Midleton AC
Senior Section News
As we reach mid July, there are a host of races on the diary over the next few weeks. A feature of this period is that three new events will be held before the end of the month with Youghal, Ballinrostig and Carrigtwohill all hosting new fixtures in an exciting ten day period.
Donoughmore ‘7’
Before all of that it’s destination Donoughmore next Friday July 16th for the famous 7 miler organised by the energetic local athletic club. It’s been part and parcel of the summer fixture list for many years and although the task ahead is not the easiest the challenge of the race makes it a must for many local runners.
I’m going to take the liberty of dropping into John Desmond’s excellent Cork Running blog for the best advice as to how to get to the venue and the course summary. Have a read of the brief summary below and consider car pooling for this race. Check around and see who is making the journey from our club.

Directions...Donoughmore is about 15 miles NW of Cork City. If you are coming out the Ballincollig bypass or the Carrigrohane straight, look for directions for Nad / Banteer / Kanturk. If you follow the signposts, you should end up on the R579 road. Stay on this road for about 10 miles and keep a lookout for the turn off right to Donoughmore. The village is about 2 miles off the R579 road.
Course....First of all, it is a tough enough course. Plenty of hill,s but nothing too serious. Some people may find 7 miles to be a bit long but it is only three quarters of a mile beyond the 10 km distance so it's not so bad. The race is on quiet country roads and if you get a nice sunny Summers evening, there are nice views of the Boggeragh Mountains nearby.

Youghal 4 Miler
Next on the list is the first of the three new races which takes place on Sunday July 18th in Youghal. It’s a fund raiser in aid of Marymount Hospice and Martin Drake and his team have put a huge effort into organising this fixture which will begin at 2pm from Farrell’s Summerfield. Entry fee is 10 euro - there is the promise of loads of prizes on offer. You can enter from 12 noon onwards at Farrell’s Bar and this will also be the venue for post race refreshments. The finish line is at the same point as the recent Emer Casey 10K on the front Strand.

Churchtown South
After Sunday all roads will lead to Churchtown South for race 3 in the Ballycotton Summer Series on Thursday 22nd - at present 256 men and 91 women have completed the opening 2 races. Michelle Nolan heads our ladies contingent in a superb 3rd place overall with Sally Drennan currently lying in 12th. The top 15 women overall will be awarded the special commemorative tee shirts. Currently three more of our leading ladies Marion Aherne, Breda Cahill and Caroline Geary are just outside the top 15.

In the men’s Noel O’Regan leads the way in what is also a very competitive chase for the top 50 tee shirts. Noel is currently 19th with star junior athlete David Murphy in 37th, followed by Donal Broderick in 43rd and Mickey O’Connell 45th. Neilus Aherne is lurking just outside the top 50 (and ready to pounce). Starting time in Churchtown South is 8pm.

Ballinrostig 4 Miler

Then on Sunday July 25th, it’s off to Ballinrostig where there is a 12 noon start for the inaugural 4 mile race which is being held in conjunction with the Vintage Festival Day. Local business man Michael Murphy has put in a lot of work in organising the event with the help of members of the Ballycotton Running Promotions team. There is fast start and fast finish to the route with a testing climb after mile 1.

Carrigtwohill 5K

On the following Wednesday (July 28th) the new Carrigtwohill 5K will be held over a 2 lap course close to Barryscourt Castle. Again it appears as if a great effort has been put in organising this race with some of our club members very much involved. In fact Paul Kierans has kindly invited us to enjoy a sneak preview of the course in advance of the big night. So, make a date on Tuesday July 20 at Barryscourt Castle. Paul’s advice is
“From Midleton take 1st exit for Carrigtwohill, take first road left at roundabout and then next right you arrive at entrance to Castle. Any queries please call me @ 086-8208799”.

Remember the race itself has an 8pm start on Wednesday July 28th.

Kinsale Regatta's 5 Miler
The organisers of the Kinsale Regatta 5 Mile Race have issued the following details regarding their event which takes place just 2 days later. Start time is 8pm – Entry fee is 10 euro with 5 euro from each entry being donated to Marymount Hospice. Entries will be taken at Kinsale GAA Grounds, where the race will also start. The finish will be in the town centre next to the Bank of Ireland branch.

So overall a hectic few weeks of races on the horizon and even allowing for the summer holidays there is the chance to catch a race somewhere relatively local.

August will also be busy with the Novartis 5K an early engagement on the Wednesday following Kinsale on Wednesday 7th and another BHAA fixture the Army/Navy 5 miler going ahead on the following Wednesday. We will have much more about the August fixture list in our next despatch. Incidentally word has that a new race is on the horizon in Cloyne in early September – watch this space!

Race Reviews

Firstly we go to Macroom and the arrival of close on 700 runners to the mid Cork town for the Daniel Kingston Memorial 5K Race. Our club was well represented in this new fixture and we had many runners who recorded impressive times including Kevin Smith, Marc Dalton, John O’Connell, Brian Nolan, Ned Ramsell, Pater Gunning, John Carey, Fergal O’Meara and Yvonne Cashman.
Donal Broderick chalked up a superb18:06 to win the Over 40’s whilst Sally Drennan and Helen Geary were both in the Over 40’s honours list finishing second and third respectively. The Midleton UDC team regular prize winners were again on the podium taking the second prize in Grade A. Overall an enjoyable night was had by all, even if the course was more testing than anticipated.

