Category results of the Cork BHAA Mount Oval 6 mile...Sun 20th Nov 2011

Somewhere around 200 runners turned out for this 6 mile race near Rochestown to the south of Cork City. Starting and finishing in the residential area of Mount Oval, the race followed a hilly route to the south taking in some quiet and some busy roads. Appearently there was a problem with lack of stewards at one road junction ~4.5 miles which resulted in some runners going the wrong way which wasn't great.

The category results are below. The full results are now HERE.

Leading group around the 1 mile mark...

Photos......(Updated 8:30am Tues 22nd Nov)
Maggie Chojan has a slideshow HERE

Ian Dorgan has a slideshow HERE

Men...1) 32:43 Shane Coffey, Deloitte. 2) 33:04 John Meade, Joyce Wolfe Physio. -) 32:13 Con Marshall (non-reg). 3rd reg) 33:36 Cillian O'Tuama, Arris
M40...1) John Malone, Quality Hotels. 2) John Dunphy, Flexible Connectors. 3) Sean O'Sullivan, ESB
M45...1) Mark Bickerdyke, Blarney School of Motoring. 2) John Cashman, Midleton News. 3) Eddie Byrne, IPS
M50...1) Andrew Geany, Apple Computer, 2) Eamonn Murphy, St. Patricks College. 3) Mossie Shanahan, Sisks
M55...1) Tony Huff, Team Adidas, 2) Dan Kennedy, DMP, 3) Dan Horgan, Midleton UDC
M60...1) Jimmy Murray, HSE, 2) Paddy Joyce, Mallow
M65...1) Paddy Daly, Army, 2) Billy Caball, BHAA
M70...1) John O'Leary, Bookdeal
Mens Teams
Grade A...1)  51 IPS, 2)  -- no second, 3)  -- no third
Grade B...1)  82 Midleton News, 2)  99 ESB, 3) 102 EMC
Grade C...1) 154 Pfizer, 2) 156 Sisk Builders, 3) 172 UCC
Ladies...1) 40:32 Geraldine O'Shea, Cork County Council (F40), 2) 42:48 Orla Crosbie, HSE, 3) 43:06 Gillian Cotter, UCC, 4) 44:02 Elaine Guinane, Dept of Ed
F35...1) Theresa Crowley, 2) Michelle Leighton, Angela Walsh Properties
F40...There were no prize winners in the F40 category
F45...1) Mary O'Keeffe, Midleton News, 2) Kitty Harrington Buckley, HSE, 3) Marie Creedon, CSO
F50...1) Frances O'Connor, Dept of Ed, 2) Margaret Rohan, Midleton News, 3) Joan McCarthy, BOI
F55...There were no prize winners in the F55 category
F60...1) Mary Linehan, Linehans
F65...1) Maggie Dunne, Avondhu Motors Factors
Ladies Teams
Grade A...1)   9 Dept Ed, 2)  12 HSE
Grade B...1)  21 Midleton News, 2)  31 BOI

New York Times article on Europe's fastest man

The New York Times had an article recently on the fastest man in Europe...Christophe Lemaitre from France.

In a sport where the vast majority of athletes can be traced to being of West African origin, he is unusual in that he is the only white sprinter ever to have broken 10 seconds for 100 metres.
Just as East Africans living at altitude appear to have a natural ability for distance running, West African athletes and their descendants appear to have more success in sprinting. Research published in the early 1970s suggested that black sprinters had several major differences from their white counterparts: less body fat, shorter torsos, thinner hips, longer legs, thicker thigh muscles, thinner calf muscles and a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Lemaitre who is still only 21 years old has a 100 metre PB of 9.92. By the way, 9.92 is the exact same time that Carl Lewis ran in Seoul in 1988 to win gold and set a new Olympic record. With the fastest sprinters in the world heading to London next year, it will be interesting to see what he can do.

The full article is HERE

Knitlympics...the book everyone has been waiting for

This new book called Knitlympics has just been published. I know, I know....you can hardly contain your excitement ;o)

If you ever had the urge to knit your own Olympic athlete then here's your chance!

