Google+ Running in Cork, Ireland

Saturday, September 06, 2025

Guest Post: Much ado about nothing ...by Pat Walsh

 * Much ado about nothing *

Nothing much here, only a personal diary entry. I was about to name the column ‘alive and kicking’ but while I am definitely alive I would be afraid to kick anything in case I get injured, such has been my misfortune this year. I’m ok and it was a test of mental resilience to keep going with setback, followed by backward step, followed by hurdle, discombobulation followed by pitfall. Jay*us it was difficult.

I’m now running 5k again, very slowly I may add, but at least I’m moving. This was August, tail end of Summer where the mojo is back and looking to get going for Autumn and take on something.

But where did Autumn go or in the climate change / season bending world we live in have things gone mad. I enter my local supermarket last week to be assaulted by a MOUNTAIN of sweet boxes all lined up at the door. It was even hard to go around them. Did I miss something? Is Christmas around the corner and have I woken from a deep slumber. In a world where we are fighting health issues and obesity, surely we deserve better than this. Maybe our shop owners think we need to squirrel away and hoard stuff for winter in case of a storm or some catastrophic event. No electricity, no water, roads impassable but it is Ok as I have 15 boxes of Roses in the back of a cupboard. Ffs.

So, after a check of the calendar, I find it is actually September, and we runners should welcome one of the best months of the year to run. It is cooler and no worries of overheating and dehydration. Still bright enough for an early morning or an evening run. For most holidays are over and routine tends to settle in again for most families with school and work. Make your run part of the set routine. And please don’t forget the strength and stretching work. Lesson learned for 2025 for me.

There are plenty of races still on and loads of charity events / challenges that may have some cycling or walking and not always competitive. Something for everyone if you want it. Best of luck to those heading for Marathons as September is the month of the ‘Long Runs’. I actually used to love them and I do miss them. I think some of the long training runs were as memorable as the actual marathon itself. Driving to my 5k parkrun I do envy those I see on the training plan. You are lucky, just know it.


You can still make a mark on the year by moving now or even upping your training after a relaxed Summer. Life is what you make of it. We all hear sad stories of health issues and worse, so be the best you and don’t have regrets when you eventually get around on 25th December to opening the Tin of Sweets you bought in August. Pick an event if you haven’t any goal sorted and just go for it.

‘Pause awhile, And let my counsel sway you.’ Shakespeare, Much ado about nothing.

Have a lovely weekend and make sure to move.

#pwr

Friday, September 05, 2025

A quick look at the Bushy Park parkrun - Aug 2025


I just came across this photo of the Bushy Park 5k parkrun in London which was taken last Saturday the 30th of August 2025.

What stood out for me was the sheer number of finishers... 1812! ...and that's not even a record!

That was made possible with the help of 73 volunteers and of course, it's completely free!

Looking through the results, there's about 1500 finishers most weeks. That's some level of dedication and effort from volunteers every week for a free event.

Results of the Cloughduv 5k - Thurs 4th Sept 2025

First 3 men (L-R)... Niall O’Callaghan 2nd (West Limerick), Anthony Mannix 1st (Cork Track Club) & Padraig O’Donnell 3rd (West Limerick)


The 2025 edition of the Cloughduv 5k was held on Thurs 4th September with 346 taking part, up 8.5% on the figure for 2024.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Anthony Mannix 327 15:52.1
2 Niall O Callaghan 315 16:03.7
3 Padraig O Donnell 309 16:42.2
12 Jean Lucy 362 18:44.0 1st Female
18 Niamh Cronin 330 19:37.4 2nd Female
21 Rebecca Harrington 311 20:23.4 3rd Female

Full results below...

1 Anthony Mannix 327 15:52.1
2 Niall O'Callaghan 315 16:03.7
3 Padraig O'Donnell 309 16:42.2
4 Ray Hinds 10 16:50.3
5 Cian Sheehy 244 17:07.9
6 Elton Heffernan 53 17:46.7
7 Jason O'Mahony (Eagle) 301 17:52.0
8 Mark Kelly (St Finbarrs) 321 18:12.7
9 Cathal Turner 198 18:28.2
10 Tiernan O'Donoghue 331 18:31.2

Thursday, September 04, 2025

Update of the running events calendar - Sept 2025

Over the last week, I've spent a fair bit time updating the calendar of running events on the blog... https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

It is of course an ongoing process as events are being announced all the time and old events need to be deleted.