Twenty four hours later Marie Murphy was in the prizes as she kept the club flag flying with a fine performance in the Ballinscarthy 10K race. Well done Marie!

Hectic Week

Three races in 3 days gave our club members plenty of choice last week with Ovens, Whitegate and Dungarvan all welcoming Midleton runners.

EMC 5K

A big contingent from our club travelled to the BHAA fixture in Ovens where the entry was somewhat smaller than anticipated. Our crew certainly made their mark with Kevin Smith producing the performance of the night when coming home as the 3rd registered runner and in process setting a new pb of 17:32 (5:39 mile pace). Kevin was followed home in 7th overall (4th place registered runner) by Noel O’Regan with an excellent time of 17:48, whilst club mate Donal Broderick, currently in splendid from won the 2nd prize in the Over 40 category after an 18:09 finish. Marc Dalton and Mickey O’Connell two more runners in a rich vein of form were next home both inside the 19 minute barrier. Edmond O’Sullivan is also in top form presently and his efforts were again rewarded with a 3rd placed finish in the Over 45’s.

Michelle Nolan continues to shine in the ladies events and in Ovens her impressive finishing time of 19:06 secured a splendid 2nd place overall in the ladies race. A further boost as she sets her sights on cementing her high standing in the Ballycotton Series.

Meantime the team prizes created some debate and interest, followed by a lot of a “ball hopping” on the return journey. Suffice to say we congratulate those who received their prizes for their outstanding performances on the night! (The transfer window is open again and a lot deals could be brewing)

Corkbeg 5 Miler

A damp Thursday evening did not deter a record entry from heading to Whitegate for the annual Corkbeg ‘5’ just 24 hours after the Ovens race. For the second night in succession Kevin Smith stole the show with another personal best performance of 28:52. Amongst our other impressive performers were John O’Connell (32:15) newcomer Karol Watson (32:47) and Billy O’Sullivan (32:56). Vincent O’Neill, Danny McCarthy, John O’Halloran (3rd Over 55), Donie O’Connell (3rd Over 60) Marie McGrath, Mary O’Keeffe (3rd Over 40), Barbara O’Connor and Mary Keane all enjoyed steady runs whilst Shirley Garde was amongst our crew to record a coveted personal best time for the distance. - A special word of congratulations to Sally Drennan and Joan McCarthy who were both category winners. Our ladies teams were also placed 1st and 3rd overall.

Dungarvan

Across the county bounds in the Deise county, Friday’s Dungarvan ‘5’ Mile Race saw the host club West Waterford dominate the entry list. However our travelling part of 5 returned with positive memories after chalking up eye catching times.

Donal Broderick reached a season land mark when breaking the 30 minute mark, finishing in 29:50, whilst Marc Dalton continued his upward spiral by clocking 31:02. Brian Nolan fresh his cycling exploits around the ring Of Kerry continues to make impressive progress without the bike as his 34:09 time suggests. Elsewhere John Carey is also eating up the seconds after recording 36:41 whilst Marie Murphy followed her fine run of a week earlier by recording 38:54.


Bus To Ardmore
Incidentally the final race in the West Waterford Summer Series is listed for Ardmore (5Miles). The Social Committee are exploring the option of running a bus to the venue- if you wish to be part of that adventure, please contact Kevin Smith or any member of the committee.

Midleton Open Sports
Nearer at hand our colleagues in the Midleton Juvenile Club are hosting their annual Open Sports on Sunday next July 18th. Help is needed with stewarding for the big day. Kevin Smith or Joan Hough are the contacts if you can lend a hand from approx 1pm to 4pm at the CBS Grounds.

Lanzarote Bound
The organisers of the club trip to Lanzarote are hoping to conclude arrangements in the near future. Currently approx 25 have confirmed that they are travelling – if you wish to join them please contact Marc Dalton or Edmond O’Sullivan.

Membership
A subtle reminder that any membership fees outstanding should be paid by this week to registrar Danny McCarthy. The club will be registering new arrivals or returning colleagues within the next few days.
Remember it is compulsory to be a fully paid up member of the club if you wish to compete or train under the name of Midleton AC.
Please do NOT enter a race in the name of Midleton AC if you are NOT a registered member
as this makes a big difference in team placings and can be very embarrassing for the club having to hand back prizes .
Training
- Training as usual on Monday from 6pm at Midleton CBS and on Tuesday meet at Community Centre – 7pm. A heart monitor was found in the CBS Grounds after a recent training session – please contact me back on e mail if it is yours.
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Sympathy

Finally, this week on a sad note, the sympathy of the entire club is extended to our friend and colleague Kevin Cooney on the recent passing of his wife Mary, a former member of our club. May she rest in peace.
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