sponsored by

Sunday 11th September – 11:00

Blarney, Co. Cork

St Finbarr’s AC are pleased to announce that this year’s John Buckley St Finbarr’s AC Cork Half Marathon will take place on Sunday the 11th September 2011. The race will also incorporate the Cork and Munster Half Marathon Championships. The race headquarters will be the Blarney GAA club house, and the race will commence at 11.00 and follow the traditional looped course from Blarney to Grenagh and back again.

This year’s race will incorporate a number of new features

• Chip timing will be provided by Precision Timing.  The chip will allow for timely and accurate collation of results. Runners’ individual times will be forwarded by text on the day of the race.
• In conjunction with our sponsor John Buckley Sports highly visible race pacers (1hr 30 min, 1hr 45 & 2.00 hr) will be used for the first time in the race to help participants.
• Each runner completing the race will received a race souvenir and a money off voucher from John Buckley Sports

For more details and how to enter, click here!

Wednesday 3rd August was a very successful night for club members in the Novartis 5k as John Meade won the men’s race in 16.22 and Martina Kiely won the ladies race in 18.12. Ken Devine won M45, Michael Murphy won M50 and Eamon McEvoy won M55.

On Friday 5th August in the Mitchelstown GR8km race Cathal O Connell was third in 27.02 and John Meade followed up his Novartis win with 4th place in 27.31.

Well done everyone!

The 7th Route 2 Crook 5M Road Race takes place on Sunday afternoon August 7th at 5pm. The race starts in the picturesque village of Goleen and finishes on the Crookhaven peninsula serving up some spectacular scenery along the way. The event is organised by Mizen Rovers to raise funds for local underage hurling and football activities. A 2.5M race for the U-16s will start at 4.30pm, so the kids will be well on their way before the grownups start. The entry fee is €10 with entries between 2.30pm and 4.30pm in the Goleen Sports Centre, which is off up to the right just before you enter the village itself. You can either leave the car in Goleen or drive out to Crookhaven. Either way, there’ll be a mini bus to bring people back to Goleen before and after the race. Just look for the guys in the yellow jackets.

Pre race changing facilities are available in the Goleen Sports Centre, which is modern, spacious and clean. You can leave your gear bag here and have it trucked to Crookhaven for collection after the race. Post race changing facilities and refreshments are available in the Crookhaven Boat Club and the food’s always top notch. There’s a €150 cash prize and a trophy for the first man and lady plus prizes in all the usual categories. There’s also a €100 bonus prize for anyone who breaks the course record set by Alan O’Shea in 2006. After the prize-giving, you can enjoy live music and craic on the street in Crook.

Route 2 Crook 5M Map

From Cork City, there are a number of ways of getting to Goleen. For the skilled navigator, head out west on the N22 past Ovens and turn off SW through Crookstown, Bealnablath, Coppeen and onwards through Dunmanway. If you’ve got the time, take the N71 scenic route onwards through Skibbereen turning off left onto the R592 for Ballydehob, Schull and Goleen. The wisest option is to take the N71 to Bandon. On entering the town, turn right onto the R586 passing through Dunmanway, Drimoleauge and Aghaville until you hit the N71 Bantry Road. Turn right for Bantry and about a kilometre up the N71 turn left onto the R591 for Durras and stay on this road all the way to Goleen.

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

The course is up and down, but nothing arduous. There’s a long steady climb from just before the 4M mark with a fast downhill into Crookhaven for the last half mile. The most difficult part of this race is resisting the urge to clear the low wall and dive into Crookhaven Harbour at the 3.5M mark. If you’re thinking of throwing in the towel, this is a great spot to do it! If you persevere, the water is deeper in Crook. In any event, bring a towel!

Throughout the summer, the local race calendar provides for the bread and butter needs of runners. Now and again however, it’s nice to indulge in a little cake. So, why not treat yourself to a large slice of West Cork. The annual Route 2 Crook is a pearl of a race and precious things as you know don’t come easy. Sure, it’s a long way to travel and you won’t want to abandon the wife and kids for a whole day. So, why not bring them with you! The summer festival will be in full swing with plenty distractions for the kids. You might even enter them in the U-16s race which goes off at 4.30pm. Irrespective of weather conditions, the Route 2 Crook is definitely a unique event and one that will linger in the memory long after others have faded.

We’re off to see the Mizen, the wonderful Mizen of Cork
We hear it’s a Whiz of a Miz, if ever a Miz there was.
If ever, oh ever, a Miz there was, the Mizen of Cork is one because
Because, because, because, because
Because of the wonderful sights it has
We’re off to see the Mizen, the wonderful Mizen of Cork!

