Preview of the Dungarvan 10 Mile Road Race - Sun 27th Jan 2013

The big race in Munster next weekend is of course the Dungarvan 10 mile in Waterford. There was a limit of 1,750 entries for this race and it was full at the start of last December, about 3 weeks earlier than last year which had only 1500 places available. There will be no entries taken on the day.

Pictured...(L) Gerry O'Connor, manager Dungarvan Shopping center associate sponsors of the John Treacy Dungarvan 10 mile road race. Dungarvan Shopping centre have kindly sponsored both the men's and Ladies course record bonus payments., also pictured (R) is James Veale, chairman of West Waterford athletic club.

Only a few years ago, this race only attracted a few hundred runners. The organisers, West Waterford AC have built on it year after year until it is now one of the main 10 mile road races in the country. This of course didn't happen by accident. They put on a well organised event every year and this is reflected in the fact that people keep going back.

At this stage, all entrants should have received their race packs by post. The main item in this is the race number which has a timing chip on the back.

Info...
1) Entries...A full list of entries can be found HERE. Any important details such as, Race No, Category, Club which are incorrect please inform Ann Dunford - adunford262@gmail.com

2) Pacers...They will have 2 pacers for each of the following times...60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85 & 90 mins.

3) Transfer of Numbers...West Waterford AC appeal to those with race numbers who might not be taking part in the race Sunday to please refrain from transferring your number to another runner.

4) Headphones / MP3 players...From the organisers..."We do not under any circumstances allow our runners to use I-pods or Mp3 players. We have found out over the years that headphone wearers do not hear instructions from our stewards/Gardai and so are safety hazards. With the numbers we have in this race we must look after everyone's safety and so to stop this we do not give headphone wearers any finish time. We will have someone assigned to take note of their race number and 'headphone wearer' will appear on the race results instead of their name. We take this very seriously, we have to, your safety is important to us."

For more info, refer to the FAQ page on the race website.

Location...What I am going to concentrate on here are additional details that may not be so obvious on the race website.

Directions...If you are coming from the Cork direction on the main N25 road, you will need to turn right at the first roundabout at the entrance to the town. As you drive through Dungarvan, you will see a church on the right.....

Take the right just after the church and the Sports Centre is just down this road...

Please note that unless you arrive early, parking in this area may be full. There are plenty of other areas to park in the town.

Distances...Sports Hall to Start Line...1 km, Finish Line to Sports Hall...1.5 kms
Course...The Dungarvan 10 mile road race has a reputation of being a fast course. If your target is trying out for a PB then this is the one to run. The route takes in a small loop through the town before leaving Dungarvan to take in a bigger loop in the countryside.

The start point is approximately 1 km from the Sports Centre. The road here is very wide and there is plenty of space. Please note that your time starts with the gun. Even with 1000+ runners taking part, there is no major delay in everyone starting at more or less the same time.

As you can see from the image below, the road rises just after the start. Coming at the start of the race, it's a lot easier than later when you're tired.

After an initial steep section, the going gets easier as you begin the loop around the town. As you can see from the image below, you keep running straight.....take in a short loop.....and then run downhill and re-join the main road and turn right.

You then run back down towards the start line....passing the 1 mile mark....and then on towards the roundabout at the entrance to the town, you take a left and out the main road to the south....

The course here is now very fast. You will be running inside the hard shoulder, the road is flat up to the 2 mile mark before going gradually downhill......then it's time to turn off right...

Now you are onto a quiet narrow country road and the road rises again gently...

Eventually, the road widens as it approaches the town and an industrial area. The road here is pretty fast and flat. Not long after the 3 mile mark, you rejoin the main road...

However, you're only on this short section of main road for about 100 metres. Then it's straight through the roundabout and take the 2nd left...

.....and then it's onto a reasonly flat road as you leave the town...

The next mile or so is reasonably flat. There are a few very small drags but certainly nothing worth noting. Just after the 5 mile mark, you reach the most westerly point as the course takes a sharp left. As you approach the corner, you will see other faster runners at the other side of the field...

This section is narrow but dead flat until you turn right at the next junction...

Just around the corner, you soon pass the 6 mile mark. This is followed by a gentle uphill section.....

Nothing too serious but coming at 6 miles, it can have an impact. Eventually, the road flattens out and this is followed by a steep downhill section...

At the end of the hill, you cross a small bridge over the River Brickey and take a sharp left...

