Half-Marathon Entries for Cork nearly full...

It looks as if there will be a limit on numbers entering the Half-Marathon event. The limit is 1,000 entries and it's nearly full!!

This has just been released...."The number of participants in the half marathon has been capped at 1,000 and we are likely to be at capacity over the coming weekend. Please enter now to avoid disappointment."

If you are interested in the Half then enter asap.....Click HERE

Preview of the Cork BHAA 'UCC' 10 km road race - Sun 3rd Apr 2011

The next road race in Cork is the Cork BHAA 'UCC' 10 km road race next Sunday, the 3rd of April 2011 at 11am. This race takes in the Lee Road / Straight Rd circuit and is likely to attract around 400 runners.

This year however there are some major changes!...The pavillion in the Mardyke WILL NOT be used......and the Lee Maltings WILL NOT be used.

The UCC Western Gateway building on the Western Road will be used for registration, refreshments and prizegiving. This is on the site of the old dog track and it's impossible to miss it considering it's size. There are 120 car spaces in the Western Gateway but extra parking will be available at the Áras na Laoi car park (near Gaol Cross). There is a large carpark there and not too far from the Gateway. Just follow the stewards directions on the day.

Registration....as per usual with Cork BHAA races, the cost of entries is €8 for non-registered runners and €5 for registered runners.

Considering the large entry expected, the Cork BHAA are asking that all runners should try to arrive early and enter by 10am. This helps to avoid the large bottleneck that builds up around 10:30am and lets them start the race on time at 11am.

Getting to the start.....as you can see from the map above, the start line is only a few hundred metres away. As you leave the Western Gateway, turn left and then right. You cross over Wellington Bridge and the start line is just a bit up the road in Sundays Well.

Course.........the start is on a hill and you run downhill for about 200 metres...

...and then as it flattens out, you run alongside the river with the bridge ahead and you'll see the County Hall off to the left which is near the finish of the race....

You carry straight on and out the Lee Road. The first 2 miles are reasonable although there are a few short pulls. After 2 miles, you will have gained some height and the most serious hill is just ahead...

It's not really steep but it's a long drag. Once you hit the top, there is a steep descent to the 3 mile mark as you head back towards the river. As you approach the bridge, there is a bit of a pull as you go over it....

...but after that, it's more or less flat all the ways to the finish line about 3 miles away. You pass the Anglers Rest pub...

....and then join the Straight Road and at roughly 4 miles, you can see how it gets it's name...

Dead straight and flat for 2 miles. From time to time, you will see the County Hall way off in the distance and the finish line is just beyond it....

Please note that this is a busy road and there will be plenty of traffic on it. As you can see from the photos, at the start of the Straight Road, runners have to use the footpath or stay very close to it. As you get closer to the finish, there is a lot more room with the bus lane available.

Once the County Hall looms overhead, you'll know that the finish is just beyond it...

...and the finish point is just at the side of the road near a small car park....

From here, it is a short walk back to the Western Gateway building.

You can find the course up on the MapMyRun website if you want a closer look.

Prizes....The organisers want runners to put their race numbers into a box at the prizegiving in the canteen (markers available). They will then pull out the spots from this (including the Hayfield Manor prize).

Sonia O'Sullivan launches 'Team Sonia' for the 2011 Cork City Marathon

Irish Olympian, Sonia O’Sullivan has announced that she will be running her first marathon in three years when she lines out at the Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon on 6 June 2011. Sonia will be competing to raise funds for the Children’s Leukaemia Association, which supports and assists families during the course of their child’s treatment at the Mercy Hospital, Cork.


Sonia is seeking participants to sign up to be a member of ‘Team Sonia’ and run with her on 6 June, to raise funds for the charity. Runners on ‘Team Sonia’ will have access to advice and tips direct from Sonia and will be invited to an exclusive training session with Sonia in Cork on 2 April 2011.

On announcing her participating, Sonia O’Sullivan said “I will head up a team of runners aiming to complete the full marathon running for the Children’s Leukaemia Association . I haven't run a marathon since Boston in 2008 when I ran 2:52. This time around I will once again be aiming to break 3 hours, but feel that the challenge will be more difficult as I get further away from my more competitive days.

