SHANAGARRY 5 MILE ROAD RACE - THIS EVENING
ARRIVE EARLY
Athletics – John Cashman
All roads lead to Shanagarry on this Thursday evening where an entry in the region of 500 runners is expected for race 2 in the Ballycotton Running Promotions Summer ‘5’ Mile Series.
The traditional mid summer date offers competitors a chance to gauge their form at a time when the running calendar is packed with races at various corners of the county. Many ‘regulars’ see the Ballycotton Series as the ultimate target for the season and throughout the field there is plenty of competition guaranteed in the various age categories in both mens and ladies.
Last month saw Roy Fahy of East Cork AC lead home the massed ranks in the series opening fixture at Ballyandreen where the former Cork City Marathon winner recorded a time of 26:53 leaving him 31 seconds clear of second placed John Meade of St Finbarr’s AC with Liam Slattery of Mallow AC running a fine race to finish third in 28:42. A notable feature was the performance of leading lady Claire McCarthy of St Finbarr’s AC who clocked 29;02 to finish in eight place.
The perception amongst many leaving the scenic coastal venue in late May was that the toughest of the 4 races was now behind them, however closer examination indicates that this may not be the case. Although famous for it’s very steep hill after the 3 mile mark, Ballyandreen also offers a considerable amount of down hill running. In fact, Thursday’s imminent fixture in Shanagarry which features a steady climb from Garryvoe after mile 1 has according to the statistics proved to be more difficult.
The last three winners of the Ballyandreen ‘5’ also won the Shanagarry ‘5’ four weeks later and all three recorded a slower winning time on a Shanagarry course that also contains a demanding uphill challenge late on.
In 2008 Ravis Zakis clocked 26:15 in Ballyandreen, but added 7 seconds to this time in Shanagarry. A year on Sean McGrath stopped the watch at 26:08 in Ballyandreen but it took him 21 seconds more to complete the course in Shanagarry. Last year James McCarthy broke the Ballyandreen tape in 25:16, - 12 seconds faster than in race 2 in Shanagarry.
Additional credence to the theory is given when one checks the finishing times further back the field. The target times of sub 30 minutes and sub 35 minutes were also reached by a greater number of runners in Ballyandreen than in Shanagarry.
So the warning signs are there for those expecting to automatically to move on an upward spiral after waving goodbye to Ballyandreen hills. Consequently those who beat their Ballyandreen time can leave Shanagarry this week content in the knowledge that their form is on an upward curve.
Thursday’s race begins at 8pm from Shanagarry village and will take the runners in the direction of Garryvoe before facing the aforementioned steady climb which eventually leads to a left hand. This sees the commencement of a stretch of scenic countryside offering picturesque views of Ballycotton in the distance. The concluding mile includes an ‘up and down’ section which takes the runners past the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School before the concluding their journey back in Shanagarry village.
Race headquarters is located at Russell Rovers GAA pitch, where the organising committee will be at the ready to take entries from 6pm onwards. With 580 runners taking to the road in Glanmire last week, indications suggest that the entry desks will be extremely busy – thus a timely reminder to ‘arrive early’ has been issued by Ballycotton Running Promotions. Participants are also asked to follow the advise of the stewards in relation to parking.
Twenty fours later on Friday evening, the road action moves to west to the Courtmacsherry 10K race. With the third Cork County Board graded track and field fixture of the season going ahead on this Wednesday at CIT and Tracton Athletic Club hosting their sports day on Sunday next there is wide variety of events to chose from on the local athletics diary.
Athletics – John Cashman
All roads lead to Shanagarry on this Thursday evening where an entry in the region of 500 runners is expected for race 2 in the Ballycotton Running Promotions Summer ‘5’ Mile Series.
The traditional mid summer date offers competitors a chance to gauge their form at a time when the running calendar is packed with races at various corners of the county. Many ‘regulars’ see the Ballycotton Series as the ultimate target for the season and throughout the field there is plenty of competition guaranteed in the various age categories in both mens and ladies.
Last month saw Roy Fahy of East Cork AC lead home the massed ranks in the series opening fixture at Ballyandreen where the former Cork City Marathon winner recorded a time of 26:53 leaving him 31 seconds clear of second placed John Meade of St Finbarr’s AC with Liam Slattery of Mallow AC running a fine race to finish third in 28:42. A notable feature was the performance of leading lady Claire McCarthy of St Finbarr’s AC who clocked 29;02 to finish in eight place.
The perception amongst many leaving the scenic coastal venue in late May was that the toughest of the 4 races was now behind them, however closer examination indicates that this may not be the case. Although famous for it’s very steep hill after the 3 mile mark, Ballyandreen also offers a considerable amount of down hill running. In fact, Thursday’s imminent fixture in Shanagarry which features a steady climb from Garryvoe after mile 1 has according to the statistics proved to be more difficult.
The last three winners of the Ballyandreen ‘5’ also won the Shanagarry ‘5’ four weeks later and all three recorded a slower winning time on a Shanagarry course that also contains a demanding uphill challenge late on.
In 2008 Ravis Zakis clocked 26:15 in Ballyandreen, but added 7 seconds to this time in Shanagarry. A year on Sean McGrath stopped the watch at 26:08 in Ballyandreen but it took him 21 seconds more to complete the course in Shanagarry. Last year James McCarthy broke the Ballyandreen tape in 25:16, - 12 seconds faster than in race 2 in Shanagarry.
Additional credence to the theory is given when one checks the finishing times further back the field. The target times of sub 30 minutes and sub 35 minutes were also reached by a greater number of runners in Ballyandreen than in Shanagarry.
So the warning signs are there for those expecting to automatically to move on an upward spiral after waving goodbye to Ballyandreen hills. Consequently those who beat their Ballyandreen time can leave Shanagarry this week content in the knowledge that their form is on an upward curve.
Thursday’s race begins at 8pm from Shanagarry village and will take the runners in the direction of Garryvoe before facing the aforementioned steady climb which eventually leads to a left hand. This sees the commencement of a stretch of scenic countryside offering picturesque views of Ballycotton in the distance. The concluding mile includes an ‘up and down’ section which takes the runners past the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School before the concluding their journey back in Shanagarry village.
Race headquarters is located at Russell Rovers GAA pitch, where the organising committee will be at the ready to take entries from 6pm onwards. With 580 runners taking to the road in Glanmire last week, indications suggest that the entry desks will be extremely busy – thus a timely reminder to ‘arrive early’ has been issued by Ballycotton Running Promotions. Participants are also asked to follow the advise of the stewards in relation to parking.
Twenty fours later on Friday evening, the road action moves to west to the Courtmacsherry 10K race. With the third Cork County Board graded track and field fixture of the season going ahead on this Wednesday at CIT and Tracton Athletic Club hosting their sports day on Sunday next there is wide variety of events to chose from on the local athletics diary.
