Running in Cork Newsletter - 16th February 2024
Looking through the results of the last week, the one that really stood out for me was the IMRA Slí Chorcaí events. If we were to go back 10 years ago, the IMRA events were to be honest pretty boring. Run up the side of a mountain and run back down again. Some are still in that format and some still like those but they have limited appeal. In the last decade, IMRA have introduced a much wider range of events.
These include more trail runs in woods which makes it more attractive to people wishing to try them out to see what they're like. They introduced trail runs at night and I remember well doing a half-marathon in the Ballyhouras passing farmhouses at 2 o'clock in the morning. The recent Slí Chorcaí event was another example of a novel event with the participants starting in Ballyvourney and ending up near Drimoleague in West Cork. There are plenty of events like this in the UK that get big numbers and I'm sure with these type of events in West Cork could get even greater numbers if more people found out about them.
I also added quite a few events to the race calendar yesterday as more and more 2024 events are starting to appear. There are a noticeable albeit small number of road races that have opted out of getting a Athletics Ireland permit and avoiding their €2 'one-day licence'.
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Weekend Weather: For the second weekend in a row, we have two contrasting days again. On Saturday, a weather front will cross the country resulting quite a bit of rain. The question is what time will it arrive and different computer models give slightly different results. The rain is coming in from the west and it's likely that the parkrun on Bere Island will be a wet affair while the one in Youghal might be dry. Again, it depends on the time the rain arrives and the further east the parkrun is, the better. Other than the parkruns, there are a few events up the country with rain probably hitting the 5-mile in Lisdoonvarna while the other events in Leinster will probably be dry.
For Sunday, the rain should have passed and we should have a ridge of high pressure keeping things dry. Other than some surface water on the roads, it should be dry for the day.
Weekend events: Other than the parkruns on Saturday, there is a 5-miler in Lisdoonvarna and a big Operation Transformation 5k in the Phoenix Park. Locally, the main running events are on the Sunday. The main one in Cork is the Carrigaline 5-mile organised by Eagle AC at 11am. In Cloyne, there is 4k at 9:30am. In north Cork, there is an IMRA trail race in Rahan Woods near Mallow while there is also a 5k run in Doneraile Park.
Parkrun News:
Clashduv Junior parkrun cancelled: The 2km Junior parkrun at Clashduv which was due to be held on Sunday 18th of February has had to be cancelled due to a lack of volunteers. This is I believe due to the fast that some of the regulars are missing due to the mid-term break. It's just a reminder that all parkruns need a large pool of volunteers that be called on rather than having to depend on the same few people week after week.
Parkrun stats: In last weeks Newsletter, I mentioned how the parkrun organisation had removed some of the stats from their website. This has caused a bit of a storm in the UK and the Guardian had a article on how a right-wing think thank was trying to get the parkrun organisation defunded. See HERE
Tramore Valley Park: The Irish Guide Dogs will be at Tramore Valley parkrun on Saturday 17th Feb 2024. The organisers write.. "If you have a green T-shirt you might like to wear it to show support for the charity"
New parkruns in the pipeline: For those of you way beyond the borders of the real capital, there are two new 5k parkruns starting soon. One is in Bettytown in Co Meath and the other one is in Tubbercurry, Co Sligo.
Last weekend: Last week at parkrun in Ireland, there were...139 events & 15,147 walkers, joggers, runners and volunteers.
Race News:
Kinsale 10m: The organisers of the Kinsale 10-mile road race have announced that their race which is on the 25th of February has now sold out.
Belfast Marathon: The 2024 Belfast City Marathon is coming up on Sunday 5th May and the organisers are reporting that there are only 150 places left for the marathon.
Achill Half nearly full: The Achill Half-Marathon & 10k will be held this year on Saturday 6th July 2024. Despite the fact that it's still five months away, the organisers have said that all of the entries are nearly gone.
In Other News:
New Galway Trailrunning Group: In terms of trail races nationally in Ireland, the majority are in Munster and Leinster. One obvious omission every year is the lack of events in Connaught which is surprising considering all the mountains in Connemara. A new trail running group has now been established in Galway and that should help establish the sport more in this region.
Kenyan marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum dies in road accident: BBC News
Six simple tips for healthier joints from the experts: The Guardian
Midleton Greenway to open reminder: The first section of the Midleton to Youghal Greenway is supposed to open on Thursday 7th of March 2024. The section is question goes from Midleton to Mogeely and is about 8kms in length which is pretty significant.
Half-Marathons in Ireland: I was hoping to send out a list of some of the upcoming half-marathons in Ireland to the Newsletter subscribers this week but I ran out of time. At the moment, I can see that there are 80 on the island and there will be no doubt be a few more popping up in the second half of the year.
Training Programmes: I'll have training programmes for the Cork Half-Marathon starting soon. Options are 16-weeks from the 12th of February and 14-weeks from the 26th of February. More info ...
https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/2024/01/training-programme-for-2024-cork-city.html
Couch to 5k... I'll be introducing an easy online Couch to 5k programme soon for anyone who wants to start off and get running for the Summer.
Training Programmes: I'll have a 14-week one to one training programme for the Cork Half-Marathon starting on the 26th of February. More info ...
Couch to 5k... I'll be introducing an easy online Couch to 5k programme soon for anyone who wants to start off and get running for the Summer.
Countdown Timer...
Limerick Marathon - 5th May 2024 - 11 weeks
Cork Marathon - 2nd June 2024 - 15 weeks
Waterford Marathon - 23rd June 2024 - 18 weeks
Some of the posts on the Running in Cork blog over the last week:
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