The Novartis 5km Road Race takes place on Wednesday evening August 3rd at 8pm. Entries will be taken in the Novartis plant up to 7.30pm. The fee is €5 for BHAA members and €8 for non-members. This race is a regular favourite among the BHAA faithful. The organisers leave nothing to chance and pre- and post-race arrangements are top notch and top nosh respectively! The usual BHAA house rules apply and there’ll be prizes in all the usual categories as well as spot prizes galore. There’ll also be free Tee-shirts for all finishers – worth going to for that alone.

There’s also a whopping €400 cash prize on offer to anyone who breaks the course record. The men’s record is 14.38 set by Mark Hanrahan and the women’s 16.44 set by Rosemary Ryan. There were 424 finishers in 2010, so come early. The presentation of prizes and post-race refreshments will be in the Novartis cafeteria.

BHAA-Novartis 5K Map

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, you must resist the urge to board the Ferry and set sail for sunnier climes. Instead, turn right up the hill towards the Novartis plant, which is about a kilometre or so on your right.

BHAA-Novartis 5K Route

The race starts and finishes outside the Novartis plant. The first kilometre is an undulating downhill. The next two kilometre stretch has a steady rate of climb of about 40ft/mile. Thereafter follows a fast downhill section before you face a tough uphill push for the finish line. This one is definitely more challenging than the flatland Marina races, but nonetheless one that still manages to produce some fast finishing times.

Eamon McEvoy was 9th in this race and was first M55. Ted O Flynn was 19th and was second M50.

In the ladies Geraldine O Shea kept up her recent good form to finish second. Eileen Buckley who has also being going well recently was 6th lady home.

The full results are as follows:

9 Eamon McEvoy 28.44
19 Ted O’Flynn 30.43
27 Geraldine O’Shea 31.54
29 Stephen Lynch 31.56
63 Eileen Buckley 34.53
77 Rebecca McEvoy 36.41
138 Dennis Manning 43.18

Well done to all.

Here are the full results from this race which took place on the 22nd July

4 Cathal O Connell 38.46 1st M45
5 John Meade 39.05
12 Michael Dunne 41.38
15 Paul Duggan 42.33
29 Ted O Flynn 46.05 1st M50
42 Geraldine O Shea 47.41 2nd Lady
72 Gillian Cotter 49.58
80 Trevor O Neill 50.42
88 Aiden Henry 51.18
100 Michael Dunne 52.01
113 Eileen Buckley 52.56
131 Michael O Mullain 53.33
133 Barry Coleman 53.57
218 Mary Mulcahy 60.50
238 Denis Manning 64.08

Well done everyone.

There’s been a lot of talk about this next goal, maybe a little bit too much talk. This goal is not a rebel goal, this is 30 bloody minutes.

I’m sure Bono would have said it something like that anyway but Patrick Rahilly is much faster than him and he finally broke the 30 minute barrier for 5 miles last night in Churchtown South. Congrats Patrick!

I’ll put all the results from Churchtown up over the weekend.

Kinsale Regatta 5M Map

Welcome to Ireland’s gourmet capital, a gastronomic paradise. If you arrive from Cork City via the R600, you’ll have to go into the town centre, turn right up Friars Gate and then left up that  steep hill to reach the GAA Grounds on Bandon Road. If you want to avoid the post race jog back up that hill, find somewhere to park (legally) in the town itself. If you are coming from Innishannon via the R605, instead of going left around the town, go straight on at Glasheen to arrive directly at the GAA Grounds on your right.

Kinsale Regatta 5M Route

This race starts high up outside the GAA Grounds and finishes near sea level at the Bank Of Ireland. The start is a moderate downhill followed by a fast downhill and a long flat 3M run-in along the scenic Kinsale shoreline. Be careful on the downhill section! There’s still a long way to go when you get to the bottom. The presentation of prizes and refreshments will be in the Temperance Hall about one minute walk from the finish line.

1st 6 Men, 1st 6 Ladies, 1st 3 Men O/40, 1st 3 Men O/45, 1st 3 Men O/50, 1st 3 Men O/55, 1st 3 Men O/60,
1st 3 Juniors, 1st Men’s team (3 to score), 1st Lady O/35, 1st Lady O40, 1st Lady O/45, 1st Lady O/50,
1st Ladies’ team (3 to score), 1st Wheelchair Athlete