BHAA – Army/Navy 5M Road Race, 17-Aug-2011, 7.30pm

The Army/Navy 5M Road Race takes place on Wed 17th August at 7.30pm. Entries are in the Sports Hall inside the Naval Base. The fee is €5 for BHAA members and €8 for non-members. The usual house rules apply and there’ll be prizes in all the usual categories as well as spot prizes. Over 300 turned out for this event in 2010. From check-in to changing facilities and post-race refreshments, the Army/Navy is more than representative of the high standards set by the BHAA. It’s worth remembering that Haulbowline is a fully functioning military base, so you’ll need to follow instructions and try not to break anything. To accommodate the BHAA road show for the evening, there’ll be a special password in operation – “DON’T SHOOT”.

BHAA-Army/Navy 5M Map - Click here

Those of you who attended the recent Novartis 5K will feel a sense of déjà vu heading off to Haulbowline. The former event could well be termed Ringaskiddy West and latter Ringaskiddy East, the difference being an extra 3km, allowing you to explore the delights of the lower harbour area. Getting there is pretty straight forward! From the old Carrigaline road (R609) or the South Ring road (E30), get yourself onto the N28 heading for the Ringaskiddy Car-Ferry. As you enter Ringaskiddy, instead of turning right for Novartis or left for the Ferry terminal, you go straight ahead through the village and follow the road all the way out to Haulbowline Island.

BHAA-Army/Navy 5M Route - Click here

The race starts and finishes inside the Naval Base. Apart from the Rocky Island bridges, the first 1.5M is almost flat. For the next 0.5M you turn left up a steep hill. You’ll have to work hard on this section. Once over the top, you turn right and head downhill along country back roads. At around 2.5M, there’s another short climb before turning right again and heading back down towards the main road. From there, you turn right and head slightly downhill through the village. From the 3.5M mark, you retrace the same route back to the Base. As you head over the bridge, you’ll find the sound of the waves lapping in the background very relaxing.