Cyclist causes chaos at Newcastle 10k...

At a recent 10k road race in Newcastle in the North-East of England, runners got more than they bargained for when a random cyclist caused chaos. The cyclist who was dressed in fluorescent clothing entered the race course just before the starting gun sounded and the leading group of runners mistook him for a race official and mistakenly followed him to the right instead of carrying straight on! Hundreds of runners had run around 800m before they were finally stopped.

Race winner Ian Hudspith said afterwards: “I had not ran the race before so I just followed the leaders and lo and behold we were told by a marshall we were going the wrong way. When we eventually got back on track, I was in about 50th place and well down on the leaders who had gone the right way. It was shortly after that it was decided to halt the race and start all over again, which was the sensible thing to do and I as far as I could gather everyone accepted the decision. It is quite a difficult course with all the twists and turns in Exhibition Park and I would rather they just ran two circuits of the Moor. If they did I do not think there would be any problems with competitors going the wrong way.”

The unknown cyclist was not available for comment so it's not known how he or she felt about being followed by hundreds of runners on a Sunday morning.

Results of the Run in the Dark (Cork)...Wed 14th Nov 2012

Just over 1100 runners took to the streets of Cork last night for this unique charity event. As far as I know, it went off without too many problems? The dreaded bollards weren't as bad as expected but then again, I'm not so sure if the course could have handled many more people.

Did you take part in the 5k or 10k? What did you think of it? The course? The atmosphere? Afterwards? How did it compare to last year? Any suggestions for improvements?

The results of the 5k can be seen HERE

The results of the 10k can be found HERE

Photos.....
1) A small slideshow of photos by Joe Murphy HERE

Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy...

Scottish Doctor plans to run 7 Ultra-Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents

Dr. Andrew Murray, a GP living in Edinburgh has been recruited by the Scottish government to highlight the importance of physical activity. His plan is to run at least 50 kms per day for seven days in a row on seven continents. His challenge will take him to Antarctica, Patagonia, Atlanta, London, Egypt, Dubai and Australia.

BBC video clip HERE

Preview of the Run in the Dark in Cork City...Wed 14th Nov 2012

After huge demand for the 2012 event, entries for this race are now sold out! In a change from last years run, this year it's on in the centre of Cork City itself rather than down on the Monaghan Road / Centre Park Road circuit.

First a few major points!
1) This is not your normal 5k / 10k road race! There are a lot of narrow roads to navigate to say nothing of pedestrians, bollards, steps and other street furniture. This is not a race to set a new personal best time. It's a charity run and a unique chance to run around the streets of Cork City at night. Keep that in mind.
2) Wear bright clothing and if you have a hi-viz running top then wear it.

So on to the course.....

The Clarion Hotel is approx 600m from the start line

The course consists of a 1.55 mile loop........2 laps for the 5k and 4 laps for the 10k. There are supposed to be well over 1,000 runners taking part so it's going to be a busy evening.

The race starts and finishes on the Grand Parade.....

 

A nice wide start but with the big numbers, it might feel quite crowded. Then it's left onto the South Mall where the field will have a chance to thin out a bit. At the end, it's left again onto Parnell Place.....

Now things get interesting. Roughly 700 metres after the start, there is a sharp left onto Maylor Street.......

There are two issues here......
1) This is the first bottleneck of the race and those running slower than 7 min per mile pace may find the field really slowing here.
2) Note the bollards!! In a crowded field, you are NOT going to see these. Be aware of where they are.

Then at the end, it's out onto Patrick's Street...

Here the road widens again giving the field a chance to thin out a bit more. After 140 metres, it's right onto Academy Street. Another 140 metres and it's left onto Paul Street....

Coming at roughly 0.76 miles, this is the second serious bottleneck. As you can see from the photo, it's a narrow pedestrianised street and these is likely to be major congestion here.

Note! Watch out for pedestrians here! Someone may walk out of a building here and be completely unaware that there are 1,000+ people running past!

Note that Paul Street isn't without it's hazards either with several bollards waiting to catch out the unwary...

......and the last piece of Paul St isn't any better....

At the end, the course turns right onto Cornmarket Street and the road opens up again...

It's doesn't last long however because after 160 metres, it's left onto Kyle Street.....