No ticket for the mens 100m Olympic final in London? No problem, knit your own! I'm sure they'll accept it.

Figures include Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, Cathy Freeman, Mark Spitz, Ian Thorpe and of course the 'must have' Olympic Torch!

A slideshow of the figures can be seen on the Telegraph website and the book can be purchased on the Amazon.co.uk site. Go on...you know you want to :o))

Random photos with a Cork theme...

I came across these two photos while I was looking for some other material...

The Irish 100m record holder Ailis McSweeney from Cork suspended in mid-air during the women's 4 x 100m relay heat at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain on the 31st of July 2010. Alongside is the legendary Merlene Ottey.

Somewhere underneath the national flags are Derval O'Rourke from Cork after winning the silver medal in the Women’s 100m Hurdles final during the European Athletics Championships, in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, July 31, 2010. Under the Turkish flag on the left is the race winner Nevin Yanit.

2008 10,000m Olympian Jorge Torres misses US trials because of accident in Ireland...

This piece appeared recently on the Running Times website.

It seems that back on the 25th of September, Jorge Torres from the USA won the Loughrea 10k in Galway in a time of 30:58. In the article, it reports that Torres was 'struck from behind by an automobile' while he was warming down. It now seems as if his injuries were more serious than originally thought.

From the Running Times website.....
For the first week after being struck from behind by an automobile in Ireland, 2008 U.S. 10,000m Olympian Jorge Torres kept believing there was still a chance. A chance it was nothing more than a bad bruise. A chance physical therapy and rest would heal the throbbing in his leg. A chance the clean X-rays he had in Ireland and Colorado were telling the whole truth.
Meeting with his doctor after an MRI, however, revealed the final truth: torn ligaments and tendons in his right ankle, and more damning, a fractured tibia on the same leg. The bone, Torres was told, could easily have displaced. Were it to separate, screws would have to be inserted into the tibia. The doctor called for six to eight weeks of no running.
“After hearing that news, and pretty much knowing that I wouldn’t be anywhere near the kind of form needed going into the Olympic trials, we shut it down,” Torres says. “We just need to let it heal, change our focus and set new goals and move forward.”

The full article can be seen HERE

Female US Racewalker qualifies for trials but can't go to Olympics...

I came across this story earlier this week from the New York Times.

Erin Taylor-Talcott is an American racewalker. After posting a time of 4:41:36 in a recent 50k race, her time was actually faster than the United States men’s Olympic trials standard of 4:45. The only catch though is that there is no 50k racewalk for women at the US trials or at the Olympics.

From the New York Times....
"A 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) racewalk became an Olympic sport for women in 1992. There is also a separate 20K race for men. The I.A.A.F. said there was insufficient interest among female competitors to hold an Olympic race at 50 kilometers, calling the event “pretty much nonexistent.” Yet, Taylor-Talcott excels at the longer distance, having won first place in the past two 50K United States championships for women, a race that is contested nationally but not internationally in major meets. Unofficially, she is the 14th-fastest woman ever at 50K, recording her best time on Sept. 11 at a race in Ocean Township, N.J. And she is faster than some elite American men in a sport that requires competitors to keep one foot on the ground at all times and to straighten their leading leg as the body passes over it."

On Wednesday she finally gained provisional entry into the trials and, according to a spokeswoman for USA Track and Field, perhaps became the first woman to do so in a men’s event. Taylor-Talcott can compete in the 50K Olympic trials as a so-called guest upon agreeing not to try to participate in the men’s event at the London Games, the national governing body said."

While Taylor-Talcott will be allowed to take part in the 50k mens race to highlight the issue, she is very unlikely to reach the 2012 Olympic participation standard of 4 hours 9 minutes for men.

It does however raise an interesting dilema....what would happen if say the worlds fastest 50k female racewalker actually achieved the mens qualifying time? Would she be refused entry based on her gender?

The New York Times article can be seen in full HERE

Results of the Run for Mark in the Dark race - Wed 16th Nov 2011

There was a large turnout of 442 runners for this charity run in Cork City yesterday evening. There were 168 in the 5k race while 274 took part in the 10k. For a damp dark November evening, that's an impressive number.

