Waterford - Preview of the John Treacy 10 Mile Classic...Sun 16th May 2010

Waterford.......The main event this weekend in Munster is of course the John Treacy 10 Mile Classic road race in Villierstown, West Waterford. You can enter on the day and the cost is €20. Note that there are some traffic restrictions near the village on the day so follow the stewards instructions.

This is the 2nd year of this road race and it looks likely to attract a large turnout following the success of the event last year.


Note that the race starts at 1pm

The map below shows the route...

The race starts in the village and heads East for the first 2 miles. There is a very gradual climb and nothing too bad to worry about. After that, you join a larger road and a lot of the running here is downhill and fast until you turn off left just after the 3 mile mark. 

From here till about mile 6, you are on nice quiet country roads with nothing too much in the way of climbs. After mile 6, you run over Dromana bridge which must be one of the strangest bridges in the country!

From this low point, there is a bit of work to do with some small climbs over the next 2 miles until you reach the 8 mile mark. Here you hit a steep section and you're bound to lose time here. Soon the gradient eases off and the climb becomes somewhat easier. 

After the hill, there is plenty of fast running and you run downhill towards Villierstown. You take a left in the village around the back of the town before heading for the finish. Please note that the finish line is just around the last corner so don't expect to see it way off in the distance as you finish.


More info on the official race website

Overall.......a nice 10 mile race run on scenic quiet country roads in West Waterford. The entry fee is modest....especially when compared to the commercial races......and is well organised. 

Definitely one to do.........John Desmond

Waterford...Results of the John Treacy 10 Mile Classic - Sun 17th May 2009

A total of 399 runners turned out for the first running of the John Treacy 10 Mile Classic road race in Villerstown, West Waterford on Sunday, the 17th of May. The rain threatened for a while but held off so that it was more or less dry for the duration of the race.

Course.....It turned out to be a tough enough course although not as bad as I thought it might be. The 1st mile was a slow but steady uphill ascent as predicted. The 2nd mile seemed more or less flat so if it was uphill, it wasn't really noticeable. The 3rd mile was more or less a steady downhill so it was pretty fast. After that, it was reasonably flat until we got near the 8 mile mark and a good steady climb. The last mile was more or less downhill with a fast finish. Overall, tough, a good challenge and I'd guess probably not the fastest of 10 mile courses.

Besides the 'undulations', the route was on nice quiet rural country roads with little or no traffic. And what about the 'Dromana Gate' (shown below). What a dramatic feature to pop out of nowhere during a road race.

Comparing it to the other 10 mile races in Munster, it was on a par with any of them and no doubt will become a popular race on the annual fixtures list.

Room for improvement???......some suggestions...

a) Improve the signposting for the race. I heard that a few people had trouble finding Villierstown as there seems to be a lack of signposts out on the main rain road for it. On the way home, I noticed a 'blue' arrow in the village of Clashmore........was this for the race?? Perhaps it might make more sense to direct the race traffic towards Aglish and then from there, have stewards directing cars towards the car parks?

b) Delay the start of the 5k fun run. Most people are there for the 10 mile race, not the fun run. It seems a bit crazy to have slower runners at the start of the 10 mile race making way for the 5 k runners.

c) Get rid of the generators at the start. Way too much noise, especially if someone is trying to make an announcement. It's not exactly in the middle of nowhere....maybe an extension lead into someones house might make more sense?

d) More sandwiches!!........and more West Waterford ' Taaay ' ;o)

Other suggestions??? Why not leave a comment here? Click on the Comment link.

Results.......the results are now available HERE.

Photos........there are a set of 92 photos available HERE.

Races in Munster...Sun 17th May 2009

There are 3 events in Munster on Sunday, the 17th of May.

Cork.......The Rising Sun Straight Mile near Ballinhassig to the south-west of the Cork City. See the Running in Cork blog for more information.

Kerry.....There is a charity 10k in Killarney. More details later in another post.

Waterford.......The main event is of course the John Treacy 10 Mile Classic road race in Villierstown, West Waterford. You can enter on the day and the cost is €20.

This is a brand new road race so many people may be wondering what the route will be like.

The map on the race website shows the route below...

In fairness, looking at the Ordnance Survey map of the area, the route is nowhere as hilly as that map would suggest. When you see brown like that on a map, it would suggest that the route is going over a mountain!

I have put the route on MapMyRun and the profile of the route shown below gives a more accurate picture.

The first mile is slightly uphill and that's probably no bad thing. It allows people to get into the race proper and stop them from starting too fast. Once you reach the crest of the hill around 2 miles, it's downhill then with some pretty flat running for a while.

Once you get to around 6.5 miles, the route begins to climb with the only really serious section just before the 8 mile mark. After that, it's more or less downhill into Villierstown.

Overall, it looks like it's going to be a nice route. There are a few drags but hopefully, nothing too serious.

For more information, have a look at the Race Website.

Weather Forecast.......it's looks as if there will be a low pressure system over the country on Sunday. Met Eireann predict....."Sunday will bring further outbreaks of rain, with some locally heavy or thundery downpours. Fresh to strong southeast winds will veer southwest and moderate. "

In other words, it might be dry or we might get soaked! As long as it's not persistent, it should be fine.

Closing date for cheap entries for the John Treacy 10 Mile Classic

This brand new race in Villierstown, West Waterford is coming up on Sunday, the 17th of May. Considering that it is within easy reach of Cork City, Waterford City and South Tipp, it should attract a big crowd.

The closing date for cheap entries (€15) is Friday, the 8th of May. You can enter online or you can fill out and return the entry form attached to the race flyer. I have put a scan of this form HERE.

You can also enter on the day and the cost then is €20. A t-shirt is included in the entry fee.