When I checked it today, the calendar had passed 1.4 million pageviews so it gets quite a lot of traffic.

Here are a few observations...

1) Expense... Outside of parkruns and BHAA races, the cost of races organised by athletic clubs is getting expensive.

It wasn't that long ago that you could enter a road race for €10. Now with all the additional charges, you would have much change out of €30 for some.

In some cases, the cost might be justified. Maybe it's for charity, maybe there's a dry fit top that helps justify the cost.

In many cases, that's not the case and I'd guess many will find it hard to justify the cost.

2) Cork - Dublin difference... Over the many years that I have been updating the calendar, there has always been a difference between the price of races in Cork and the price of races in Dublin and the surrounding counties.

If it was €10 in Cork then it was about €15 near Dublin. When the prices crept upwards, the gap was about the same.

Now the differential between Cork and Dublin / Leinster seems to have disappeared and the races in Cork are as expensive.

As for the future???.... For many, the BHAA races and various parkruns are just as good as the club races and at a fraction of the cost. As the entry fees creep ever upwards, how long before they get too expensive?

Wednesday, September 03, 2025

Results of the Cork BHAA ThermoFisher Scientific 4-mile road race - Wed 3rd Sep 2025

Orla Drumm winning by 2-seconds

The rescheduled Cork BHAA ThermoFisher Scientific 4-mile road race in Ringaskiddy was held on Wed 3rd Sep 2025 on what turned out to be a mostly dry evening. 

This was the last evening race for 2025 on the Cork BHAA calendar and a total of 227 runners crossed the finish line, a drop of about 29% on the 318 in 2024.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Barry Twohig 0/45M M1 20:28 Emerald Fencing
2 Paul Cashman 0/45M M2 21:36 Elevate Credit Union
3 Peter Moreland 0/40M M3 21:39 Cork City FC
19 Orla Drumm 0/40F F1 23:48 HSE
20 Michelle Kenny 0/45F F2 23:50 Dept of Ed F-A-1
25 Linda O Connor 0/50F F3 24:13 Musgrave F-B-2

Full results HERE

Laurence Courtney - RIP

It was sad to hear of the passing of Laurence Courtney.

Laurence was a former member of Eagle AC and was a regular attendee at the races in the past.

As well as running, Laurence's other passion was swimming and was a regular at Myrtleville and other open sea events.

Condolences to his family.

This is the notice... https://rip.ie/death-notice/laurence-courtney-cork-churchfield-604207

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Notice: Cloughduv 5k on Thurs 4th Sept 2025



This timed 5k is coming up in the village of Cloughduv on Thursday the 4th of September 2025 at 7:00pm.

With the evenings closing in, this is one of the last evening races. Entry is on the night.

Sports First Aid Training Course in Cork City - Sep & Nov 2025


Cork Sports Partnership are organising a series of  Sports First Aid courses in Cork City on Sunday the 21st of September and Sunday 16th of November 2025. They run from about 9:30am to 3:30pm and they cost €40 per person.

Considering the modest fee, a lot of clubs might consider paying for some of their members to attend.

The courses will be held at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience Events Centre on the Lee Road which is about 400m west of Thomas Davis Bridge.

From Cork Sports Partnership... "This Sports First Aid Training course is advisable for anybody who is involved or participates in sport ie coaches, parents, teachers, physical activity leaders etc. Delivered in person this course is interactive and delivered by ER Training. 

Contact Louise at lburke AT corksports DOT ie for questions or queries "

You can register find more info HERE

There is also an additional First Aid course in Clonakilty on Saturday the 13th of September. Contact Cork Sports Partnership for details.