Another bottleneck with lots more bollards. After that, it's left onto North Main St...

Note there a few bollards near the end and then it's left onto Washington Street...

........and then left onto the Grand Parade...

....and around the corner onto Patrick's Street......

There should be plenty of space along these stretches for overtaking.

The next section turns right onto Prices Street.....

It's relatively clear of any obstacles....just watch out for pedestrians.

Right onto Olivier Plunkett St.....and again, more bollards!

Then it's left onto the Grand Parade and that's it...one loop done! It's two loops for the 5k and 4 loops for the 10k.

Note that over a relatively short loop of 1.55 miles, the faster runners on their second lap will soon start lapping slower runners still on their first.

Overall.......it is what it is.....a unique run through the heart of Cork City, not a 5k or 10k road race and it should be treated as such. There are likely to be several sections where runners may well end up walking as they try to funnel into a narrow space. Considering the number of street bollards and the potential of pedestrians crossing the course, runners need to be extra vigilant on this one. Enjoy the run and forget about your time.

For more details on the event, check out this earlier post or the event website.

Cork teams to the fore at the Munster Intermediate Cross Country...

The Munster Juvenile Uneven Age & Intermediate Cross Country Championships were held last Sunday, the 11th of November 2012 at Carriganore, WIT, Co. Waterford.

In the womens event, three clubs from Cork took the first three team prizes while the Cork team won the inter-county competition.

Intermediate Women...Club Team Points
Place Club Positions Points
1 Midleton AC 2, 6, 7, 16 31
2 St. Finbarr's AC 4, 8, 11, 14 37
3 Mallow AC 12, 13, 17, 22 64
4 Clonmel AC 10, 15, 19, 27 71
5 Waterford AC 20, 24, 28, 29 101

County Team Points
Place County Positions Points
1 Cork 2, 3, 4, 6 15
2 Tipperary 5, 10, 15, 19 49
3 Waterford 1, 20, 24, 28 73


Intermediate Men
Club Team Points
Place Club Positions Points
1 West Limerick AC 8, 13, 14, 22 57
2 Leevale AC 3, 9, 23, 25 60
3 Dundrum AC 4, 21, 24, 32 81
4 St. Finbarr's AC 16, 19, 20, 33 88
5 West Waterford AC 31, 36, 38, 44 149
6 Mallow AC 10, 40, 53, 57 160
7 Youghal AC 45, 52, 54, 58 209

County Team Points
Place County Positions Points
1 Cork 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 16 49
2 Tipperary 4, 7, 17, 21, 24, 32 105
3 Clare 2, 12, 18, 27, 29, 30 118
4 Limerick 8, 13, 14, 22, 35, 37 129
5 Waterford 1, 11, 31, 36, 38, 44 161

The full results can be found HERE

Route for 'New York' Marathon route in the Phoenix Park finalised...

Due to the cancellation of this years New York City Marathon due to Hurricane Sandy, the organisers of the Dublin City Marathon have arranged a special Marathon for those Irish runners who were going to take part. It will start at 9:30am on Sunday, the 18th of November and it strictly an invitation only event. Only those who were registered to run New York City Marathon are eligible.

Anyone who is eligible and has not been contacted already should send a scanned copy of their NYC Marathon registration slip to: office@dublinmarathon.ie


The planned course in the Phoenix Park is shown below...

All finishers will receive a 2012 New York City Marathon official finishers medal.

Results of the Great Railway Run...Sun 11th Nov 2012

This was the inaugural running of this unique event which consisted of a 25 km race from Cork City to Carrigaline and a 10k race from Monkstown to Carrigaline.