This will be my second marathon in Ireland, having run Dublin in 2000 shortly after winning the silver medal at the Sydney Olympics. I am really looking forward to sharing my experiences with my team and gaining inspiration from so many people who take on the marathon challenge while also working full time and squeezing in the miles whenever they can. I have started to pencil in some runs and sessions for the coming weeks and I look forward to really getting the marathon bug and getting fitter and faster as the weeks progress.”

Rosarie O’Donovan of the Children’s Leukaemia Association said “We are a local, Cork-based charity and are thrilled that one of Cork’s finest athletes knows about the work we do. A diagnosis of Leukaemia, cancer and other blood disorders has a profound effect on a child, their families, friends and schools. The CLA supports and assists families from the Munster area in any way possible during and after the child’s treatment. Our services range from providing financial support to families, purchasing essential medical equipment, funding ongoing education for staff, providing for the exceptional needs of the child and their family such as family counselling and play therapy; to providing a home-from-home apartment for use by those families that have to travel distances while their child receives treatment. We are a registered charity and we rely entirely on voluntary donations from the public to maintain and develop the services we provide to the children and their families.”

Each participant of ‘Team Sonia’ must commit to raise at least €500 for the Children’s Leukaemia Association. To sign up to Team Sonia, email your name, address and phone number along with four lines on why you are running the Bord Gáis Energy Cork Marathon to teamsonia@omfpublicity.ie

Reduced entry fee for the Cork Marathon ends 31st of March...

Just a reminder for those of you interested in doing the Cork City Marathon, Half-Marathon or Relay event on the 6th of June. The cheapest entries end on the 31st of March.

After that, entries for each event increase by €10.

Entry details HERE

Wicklow Way Ultra & Trail Running in Ireland...

The Wicklow Way Ultra took place last Saturday, the 26th of March and was won by Paul Tierney from Cork. It took Paul 4 hrs 11m to complete the 51 km course through the Wicklow Mountains. This event was organised by the Irish Mountain Running Association and the full results can be found HERE.

The IMRA organise a number of events as well in Cork and Munster and they are usually on trails on various hills and mountains. A list of all off-road races can be found in the Munster Race Calendar in Green Italics.

In a recent issue of Runners World, there was an article about Trail Running in Ireland. Written by Lisa Jhung, it gives a unique view of the sport as seen from an American point of view. The piece can be seen HERE.

Olga Kotelko...91 years old....600 Gold medals and counting...

This piece appeared on the BBC News website today. There is a short video telling the story of Canadian Olga Kotelko who at 91 years old is setting plenty of world records. You can see it HERE

Results & Photos of the Mallow 10 Mile Road Race...Sun 27th March 2011

There was a record entry of 749 runners for the Mallow 10 Mile road race today in what were almost perfect conditions.This race has seen a huge increase in numbers compared to just a few years ago. Back in 2002/2003, it was just another road race and the numbers were no better than a lot of other shorter local races at the time.

Fast forward to 2011 and a lot of hard work put in by Mallow AC over the years and you have a race that is attracting over 700 runners. As you can see from the graph above, there was a big jump this year. How long before it breaks the 1,000 mark???

Another new feature this year was the introduction of pacers for 70, 80 and 90 minutes. While they are now a common feature in Marathons and some Half-Marathons, this is the first time that I have heard of pacers in a 10 mile event.

Now that the race is over, did you think the pacers were a good idea? Did you find them useful?

Any other comments regarding the race itself? Click on the comment link below...
Results...
Without further ado, the full results can be found HERE

....while the category results can be found HERE

Photos...
1) A small gallery by Paudie Birmingham of the start HERE
2) Paudie has another larger gallery of photos just before the finish line HERE

Next road race in Cork....the Mallow 10 mile on Sun 27th Mar 2011

The Mallow 10 mile road race on Sunday the 27th of March is the next big race in Cork and is likely to attract in excess of 700 runners. Most of the regulars will know that this race was supposed to be on at the start of January but had to be cancelled due to icy conditions at the time. This will be the 3rd race of 4 in the Munster Ten-Mile Spring Classics Series.

Entries....You can enter on the day for €20 at the race HQ at Mallow Youth Centre between 10:00am and 11:30 am. If however, you enter online before 1pm on Friday the 25th, you will only pay €15.

You can enter online HERE. All on-line entrants can pick up their numbers at the Race HQ (Mallow Youth Centre) before 12:00 noon on Sunday.

