Results & Photos of the Clonmel 4-mile road race - 26th Dec 2022

A total of 288 runners turned out for this years Clonmel 4-mile road race on St Stephens Day 2022.

Top 3 men & women...
 1 Peter Lynch Kilkenny City Harriers  18:37 SM 53
2 David McGlynn Waterford 18:49 SM 187
3 William Maunsell Clonmel AC  19:14 SM 253
12 Courtney McGuire Clonmel AC 22:02 SF 230
14 Layla Roebke Real Training 22:04 SF 110
19 Dymphna Ryan Dundrum AC 22:30 SF 172

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) Clonmel AC have a gallery HERE

2) Paul Condon Photography has 3 galleries... a) Album 1 b) Album 2 & c) Album 3

Notice: Dungarvan Charity Run - 26th Dec 2022

From West Waterford AC... "In association with The organizers Dungarvan GAA club We are delighted to be back in person with our Charity St Stephen's day run. 

This years chosen charity is Mercy Cancer Appeal. 

Please all come along to the Dungarvan GAA CLub grounds Clogherane  at 11am St Stephens morning and walk or run off all that turkey!! 

You can register online HERE or on the day. Look forward to seeing you all."

Notice: Clonmel 4 mile road race in Tipperary - Mon 26th Dec 2022

The big race in Tipperary over the Christmas period is the annual 4 mile race in Clonmel on Monday the 26th of December 2022.

Entry link HERE

From the organisers Clonmel AC...MSD 4 Mile Festive Road Race

Preparations for this year’s event on St Stephen’s Day are going very well. This Club event is once again sponsored by MSD and we are very grateful for such sponsorship. 

The race starts at 12 noon and entries will be taken from 9.30 am onwards at Colaiste Cheitinn, the Mall. E91K2E2.

Last year we had over 300 athletes competing, this event caters for all levels of fitness. 

This year’s Prize list is as follows:

This year there will be Prizes for the following categories, Men: 1st 5 Men, 1st 0/40, 0/45, 0/50, 0/55 and 0/60. 

The list of Prizes for the Ladies is as follows: the 1st 5 Ladies, 1st 0/35, 0/40, 0/45, 0/50 and 0/60. 1st Junior Man and Woman under 18.

There will be a new Course record for 1st man 17 mins 45 secs and 1st woman 21 mins 32 secs. 

There will also be Post Race Refreshments in the Vocational School. This year’s event will be Chip timed by Premier Timing Systems. This event has an Athletics Ireland Race Permit.

The entry Fee is 15 Euros online at itsyourrace.com. Enquiries to Niall at 086 1660888.

Maps and directions HERE

 

Results of the Waterford AC Half-Marathon - Sat 3rd Dec 2022

The Waterford AC Half-Marathon was held on Saturday the 3rd of December 2022 on what was a cool but dry day.

I had forgotten just how big this half marathon is. With almost 1900 runners taking part, it's one of the largest half-marathons in Munster and is certainly way bigger than the Waterford Viking Half-Marathon which had 676 finishers this year.

Why the big numbers? Maybe it's the time of year when there are fewer races? There aren't that many races in the South-East so this would be an attractive race for runners in Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford. The entry price of €30 would certainly help as opposed to say €50-€60. Or maybe it's the Bobbly Hat! 

The exact number of finishers was 1894 finishers which is down 15% on the last outing in 2019. As can be seen from the chart above, the peak was back in 2018 and it declined the next year.

The post pandemic drop of 15% is pretty typical of a lot of races as quite a number of people have  stopped running or old habits have been broken. The unknown is whether it will continue its slide, stay static and grow again. I suspect the numbers will decline slowly in the years ahead but it will remain to be one of the most popular half-marathons.

Top 10 men & women...