The 25k race attracted 123 runners......
Pos Cat Pos Race No Name Time Category Gender Gen Pos
1    1    70    Simon MANGAN     01:36:36    Open    Male    1
2    2    129    Cathal Mccarthy     01:38:13    Open    Male    2
3    1    59    Joe CUNNINGHAM     01:38:56    40-49    Male    3
4    2    49    Colin O'HERLIHY     01:40:16    40-49    Male    4
5    3    96    Pat O'CONNOR     01:40:25    40-49    Male    5
18    1    121    Joyce Wolfe     01:50:11    Open    Female    1
23    1    110    Una PLANET     01:52:13    40-49    Female    2
24    2    50    Joan ENNIS     01:52:44    40-49    Female    3
28    3    34    Orla O ROURKE     01:54:37    40-49    Female    4
37    4    15    Mary BUCKLEY     02:01:57    40-49    Female    5

The 10k race got a slightly larger number with 151 taking part.....
Pos Cat Pos Race No Name Time Category Gender Gen Pos
1    1    647    Paul Gibbons     00:38:22    Individual    Male    1
2    2    652    Ronan BOLAND     00:39:04    Individual    Male    2
3    3    656    John KELLY     00:41:38    Individual    Male    3
6    1    571    Sheila CRONIN     00:42:10    Individual    Female    1
24    2    526    Alice O'CONNOR     00:46:59    Individual    Female    2
25    3    539    Jane PEETERSOO     00:47:38    Individual    Female    3

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Photos of the start of the 25k race HERE

Comments......???............Did you take part in either event? What did you think of it? The course? Organisation? Race overall?

British & Irish Masters Cross Country...Sat 10th Nov 2012

The British and Irish Masters Cross Country International was held in Belfast last Saturday, the 10th of November. Included in the Irish team were Carmel Parnell (Leevale AC), Carmel Crowley (Bandon AC), Mary Sweeney (St.Finbarr's AC) from Cork and Niamh O'Sullivan (An Riocht AC) from Kerry.

Carmel Parnell won the W55 category while Niamh O'Sullivan was second in the W50. It would also seem as if the womens race was not without controversy as Ireland's Barbara Cleary stopped just short of the finish line having thought that she had finished. She had been well clear of the other runners in the last lap. A despondent Cleary crossed the line in 21:36 to take 3rd place.

Saturday November 11
British and Irish Masters' Cross-Country International, Queen's Playing Fields,  Belfast.
Women...1 Claire Martin (Eng) 21.21, 2 Julie Turley (N Ire) 21.34, 3 Barbara Cleary (Ire) 21.36. Categories -  W35: Claire Martin (Eng). W40: Jackie Carthy (Ire). W45: Philippa Taylor. W50: 1 Fiona Matheson (Eng), 2 Niamh O'Sullivan (Ire). W55: 1 Carmel Parnell (Ire). W60: Janice Neeham (Eng). W65: Dot Fellows (Eng).
Men...M35-45- 1 Andy Morgan Lee (Eng, M40) 26.55, 2 Ciaran Doherty (Ire, M35) 26.59, 3 Stephen Duncan (N Ire, M35) 27.00. M50-55: 1 Graeme Saker (Eng) 27.22; 2 Deon McNeilly (N Ire) 27.25; 3 Tommy Payne (Ire) 27.32.  Categories-  M35: Doherty.  M40: Lee. M45?; M50: 1 Saker, 2 McNeilly, 3 Payne. M55: Davis Butler (Eng). M60: Mike Hager (Eng).
Open races - Women...1 Jo Coates (St Edmund's,  Eng) 23.23; 2 Gillian Carr (Clydesdale Hrs, Sco) 24.16; 3 Maureen McCarthy ( W Suffolk, Eng) 24.50; 4 Shileen O'Kane (Lagan Valley, NI) .  
Men...1 David McNeilly (Newcastle, NI) 28.52; 2 Stephen Smith (Preston, Eng) 28.58; 3 Greg Lavery (Larne AC, NI) 29.13. 

The full results can be seen HERE

Results of the Lisgoold 5k road race - Sun 11th Nov 2012

A record 151 runners took part in this year's Lisgoold 5k road race in East Cork, an increase of 34% on last year's figure of 113 (2010 = 78).

Lisgoold GAA '5K'...11/11/2012
Posn Time Name Affiliation Category
1 15:09 Ciobanu Sergiu Clonliffe Harriers M
2 15:29 McCarthy James East Cork AC M
3 16:04 Meade John St Finbarrs M
1 21:08 Walsh Jennifer Eagle AC F
2 21:23 Buckley Shelia Midleton AC F
3 22:00 Mahony Joanne Midleton F

The full results can be seen HERE

Run in the Dark sold out!