The full results with lap splits can be seen HERE

Just out of interest....for those that ran, what did you think of the race or event overall? Was the course bright enough for a road race? Click on the comment link below...

Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon coming to Dublin in 2012...

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon Series are a collection of road running events owned and operated by Competitor Group, Inc. in the USA. They operate a multitude of races in the US and they now seem to be expanding their presence in Europe. They have just announced that they will be holding a Half-Marathon in Dublin in August 2012 as part of their European series of races.

Here is the press statement......
Competitor Group, Inc. has reached a partnership with Athletics Ireland to launch the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Dublin Half Marathon, which is expected to attract 10,000 participants and is currently scheduled for Monday, August 6, 2012.
“Ireland and its capital city of Dublin are a perfect fit to host a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series event,” said Peter Englehart, CEO of CGI.  “Dublin is a bustling city with a great love of sports, outdoor entertainment and world-class cultural offerings. We are extremely happy and pleased to bring an event of this caliber to the city and we know there will be a lot of excitement around this race every year.”
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Dublin Half Marathon is now part of an international series of musically themed marathons and half-marathons, uniquely combining entertainment with a scenic 13.1-mile road course. The event features live bands performing at every mile along the route, cheerleaders encouraging runners, themed water stations and a finish line concert headlined by a major act.
Race weekend in Dublin will begin with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo where all participants go to pick up their race number. The expo will feature several running and fitness retailers, exhibits with free nutritional samples and a series of interactive clinics.
“This event provides a perfect stage to grow local participation in athletics and it also comes at a time when we are increasing our focus on sports tourism,” said John Foley, CEO of Athletics Ireland. “Competitor Group is a worldwide leader in the endurance sports sector and it has an international presence that will help bring runners to Dublin from around the world. We want people to come to Dublin for our beauty and our culture and leave with an unforgettable running experience.”

Is this a good or bad development? In terms of publicity and attracting overseas runners and tourists to the country, it may have great potential. Or will it be just mainly locals? In terms of the existing race calendar, it seems as if the market just got a whole lot more crowded.

Good or bad? Are you interested in doing it? Leave your opinion by clicking on the Comment link below...
Half Marathon Registration Fees
€ 33 – Promotional price when online registration opens
€ 40 – December 1 – February 28
€ 45 – March 1 – April 30
€ 50 – May 1 – July 31
€ 60 – Expo Registration (if available)

Is the Olympic torch coming to Dublin or not?

There has been a lot of speculation over the last few months as to whether the Olympic flame would come to Dublin or not. When the route was announced at the start of November, there was no mention of a Dublin event and it looked as if it wasn't going to happen.

This week however in a submission to the British House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, the London 2012 Olympic chairman Sebastian Coe said..."I don't want to go into particular details. I have spent a lot of time on this both in Northern Ireland and in conversations with the Republic. From a personal perspective I would like to see a small visit south of the border but, as you can understand, these are complex discussions but it is our ambition to do this."

The torch is being taken to four places in Northern Ireland - Belfast, Derry, Coleraine and Newry.
If the southern leg goes ahead, the torch could be brought to Dublin on June 6 after a symbolic border crossing at Newry marking the peace process.

Listening to a recent radio interview, the Minister of State Michael Ring said that he was hopeful and that it was up to the Olympic Council of Ireland. Reading between the lines, it certainly sounded as if the chances were a lot higher than 50:50  and that the Olympic Council of Ireland were the body in charge and would be the ones making the announcement.

It's probably safe to say that it will be the first and only time the olympic flame will ever be in Dublin.

Preview of the 'Run for Mark in the Dark' charity run - Wed 16th Nov 2011

The ‘Run for Mark in the Dark’ is coming up on Wednesday, November 16th at 7.30pm. It is being run simultaneously in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Belfast. The proceeds of this event will go to the Mark Pollock trust to help Mark with his rehabilitation.

The Cork event takes place on the Monahan Road/Centre Park Road circuit and there are entries on the night too. Option of 5k or 10k distance.

