Irish women's relay team win Silver at World U-20 Championships

The Irish women's 4x100m relay team won silver at the World U-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland today. The team of  Molly Scott, Gina Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville and Patience Jumbo-Gula ran a national under-20 record time of 43.90 to finish behind Germany and in front of Great Britain to take Silver.

In the video below, the Irish team are in lane 5.

SILVER! 🥈
They’ve only gone and done it! Fantastic run in the 4x100 relay. 43.90 for @RunMollyRun13, @GinaAkpeMoses, @ciara_nev100 and @Patience_Jumbo.
Incredible pace from Patience at the end!
What a team, what a day! 🇮🇪 #HerSport #HerAthletics https://t.co/CHGnfM7f9V pic.twitter.com/HWlCaNt1o1

— HerSport (@HerSportDotIE) July 14, 2018

Some stats for the 2015 Cork City Marathon...

Now that the 2015 Cork City Marathon is over and the dust is beginning to settle, it's time to have a look at some of the stats for the event.

First off, the overall numbers in each event....

Marathon.....There were 1129 finishers in the full marathon which is up 3.7% on last year. That's down on earlier years but there are more marathons to choose from now.

Half-Marathon...The Half numbers were up 17% this year compared to 2014. Some people mentioned congestion at the start of the half this year so perhaps the increased numbers have something to do with it? It's hard to imagine it growing by similar amounts again and for there not to be even more congestion. Either they cap the numbers or do something like starting in waves which might be easier said than done.

Overall, there were probably around 6000 people taking part across the three events....(based on the assumption that an average relay team might have 4 people).

Relay......The relay team numbers were up 4% this year. As you can see from the graph above, the big drop in relay numbers back in 2011 was a result of the half-marathon being introduced.

Gender Balance......In the full marathon, 21.9% of the finishers were women while it was 43.9% in the Half-Marathon. The most notable thing is probably just how consistent it is from year to year.

Just for comparison, the figure for the 2014 Dublin marathon was 30.3% while in the USA, the average marathon there in 2014 had 43% women running.

Marathon Finishing Times....The chart below shows the average finish time in the full marathon. The average man finished around 3:50 while the average woman finished around 4:10. It's interesting to compare this to the stats for the average male and female finisher in the USA who are about 30 minutes slower.

* The chart above was compiled by taking the number of finishers in 10 minutes blocks...e.g. gross times from 3:20:00 to 3:29:59. This would have the result of pushing the graph slightly to the left. However, the net times would have been faster anyway than gross times so it probably ends up being reasonably accurate.

Half-Marathon Finishing Times.....The chart below shows the times for men and women in the Cork City Half-Marathon. The average man is about 1:45 while the average woman is about 2:00-2:05.

Again, comparing this to the USA, the average finish time in Cork for both genders is about 18 minutes faster than the US.

* The chart above was compiled by taking the number of finishers in 5 minutes blocks...e.g. gross times from 1:45:00 to 1:49:59. This would have the result of pushing the graph slightly to the left. However, the net times would have been faster anyway than gross times so it probably ends up being reasonably accurate.

Relay Finishing Times....These are the times for the relay teams in the Cork City Marathon. The average team completed the 26.2 mile course in about 4 hours.

Conclusions.......Based on the above stats, it would seem as if the marathon and the relay event are pretty stable and unlikely to grow much more. The Half-Marathon however looks as if it may continue to grow. The big question however is how to allow the numbers to grow and not cause even more congestion at the start?

Comments...???

Irish mens team set new national record in 4 x 400m relay

It was a very good day for the Irish relay teams today with both the men and women setting national records. The mens team in the 4 x 400m relay finished in 3rd place in the second heat in a time of 3m 03.57s. That was a new national record and broke the old record of 3:03.73 which was set in the European Championships in Munich in 1992.

The order they ran in and their splits were...
 BrianGregan 45.86...Brian Murphy 46.75...Ricard Morrissey 45.56...Thomas Barr 45.21

This is the race video....