1 Ryan CREECH 01:05:02 01:05:02 2472 M MS Leevale AC
2 Yared DERESE 01:05:49 01:05:50 2480 M M40 Carrick Aces AC
3 Sergiu CIOBANU 01:07:18 01:07:19 285 M MS Clonliffe Harriers
4 Tudor MOLDOVAN 01:09:16 01:09:17 1469 M MS Clonliffe Harriers
5 Conor MCCAULEY 01:09:16 01:09:17 1369 M MS Leevale AC
6 Tomas FITZPATRICK 01:11:40 01:11:41 702 M M40 Tallaght AC
7 Cillian O'LEARY 01:11:47 01:11:48 1787 M M40 Raheny Shamrock AC
8 Noel MURPHY 01:12:03 01:12:03 2549 M MS Waterford AC
9 Vivian FOLEY 01:12:20 01:12:21 2413 M M50 Eagle AC
10 Paul DORAN 01:12:31 01:12:32 569 M M40 United Striders
1 Aoife COOKE 01:12:58 01:12:58 2515 F F35 Eagle AC
2 Fiona KEHOE 01:19:31 01:19:31 1081 F F40 Kilmore AC
3 Aoife O'LEARY 01:21:31 01:21:32 1788 F F40 Sportsworld RC
4 Sally FORRISTAL 01:22:13 01:22:14 761 F FS St Joesphes AC
5 Catherine O'CONNOR 01:22:31 01:22:33 1694 F F45 Sli Cualann AC
6 Angela MCCANN 01:22:07 01:22:37 1345 F F50 Clonmel AC
7 Megan MCCARTHY 01:23:24 01:23:28 1366 F FS
8 Adele WALSH 01:23:50 01:24:09 2301 F F45 St Senans AC
9 Linda O'SULLIVAN 01:24:28 01:24:38 2471 F F50 Watergrashill AC

10 Elle O'DRISCOLL 01:24:52 01:25:08 1739 F FS Liffey Valley AC

Full results HERE

Photos...
1) Waterford AC have a gallery HERE

Dungarvan 10 mile entries open on Thurs 1st Dec 2022...

The John Treacy Dungarvan 10-mile road race will be held on Sunday the 5th of February 2023 and now is the time to look at some key dates. 

Thursday 1st December 2022: Entries open for athletic club members. You will need your AI membership number for this. The entry fee is €30 and there may be additional registration fees.

The entry link is via Event Master and it opens at 8am - Enter HERE

Thursday 8th December 2022: Entries open for everyone. The entry fee is again €30 but non-club runners will have to pay the new Athletics Ireland 'One-Day Licence' which costs an additional €2.

Entries will remain open until the limit of 3,750 is reached.

***

History & Analysis... The first thing is not to get in a panic about entering. In 2019, all 3,000 places were snapped up in 3-hours. 

In 2021, entries opened a week early for club runners with the non-club runners entering a week later. Even with that, it still took 27-hours to fill all 3,000 places.

This year, the numbers of entries has gone from 3,000 up to 3,750. Despite the impression some people might give, the vast majority of runners out there are not members of an athletics club.

As long as you're ready to enter on the morning of the 8th of December then you should have no problem getting in.

Training Programme: For anyone interested, I am currently running a training programme which started a few week ago. If anyone is interested in a shorter programme at a reduced price then let me know. We only have 9-weeks from the 4th of December so we don't have much time to work with. Info in this previous post HERE.

Statement from West Waterford AC... "31st annual John Treacy Dungarvan 10 Mile.

Club members online entry opens this Thursday 1st December. Race date Sunday 5th February 2023 11am start.

As and from December 1st entries will open for the 31st Annual John Treacy Dungarvan 10 which will be held on Sunday February 5th 2023, start time of 11.am.

This race is a permitted A.A.I. event and once again this year we will open on Thursday 1st December to AI club members.  You just need your Life Membership number to enter.  Remaining places will then go on offer on the 8th December.

 The entry fee for this year’s race is €30. 

The race has grown year on year and is a pre-entry race which will close when 3,750 entries have been reached.