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Elle's run from Dublin to Cork for HOPE - 11th to 14th Sept 2025


Elle O'Sullivan McCarthy is from Cork and starting on the 11th of September, she plans to run the 250kms from Dublin to Cork. This aim of the run is to raise funds for the HOPE Foundation charity.

She will be joined on the run by RTE Sports presenter Jacqui Hurley, Professional Rugby Player Alex Kendellen and Cork Hurler Shane Kingston. 

For insurance reasons, she can only run with the HOPE Ambassadors on the charity run.

Starting at the GPO in Dublin on Thursday the 11th of September, Elle will run through Blessington, Carlow, Kilkenny, Clonmel, Fermoy and will then finish at Cork City Hall on Sunday the 14th of September.


If you would like to make a donation then you can do so at https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/dublintocork

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Results of the Run the Line 5k on the Crosshaven Greenway - Sat 30th Aug 2025


It was wet & windy for this months Run the Line 5k on the Carrigaline to Crosshaven walkway and it had an impact on the numbers. 

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Marie Howard of Leevale AC wins the 2025 Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon - 30th Aug 2025


The 2025 edition of the Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon was held on Saturday 30th of August on what was a very damp morning.

The first woman home was Marie Howard of Leevale AC with a time of 1h 21m 54.

Top 5 men & women...

1 Pat HENNESSY 1:10:33 479 M MS West Waterford A.C.
2 Dermot GORMAN 1:11:51 484 M Carrick on Suir A.C.
3 Paul DORAN 1:12:16 452 M United Striders A.C.
4 Pat FITZGERALD 1:13:13 478 M MS Waterford A.C.
5 Aidan CONNELL 1:13:29 197 M West Waterford A.C.
1 Marie HOWARD 1:21:54 747 F FS Leevale A.C.
2 Laura NOONAN 1:28:01 764 F 
3 Breda GAFFNEY 1:29:01 760 F Mallow A.C.
4 Anne O'DONOVAN 1:30:22 646 F 
5 Orla HAYES 1:30:34 761 F Leevale A.C.


Full results HERE

Photos...
1) John Troy has some photos of the start HERE

Category results...
Male 40 - 1st David Power Rathfarnham WSAF A.C. / 2nd Noel Murphy Waterford A.C.
Male 45 - 1st John Coffey West Waterford A.C. / 2nd Raivis Zakis West Waterford A.C.
Male 50 - 1st John Byrne United Striders / 2nd John Guiry no club
Male 55 - 1st John Murphy Grange Fermoy / 2nd Eugene O'Keeffe Carrick on Suir
Male 60 - 1st Paul MacGabhann / 2nd Ray Hahesy West Waterford
Male 65 - 1st Gerry Cantwell West Waterford / 2nd Jim O Reilly ind
No Male 70 
Male Junior - Tadhg Nolan ind

Mens Team
1st - Clonmel A.C. 79 points - Danny Brosnan 14, Luke Burfield 30, Ian Purcell 35 
2nd Team - St Catherine's A.C. 87 points - Michael Byrne 19, Jim Harty 29, Jonathan Kenneally 39 

Female 35 - 1st Lyndsey Keating Ind. / 2nd Christine Kelly East Cork A.C.
Female 40 - 1st Roseanna Knox KCH A.C. / 2nd Lisa Collins KCH A.C.
Female 45 - 1st Siobhan Holland Eagle A.C. / 2nd Olga O Loughlin St Finbarrs A.C
Female 50 - 1st Siobhan Mc Hugh Ind / 2nd Pamela Barry Aghada A.C.
Female 55 - 1st Geraldine Grogan KCH A.C. / 2nd Mol Lambert Ind
Female 60 - 1st Margaret Kirwan Ind / 2nd Liz Nolan Ind
Female 65 - 1st Catherine Redmond United Striders A.C. / No second place 
No junior 

1st Ladies Team - West Waterford A.C. 52 - Natalie Sheehan 10, Eveleen Drohan 13, Linda Foley 29
2nd Ladies Team - Kilkenny City Harriers A.C. 118 - Anita Byrne 11, Ann Marie Shorthall 42, Laura Andrews 65

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 30th Aug 2025



Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 30th August 2025. Approximately 782   runners and walkers took part in the 11 events in Co Cork.