Press release for the relay event in the Cork City Marathon...

Please note that entry fees for the Cork City Marathon, Half-Marathon and Relay events go up at the end of March. If you are thinking of entering then you should enter as soon as possible.

More info in this earlier post.

The organisers issued this press release today for the relay event...


GOOD THINKING BATMAN, LET’S DO A TEAM RELAY
The Cork City Marathon already has Team Batman – will your team be the A-Team?

24 March 2014: The Cork City Marathon already has a Team Batman, but if you think that your team could be the A-Team then get ready, get set and get training for the Cork City Marathon Team Relay and Half Marathon 2014.

With race day 2014 rapidly approaching there is no time for excuses, the Cork City Marathon offers a pace and length suited to everyone so register today for the team relay or half marathon and get training for Bank Holiday Monday 2 June 2014.

“Cork City Marathon 2014 is all about encouraging individuals of all levels and abilities to get involved – from first timers to professional athletes. In recent years we have developed the concept of group participation with the introduction of the Team Relay, Youth Relay and the Inter-Services Championships encouraging some healthy competition among colleagues and school mates,” said Race Director Jim O’Donovan.

“The team relay is fantastic for work colleagues, not only will it encourage employee wellbeing and team building, but it will also boost morale while raising funds for charity, helping to meet CSR objectives,” he added.

There are five stages of the team relay, each team member will complete at least one leg of the marathon course varying in distance from the shortest, 4.5 miles, to the longest, 5.8 miles.

The PCH International team relay are running the Cork City Marathon in 2014, in conjunction with Buckley Kiely & Co. Accountants.

“The Cork City Marathon provides a great platform for teambuilding, camaraderie within office, and also the bragging rights of who gets the best time! There will be 6 relay teams participating this year and also some individual members doing the full and half marathon,” said Sean Corkery, Group Finance Manager of PCH International.

“It was decided that MS Ireland would be our nominated charity this year as Richard Fowler from Buckley Kiely & Co. recently had a family member diagnosed with the condition. The teams are very focused on beating the fundraising target of €22, 000 which was raised from the 2013 marathon,” he added.

Now in its eighth year, the Cork City Marathon is an internationally recognised marathon, with certification from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). In 2013, over 7,000 people took part in the Cork City Marathon, an event that is quickly becoming one of the major events in the Irish sporting calendar. One of the fastest courses in Ireland, the Cork Marathon has been praised for its inclusivity, with entry fee concessions for those who are unwaged and in receipt of benefit ensuring that young and old and those with varying ability are included in the marathon.

Enter your relay team online before 31 March to avail of the special discounted entry fee. Teams can be comprised of friends, family, work colleagues, groups and clubs – it’s all about having fun and getting fit in the process! 

Entry forms and full details on the Cork City Marathon Team Relay are available online at www.corkcitymarathon.ie.  

1st leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

Just to put this leg into perspective, there are 5 stages in the Cork City Marathon Relay event. The course is the exact same as last year.

Each leg of the Relay event is more or less the same length....roughly 4.5 to 5.8 miles in length.

The Relay runners will start at 9AM on Patrick's Street along with all of the Marathon runners.

Course...Relay Leg 1Mile 1......It starts on Patricks Street, turns into the Grand Parade, then the South Mall, into Parnell Place and then left along the Quay's. Just as you pass Patricks Bridge, you see the 1 mile mark, a very flat and easy first mile.

Mile 2........You stay on the quays until Shandon Bridge, cross the river and turn right onto Popes Quay. Past the church, John Buckley Sports and then left onto Leitrim Street and Murphys Brewery. The road should have barricades in the middle here as you'll be returning back down on the other side shortly. If perhaps you're not running so fast, you might even see some of the faster runners returning.

Soon, just where you turn off for the Watercourse road, you'll see the 2 mile mark, another flat and easy mile.

