or overseas entrants.

First 2,500 entry list now available...

Ballycotton Running Promotions has processed the last 1,000 entries so the full list of those who managed to get in under the 2,500 open entry limit is now available.

The numerical list from 51 to 2551 can be seen as a PDF document HERE

The same list in alphabetical order can be seen HERE

Remember that entries are still open for the following catergories of runners...
1) Members of AAI registered clubs.......until the 16th of Dec
2) Anyone who did all 4 of the Ballycotton Summer Series in 2010..........until the 16th of Dec
3) Overseas entrants...........until the 10th of January

More details in an old post HERE

Update on the Ballycotton '10' entries...

It looks like the folks at Ballycotton Running Promotions have been busy working away at all of those race applications and the first 1,500 entries are now ready! I think last year, the first list didn't come out until some time around the end of December?

So first off the block was Gerard Cummins from Cork who must have been stalking his postman as he manged to get his entry off straight away, be the first entry and get number 51 (1 to 50 are reserved for elite runners).

There are loads and loads of unnattached runners in the list which is a reminder that most of the people running out there are not members of any club.

Anyway, there are 2 lists....

The first one in numerical order is HERE

The other one in alphabetical order is HERE

Half-Marathon announced as part of the 2011 Cork City Marathon

Back in October, I mentioned that there were some changes happening to the Cork City Marathon that would be of interest to people.

Now it's official!! For 2011, the organisers are going to introduce a Half-Marathon race as part of the Cork City Marathon. Up to now as most of you will know, it has been the full Marathon and the relay event. This 3rd event is going to be of interest to a lot of people and is sure to swell the numbers even further.

From what I understand, the Half-Marathon will have it's own start and will join the Marathon route at some stage and everyone.....Full Marathon, Half-Marathon and Relay Runners will finish on Patricks Street.

The Cork City Marathon is without doubt the main running event in Cork and a lot of people want to be part of it. For some, the full Marathon might be a bit too much and they're not really that keen on the relay. The Half Marathon is an ideal distance for them.

How many will it attract??? If the full can attract in the region of 1,300 entries, how many will the Half attract???

The closing date for the cheapest entries is the end of March so no need to panic yet :o)

Breaking News...Ballycotton '10' Entries....Open entries Close

Ballycotton Running Promotions have just released the following statement...

Thursday December 2nd, 11pm


IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Please refrain from sending any more entries for the Ballycotton ‘10’ UNLESS you qualify through the AAI club, Summer Series or overseas system (this procedure is detailed on the entry form and also on the website).

Reminder...Ballycotton '10' entry forms out next Tuesday (30th Nov)

Just a quick reminder that the entry forms are coming out on Tuesday the 30th of November. If you are one of those trying to get into the first 2,500 then you will need to post your entry form on Tuesday night or on Wednesday morning.

The cost of entering the 2011 Ballycotton '10' is €15.

If you are going to pay by postal order then you should really think about getting a postal order, envelope and stamp on Monday. As soon as you get the entry form, post it straight away.

More information about entry conditions were covered in a previous post HERE

Boston Marathon sells out in a day...

I got an e-mail today from someone who was hoping to run a qualifying time in Dublin next Monday for the 2011 Boston Marathon. The entries for Boston opened on Monday the 18th of October and were sold out by 5pm the same day!!

The Boston Marathon is one of big 5 world Marathons and attracts around 27,000 entries. To compete in it, you need to have run a Marathon already in a qualifying time for your age group. It is the oldest Marathon in the States having started way back in 1897 with 15 entries.

With the popularity of Marathon running in the United States, the window for entries has been getting smaller each year going from roughly 3 months two years ago.....to a few weeks last year.....to a day this year!.......and that's for a Marathon that is on next April!!

It's a bit like getting into the Ballycotton '10' ;o)

News & Updates....

Just a few snippets of news....

1) I have made a few changes to the sidebar on the right hand side of the website. I have included a section so that you can see what the recent comments are which should make checking for updates a bit easier.

I have also included a direct link to the Road Race calendar for Munster.....there are races outside of Cork you know! ;o)

2) Cross Country.....there are plenty of photos up now for the Munster AAI event near Macroom last Sunday. I also put up a video from John O'Driscoll for the race in Carrignavar last Sunday week. It shows the early stages of the mens race and the finish of the ladies races. Scroll down the page to see it.

3) The Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series will be starting off in January with the Mallow 10 mile road race. This is an excellent series and is great training for anyone thinking about doing the Cork City Marathon next summer.

4) ....and speaking about the Cork City Marathon, there are some proposed changes for next year which should be of interest to a lot of people. It's not that the course is changing or anything like that but if it goes ahead, it will be a major change. Details are likely to be announced in November.