This link is a video about Mark - Please vote for it on the site, the winning charity gets €10K…… http://www.bettertogether.ie/content/mark-pollock

Some information on Mark:
Mark Pollock is a truly inspiring individual. Having lost his sight at the age of 22 Mark has never let that hold him back. He took hold of his life and never looked back competing in the world’s harshest environments across desert,mountain, ocean and polar regions including 6 marathons in 7 days in the Gobi Desert, a race to the South Pole, and the Round Ireland yacht race; all this despite being completely blind. He made his living as a motivational speaker around the globe and inspired many people to think about how to face challenges and make decisions.

Having overcome his blindness tragedy struck again on the 2nd July 2010 when Mark fell from a second story window and suffered a catastrophic spinal injury which has left Mark paralysed from the waist down. The following clip is of an interview with Mark conducted by the BBC six months after Mark's accident. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12314687

The past year has been incredibly difficult for Mark and while he has dealt with every emotion he is determined not to rest on his laurels. You can check out Mark's blog at www.markpollock.com/blog/blog.asp

He has done a lot of research to find out what he could do and was in hospital for 15 months. He has just been released and is now following a programme of aggressive physical therapy in an attempt to regain any feeling or movement that he can.

The Mark Pollock Trust was set up by Mark's friends and supporters in order to raise funds for this rehabilitation programme, which will involve a daily aggressive physical therapy programme of up to 3 hours per session, input from physical trainers and physiotherapists and repeat visits to a spinal injuries recovery facility in America called, Project Walk. ‘Run for Mark in the Dark’ is the Trust's first official event, although many friends, old and new, have been hosting running and cycling races, events in their homes and donating directly to the Trust, allowing Mark start to rebuild his life and to start training.

The four fundraising runs will take place in Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Galway simultaneously and range between 4 km and 10km (distances vary depending on the location). Each location has a walking option, so everyone can participate. The cost of the event is €25 per person for this very wothwhile cause. Log onto www.run4mark.com to enter.

On the night....You can also enter on the night at the Clarion hotel. There is plenty of on street parking along Victoria Road. If you are not sure of where the Clarion hotel is then see the map above. It is 530 metres from the hotel to the start line.

Course.......The route used is the Monahan Road / Centre Park Road circuit. The race starts and finishes next to Kennedy Park. The loop is 2.5 kms and you have a choice of doing 2 loops.....5 kms......or 4 loops........10 kms. The course is dead flat and very fast.

In general, the course is well lit with plenty of street lights. The photo below shows the first corner which at the south-east  of the loop. Lots of light here, no issues...

On the north-east corner...shown below....there are plenty of trees. While the leaves are mostly gone at this time of year, it will most likely be the darkest part of the course so watch your footing here...

At the western end of the loop, you are back onto a well lit junction at the roundabout and garage...

Please note that the course will be plenty of race stewards and hi-vis vest are not required on the night.
Post Race.......Runners can use the health club facilities in the Clarion hotel for a shower etc.
A goody bag can be collected be at the Clarion afterwards and they will be selling tee shirts before and after.

Draw for prizes (Top Draw Prize valued at €500 - 2 nights bed and breakfast, one evening meal with a bottle of wine in Kudos bar and approx €50 of pre/post dinner drinks for two people in the Clarion Hotel Cork) in the Clarion after the race also.

Video highlights of the Dublin City Marathon...

RTE have produced a 50 minute long programme showing the highlights of the 2011 Dublin City Marathon. Rather than just concentrating on the race and the elite runners, there are plenty of interviews with other runners in the race as well.

The link is HERE

They have a short interview with Mick Dooley at 13:53. Both Jerry Forde from Cork and Dave Brady from Dublin completed their 200th Marathon on the day. Gerry and Dave are interviewed at 15:20 and again at 46:50.

Race notice...Tramore Valley 5k - Sat 26th Nov 2011

This new race in Cork City's newest park is coming up on Saturday, the 26th of November at 11am. The old Kinsale Road landfill site is in the process of being delevoped into a new grassland park for Cork City and this is hopefully the first race of many at this venue.

