Road running and walking series
Friday 23 April 2010
Ballyhoura ACTIVE Summer Series starts next week!
Road running and Walking series always a great social occasion
The Ballyhoura road race and walks series in its previous incarnations always had a good reputation across the Munster region, not just for the quality of the races run in the scenic Ballyhoura countryside, but also for the great social atmosphere which was present after the race when people would tuck into the tea and sandwiches at the local hall. While the format of the road race series is changed this year, going from a 5mile series to a series with the full range of distances from 5km to 10km, it is hoped that the same general friendly social atmosphere will continue!
New Format
The new format of the series means that individual clubs across the Ballyhoura region will take responsibility for the organisation of individual races and walks within the series with Ballyhoura Failte co-ordinating the series as a whole. The traditional start to the series was always at the start of the Ballyhoura Walking Festival and we will be continuing this tradition with the first event to be held on the Friday night before the long weekend of walks on April 30th. Entries open at the gate to Doneraile Park from 6pm to 7:00p.m and the cost of entry is just 5 Euro.
The New Running Boom
There has been a large upsurge over the past couple of years in the number of these kinds of events. Some road races in the Cork city region have seen their participant numbers go from 200 to 700 people and that is just for short to middle distance road races from 5km to 10 miles. There has also been a massive upsurge in the number of road race events at all distances, the most impressive figure being that next year alone there is expected to be 20 marathon events held throughout the country. This is generally being referred to as a new “Running Boom”. While the Doneraile event will not quiet have the same numbers, the atmosphere in the beautiful surroundings of Doneraile Park is sure to rival the biggest of races in the region.
If you want to be part of this new running boom or be just part of the atmosphere by walking the distance, then the following are a list of the events to be held over the coming weeks with more to be confirmed.
- Friday April 30th- Doneraile Park Trails 5km– Mallow A.C.
- Sunday May 16th- Kilfinane Ladies 2 & Mens 4 mile with Limerick Co. Road Race – Kilfinane A.C.
- Friday June 4th - Doneraile Park Trails 5km– Mallow A.C.
- Friday June 18th- Bilboa 10k Tenth Anniversary Road race– Bilboa A.C.
Other races to follow in Charleville, Liscarroll, Mitchelstown and Kilteely over July and August.
The Doneraile 5km trail race is a nice easy distance for anybody new to the scene who wants to give it a go and see what its all about. More indepth information will be provided next week on the first race of the series and in the Mallow notes. Also Mallow AC will have information on their website www.mallowac.ie
Please contact Michael Herlihy, Ballyhoura Outdoor Recreation Officer for further information on mherlihy@ballyhoura.org or on 086 3168954