It was a damp morning this weekend. Let's give a shout out to all the volunteers who made the parkruns possible this weekend.


Bere Island... Well done to Proinnsias O'Keeffe who completed his 350th 5k parkrun. At the same event, Claire Moriarty from Kerry reached 300 and Brendan O'Mahony from the UK reached 250!

ONGOING

If I missed anyone who passed a notable milestone like 100, 200, 250 or above parkruns then let me know.

***

Ballincollig Regional Park: 152 this week, 271 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Daniel DOLLARD Male JM15-17 17:10
2 Govinda O'SULLIVAN Male SM25-29 Eagle A.C. 17:19
3 Liam CASEY Male JM15-17 Waterford Orienteers 18:49
15 Aisling LONG Female VW35-39 21:38
23 Helen CRONIN Female VW45-49 Eagle A.C. 22:52
28 Deirdre DUFF Female VW35-39 24:02


Tramore Valley Park: 271 this week, 223 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Michael HARRINGTON Male VM50-54 Durrus Athletic Club 17:20
2 Jason CROWLEY Male VM40-44 St Finbarrs AC 18:44
3 Colin MORRISON Male VM50-54 19:01
7 Aoibheann LAWTON Female SW20-24 Durrus Athletic Club 20:03
8 Anna TOWNS Female SW18-19 20:16
9 Ciara O GORMAN Female SW20-24 St Finbarrs
 AC 20:27

Glen River: 47 this week, 67 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Carl BARON Male VM45-49 Yaxley Runners & Joggers 19:57
2 Saketh RAVULURI Male SM25-29 21:00
3 Diarmuid DEASY Male SM20-24 21:12
8 Orla COFFEY Female SW20-24 23:29
16 Claire MCGONAGLE Female VW55-59 27:30
18 Sophia DUNCLIFFE Female JW11-14 28:21

Midleton Greenway: 81 this week, 133 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Noel EARLY Male VM40-44 19:21
2 Shane KEARNEY Male VM45-49 St Catherines AC 19:48
3 Paul KEARNEY Male VM40-44 20:02
9 Grace LEUENBERGER Female SW30-34 20:37
10 Nollaigh O'NEILL Female VW50-54 20:46
13 Ciara TIERNEY Female VW35-39 Tralee Triathlon Club 22:24


Mallow Castle: 69 this week, 89 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Ruairi MANNING Male SM20-24 17:04
2 Nollaig O SCANNLAIN Male SM30-34 18:27
3 Ian JENNINGS Male VM35-39 19:39
15 Norleen KENNY Female VW45-49 St Finbarrs AC 22:27
21 Martina LYONS Female VW50-54 24:16
25 Elaine O'CALLAGHAN Female VW40-44 24:51


Youghal (Pobalscoil ne Tríonóide) : 28 this week, 61 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Padraic MCDONAGH Male VM35-39 19:26
2 Derek SMYTH Male VM45-49 19:48
3 Krzysztof PAWLIK Male VM45-49 Youghal AC 22:12
8 Saoirse CORRIGAN Female SW18-19 25:13
10 Laura BEAUSANG Female JW11-14 26:09
13 Mim BRANSTON Female JW15-17 28:05


Macroom Castle Demense: 46 this week, 57 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Unknown
2 David BRADLEY Male JM11-14 20:16
3 Conor LUCEY Male VM40-44 20:25
10 Emma LAKE Female VW50-54 Erme Valley Harriers 22:53
22 Anna LAKE Female SW20-24 Erme Valley Harriers 25:25
23 Margaret LUCEY Female VW45-49 26:01


Clonakilty: 28 this week, 58 last week. 