The name of the new park will be the Tramore Valley Park based on the fact that the local river/stream is the Tramore river which begins in the hills to the south of Togher and passes the new park before joining the harbour in Douglas.

The race will be 5 kms in lenght and it is basically 2 laps around the perimeter of the park. The race will cost €8 to enter and all proceeds from the race will be going to Marymount Hopsice.

Prizes: First 5 individual men and ladies thereafter category prizes for men and ladies Over 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60.

First 3 men’s and first 3 lady’s prizes sponsored by The Edge Sports Shop
www.theedge-sports.com

Other Facilities:    Ample parking facilities near the Start/Finish area. Toilets will also be available. Note that only very limited (if any) changing facilities are available. Please come prepared. Light refreshments served afterwards.
Access Permission granted by Cork City Council
Athletic Permit granted by Athletics Ireland
Certified measured course using Jones Counter by John Walshe (Ballycotton Running Promotions)
Race results produced by Ballycotton Running Promotions

The flyer for the race can be seen HERE

So the date for your diaries is Saturday the 26th of November at 11am. Full preview closer to the date.

Results of the Lisgoold 5k...Sun 13th Nov 2011

This 5k road race in Lisgoold, east Cork attracted a field of 113 runners, well up from the 78 of last year. The mens race was won by James McCarthy of East Cork AC in a time of 15:57 while Geraldine O'Shea of St.Finbarrs AC made it 2 weeks in a row by winning the womens race in 19:35.

Mens Results...Top 3:
1: 15:57 James McCarthy East Cork AC, 2: 16:03 Roy Fahy East Cork AC, 3: 17:44 Rory O'Sullivan  St FinbarrsAC
Womens Results...Top 3:
1: 19:35 Geraldine O'Shea St Finbarrs AC, 2: 20:58 Elaine Guinane Eagle AC, 3: 21:22 Rachel O'Callaghan St Finbarrs AC
The full results of the race can be seen HERE

There is a slideshow of 83 photos by Maggie Chojan HERE

Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc...

This one might be of interest to any of you that are interested in trail running or Ultra running.....The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. It has been called ‘the Tour de France of trail running’ or the ‘world championships’ for ultra-marathon mountain runners. Entries are limited to 2,500 and runners must have earned a certain number of points from other Ultra trail races before they can take part.

The North Face ‘UTMB’, as it is commonly known, has grown hugely in popularity since it started in 2003. The race usually takes place in late August every year and the mens winner is usually expected to finish in 20-21 hours with a 46 hour cut-off for the last runner. Starting in Chamonix in France, the race route takes in apline trails in Italy and Switzerland before finishing back in Chamonix. In 2011, out of the 2369 that started, only 1126 or 48% finished.

Starting at 1,000 metres above sea level, the course undulates between valleys and high mountain passes, the highest of which is 2,500 metres asl. The total ascent over the 167 km course is approx 9,500 metres. Just to put that into context, Carrountoohil.......the highest mountain in Ireland is only about 1040 metres.

Here is a nice video which gives a good feel for the race...



There is an article on the 2011 race HERE while the race website can be seen HERE

London selected to host 2017 IAAF World Championships

 In Monaco last Friday, London was selected over Doha, Qatar, for the right to host the 16th edition of the IAAF World Championships. The English capital, which failed with bids to host the 2001 and 2015 Worlds, will use the 2012 Olympic Stadium. Bid leader Sebastian Coe said: "This bid has been developed by athletes and athletics, for athletes and athletics."

LONDON BID KEY POINTS
The Olympic Stadium (capacity 60,000) has been built and the running track is part of its 99-year lease
The proposed date of late July or early August avoids clashes with European and American football
The stadium is likely to be sold out for every session
London's cultural diversity

The London bid revealed that the budget for the championships would now cover the £5m prize fund as Doha offered to do. In te end, the vote was 16 to 10.

Considering that the 2013 edition will be hosted by Moscow, Russia (10 - 18 August 2013), followed by Beijing, China in 2015 (22 - 30 August 2015), the 2017 games are literally on our doorstep. Certainly for any Irish athletes, it will mean a lot less travelling.