The race starts at 12:30pm

More info.....In preparation for the race in January, I have already put up all the info required in earlier postings so there isn't much point in putting them up again. Just click on the links below...

Race HQ....How to get there....and more race details in this previous post.

Race Course.....See this previous post which should give you a good idea of what the course is like.

Changes from the January details.....

1) 60 Min pacers.......it looks like the 60 minute pacer picked up an injury so there won't be one on Sunday. If anyone would like to pace 60 minutes on Sunday then they should contact Paudie Birmingham of Mallow AC asap. Needless to say, to pace 60 minutes, your recent 10 mile time should probably be 58 minutes or below!

Updated....Sat 6pm
2) Pacing Balloons.....Balloon colours for tomorrow.

70 minutes will have a red balloon. / 80minutes will have a yellow balloon. / 90 minutes will have a green balloon.

Results of the recent Cork BHAA races...

The results of the Cork BHAA 'Fota Is Hotel / ESB' 5 km road race which took place near Carrigtwohill on Sunday, the 13th of March are now available HERE .

The results of the Cork BHAA 'Janssen' 4 Mile road race which took place in Little Island on Sunday, the 20th of March are available HERE

Results of the Cork AAI Novice & Masters Road Championships...

The race in Ballinhassig on St.Patrick's Day also doubled up as the Cork AAI County Novice & Masters Road Championships. The results of that competition are now available in PDF format HERE.

The overall results of the race with links to photos can be found in an earlier post.

Alistair Cragg breaks the Irish Half Marathon record in New York Half Marathon...Sat 19th Mar 2011

Alistair Cragg finished 6th in the New York Half-Marathon last Saturday in a time of 60:49 setting a new Irish Record....(Avg pace 4:38/mile). It was also a personal best by more than a minute.
When interviewed, he said..."I felt good the whole way and it was only in the last mile or two that the leaders managed to get away from me, but it’s good feeling to get another Irish record and I‘m excited about where this can take me".

Cragg’s time of 60 minutes 49 seconds knocked eight seconds off the old mark of 60:57 set two years ago in Holland by Martin Fagan of Mullingar, as well as being a personal best by more than a full minute, with victory going to Britain’s Mo Farah in an impressive 60:23 after a sprint finish.

This race was Cragg’s pre-trial prior to making his marathon debut in Boston next month.

“I’ve been packing in the miles in preparation for Boston and I think those miles were in my legs when it came to speeding up in the last few miles here” he said.

“But I never felt the distance or did I feel tired at any stage. I finished very strong and really enjoyed it. Running this event is a bit strange for me after all my races on the track but I’m now entering a new stage of my career and I’m excited about it and will now use the next few weeks wisely to prepare for Boston.”

Cragg will be looking to get the standard of 2:16 in Boston next month which will put him in line for selection for the World Championships next August in Korea and also for the Olympics in London next year.

Race Video of the 2011 New York City Half-Marathon...

Watch live streaming video from nyrr at livestream.com

This video clip is over 1 hour long and gives a good feel for what the New York Half-Marathon is like with over 10,000 runners taking part.

The first 16 minutes are pre-race commentary. Amongst the front runners, Alistair Cragg is wearing a green top with black cap. Pull the bar across if you want to fast forward. He is at the front of the group ~41:00.

Robert Heffernan finishes 5th in Swiss 20km race-walking event - Sun 20th Mar 2011

Rob Heffernan of Togher AC got his season off to a solid start by finishing 5th in a high class 20 kms race in Lugano, Switzerland last Sunday. The race was won by Chinese athlete Wang Chin with Rob finishing as the top European in a very impressive 80 minutes 53 seconds, his fastest ever opening to a season over the 20kms distance.