Please note that the Run in the Dark events in Cork and Dublin next Wednesday are now sold out! If you want to help out on the night then I'm sure they would welcome a few extra bodies. Go to their website and send them a mail.

Preview of the Great Railway Run...Sun 11th Nov 2012

This is a new race in Cork and is somewhat unique in that it is point to point rather than the usual looped version. There are basically three options....

1. 25k race from Cork City to Carrigaline following roughly the route of the old Cork to Crosshaven railway........cost €45.
2. 10k race from Monkstown to Carrigaline......entry fee €15.
3. 25k relay with a team of two covering the 25 kms........cost €45.

All proceeds from the race go towards the Carrigaline Lions Club for various charitable projects.

To enter.......You can enter on the day at the following points.....

25k Run....Starts at 12:30pm.....You can register at Kennedy Park which is about 300 metres from the start line. Allow plenty of time as pre-registered runners will be collecting their Goody Bags. Registration opens 90 minutes before the start of the race.

10k Run.....Starts at 1pm.......Main car park in Monkstown.

The full course is shown below.....

As you can see, about 18 kms are alongside the waters edge making it a nice run. The full course is pretty flat with probably five small hills at most.

25k.......The race starts on the Centre Park Road and heads towards Pairc Ui Chaoimh...

Before you reach the one mile mark, you turn onto the Marina as you follow the River Lee on your left...

At the end of the Marina, you pass the 2 mile mark and the first hill. It's a pretty small affair and is only about 200 metres long. Then you drop down again and approach Blackrock Castle....

On the far side, you turn off left onto a public walkway and stay by the waters edge...

 For the next two miles, you stay on this pathway until you re-join another pathway which is actually the old railway line itself. You then cross over the Douglas Estuary and hit the 5 mile mark near the apartment complex at Harty's Quay.

This is the end of the walkway for a few hundrd metres as you come out onto the Rochestown Road....

The old railway platform and station building can be clearly seen in the photo above. The footpath here is very wide so there is probably no need to run on the road. At 5.6 miles, you rejoin the walkway at Hop Island...

 For the next 1.4 miles, the course is dead straight and the 10k mark is clearly marked on the path. At 7 miles, the path turns to the south-east and Great Island on the far side comes into view. At about 7.5 miles, you approach the centre of the town of Passage West and some of the old railway infrastructure is still evident...

The limestone building on the left was a support for a large water tank which was used to supply the steam engine. The station was located just behind. The course now continues through the town and there is a small hill just after the 8 mile mark. In fact, the course has been more or less dead flat since just before Blackrock Castle back near the 2 mile mark.

The road drops down again on the other side to Glenbook....

Past the cross harbour ferry, then the 9 mile mark and onto to the start of the 10k race in Monkstown itself....roughly 9.3 miles or 15 kms.

10k Course........The start of the 10k race and the changeover for the relay in the 25k is at the car park in Monkstown....

This used to be the old railway station and still includes some of the old infrastructure. The wall next to the footpath is part of the old platform while the small limestone building on the left was a support for a water tank.

Old station in Monkstown

The course here continues to be dead flat and soon you pass the new marina in Monkstown. This is a really nice stretch with extensive views of the outer harbour. Here the route twists and turns a bit and eventually narrows around the 10.5 mile mark......around the 1 mile mark for the 10k......as you run alongside Raffeen Creek...

This is the one section of the course where traffic may become an issue so follow the race stewards instructions. The narrow section lasts for about one mile and includes one or two very small inclines.

At about 11.6 miles, you join the main road from Cork to Ringaskiddy....

From here, you run alongside the main road as it rises up to Shanbally at about 12.4 miles.....

The course along here is basically the same as the Carrigaline 5 mile road race every February except that it's in reverse.

After an easy climb at first out of Shanbally, the road soon levels off and then drops down to the next road junction at 13.2 miles...

After turning right, you are now on the direct road between Ringaskiddy and Carrigaline.This section has a number of small pulls but nothing too serious.

At the 15.2 mile mark, you pass the Community Hall in Carrigaline and arrive at the next major junction...

The old railway embankment can be clearly seen at the opposite side of the road while the actual railway station was up a little on the right. For the race however, you turn left here.