Mile 3......So, on to the Watercourse Road, left at the next junction followed by an immediate right onto Great William O'Brien Street. Carry on until you need to do a sharp turn just after the church. There was a great band here last year playing African drum music which really added to the occasion. So, past the church again, onto the Watercourse Road and head back towards the City Centre. Now there is a slight kink here just to add the required amount to make sure that the full Marathon is the correct distance. See picture.....runners are approaching from the top of the picture.....the old 2009 route is yellow, the new route (2010/11/12) is in blue.....


At the N20/New Mallow Road to Watercourse Road junction, runners will turn left to complete a small loop to add a little extra to the course to make it accurate. After that, it's on towards the 3 mile mark, not too far from the 2 mile mark on the other side of the road. Overall, a pretty flat mile.

Mile 4............Back down to the quays as you see some of the slower runners on the other side head towards the 2 mile mark. Then left onto Patricks Quay and then onto Horgans Quay as you follow the River Lee through the City.

Where the quay is open on the right for ships, you'll soon come to the 4 mile mark. A very flat and easy mile.

Mile 5............ Back to the 5th mile. Continue along Horgans Quay until the end. Then left and then right onto the Lower Glanmire Road. Here as you run alongside the river, you'll see the Marina and Pairc Ui Chaoimh on the other side. A bit before the skew bridge, you'll see the 5 mile mark. Another flat and easy mile.

There is a slight climb up to the skew bridge and a slight fall after it and very soon, you see the mass of Relay runners eagerly looking for the approach of their running partners. If you are doing the full Marathon, this will be the first of 4 Relay changeovers stages that you'll run through and you'll see why the Relay event generates so much excitement!

That's it, roughly 5.2 miles and a pretty flat and easy leg. Now, only 20.8 miles to go....!!

4th Leg of the 2011 Cork City Marathon Relay...

This is the 4th stage of 5 and is 5.2 miles in lenght. Of the 5, it is one of the hardest legs even though it isn't the longest. For Marathon runners, this stage starts at roughly 16.5 miles on Victoria Road.

Course...Leg 4.....Mile 16.5......Just after the Relay changeover point on Victoria Road, it's left onto the quays, past Carey's Tools and left again onto Albert Street. Now the road really opens out as you go past the next 2 bends, past Brownlows and onto the South Link Road. From here, there is a slight climb up to the next junction as shown below.

After running on the flat for so long, this will test the Marathon runners to see if they can maintain the pace. You hit the 17 mile mark around here....(Approx mile 4 for the Half-Mara runners). An easy mile with plenty of commotion in the middle!

Mile 17......Then it flattens out as you run out the link road. Again, there is another railway connection here as you are running along the route of the old Cork to Bandon railway line. Soon, you'll see the 2nd overhead bridge. So, it's under it and then take a left for a very steep short climb. A steep part of the course but it's only 50 metres or so long. Then left, over the bridge, through the next junction and a short steep downhill section to Turners Cross. Left at the junction here and onto the Curragh Road. Out along here is the 18 mile mark. An easy enough mile but that short sharp climb can be difficult on tired legs.

Mile 18......Now, the road is pretty flat as you head for the Kinsale Road and pass the turn off for Ballyphehane. Just after this is another water station. As well as offering plain water, they may have sports drinks here as well. If you are doing the relay, you don't need to take them. If you are doing the full marathon, you should consider taking one as the glucose from the drink will help you to conserve your bodies own supply. Note that sometimes Sports drinks don't agree with everyone, especially when they are running. The glucose will also take a while to get into your system.....perhaps 2 to 3 miles later.
On to the junction by Woodies, right onto the Tramore Road and past the back of the Musgrave Park rugby ground. A  slight downhill and then a long flat secton. Right at the next turn off and a slight pull uphill......keep straight ahead until you hit the 19 mile mark at the distinctive red brick church in Ballyphehane.....(Mile 6 for the Half-Mara runners)

A reasonable mile but some small little pulls in it.

