Results of the Cork Cty Senior Track & Field Championships...Thurs 3rd July 2014

The Cork County Senior Track & Field Championships were held at the CIT track on Thursday the 3rd of July 2014. The numbers were pretty low in a lot of events, especially the womens track races.

The most contested race was probably the mens 1500m

1500m Men
1st    James Mc Carthy    East Cork    4.00.73
2nd     William Hughes    Thurles Crokes    4.01.02
3rd    Ben Thistlewood    Leevale    4.04..00
4th    Colm Sheehan    Leevale    4.04.44
5th    Tim O'Donoghue    East Cork    4.06.91
6th    Tony Kelleher    Togher    4.08.38
7th    Ml Keane    Ennis Track    4.19.07
8th    Craig Harrington    Togher    4.30.74
9th    Tony O'Brien    St Finbarrs    6.01.82

The full results of the evening can be seen HERE

Notice...Courtmacsherry Ultra-Marathon, Half Ultra & 10k - Sat 19th July 2014

The Keith Whyte Waterfront Ultra-Marathon is coming up on Saturday the 19th of July 2014 in Courtmacsherry in West Cork and there are a choice of three distances...a 36 mile ultra-marathon, an 18 mile race and a 10k race.

The 36 mile and 18 mile course is shown below.

The 18 mile course starts in Courtmacsherry.......runs west 3 miles to Timoleague....and the east along the northern shore until you reach the 9 mile mark. You then retrace your steps back to start line to make it 18 miles. For the 36 mile course, you repeat this again.

The 10k course is dead flat. It starts in Courtmacsherry and goes to the old ruined abbey in Timoleague before turning around and returning to where you started.

Each course has been measured by Jone Counter and has an AAI permit.

Each event will be chip timed with a medal and technical top for each finisher.

You can enter HERE

More info in later posts...

Notice...Donoughmore 7 mile road race - Fri 18th July 2014

The Donoughmore 7 mile road race is coming up on Friday, the 18th of July 2014. This is the 4th race of 6 in the ongoing Ballyhoura Cork Road Race Series.

As road races go, this one is really unique as it's the only 7 mile road race on the calendar. At first, it might seem like a bit of an odd distance but don''t let that put you off. It's really is a well organised race on country roads to the north-west of Cork City....even if it is a little bit hilly ;o)

Directions...Donoughmore is located about 15 miles north-west of Cork City. If you are coming out the Ballincollig bypass or the Carrigrohane straight, look for directions for the R579 road to Nad / Banteer / Kanturk. Stay on this road for about 10 miles and keep a lookout for the turn off right to Donoughmore. Then follow the signs for Stuake. The village is about 2 miles off the R579 road. See map above.

Entries......Entries are taken at the local community hall in the village. The race entry fee €10 and that includes a dry fit T-shirt which is really good value. For a complete list of prizes on offer, see the race flyer above.

If you are interested in going then you can pre-enter your details HERE. You can then avoid any queues on the night.

Course Preview....A full preview of the course with maps and photos can be seen HERE

80 year old Flor O'Leary from Cork sets new national 400m masters record

Flor O'Leary (L) pictured with Fergus O'Donovan, 
head coach of St.Finbarrs AC

At the recent Cork County Track & Field Championships, Flor O'Leary of St.Finbarr's AC in Cork set a new age record for the 400m. Flor finished in a time of 1m 29.37s to set a new M80 record. The previous record of 1m 42.8s was set by Paddy Whelan in Kilkenny in 1995.