5) Ballycotton '10'....2011!! The date for the 2011 Ballycotton is Sunday, the 6th of March. Details about entries will be made public in the next week or so. If it follows the pattern of recent years then the entry forms will be coming out at the start of December.......however, the key sentence here is....'if it follows'!!
Update....details coming on Friday 22nd Oct

As soon as there is more info, I'll put it up here.

Closing Date for the Cork City Marathon & Relay....
Just a reminder that the closing dates for the Cork City Marathon & Relay are fast approaching. The cheaper entries close next Friday, the 30th of April (€70 for the Marathon & €100 for the Team Relay event). After that, it will cost €80 and €110 until the final closing date on the 10th of May.

If you are not running in the Marathon then you should really consider getting a team together for the Relay event. The Cork City Marathon is much more than just another Marathon or race. The whole day is literally like a huge running festival and gives people of different fitness and abilities a chance to achieve their own personal goals.

The link for the entries is HERE

First 2,500 entries for the 2010 Ballycotton '10' is now on the net...

With all of this icy cold weather and race cancellations, it's time for some good news!!........at least for some anyway ;o)

The first successful 2,500 entries for the 2010 Ballycotton '10' are now up on the Ballycotton Running Promotions website. As most of you know, the entry forms came out on Monday, the 30th of November and by Thursday morning the 3rd, the 2,500 limit had been reached.

The first 2,500 entries in numberical order can be seen HERE.

The first 2,500 entries in alphabethical order can be seen HERE.

Please note that if you are not listed and you are a club runner / did all 4 of the Summer series or are overeas then you could still be ok. A full list of entries will be published sometime early in the new year.

Update...

I had barely put up this post when I get an update from John Quigley of Eagle AC with the breakdown of club entries...

Eagle-57

West Waterford AC-45

St. Finbarrs AC-38

Midleton AC-37

Mallow AC-32

Waterford AC-27

Gneeveguilla AC-23

Limerick Country Club AC-17

Bandon AC-12

Donoughmore AC-10

West Limerick AC-10

East Cork AC-9

UCC AC-9

Youghal AC-6

Will the clubs be in the same position once all the entries are in? I have my doubts.

The breakdown on a gender basis is 881 women (35%) and 1619 men (65%).

..........and even more stats!!

Unattached Cork runners: Area...Number

Cork...481, Glanmire...79, Carrigaline...67,

Ballincollig...34, Rochestown...28, Douglas...27,

Blarney...22, Passage Wes...21, Kinsale...19,

Ovens...16, Glounthaune...15, Blackrock...14,

Watergrasshill...13, Crosshaven...11, Ballinhassig...6,

Monkstown...6, Dripsey...5, Wilton...5,

Nohoval...4, Waterfall...4, Belgooly...3,

Grenagh...3, Inniscarra...3, Myrtleville...3,

Tower...3, Whitescross...3, Ballintemple...2,

Crookstown...2, Fountainstown...2, Leamlara...2,

Little Island...2, Riverstick...2, Carrigrohane...1,

Grange...1, Knockraha...1, Oysterhaven...1,

Togher...1,

Masters Categories:

F35...182, F40...118, F45...63, F50...35, F55...10, F60...0, F65...2, F70...1

Total 411

M40...276, M45...138, M50...81, M55...50, M60...16, M65...10, M70...2, M75...1

Total 574


Total Masters M&F 985 (39% of total)

Results of the 2nd Ballycotton Poll....How did you get your Ballycotton entry form?

The 3 options given were...

1) Sent off for one of the forms (SAE option)

2) In a local shop

3) Downloaded the form off the website

After putting up this poll, I realised that there might be one serious flaw which might skew the results. The flaw is.......anyone that is taking part in the poll is probably pretty active online. As such, they are much more likely to download the form off the Ballycotton website. So, the 79% answer above is really 79% of those active online rather than 79% of all runners.

However, even allowing for this, the very high percentage still suggests that most people will probably use the downloaded form anyway.

Considering that....

1) Most people have access to the Internet at work or at home or know someone who has and

2) Seeing how most SAE's didn't arrive until the Tuesday

.....Is the SAE option worth it anymore?

Following on from the post yesterday about the other poll about when did people get the SAE back, I noticed later (...much later ;o) that I had uploaded the wrong graphic i.e. the 2008 one.

So just out of interest, here is a comparison between the 2008 poll and 2009 poll about the SAE's.

As you can see, last year a lot of them arrived on the Monday while a good percentage were late. This year, they were nearly all late.

Considering that the Ballycotton '10' race is run purely on a voluntary basis (...not as a business like some other big races!), I wonder if it is really worth all the hassle and work? Will 2009 be the last year of the SAE option?