Photos of the Rás Bóthair 5 mile...Sun 29th Apr 2012

A number of you have been looking for the results and photos of this race which was held at the Gaelscoil near Glounthaune on Sunday, the 29th of April 2012. I asked the organisers about the results and I got this reply...

We didn’t organise the race to the extent that we were going to be able to publish a full set of results for everyone. We had a huge clock at the finish line so that runners could get their own times and we know the names of the first three men and women home who won the prizes. It was our first year organising an event like this and we wanted to see if we could get the basics right. Thankfully it went well and for next year we will be looking to work on the areas that we didn’t have the resources  to address this year.

I have moved some of the unpublished comments that were put under the pre-race post here.

Photos.....Joe Murphy has a large slideshow of photos HERE

Results based on the photos.....

Men.....1st John Meade of St.Finbarrs AC, 2nd Tim Twomey (Leevale), 3rd Michael Harty, 4th Danny Smith (Ballynonty), 5th Kieran McKeown.
Women...1st Sinéad Ní Chonchúir of Eagle AC, 2nd Rachel O'Callaghan of St.Finbarrs AC, 3rd...Niamh Dwyer,

If you can identify any of those missing, let me know and I'll fill in the gaps.

Race Notice...Rás Bóthair 5 mile race - Sun 29th Apr 2012

This is a new race on the calendar and it's located just off the roundabout by the Jack Lynch Tunnel to the east of the city. The entry fee is €10 and the race starts at 10:30am.

Directions......Registration for this race is at Gaelscoil Uí Drisceoil which many of you may know better as the old Ibis hotel that was located just off the tunnel roundabout. The current Gaelscoil took over the building in mid-2011.

In the photo above, the northern entrance to the Jack Lynch Tunnel is bottom left. The main road to Midleton is bottom right. The road to Glounthaune is upper right. The road on the lower left goes to the Dunkettle Roundabout and the road up top is the M8 motorway to Fermoy/Dublin.

The entrance to the Gaelscoil is from the north, next to the lower orange arrow shown above. If you are coming from the Dunkettle roundabout, the Dublin road or from the tunnel, you will need to take the slip road to the left which is the old road to Glounthaune.....

At the next smaller roundabout, take a left and then the Gaelscoil is just up the road on the left.

The map also shows the start which is just up the road in the direction of Glanmire. The route heads down towards Glounthaune (yellow arrows) and returns downhill from the north (orange arrows) and finishes next to the school.

Course.....This photo shows the course in full. The first two miles are very flat and likely to be very fast. Just before you reach the church in Glounthaune, the road begins to rise. As you turn left, there is a very sharp climb and this is by far the hardest part of the course.

You go under the old bridge, sharp right, right again and then continue the climb. In fact you are climbing from about the 2 mile mark to roughly the 3.7 mile mark. The road then levels out and after the 4 mile mark, you turn off left and start a long downhill section. The finish is near the school.

Overall.....A tough five mile route, especially the section after Glounthaune making it possibly one of the toughest 5 mile races in Cork? The proximity to Cork City and ease of access should make it an attractive option for some runners.

Sponsor.......The main sponsor is the Edge Sports. For more details on the location of their stores, see this previous post or visit their website at http://www.theedge-sports.com/store/

From the organisers....
On Sunday the 29th of April at 10:30am Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil will host a five mile road race and a two mile fun-run/walk from their new school in Dunkettle. (Formerly the Ibis Hotel)

Registration for the race will take place on Saturday the 28th of April and at the school between 3 p.m. and 5pm or on the morning of the race from 9 a.m.

The race will start at the entrance to Dunkettle House and proceed East along the old Cork-Midleton Road to Glounthaune Church, runners will then take a left up the hill under the Old Bridge where they will turn right and loop around onto the Caherlag road travelling West along the highlands past Eirn’s Own, turning left at the cottages and finishing at the school where water and refreshments will be provided.

There will also be a shorter two mile fun-run or walk for those who not wish to participate in the longer event.

The entry fee will be €10.00 and there will be parking on the morning in the school with overflow of parking in Dunsland Garden Centre.

Running has really taken off in recent years, which is evident by the number of runners on the roads morning, noon and night. This is an excellent opportunity to participate in a local event over a challenging new course.

“Failte Roimh Cach”

Preview of the Bandon 10 km road race - Sun 24th Oct 2010

Next weekend is one of the highlights in the running calendar with the Dublin City Marathon taking place on Bank Holiday Monday. No doubt a large contingent of runners from Cork will be travelling up to take part or spectate.

For those of you not travelling, there is a new 10 km road race in Bandon. It is being organised by a local Gaelscoil with the help of Bandon Athletic Club.

Getting there......The sign on for the race is at the local GAA hall. If you are coming from Cork, take a left at the first roundabout as you enter the town. You are now on the relief road. Stay on this for about a mile as you climb up the hill and then down the other side. It ends in a T-junction. Turn right and the GAA pitches with parking are just down the road on the left. See the map below....

Note that the Old Still Bar is also shown as the finish is near there.

The entry fee for the race is €10 and the course has been accurately measured by a Jones Counter and certified as such.

The start for the race is inside in the town itself. I'm not sure exactly where but I'm sure if you follow the other runners from the GAA hall, you'll find it ok. The race starts at 2pm.

Here is a description of the course from one of the race organisers...
This 10km race starts in Bandon town centre beside the arch in the back quay (near Sabrina’s wine bar) and heads out the Clonakilty road (you are now on the Bandon AC 5 mile course). You then turn left onto the Kilbrittain road past the GAA pitch, where registration takes place.

After the first half mile you come to the first of two hills in this race, the incline starts and develops into a minor hill, this lasts for half a mile, then you take the second left, and then it is pretty flat for the next few hundred meters, you then go straight through the 4 cross roads, and its downhill then until you take a sharp right at the bridge. You now head towards Ballinadee (this is just after the 2 mile mark)- and this now marks the start of the toughest part of the race, not because the hill is so steep but due to the length of it- it lasts for nearly a mile.
Now at once you get to the top of this hill, the toughest part of the course is behind you and it is more or less down hill from here on in. There will be a water stop here on the day to reward your efforts. The road veers left and you are now nearly at the 3mile mark (just a safety note: on this part of the course the road is in fairly bad condition for a couple of hundred metres so watch your footing).
You then continue on a slight downhill and then take the next left until you come to a four cross roads. It’s a left again here passed lots of palm trees, and now you are heading back in the direction of town. From here on in it is downhill and plain sailing until the finish line. You pass the 4 mile mark next to some big steel gates. You continue onwards for nearly a mile and you break out onto the Bandon AC 5 mile course again passed the 5 mile marker where the road flattens out although there is still a fall all the way to the finish at the stop sign next to the Old Still pub.
So to sum up, I’d stick my neck out and say that this is a fast course- maybe not a PB (personal best) course. But you have the reassurance that once you have passed the 3mile mark is reached it is downhill all the way to the finish. Best of luck to all of you and hope to see you at the start line.
(Just keep an eye out for the walkers who are starting their walk on the same course at 1pm)
There is a little present for you when you finish as well as the usual fruit and water (although we can’t guarantee one for each finisher, so the faster you get around the better…)
Then you can cool down on your way back to the GAA pavilion for a shower, cup of tea, sandwich etc and await the presentation of prizes.
 
The organizers also state that...."Pre and Post event massage will be available on the day by qualified members of iapt (physical therapists)- free to anyone who is interested."

There is a map of the course up on the MapMyRun website.