Flor also holds the M75 record for 400m...
M75    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    1.19.4 secs    01/08/2010    Cork

...and for 1500m...
M75    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    6.36.41    16/08/2009    Tullamore


The current M80 record is 7m 52.34s held by Nick Corish which might be on shaky ground now :o)
M80    Nick Corish    Raheny    7.52.34    14/09/2007    Riccione

Flor also holds a number of age records for road races as well....
5k    M65    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    19mins 21secs    10/10/1999    Dublin
5k    M75    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    23mins 30secs    09/09/2010    Cloyne

...including the Marathon...
M55    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    2hr 41.27    Oct. 1989    Dublin
M60    Flor O'Leary    St Finbarrs    2hr 48.48    Oct. 1994    Dublin

Closer look at the FIT Magazine 5k and 10k courses in Cork City

The FIT magazine 5k and 10k road race is coming up on Sunday the 13th of July....details in this earlier post.

The 10k course is the exact same as the one used last year. Anyone used to running around Cork should know the route well. Start is on the Centre Park Road....down the Marina past Pairc Ui Chaoimh....after 2kms, past the Pier Head Inn and up a short climb about 300m long....past Blackrock Castle and onto the walkway by the waters edge.....and then back in on the old railway line to the finish line where the race started.

There is a full preview of the 10k course HERE

For the 5k route, take a note of the km markers on the 10k map above and the 5k map below...

The 5k race will start at the 1k mark for the 10k. It will then head down the Marina...up the hill...and down....past Blackrock Castle.....and then turnaround near the 3k mark for the 10k. For the 5k, this is 2k. You then turn around and run back towards the city....up the hill and down....down the Marina....past the 5k start....and onto the finish line on the Centre Park Road.

Times.....As many of you will have noticed, the Munster final is on Pairc Ui Chaoimh that Sunday. As a result, the 10k race will now start at 9am instead of 10am.

For the 5k, the provisional plan is to start that race at 9:15am. That 15 minute head start should mean that most of the 10k runners will have passed by Blackrock Castle and be on the walkway by the time the fastest 5k runners get there.

Other than the short hill at 1.5k and 2.5k, the rest of the course is dead flat.

To enter, visit the FIT Magazine website.

View of the river from about halfway on the 5k route

Results of the Fermoy Rose Festival 5k fun run - Thurs 3rd July 2014

This fun run over approx 5 kms was held in Fermoy in association with the local Rose Festival.

MALE
1st Graham Byrne (18.26), 2nd John Murphy (18.27), 3rd Brian O'Connor (18.40)
MALE Over 60 Donal O'Brien (22.55), MALE Over 55 Ned O'Brien (21.31) MALE Over 45 Johnny Delaney (22.23) MALE Over 40 Eddie O'Brien (20.12)
FEMALE
1st Joan Ennis (20.03), 2nd Catherine Clancy (22.56), 3rd Grace Fanning (24.25)
FEMALE Over 70 Maggie Dunne (28.06), FEMALE Over 65 Kathleen O'Brien (24.49), FEMALE Over 45 Angela O'Mahony (27.50), FEMALE Under 45 Mag Flynn (29.21)

Reminder...Ballinascarthy 10k road race - Fri 4th July 2014

Just a reminder that this 10k in West Cork is coming up on Friday evening the 4th of July. One of the main aims of this race is to raise funds for the COPE Foundation.

After last years race, over €1800 was presented to Enable Ireland & the Cope Foundation. The photo below shows the presentation of the respective cheques to Cope (top) and Enable Ireland.

This years race will include...
1. Substantial ''goodie bags'' after the race.
2. Tea / Coffee, Sandwiches, Home made baking.
3. Free physio's after the race, for participants to get rub downs.

More details about the race in this earlier post.

The race starts at 8pm.

Results of the Corkbeg 4 mile road race...Thurs 3rd July 2014

A total of 123 runners took part in this 4 mile race near Whitegate in East Cork.

1 20:34    MEADE, John    St. Finbarrs AC    M    05:08.4
2 20:40    O'BRIEN, Kevin    East Cork AC    M    05:09.9
3 21:03    FAHY, Roy    East Cork AC    M40    05:15.7
22 25:27    SANTRY, Fiona    East Cork AC    F    06:21.6
23 25:30    GILROY, Helen    Midleton AC    F45    06:22.4
27 25:51    COTTER, Gillian    St. Finbarrs AC    F40    06:27.6 

The full results can be seen HERE

Photo credit : Denis Kelleher

69-Year-Old Larry Macon Breaks Record For Most Marathons In A Year

The Guinness World Records website has announced that 69-year-old Larry Macon from Texas has broken the World Record for the highest number of marathons in a 12 month period.
In a 12-month period from December 1, 2012, to November 30, 2013, Macon ran 239 marathons to set a new world record.