 All race numbers will be posted out the week prior to the event, and there will be strictly no entry on the day. 

The prize fund for 2023 is €6,000"

Website... https://www.westwaterfordathletics.org/dungarvan-10-mile/

Notice: IMRA Glenageenty Trail Marathon, Half-Marathon & 10k in Co Kerry - Sat 10th Dec 2022

The Irish Mountain Running Association (IMRA) are holding their final event in Munster for 2022 at the Glanageenty Woods in Co. Kerry. This is just north of the main road between Castleisland and Tralee.

There are a choice of three trail courses on Saturday the 10th of December... 

1) Trail Marathon -8:30am - 42.2 kms & 1300m of ascent - €45 - Enter HERE

2) Trail Half-Marathon - 10am - 21.1 kms & 650m of ascent - €35 - Enter HERE

3) 9.1km Trail - 11:30am - 9.1kms & 318km of ascent - €25 - Enter HERE

As with all IMRA events, annual membership costing €10 is required.

Notice: 14th Annual Paddy Joe Curran Old Parish Turkey Trot 5 mile run in W Waterford - Sun 27th Nov 2022

From West Waterford AC... DUNGARVAN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL TO BENEFIT FROM 14th ANNUAL AN SEAN PHOBAL MEMORIAL TURKEY TROT.

On Sunday November 27th the 14th Annual Paddy Joe Curran Old Parish Turkey Trot 5 mile run and 4 mile walk will take place at the Marine Bar, Pulla, Dungarvan. This is about 5kms to the SW of Dungarvan on the N25 road to Youghal.

All proceeds from this year's event will go to Dungarvan Community hospital. The event is once again kindly sponsored by Cleanzone Technology Ltd of which were most grateful.  

The 4 mile walk will begin at 11 am, while the 5 mile run will get under way at 11.30.

Online entry is €10 and the link is here... https://eventmaster.ie/event/vMj6cPoSb4

Results of the Brickey 5k - Sun 13th Nov 2022

83 runners turned out for this 5k near Dungarvan in Waterford.

Top 3 men & women...

1 SHEIL, Niall St Killians A.C, 0:16:52 Male 45 05:25.6
2 ZAKIS, Raivis West Waterford A.C. 0:17:01 Male 40 05:28.5
3 SPITERI, Paul Middleton A.C. 0:18:24 Male 40 05:55.2
7 VEALE, Kate West Waterford A.C. 0:19:22 Female Senior 06:13.9
13 SPITERI, Vicki Middleton A.C. 0:19:56 Female 35 06:24.8
18 CARTHY, Jackie Kilmore A.C 0:20:33 Female 50 06:36.7

Full results HERE

Training programme for the 2023 Dungarvan 10-mile road race

The 2023 Dungarvan 10-mile road race is coming up on Sunday the 5th of February 2023. It is 13-weeks from the 6th of November.

If anyone would like to optimise their training then I will be starting individualised training programmes. 

The programme is sent out every week by email and weekly feedback is required. That will determine what the programme is like for the following week.

The cost is €99 and it starts Monday 7th of November 2022. (There is a reduced rate for those who have trained with me before)

If anyone wants to train for a different event then send me an email and we can plan for that.

Send an email to johndesmondrunning AT gmail DOT com

1000 places for the Adare 10k sell out in 8-days

 

West Limerick AC are the organisers of the Adare 10k road race and it is coming up on the 26th of February 2023.

The entries for this race went on sale on Friday the 27th of October and all 1,000 places sold out in just 8-days!

A lot of the road races locally have seen much lower numbers this year compared to those back in 2019 before the pandemic. It's encouraging to see such a strong demand for this race in 2023 which shows that races can be successful if the organisers can market them properly.

It's also a little unusual in that the high demand is usually for events like the 10-mile and the half-marathon. Maybe there should be more 10k races if the interest for this one is anything to go by?