When interviewed after the race, Rob commented...."Initially I was quite disappointed to get beaten, but on reflection its a good opening to the season, and of course its an Olympic qualifying time, so its handy to have that out of the way"

Men
1 Zhen Wang (China) 1:18:36
2 Yafei Zhu (China) 1:18:37
3 Ding Chen (China) 1:19:38
4 Hassanine Sebei (Tunisia) 1:20:19
5 Robert Heffernan (Ireland) 1:20:53
6 Nazar Kovalenko (Ukraine) 1:21:33
7 Petr Trofimov (Russia) 1:21:47
8 Bertrand Moulinet (France) 1:21:49

The full results can be seen HERE

Category Results & Photos of the Cork BHAA 'Janssen' 4 mile road race - Sun 20th Mar 2011

This Cork BHAA 4 mile road race in Little Island attracted a good turnout in what were mild and sunny conditions. The mens race was won by Wieslaw Sosnowski in a time of 20:52 having won the 4 mile road race in Ballinhassig just 3 days earlier on St.Patricks Day. Just 6 seconds behind was John Meade in 20:58 with Danny Smith in 3rd place...a mere second behind in 20:59.

In the ladies section, Rhona Lynch was back in winning form taking 1st place in 23:56. Niamh Walsh was 2nd in 25:17 while Aisling Moran was 3rd in 26:05.

Category Results....
JANSSEN 4-Mile Road Race, Little Island

Men...
1 Wieslaw Sosnowski (Olympic Landscapes) 20:52; 2 John Meade (Joyce Wolfe Physio) 20:58; 3 Danny Smith (Team adidas) 20:59; 4 Cathal O’Connell (UCC, M45) 21:08; 5 Willie Walsh (Army) 21:27; 6 Denis Dunne (Army) 22:15; 7 D Murphy (temp-reg) 22:21; 8 Noel Curtin (Quality Hotel, M45) 22:32; 9 J Twoma (temp-reg) 22:40; 10 J Hennessy (Janssen, M40) 22:54.
M40: 2 A O’Brien (IPS) 23:13.
M50: 1 M Murphy (Novartis) 24:07.
Team: (Grade A) 1 Quality Hotel 34; 2 Army 35; 3 Janssen 46. (Grade B) 1 Midleton UDC 55; 2 Midleton News 70; 3 IPS 75. (Grade C) 1 EMC 90; 2 Janssen 170; 3 An Post/Eircom 240.

Women...
1 Rhona Lynch (GE-Healthcare, F35) 23:56; 2 Niamh Walsh (Dept of Educ) 25:17; 3 Aisling Moran (UCC) 26:05; 4 Lucy Brennan (temp-reg) 26:15; 5 Maggie Chojan (Private Hospitals) 27:22; 6 Joan Hough (Dept of Educ, F50) 27:26.
F40: 1 M Histon-De Barra (HSE) 28:32.
Team: (Grade A) 1 Dept of Education 7; 2 HSE 19. (Grade B) 1 Novartis 19; 2 Ballincollig Runners 35.
(...with thanks to John Walshe of Ballycotton Running Promotions for the above results)

Full results....At this stage, there is a backlog in the results. Hopefully this should be sorted out soon.

Photos....
Doug Minihane has another great gallery of photos again this week HERE

Results of the Ballydehob 10k road race - Thurs 17th Mar 2011

This 10 km road race in West Cork had an entry of 205 runners on what was supposed to be a challenging course with some serious hills in it. One competitor described it as..."Over all a very nice scenic run but not one for a personal best."

The mens race was won by Michael Dullea in 36:14 while the ladies race was won by Liz Barry in 42:01.

The results in PDF format can be found HERE

There is a large photo gallery by a John Walsh HERE

West Cork Series / Race in Dunmanway...Sun 20th March 2011

West Cork Series...
In an effort to attract more members, some the athletic clubs in West Cork have come together and started a race series for club runners. While each race is open to anyone to run in, the scoring system will apply only to west Cork club runners.

1st , 2nd , 3rd prizes can only be won by a member of a west cork athletics team in the March Dunmanway road race and the Cross Country Race in September. Dunmanway 10k, Courtmacsherry 10k and Bantry prizes can be claimed by any runner.

For more info on the series, click HERE

Dunmanway 2m & 4m road race - Sun 20th March 2011...
There will be a race in Dunmanway on Sunday the 20th of March at 12 noon. The race will be a 2 mile distance for women (1 lap), and 4 miles for men – 2 laps. Note that the distances are approximate. Race start will take place at the Kilbarry Road, Dunmanway.

This is mainly a race between members of West Cork clubs and 1st , 2nd , 3rd prizes can only be won by a member of a west cork athletics team. Note however that anyone can run in the races and all are welcome. The entry fee is only a few Euro.