This is his 4th time breaking the record having ran 105 marathons in 2008, 113 marathons in 2010 and 157 marathons in 2012.

Obviously a huge factor in completing that number of marathons is the logistics of all the traveling.

In this 2009 video, he talks about what it entails...

Just €800 out of €4.2 million sports grant goes to athletics in Cork

The Sports Capital Programme is the Government’s main way of supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment in the country.

Today, it was announced that numerous sporting clubs in Cork would receive € 4,195,376 in funding.

The list for Cork can be seen HERE

Updated...The full list for the country can be seen HERE

• The allocations announced include funding for:
o       Natural grass sports pitches, tracks and courts;
o       Floodlighting;
o       Artificial sports pitches, tracks, courts and multi-use games areas;
o       Security fencing and ball stop netting;
o       Hurling walls / handball alleys;
o       Building or refurbishment of dressing rooms, showers and toilets;
o       Building or refurbishment of sports halls and gyms;
o       Non-personal sports equipment;
o       Shared facilities;
o       Permanently fixed outdoor gym equipment.

Amazingly, only one athletics club in Cork got a grant...Ballymore Cobh Little Athletics...€ 800

If you look at the list, some of the sports listed would certainly be a lot less popular than athletics, especially in terms of juveniles taking part.

Which raises the obvious question....Did athletic clubs in Cork apply for any grants?.........and if not, why not?

Update....
This is the complete breakdown of the grants that went to athletics in the country...
Athletic Association of Ireland Ltd €​200,000.00
Clare...Shannon Athletic Club Ltd €​45,000.00
Cork...Ballymore Cobh Little Athletics €​800.00
Donegal...Lifford Athletic Club Ltd €​50,000.00
Dublin...Mount Merrion Athletics Club €​7,361.00
Dublin...Clonliffe Harriers Athletic Club €​10,500.00
Kildare...Naas Athletic Club €​12,499.00
Kildare...EIRE OG CORRA CHOILL ATHLETIC CLUB €​8,263.00
Kildare...Clane Athletic Club €​16,300.00
Kildare...Celbridge Athletic Club €​9,240.00
Laois...Mountmellick Athletic Club €​13,000.00
Limerick...Emerald Athletic Club €​12,000.00
Louth...Drogheda and District Athletic Club €​4,000.00
Meath...Tara Athletics Club €​20,000.00
Meath...Dunboyne Athletic Club €​90,000.00
Tipperary...Templemore Athletic Club €​50,000.00
Tipperary...St Josephs CBS & Nenagh Olympic Athletic Club €​55,854.00
Wexford...Kilmore Athletic Club €​4,000.00
Wexford...Enniscorthy Athletic Club €​25,000.00
Wexford...Adamstown Athletic Club €​5,000.00

What is the fastest 10k course in Munster???

There were two 10k races in Munster on Wednesday evening the 2nd of July. The 10k in Ballineen in West Cork must be a contender for the toughest 10k in Co.Cork. It really looks pretty challenging.

The other 10k on Wednesday was the Coillte 10k in Dundrum, Co.Tipperary. Looking at the course, it would seem to be designed for really fast times. Not only is it flat but it's made up of a succession of straight sections with no time being lost on winding bends.

The fastest 10k course in Cork is probably the Courtmacsherry 10k which was held last Friday. It's interesting to compare the results...