1) Race notice HERE

Notice: Brickey 5k nr Dungarvan in Waterford - Sun 13th Nov 2022

This 5km race organised by West Waterford AC is coming up at the Brickey GAA grounds on Sunday the 13th of November 2022. For anyone familiar with the Dungarvan 10 course then the GAA grounds are near the 5 mile mark which is just to the west of the town.

From West Waterford AC... After a 2 year break the Murray's Pharmacy 5k is back for 2022 and what a course this is.  If  you're new to running and want to try the 5k distance for the first time or a seasoned runner who wants to check this progress this this route is for you.  

The race will have an 11am start and number pick up will be at the Brickey Rangers G.A.A. club (by kind permission) from 10am.

Murray's Pharmacy Brickey 5K - Sunday, November 13, 2022 - BRICKEY RANGERS GAA CLUB (X35 YP02)

You can enter online HERE which would help out (no extra charge). You can also enter on the day.

Notice: Adare 10k road race, Co. Limerick - Sun 26th Feb 2023

The annual Adare 10k road race is organised by West Limerick AC and is one of the most popular 10k races in Munster.

The next race is coming up on Sunday the 26th of February 2023 at 1pm. Note that this one sells out every year.

Update: 3rd Nov 2022 - 910 of the 1000 places are now gone.

Update: 29th Oct 2022 - 500 of the 1000 places are now gone.

Entries......You can enter HERE

Adare 10k entries opening soon...

The Adare 10k in Co Limerick is one of the most popular 10k races in Munster and sells out every year.

The 2023 edition is coming up on Sunday the 26th of February and online entries will open in the next few weeks.

If you're interested then be sure to check for the opening dates for online entries to avoid disappointment.

Notice: Glen of Aherlow Trail Half-Marathon - Sat 24th Sept 2022

This trail half-marathon is coming up on Saturday the 24th of September 2022 at 11am and it might be if interest to anyone looking for an event to enter. 

From a Cork point of view, this one is very easy to get to as it's just a case of going up the M8 as far as Mitchelstown and then heading for Galbally. It's shouldn't be more than an hours drive.

This 21.1km trail race is organised by the IMRA (Irish Mountain Running Association). Many of their races involve running up to the tops of mountains and back down again where as they one is more of an elevated trail run.

The route is shown below...

I've run this route before and it has some pretty spectacular views of the Galtees to the south and the Tipperary countryside to the north. Pretty much all of the course is elevated above the valley floor.

From what I remember, there is one section between 2.5 and 3.5 kms that is reasonably steep and might require people to walk. Other than that, the route undulates a bit and really isn't too demanding. It might be a different story if you're racing though! 

According to the event page, it has 300 metres of climbing and most of that will be in the first km and from 2.5 to 3.5kms.

The entry fee is €30 and an annual IMRA membership of €10 is required. 

Entries... See the event page HERE

If you want to try something different without jumping in at the deep end then I think most people should find this one interesting. 

There is also a dry fit top for all contestants.

50k... For the more hardy, there is also a 50km option starting at 8am which takes in a lot more of the trails. See HERE

View of the Galtees from the race route

Notice: IMRA Top of the Coom Trail Race - Sun 21st Aug 2022

This 11km trail race is coming up on the Cork-Kerry border to the SW of Macroom on Sunday the 21st of August 2022. Note the 11km distance and the 350m of ascent.

DESCRIPTION: Top Of Coom

COUNTY: Kerry

DATE: Sunday 21 August, 2022

TIME:12:00

CLIMB (M):350

DISTANCE (KM):11.00

RACE MARKING: Route fully marked - Route fully marked

ENTRY CLOSES: 2022-08-20 18:00:00

ENTRY COST: €7 for seniors, €5 for over 65s and under 18s

ROUTE DESCRIPTION: Nice fast course, Forrest trail, Bog road, and open Mountain.