Mile 19.........Left at the church and the road goes slightly downhill towards the Lough. Now onto Hartlands Avenue and there is a slight uphill section from here until the next set of traffic lights and the 20 mile mark. A reasonable mile but the uphill section at the end is a bit tough on tired legs.

Mile 20.........After the left at the traffic lights, the next half mile or so is downhill. It starts pretty gradual until there is a steeper downhill section at the end near the junction near Clashduv road. Almost immediately after the junction (...shown below), the road climbs again past St.Finbarr's Cemetary.

It's a fair climb and will certainly slow you down. Then it's right into Liam Lynch park and there is a short steep climb as seen below as you exit by Bishopstown Credit Union onto the Wilton Road.

Right here and a gradual downhill section to the 21 mile mark.......(~Mile 8 for the Half-Mara). Not an easy mile, plenty of extra effort required.

 Mile 20......Left at Dennehy's Cross  by the church and onto Model Farm Road. Now, there is a gradual uphill section for about 600 metres......

Nothing steep but enough to make you work that bit harder. Coming where it does in the Marathon, this is possibly the hardest hill in the entire route.

After the 2nd set of traffic lights, the road falls rapidly and then flattens out as you approach the final Relay changeover point. The 21 mile mark is about 500 metres beyond it.....(~mile 9 in the Half-Mara).

So, that's the 4th leg. It was 5.3 miles in lenght and it probably is the hardest leg. Loads of small pulls which will have an impact on tired legs. Expect to lose time here.

3rd Leg of the 2011 Cork City Marathon....

3rd Leg of the 2011 Cork City Marathon Relay...

The 3rd leg starts at the Relay changeover point in Ringmahon and as in previous years, you head towards Blackrock castle. Just before the castle however note that the course splits!

Marathon and Relay runners turn off right into a car park and on to a walkway. If you reach this point by say 11:35am........(~5 hour Marathon pace) then you're fine. If you are running at 5 hour pace or slower then you may get caught up in the Half-Marathon runners when they start at 11:30am. Note that they will be going straight ahead. Make sure you know which way to go. More info on the Half-Marathon in an earlier post.

The walkway follows the waters edge for about 2 kms and you have a great view out over the inner harbour. For those of you not familiar with it, it may seem a bit narrow but the Marathon and Relay runners will be well spaced out at this stage so it shouldn't be a problem.

This is a really nice part of the Marathon route and is very popular with runners in Cork. Towards the end of it, you'll notice a very large radio mast which is no longer in use. The Half-Marathon mark is very close to this point. Just after that, the walkway ends in a slight ramp as you run up onto another pathway which heads back in towards the city. First of all, theres a little matter of a bridge to cross over.

This is the narrowest part of the course and without doubt, the steepest. It is however pretty short and very soon you'll be running down the other side and onto a dead straight walkway.

Pretty soon, you'll begin to see clues as to the origin of this walkway with a series of bridges. It was in fact an old railway line that went from Cork City to Rochestown, Passage, Monkstown, Carrigaline and Crosshaven.

After a while, you come to what was the old railway station in Blackrock until you reach the end of the walkway and you turn right on to the Marina.

Note......There is where the Half-Marathon route and Marathon route join again and it stays the same until the finish line.

From here, you run along a tree lined route all  of the ways to the changeover point just after the end of the Centre Park Road.

Overall, one of the longest relay sections at roughly 5.8 miles but also one of the flattest. Most of it is on walkways and quiet roads and is also probably the nicest section of the whole Marathon route.

2nd leg of the 2011 Cork City Marathon Relay...

This is the 2nd stage of 5 and is 5.5 miles in lenght. Of the 5, it is probably one of the two toughest Relay legs. For Marathon runners, this stage starts just after the 5 mile mark at about 5.3 miles between the skew bridge and Silversprings hotel on the Lower Glanmire road. For Relay runners, the mile markers for this stage will be for the Marathon. Since you are starting at 5.3 miles, the 6, 7 & 8 mile markers will be 0.7, 1.7, 2.7 miles and so on.

