Results of the Killarney Maxi/Half Marathon & 10k - Sat 14th July 2012

A total of 1,222 runners took part in this years Run Killarney event in Kerry. Despite the threat of rain, it never really got bad and the conditions were ok for the three races. The Maxi-Marathon attracted a field of 292 runners while the Half-Marathon had 339. Both races started slightly late up near Molls Gap and this probably resulted in those runners merging with the 10k runners a bit too late. If the 10k race had started say 5 minutes later, it would probably have made a big difference.

 Michael Healy Rae TD gets proceedings under way...

15 Mile Maxi-Marathon (292 Runners)
1 Simon Morgan    01:28:15    Senior    Male
2 Donal White    01:29:27    Senior    Male
3 Joe O CONNOR    01:31:02    Senior    Male
4 Niall COLLINS    01:32:12    40-49    Male
5 Darragh CANAVAN    01:33:25    Senior    Male

1 Fiona DEVANE    01:42:25    Senior    Female
2 Breeda LYNCH    01:42:40    Senior    Female
3 Ann CASHMAN    01:49:30    Senior    Female
4 Una PLANT    01:49:54    40-49    Female 
5  Charlotte KEARNEY    01:51:39    Senior    Female

Half-Marathon (339 runners)
1 Shane MULLANEY    01:14:05    Senior    Male 
2 Carl LYONS    01:20:37    Senior    Male
3 David MAHER    01:21:45    Senior    Male
4 Patrick NOLAN    01:22:13    Senior    Male
5 Seamus MURPHY    01:24:52    40-49    Male 
1    Liz HUSSEY    963    Senior    Finish    01:25:44
2    Maura REGAN    1051    Senior    Finish    01:26:52
3    Vivienne FENTON    952    Senior    Finish    01:28:35
4    Caitriona BARRY    720    40-49    Finish    01:30:08
5    Ciara BOURKE    837    Senior    Finish    01:31:49

 Liz Hussey from Limerick...Winner of the 2012 Run Killarney Half-Marathon...

10k (591 runners)
1 Paul STEPHENSON    00:33:53
2 Donal O'CALLAGHAN    00:33:58
3 Derek GRIFFIN    00:39:31
4 Brendan LYNCH    00:39:45
5 Jason MOLONEY    00:39:57
1 Aoife O'CONNOR     00:39:51
2 Irma VAN RIJSWIJCK    00:42:48
3 Mairead MASON    00:42:49
4 Noreen MACKEY    00:43:22
5 Maura GINTY    00:44:13

The results of all 3 races can be seen HERE

Some photos can be seen HERE

Opinions??? So what did you think of the race? What about the races merging? Leave a comment below...

Race Notice...Killarney Half-Marathon, Maxi-Marathon and 10k races - Sat 14th July 2012

There has been a major change to the usual 15 mile Maxi-Marathon in Killarney this year in that it now includes a Half-Marathon which is bound to prove popular as well as a 10k.

Date: Saturday 14th July 2012

The 15 mile Maxi-Marathon and the 13.1 mile Half-Marathon will start at 8:00am near Moll's Gap on the Kenmare road. The shorter 10k race will start near Muckross House in the park at 8:30am.

Entry for each race includes a technical running top.

Registration closes on Monday 2nd July 2012. A registration pack will be sent out in the post 1 week before the race.

Maxi/Half Course description.......The race starts at about 800 feet above sea level near Moll's Gap. Initially it's flat but as you approach the Gap itself, the road starts to drop and you have a stunning view across to the Macgillycuddy's Reeks and the highest mountains in Ireland.

From here the road continues to drop as you run with lakes and mountains as a backdrop for the race..... Past Lady's View......Looking down on the Upper Lakes......and eventually you turn off into Killarney National Park and on to the finishing line near Muckross House...

The video clip below gives a feel for what the course looks like...

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More info on the Run Killarney Website

Kerry....Results of the MaxiMarathon 15 mile race - Sun 16th July 2011

On the morning of this particular race, the weather was looking a bit grim from the car park near Muckross House in Killarney with several heavy showers. In complete contrast to the sunshine and blue skies of 2010, it looked as if this was going to be a wet day from the start.

After the runners were transported to the start line up high in the hills by a fleet of buses, the showers had passed as 8am approached and the race started in bright but dry conditions.

Initially, the first mile or so was slightly uphill until...

...we reached Molls Gap and then the descent began. From here, we could see the upper lakes of Killarney in the valley below with the clouds only obscuring the tips of the nearby mountains.

There was one light shower on the way down but nothing serious. If anything, the weather conditions were actually ideal for a race. The wind was behind the runners for most of the race and it was nice and cool.

It was actually strange to be running on this twisting road which would be normally be busy with traffic. Running past the many lakes and open woodland, it made a nice contrast from the usual type of race. It is a really scenic route and it would be a great way for any tourist to see the countryside from a unique viewpoint.

Once the runners reached ~10.7 miles, we turned off left into the park proper with narrow little tracks....not really an issue as the field was well thinned out by this stage. There were some small climbs here, most very short but certainly not as easy as the downhill running of the previous few miles.

From here, we ran through the park until the finish line near Muckross House.

Overall......a well organised event. The initial thought might be that the course is just one downhill long easy run but there are plenty of sections in the 15 miles that make the race a challenge in it's own right. By using buses to transport runners to a remote start location, they have devised a route where runners get a wide variety of views on what is one of the most scenic roads in the country. I'm not sure if it could live up to it's claim to be the 'worlds most beautiful road race' but on a national level, it certainly is a contender.

Results......the overall results can be seen HERE

The category prizewinners can be seen HERE
Photos......there is a gallery of 189 photos mostly near the finish line that can be seen HERE

Kerry...Only 4 days left to enter the MaxiMarathon in Killarney

There are only a few days left before the entries to this unique 15 mile road race in Kerry close (Entries Close Fri 1st July). For anyone who hasn't done this race before, here is a brief outline...

The race starts at about 800 feet above sea level near Moll's Gap. Initially it's flat but as you approach the Gap itself, the road starts to drop and you have a stunning view across to the Macgillycuddy's Reeks and the highest mountains in Ireland.

From here the road continues to drop as you run with lakes and mountains as a backdrop for the race..... Past Lady's View......Looking down on the Upper Lakes......and eventually you turn off into Killarney National Park.

This is a change from last year which stayed on the road outside. Through the park and finishing near Muckross House...

The really unique feature about this race is that the road is actually closed to traffic. Normally as part of the famous Ring of Kerry, there is no way you could run let alone walk on this road due to all the buses and traffic. This race is a chance to sample what is possibly one of the nicest stretches of road in the country.

The 15 mile route has been officially measured using a Jones counter and has an Athletics Ireland race permit.

For more information or to enter, see the race website.........http://www.maximarathonkillarney.com/index.php

Video Clips...


This next one shows some of the race route...

Kerry...Results of the Maxi Marathon Killarney - Sat 17 Jul 2010

The category results of this 15 mile race are now up on the organizers web-site.

If anybody has the full results, please let us know.