BALLYCOTTON ‘10’ UPDATE… (02/03/2016)
With just four days to go to Sunday next, what follows is a brief update on preparations.
At this stage, the vast majority of entrants should have received their race packs. For those that were not delivered due to insufficient addresses, people are asked to report to the Community Hall on Sunday (10am onwards) for a new number. Most of the information you require is contained in the FAQs in the race programme and any new updates will be published here on Friday/Saturday.
To remind people once again, on no account can numbers be transferred. This year, name and category is printed on the number and you are also asked to fill in your details on the back. In the case of an emergency, it can have dire consequences if a person is wearing someone else’s number. All iPods, headphones, etc are banned for safety reasons which this year take on an even greater urgency due to the condition of the roads (see below). As in all our promotions, no buggys, dogs or bicycles are allowed at any stage on the course as up to 3,000 people will be taking up the full width of the road.
It goes with saying that the past three or four months have seen unprecedented weather conditions with rain an almost daily occurrence. On Friday night last, conditions in the east Cork were probably the worst experienced all winter and if the race had been scheduled for last Sunday, it all probability it wouldn’t have gone ahead. In our 38 years organising the race, this is unquestionably our hardest yet, all due to circumstances outside our control.
While we all hope and pray for a fine day next Sunday, that alone won’t be enough. Over the next few days, the conditions of the fields used for parking will determine a lot. As well, the approach roads to Ballycotton are in a particularly bad state – especially the route from Cloyne to Churchtown South to Ballycotton which will bear the brunt of the traffic. Last year, our main car park accommodated over 1,000 cars and at this stage we aren’t sure if this can be used. So we ask people if at all possible to car pool to cut down the number of vehicles and also to allow extra time in getting to Ballycotton.
We have contacted Cork County Council in relation to the road conditions and hopefully they will be able to fill in some of the many potholes in the area, although we understand the pressure the road maintenance staff is under. If any of you have influence in this regard, maybe highlighting the situation on Facebook pages, etc might be of benefit.
We will have an update and last minute instructions on this website before Sunday and once again we ask for your co-operation and patience as we try and deal with the above problems on a daily (and hourly) basis.
Ballycotton Running Promotions
Midleton AC asks its members to please not engage in transferring your number to anyone else and also that no member use someone else's number. You will only disgrace your club doing so as it can lead to serious complications. Danny.