Course...Leg 2 of the Relay / Mile 6 of the Marathon......It starts just before the skew bridge with a slight pull over the bridge, down the other side and then join the new Relay runners. Past the Silversprings Hotel and you head East towards the tunnel on the right hand side of the road. About half way along the road between the Hotel and the Dunkettle roundabout, you'll come to the 6 mile mark. Another pretty easy and flat mile. Near the 6 mile mark, there should be a water station with bottles of water.

Mile 7......Carry on to the roundabout, through it and now there is a gradual climb up the slip road before it flattens out and then falls towards the tunnel entrance. The 7 mile mark is near here. A reasonable mile although you will have encountered your first real pull and effort. Overall, the first 7 miles of the Marathon are pretty flat and easy. Things get 'interesting' from here on.

Mile 8........... Round the corner and down into the Jack Lynch tunnel under the River Lee. Now is not a good time to start thinking about the few hundred metric tons of water above your head and start looking for leaks ;o)

Two things here.....

 1) The tunnel slowly curves away to the left. You SHOULD follow the racing line..i.e. stay on the left and take the shortest possible route. For example, in the photo above, you should stick as close to the traffic cones as possible. Every year, people are stuck to the right wall taking the long option. The course is measured over the shortest possible route. There are no medals for running longer than you have to.
 2) The mile starts with a long downhill but as soon as you hit the middle, you have to start the long climb out again. It's not steep but it is long. See the photo below....this is the pull coming back out of the tunnel.

Mile 9............The first half mile along the South Ring Road is flat and easy. Then you take the right up the steep slip road for Mahon Point.

This is the steepest section so far in the race. Then it flattens out and falls slowly towards the entrance to Mahon Point and the 9 mile mark. So, a reasonable mile with a steep climb in the middle.

Mile 10......Starts near Mahon Point but soon you have to begin climbing. See below.......this is the slight downhill to Mahon Point followed by the climb on the other side all the ways to the CSO office. Nothing serious but uphill all the same.

Then right around the corner by the CSO office and on to the Skehard Road. Along this section, you come to the next water station. Then the road falls slowly downhill and take the next right into a housing estate and the 10 mile mark. A reasonable mile with a moderate pull initially.

Mile 11........Out of the estate....then left....a flat section and then left again on to Ringmahon Road. This section is dead flat and you will pass the start point for the Half-Marathon (11:30am start). Just ahead, you'll see the mass of runners eagerly waiting at the 2nd Relay changeover point at about 10.8 miles (..or 5.5 miles for Relay runners doing only the 2nd leg).

For Marathon runners and Relay runners just starting, it's right at the next junction and head towards Blackrock Castle. The 11 mile mark is about 500 metres after the Relay changeover point. A flat and easy mile.

So that's the 2nd leg. It was roughly 5.5 miles in lenght and there were plenty of sections where you had to put in a bit of extra effort. While it has the novelty of running through the Jack Lynch tunnel, it is still one of the harder relay legs when you consider the amount of climbing from the centre of the tunnel to the high point near the CSO office.

Potential Irish womens team for the 2012 Olympics...

The Irish Womens 4 x 100m Relay Team are currently training hard in an attempt to become the first Irish team ever to qualify for the Olympic games. The team consists of Derval O'Rourke, Ailis McSweeney, Amy Foster, Claire Brady, Niamh Whelan and Joan Healy.

With the team now getting proper funding and with coaching from Terri Cahill, they are hoping to run 44.5 or faster for this event.

A short video is now up on the RTE website

5th Leg of the 2010 Cork City Marathon Relay...

Course...Leg 5

So this is it...the 5th and final leg of the Cork City Marathon Relay and also the easiest at 4.5 miles. It starts at the relay changeover point at around 21.7 miles on the Model Farm Road. There is a very slight pull from here to the 22 mile mark by the County Library.

Mile 22

Carry on past the County Council Library on the left and then soon, you will begin the steep descent by the Tennis Village. Around the left bend, along the flat and onto Inchagaggin Bridge.