First 3 men & women...
1 Kevin O'BYRNE Male VM35-39 20:29
3 Niall O'CONNOR Male VM50-54 West Cork Triathlon Club (WCTC) 20:57
5 Neil GAGE Male VM45-49 Bishops Stortford RC 22:52
2 Nicole HARRINGTON Female SW20-24 20:41
4 Helen ANDERSON Female VW50-54 22:29
11 Susan STEELE Female VW50-54 25:37


Glengarriff Woods: 49 this week, 107 last week.

Top 3 men & women...
1 Luke BARTLETT Male SM25-29 20:44
2 Finn CONNER Male JM15-17 21:29
3 David MCCARTHY Male VM35-39 21:42
6 Niamh CASEY Female VW35-39 25:07
12 Marie Therese BRADY Female VW50-54 28:47
14 Joanne MURPHY Female VW40-44 29:02


Bere Island: 61 this week, 89 last week. 

First 3 men & women...
1 Leon CLEMENT Male VM40-44 London FrontRunners 18:51
2 Cormac DELANEY Male VM45-49 19:30
3 Michael GARVEY Male SM30-34 20:19
8 Laoise Ann O SULLIVAN Female JW11-14 24:23
10 Breeda O SULLIVAN Female VW55-59 Beara AC 24:34
11 Sandy CARR Female VW45-49 North Belfast Harriers 25:04


Castlehaven (Rineen Woods): 25 finishers this week, 45 last week.

First 3 men & women...
1 Dara O'CARROLL Male VM35-39 19:25
2 Finn MACCARTHY Male SM20-24 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers 24:08
3 Paul MACCARTHY Male VM55-59 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers 24:53
8 Sharon LEVIS Female VW40-44 28:20
10 Kamila JAKUBOWSKA-SWITAJ Female VW45-49 Fota Island Running Club 29:33
14 Frances LYNCH Female VW60-64 Sanctuary Runners 32:01


For more information about the weekly 5k parkruns in Co Cork, go to this page HERE.

Joe Murphy completes an alphabet of parkruns


A while back, I had a post up about how some runners were trying to complete an alphabet of parkruns i.e. the first letter of each parkrun from A to Z.

As can be seen from some photos above, Joe Murphy from Blarney has been busy travelling to various parkruns in Ireland and abroad collecting the various letters.

Back in April of 2025, Joe completed the 10-year quest when he took part in a parkrun in Poland beginning with the letter Z.

Joe's full list of parkruns by alphabet is shown below and he is currently working on a second list!

Friday, August 29, 2025

What is HYROX?


I was recently updating the event calendar on the blog and I came across some events called 'HYROX'. I can't remember seeing that name before so I was wondering what was it all about?

It turns out that HYROX is a sport which involves doing eight 1km runs with various exercises at the end of each km

This is the usual format...
1 km of running & 1km of SkiErg
1 km of running & 50m of sled push[21]
1 km of running & 50m of sled pull
1 km of running & 80m of burpee broad jump
1 km of running & 1km of rowing
1 km of running & 200m of kettlebell farmer carry
1 km of running & 100m of sandbag walking lunge
1 km of running & 100 wall balls


It first started in Germany in 2018 and it has now spread to many countries. 

Considering that the event is indoors and in loops, it's not hard to see why it might be more spectator friendly than say a road race or triathlon.

There is a two day HYROX event coming up at Ballymaloe in east Cork on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September 2025.

Info HERE

Thursday, August 28, 2025

The parkrun Pioneer Challenge...

While many runners tend to just go to their local 5k parkrun, some become parkrun tourists and visit other locations. This inevitably leads to lists of various sorts.

One of these is the challenge of doing parkruns by letters of the alphabet i.e. B for Ballincollig, M for Midleton and so on. I covered this is a previous post... https://corkrunning.blogspot.com/2023/12/doing-5k-parkruns-by-letter.html


Someone recently me about the runners who try the Pioneer Challenge and this requires that you  complete the first event in every current parkrun country. 

The first event in Ireland is Malahide, the first one in the UK is Bushy Park and so on.

At the last update, one person had 12 countries. There are 1872 people on the list at present and the minimum number of countries is four.

You can find the full list HERE

It's interesting to note on the map the countries in Europe where there are no parkruns at present.