Courtmacsherry 10k...262 finishers...2 sub 35 mins (0.8%)...24 sub 40 mins (9.2%)

Dundrum 10k...248 finishers...8 sub 35 mins (3.2%)...50 sub 40 mins (20.2%)

....and just out of interest :o)
UCC 10k...534 finishers...12 sub 35 mins (2.2%)...78 sub 40 mins (14.6%)

I suspect the larger percentages in Dundrum were mainly because there were probably more club runners there and perhaps there is a difference in the type of runners attending races in Cork and Tipperary? It does however seem to suggest at least that the Dundrum course is indeed a fast one.

So the question I'm putting out there....
1) Is the Coillte 10k course in Dundrum, Co.Tipperary the fastest one in Munster? Do you know of any other ones in the province that might be as fast? Is the Dundrum course one of the fastest in the country?

2) Is Courtmacsherry the fastest 10k course in Cork?

Thoughts?

Results of the Cork BHAA EMC 5k race - Wed 2nd July 2014

1 Tim O'Donoghue M1 00:15:17 EMC M-A-2
2 Patrick Roche M2 00:15:42 Navy M-A-1
3 James Grufferty M3 00:16:11 GLANMIRE MEDICAL CENTRE
57 Helen Leonard 0/40I F1 00:19:45 Dept of Ed F-A-1
89 Claire O'Sullivan 00:20:50
92 Mary Dennehy 0/35H F2 00:20:54 Pfizer Ringaskiddy

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos...
1) Joe Murphy of Eagle AC has a slideshow of photos HERE 
.......and on Facebook HERE
2) Doug Minihane has a gallery of almost 600 photos HERE

Notice...Carrigtwohill 5km road race - Wed 16th July 2014

The Carrigtwohill 5 km road race is coming up on Wednesday, the 16th of July 2014. The venue for the race is Barryscourt Castle just to the south of the town of Carrigtwohill in East Cork. This race always attracts a large crowd every year and is bound to attract a large turnout this year again.

The race which starts at 8pm costs €10 to enter and all proceeds are going to charity. There is also a walk starting at 6:30pm and that costs €5 to enter.

Registration will be available the evening before the 15th from 7pm to 9pm and on the day of the race (16th) from 1pm. Last entries 7:30pm.

You can also pre-enter online HERE

Course Preview........A full preview with directions, map and photos can be seen HERE 

Results of the 4th Graded Track & Field League, CIT - Fri 27th June 2014

The fourth round of the John Buckley Sports Graded Track & Field League was held at the CIT track on Friday evening the 27th of June 2014.


The full results can be seen HERE

The next round is on the 10th of July. More details about dates and events can be seen HERE

Notice...MMRA Knockaroura 5k trail race, Mallow - Wed 2nd July 2014

The second race of five in the Cork Summer Trail League is coming up on Wednesday evening, the 2nd of July with the Knockaroura 5k Trail race.

Details from the organisers...

IMRA Knockarour 5km Trail Race (Mallow)........Great course for beginners!!!.........Fast lightly undulating course......Wed evening 7:30pm......Register 6:30-7:10pm @ The Wildgoose Steakhouse Bar...........On Quatertown road (turn left off the Mallow road 2km before Mallow roundabout on Cork side)
Please bring your number if you have already run an imra race this year. If not please bring a filled out 2014 membership form from www.imra.ie/forms
€10 including refreshments afterward..........Juniors €5, Kiddies Free..........Junior Race (10-16yrs)
Kiddies Race (u10 accomp)........7:15pm.......All welcome !!......087 9226750 Robbie

Getting there:...From Cork heading towards Mallow, take the left turn for Dromahane approx 2km before Mallow roundabout. Bar is 300m on right....From Limerick. Go straight through Mallow roundabout and once thrifty the 60kmh zone and over bridge , cross road to take 1st right for Dromahane. Bar is 300m on right.


If you are interested in this event then I'd recommend wearing an old pair of runners. Special trail shoes are not required. Note that the distance from the registration point to the woods is 1 mile. Arrive early and use this as your warm-up.

Maps and directions can be seen HERE