In previous years, you had to run up the steep hill on the other side followed by a long drag. The long riverside section in Mahon has meant that this hard section is gone now. So you turn right just after the bridge and along a flat section until you join the Straight Road. You'll see the County Hall way off in the distance but not as far as in previous years. Soon, you'll come to the 23 mile mark. An easy mile.

Mile 23

This is an easy mile. Dead flat. The county hall starts off in the distance but you at right alongside it at the 24 mile mark.

This is where there was substantial flooding back in late 2009 when this area was under water. On the left is the Kingsley Hotel which was very badly effected.

Mile 24

It starts near the County Hall and proceeds to Victoria Cross. A slight pull over the bridge and then left at the traffic lights. Last year, the route went along the Western Road. This year, it's heading in along the quieter Mardyke route. At the end, you turn left onto the public walkway and on to the distinctive pedestrian bridge. 

The 25 mile mark is here. A flat and easy mile.

Mile 25

Now you are onto a public walkway. Accross the new Mardyke bridge and then a sharp right onto the riverside walkway. Here things can get a bit congested. Runners running 3 or 4 abreast can completely block your path. The whole area is wooded so it makes a change from the open roads. After a few hundred metres, you're back out on the North Mall and the wide public road again. Along the North Mall until you get to the junction with Shandon Bridge.

Be careful here. The should be a Garda and /or stewards here stopping traffic to let the runners cross. Just be warned....it's a dangerous junction. Now, onto Popes Quay with the Marathon runners re-tracing their steps of their 2nd mile. 

On past St.Mary's church to the 26 mile mark. A flat easy mile although a bit narrow in places.

Grand Finale...

Starting on the 26 mile mark, you now have 352 metres to go to the finish. At the end of Popes Quay, you go straight ahead and then right over Patricks Bridge. This is changed from last year when runners went over Christy Ring bridge instead. It's about here that you begin to hear the noise coming from the finish.  Now it's a short distance to the finish. Keep an eye out for the stewards as you approach as they may seperate the Marathon and Relay runners into different finishing areas.

That's it, all done. For Marathon runners, you've just completed 26.22 miles and a full marathon. Well done!!

If you want to have a closer look at this final leg, I have put it up on theMapMyRun website. Just click on the +/- to zoom in and out.

That's it. All 5 stages. All 26.2 miles of the Cork City Marathon. If you've read through all 5 reviews, you'll probably feel tired already ;o)

Now, it's time to run it.

4th Leg of the 2010 Cork City Marathon Relay...

This is the 4th stage of 5 and is 5.2 miles in lenght. Of the 5, it is one of the hardest legs even though it isn't the longest. For Marathon runners, this stage starts at roughly 16.5 miles on Victoria Road.

Course...Leg 4

Mile 16.5

Just after the Relay changeover point on Victoria Road, it's left onto the quays, past Carey's Tools and left again onto Albert Street. Now the road really opens out as you go past the next 2 bends, past Brownlows and onto the South Link Road. From here, there is a slight climb up to the next junction as shown below. 

After running on the flat for so long, this will test the Marathon runners to see if they can maintain the pace. You hit the 17 mile mark around here. An easy mile with plenty of commotion in the middle!

Mile 17.

Then it flattens out as you run out the link road. Again, there is another railway connection here as you are running along the route of the old Cork to Bandon railway line. Soon, you'll see the 2nd overhead bridge. So, it's under it and then take a left for a very steep short climb. A steep part of the course but it's only 50 metres or so long. Then left, over the bridge, through the next junction and a short steep downhill section to Turners Cross. Left at the junction here and onto the Curragh Road. Out along here is the 18 mile mark. An easy enough mile but that short sharp climb can be difficult on tired legs.

Mile 18.