GETTING THERE: Top of Coom Ireland's Highest Pub Coolnolhill, Kilgarvan, Co. Kerry, V93 EW90. From Cork, N22 through Macroom and Baile Mhuirne (Ballyvourney), turn left at the Mills Inn, take minor road through Cúil Aodha (Coolea), and continue uphill on this minor road as far as Top of Coom Pub. From Kerry, N22 from Killarney, turn right onto the R569 road to Kilgarvan and Kenmare, about 3km before Kilgarvan turn left over Morleys Bridge and continue uphill on this minor road as far as Top of Coom Pub.

ORGANISERS INSTRUCTIONS:TIME:12:00 (Adult race). 11:15 (Kids). 11.30 (Juniors). 

ENTRY DETAILS: Adults (16+) €7. Over 65s & juniors €5. Plus €10 one-off annual IMRA Membership fee. No cash payment accepted at race. Purchase race entry & membership online before race. Kids under 10 (accompanied) Free.

Entries & more info here... https://imra.ie/events/details/id/2234/

Notice: West Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon - Sat 3rd Sept 2022

The Eurofins West Waterford Greenway Half-Marathon is coming up this year on Saturday the 3rd of September 2022 at 9am. This scenic half will certainly sell out so I would advise anyone that is interested to enter asap.

ENTRIES: You can enter the half-marathon HERE

From West Waterford AC.... On 3th September 2022 at 9am West Waterford Athletic Club will host our now annual Greenway Half Marathon.

Limited to 750 entries and entry fee is €35 online at Eventmaster.ie

Entry fee inlcludes transport to the start line in Kilmacthomas and a dri fit tshirt !

Once again we are delighted to have local company Eurofins as our title sponsor for this unique event and we thank them for their commitment to this race and to our club. In conjunction with Waterford City and County Council this is a  13.1 mile race along the now famous old Waterford/Dungarvan Railway line.  

This fantastic amenity opened officially in 2017 and has already experienced visitors from all over the country and beyond. Users are amazed by this 47 km spectacular off-road cycling and walking trail along an old railway line between Waterford and Dungarvan.

As the map shows below, the half-marathon starts near Kilmacthomas and finishes in Dungarvan.

As it was an old railway line, the course is very slightly downhill overall and is certainly a LOT flatter than the average race on public roads.

Clonmel & Killarney Half-Marathons Sell Out

Just a quick post to say that the Clonmel Half-Marathon and the Killarney Half-Marathon have sold out.

Notice: Run Killarney Half-Marathon & 10k - Sat 6th Aug 2022

Update 27th July 2022: There are less than 100 places left now for the Run Killarney Half-Marathon and 10k. Entries close regardless on the 29th of July.

The Run Killarney Half-Marathon and 10k is on this year on Saturday the 6th of August 2022.

This is very popular event with runners taking in the spectacular Killarney National Park.

The event website is... https://runkillarney.com/

The event includes a dry fit top and a medal.

The Half-Marathon will start at 8am while the 10k will start at 9:30am.

Notice: Clogheen 5km road race, Tipperary - Thurs 28th July 2022

This 5 km road race in South Tipperary is coming up on Thursday, the 28th of July 2022. Located centrally to the towns of Mitchelstown, Cahir and Clonmel, this race should be of interest to a lot of runners.

Against the backdrop of the Knockmealdown  Mountains, it's a lovely spot for a race.

From Clonmel AC... "The superb Clogheen 5K Road Race is back on the 28th July 

This very popular event is back on the Athletics calendar and this year there is a specially designed T Shirt for all participants in the 5k Run."

Course Preview...Maps, directions and a preview of the course can be seen HERE 

Notice: Clerihan 5 mile road race, Tipperary - Fri 15th July 2022

The Clerihan 5 mile Road Race is coming up on Friday evening, the 15th of July 2022 at 7:30pm in South Tipperary. Organised in association with Clonmel AC, there is also an optional 5k.

Clerihan is located about 4 miles / 6kms to the north-west of Clonmel on the R688 road to Cashel...

Preview.......A full description with maps, photos and a preview of the course can be seen HERE