Several years ago, I remember reading that the stated aim of the organisers of this race was to reach the 1000 mark. This year, they have well and truly broken that barrier with an entry of over 1100 runners. Given the fact that it was pre-entry only, they probably could have reached well over 1,500 entries if they had accepted entries on the day as well.Pre-entries....
Again, just a reminder for anyone who hasn't been keeping track of events! This race is pre-entry only. You cannot enter on the day like you could in previous years. For those of you who did pre-enter, you should have received your race number during the week by post. If you did not get your number in the post then look out for the help desk in the sports hall.
Changes this year....
As well as the fact that it is pre-entry only this year, there are a few other changes as well.
1) Instead of the usual cotton t-shirt, this year they will be giving out Nike dry-fit running tops which are a lot more useful.
2) The first 3 miles or so of the race are different from previous years. More below...
3) They will be giving out the dry-fit top with the goody bag at the finish line once they get your number. If you are not interested in the refreshments or prizes, you don't have to go to the sports hall at all.
Getting there.....
The main venue for the race in terms of parking, changing, prizes, refreshments, etc is at the Dungarvan Sports Hall. If you are coming from the Cork side of the town, take the right at the roundabout on the entrance to the town and keep driving straight. You'll go through the town and you'll find the Sports Hall next to the harbour. There is plenty of parking here and in the surrounding area. Follow the signs and stewards instructions on the day.
The course......
As you can see from the map above, it has changed from 2009. Last year, we did a loop in the countryside to the north-west of the top. That has been eliminated this year and the result is probably an even faster course.
The start line is roughly a mile from the Sports Centre. The route heads back towards the centre, then a short loop in the town like last year and back out the road towards the start line again. Last year, we turned off right here and ran parallel to the main road. This year, we head towards the roundabout on the main N25 road and along the hard shoulder. At some stage along this section.....and presumably the earlier section of it.....the stewards will probably get all of the runners to cross to the right hand hard shoulder of the main road.
Just after 2 miles, we turn off right into the countryside and head back towards the town on a quiet road. At about 3.5 miles, we rejoin the usual Dungarvan 10 route. From here to about 6.5 miles, the running is pretty flat. At 6.5 miles, we have a downhill section and after that, it's flat again until you reach the main road again at about 8.2 miles.
Once you are back on the main road, there is a slight pull as you climb the hill but nothing too serious. You run inside the hard shoulder until you reach the town again, through the roundabout and on towards the last bend which is only about 100 metres before the finish line. Click on the map above for a bigger version.
Overall, there are no really serious hills in the race and with the changes this year, it would seem as if it's one of the fastest 10 mile courses around.
We'll have a look at the weather forecast tomorrow.
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