Now, the road is pretty flat as you head for the Kinsale Road and pass the turn off for Ballyphehane. Just after this is another water station. As well as offering plain water, they may have sports drinks here as well. If you are doing the relay, you don't need to take them. If you are doing the full marathon, you should consider taking one as the glucose from the drink will help you to conserve your bodies own supply. Note that sometimes Sports drinks don't agree with everyone, especially when they are running. The glucose will also take a while to get into your system.....perhaps 2 to 3 miles later.

On to the junction by Woodies, right onto the Tramore Road and past the back of the Musgrave Park rugby ground. A  slight downhill and then a long flat secton. Right at the next turn off and a slight pull uphill. This is where the course changes again this year. Last year, runners went right. This year, they are going straight ahead until you hit the 19 mile mark at the distinctive red brick church in Ballyphehane. 

A reasonable mile but some small little pulls in it.

Mile 19.

Left at the church and the road goes slightly downhill towards the Lough. Another change this year as the runners give the loop around the Lough a skip.This is where some of the faster Relay runners went wrong last year so it's no harm to give it a skip. Now onto Hartlands Avenue and there is a slight uphill section from here until the next set of traffic lights and the 20 mile mark. A reasonable mile but the uphill section at the end is a bit tough on tired legs.

Mile 20.After the left at the traffic lights, the next half mile or so is downhill. It starts pretty gradual until there is a steeper downhill section at the end near the junction near Clashduv road. Almost immediately after the junction (...shown below), the road climbs again past St.Finbarr's Cemetary. 

It's a fair climb and will certainly slow you down. Then it's right into Liam Lynch park and there is a short steep climb as seen below as you exit by Bishopstown Credit Union onto the Wilton Road. 

Right here and a gradual downhill section to the 21 mile mark. Not an easy mile, plenty of extra effort required.

Mile 20.
Left at Dennehy's Cross  by the church and onto Model Farm Road. Now, there is a gradual uphill section for about 600 metres. 

Nothing steep but enough to make you work that bit harder. After the 2nd set of traffic lights, the road fall rapidly and then flattens out as you approach the final Relay changeover point. The 21 mile mark is about 500 metres beyond it.

So, that's the 4th leg. It was 5.3 miles in lenght and it probably is the hardest leg. Loads of small pulls which will have an impact on tired legs. Expect to lose time here.

If you would like to examine this leg in more detail, I have put it up on theMapMyRun website. Just use the MAP view and the +/- buttons to zoon in and out.

3rd Leg of the 2010 Cork City Marathon Relay...

The 3rd leg starts at the Relay changeover point in Ringmahon and this is where the route changes completely from previous years.

As in previous years, you head towards Blackrock castle. Just before the castle however, you turn off right into a car park and on to a walkway.

The walkway follows the waters edge for about 2 kms and you have a great view out over the inner harbour. For those of you not familiar with it, it may seem a bit narrow but the Marathon and Relay runners will be well spaced out at this stage so it shouldn't be a problem. Cork BHAA hold a 5 km road race on this route every Spring without any real issues.

This is a really nice part of the Marathon route and is very popular with runners in Cork. Towards the end of it, you'll notice a very large radio mast which is no longer in use. The Half-Marathon mark is very close to this point. Just after that, the walkway ends in a slight ramp as you run up onto another pathway which heads back in towards the city. First of all, theres a little matter of a bridge to cross over.

This is the narrowest part of the course and without doubt, the steepest. It is however pretty short and very soon you'll be running down the other side and onto a dead straight walkway.

Pretty soon, you'll begin to see clues as to the origin of this walkway with a series of bridges. It was in fact an old railway line that went from Cork City to Rochestown, Passage, Monkstown, Carrigaline and Crosshaven.

After a while, you come to what was the old railway station in Blackrock until you reach the end of the walkway and you rejoin the route from last year on the Marina. From here, you run along a tree lined route all  of the ways to the changeover point just after the end of the Centre Park Road.

Overall, one of the longest relay sections at roughly 5.8 miles but also one of the flattest. Most of it is on walkways and quiet roads and is also probably the nicest section of the whole Marathon route.