After a short section next to a small park, it's left again and you are now into the home straight of the race....

The railway crossed the Owenabue River here on a raised viaduct. The old concrete supports can still be seen.

 From here, it's flat to the finish line at the local GAA club...

The entry fee includes transport if required for runners from Carrigaline to Cork before and after the race. The first 500 entrants will receive a technical T-shirt and a medal on completion of the race.

Both courses have been measured by Jones Counter.

More details on the event website.

Bus.........If anyone hasn't preregistered and would like a seat on the bus they should send an email to conortphelan@gmail.com to reserve a seat.

Water Stations.......Water stations are at 4 ,8 ,11 ,15 and 20kms.

Prize Categories...Prizes will consist of vouchers and running gear. Prizes will be given in the following categories:

25K
Men 1st,2nd,3rd Overall
Men 1st,2nd,3rd in age groups O40, O50, O60, O70
Women 1st,2nd,3rd Overall
Women 1st,2nd,3rd in age groups O40, O50, O60, O70

10K
Men 1st,2nd,3rd Overall
Women 1st,2nd,3rd Overall

Relay
1st, 2nd Overall
Best husband/wife relay team

Some of the prizes for the womens race

Overall.....
25k race......At €45, some may well feel that it's a bit expensive for a race. It is however in aid of a local charity and the fee includes bus transfers and a dri-fit top. It really is up to each individual to decide for themselves if they would like to take part or not.
10k race......This is the more normal distance for a local race and with the entry fee of €15 including a dri-fit top, it's reasonable value.

Whatever about prices, these are two new races on the calendar and if nothing else, they are certainly unique. While they don't exactly follow the old railway route in parts, this has been done I feel to make the course a bit more varied and interesting. Considering that it's the first year of these events, no doubt a lot will be learned from the experience of this year and it should become a regular feature on the race calendar.

Preview of the Lisgoold 5k road race - Sun 11th Nov 2012

This 5k road race in east Cork is coming up on Sunday the 11th of November at 11am. Lisgoold is located on the R626 Midleton to Rathcormack/Fermoy road.

If you are not sure of where Lisgoold is then the easiest way to get there is via Midleton. If you are coming from Cork City then as you leave the dual carrageway (N25) and enter Midleton, you will come to a crossroads almost straight away. Take the left here and follow the relief road to the west of town. You need to follow the signposts for Fermoy. This will bring you on to the R626 road and after a few miles driving north, you will come to Lisgoold.

As you enter the village of Lisgoold, you will see the Community Centre on the right just after a crossroads. Registrations are taken here from 10am.

The Community Centre and the GAA grounds 500 metres up the road are available for changing and showers.

Course...The race is basically on an out and back course. The route follows the rough outline of the Owennacurra River so there are no big hills to contend with. For the first half of the race, you are going uphill to Ballincurrig and a little bit beyond.

Then you reach the turn around point and of course, the second half of the race is largely downhill and very fast.
The total ascent from the start line to the 2.5 km half-way point is about 50 metres. Some sections have a few short pulls while other sections are gentle gradients. Overall, nothing too serious.



Photos of the course......The race starts just up the road from the Community Centre...

The initial few hundred metres are a bit of a pull but once you get around the corner at the top of the road, the road eases off as you pass the GAA grounds. From there, you are on a twisting road and you cross over the Owenacurra River at about 700 metres.....

From there, the road continues to climb until it eases off as you reach the 1 mile mark at the entrance to Ballincurrig village...

The first mile is by far the hardest of the 3 miles so at this stage, the worst is behind you. The 1 mile mark also doubles up as the 2 mile mark so you have an approx 805 metre run out to the turn around point which is roughly here...

From here, the second half of the race is nearly all downhill and very fast. So it's back down to Ballincurrrig...

...past the 2 mile mark, back down to the bridge and back to where the race started....

This is the 3 mile mark. From here, it is 150 metres on a fast dowhill slope to the finish line outside the community hall.

Overall.......Obviously a race of two halves. The trick is to get to the turn around point at 1.5 miles without being completely out of breath. If you can have something in reserve for the second half then you should be able to exploit it to get a fast time. The course is unlikely to produces times as fast as a flat course but they shouldn't be too far out.