The road now follows the river so it's dead flat............(well, slightly downhill but nothing that you would notice ;o)

It's like this for about 1.3 miles as you pass the 7 and 8 mile mark along the way. At around 8.2 miles, you rejoin the main N25 (pic above) and you run inside the hard shoulder as you head back towards Dungarvan. Initially the road is flat but soon begins to climb. It never gets too serious but coming at 8.3 miles, it can have a huge impact if you are tired. This is arguably the hardest part of the course.

Soon, you pass the 9 mile mark and you are now back on familar ground as you are on the same section of road that you were running on earlier. The road begins to flatten out and it stays like this until you reach the roundabout at the entrance to the town. At this stage, you are getting very close to the finish....

Just after the roundabout, you'll see the sign for the turn off to the left...

Once you turn left, it's only a short run of about 100 metres to the finish.

At the finish line, there will be a timing mat which will record your time as you cross it. The sports hall is 1.5 kms from the finish.

Race notice...Dromcollogher 4 mile road race - Mon 9th July 2012

The Dromcollogher 4 mile road race is coming up on Monday evening, the 9th of July at 8pm. This will be the 5th race of 11 in the current Ballyhoura Active Series.

This 4 mile road race starts at 8pm in the town of Dromcollogher in south Co.Limerick. As a race, it may not be as high profile as say those located closer to say Limerick or Cork City but it is an event with a lot of character and a long history.

The race was originally started back in the time of the original running boom in the late 70's and early 80's by Christy Brosnan and Joe Quaid of North Cork AC. The original idea was for it to be part of the Dromcollogher Carnival which has been going since the 1940's and for the race to take place on Monday evening, a tradition that survives to this day.

In it's heyday, the race used to attract some of the top runners from all over Munster even though the prizes were always modest in comparison to other races at the time. On one occasion, Liam O'Brien from Cork won the race the day after winning the National 3000m steeplechase title! The triangle shaped course started and finished in the main square of the town much to the delight of the crowds. This did however mean that the race was in fact 'slightly' longer than the advertised 4 miles ;o)

One of the other unusual features of the race at the time was that the winner received a small porcelain figurine. One of the biggest employers at that time in the town was Irish Dresden, a German company which made high quality collectable porcelain items in the town which employed over 60 people, a huge number in what was and still is a rural area.

Since becoming part of the Ballyhoura Active Series in 2009, this race has been given a new lease of life. From a figure of just 52 runners in 2009, the numbers were up to 144 in 2011. West Limerick AC are helping out with the organisation of the race and they are putting up a cup in memory of Christy Brosnan who unfortunately has now passed away. This replaces the old cup which was named after Marky O'Shea who used to run in the local races of the late 70's and early 80's barefoot, a long time before minimalist running and Vibram Five Fingers became all the rage ;o)

Getting there.....

Dromcollogher is located to the west of Charleville near the Limerick - Cork border. If you are coming from say Limerick city then the easiest way is probably to head south towards Cork and turn off at Charleville and follow the directions for Newtownshandrum, Milford and Dromcollogher. If you are travelling north from Cork then turn off at Buttevant and go via Liscarroll.

As you enter the town from the east then you should see that the road forks into two where the central square is. Take the right here, drive a few hundred metres on what is a very straight road and you will pass the start line just opposite a service station. The GAA hall where the entries will be taken is just beyond this on the left.

Entries......
€10 in the GAA hall. Prizes for the top 3 runners and the top runner in each category. Refreshments and prizegiving later in the GAA hall.

Course...
The modern course has been measured properly with a Jones Counter so there is no more starting in the town. As for the start line, it's hard to miss it with a big yellow line across the road with 'START' painted on the lampost ;o)

The course is basically in the shape of a triangle and is unusual from most races in that a lot of the route is dead straight. From the start, the road is straight and flat for the 1st mile. On straight to about 1.4 miles and you turn off left...

This road is now narrower but is still largely straight and level. At about 2.6 miles, you hit the next junction and it's left again....

From here, it pretty straight again with only a few bends and some very minor pulls. As you re-enter the town, you pass the church...

...and from here, there is only few hundred metres and the only really hill in the race to finish in the square.

Overall.....A short race in south Co.Limerick with a lot of history. If you want a fast 4 mile course then this is the one.

Note....there will also be plenty of entertainment in the square on the night with all of the festival activity. This might be of interest for after the race or if you want to keep the rest of the family entertained while you are off running.

There is also a walking event and this starts at 7:30pm.