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Ballycotton Summer Series 1987 - Final Overall Positions

Ballycotton 5 Mile Summer Series 1987

These events were run under Athletics Ireland permits/licences

Organised and hosted by Ballycotton Running Promotions

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Results of Athletics Ireland Registered Events - April 2014 - May 2016 (on Old Cork Athletics website)

Results of Athletics Ireland Registered Events - May 2016 to date

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The NIKE / CMP Ballycotton Summer Series Series 1987

The 1987 Ballycotton 5 Mile Summer Series saw the introduction of the famous and coveted Ballycotton 5 Top-50 'Brag Shirts'. The series was sponsored by NIKE and CMP Dairies. At the time, NIKE were a major sponsor of races and events.

The NIKE was growing at the time, with quite a bit of competition. Sadly, for race organisers, NIKE have grown so big that the company no longer sees the need to advertise by way of race/event sponsorship, except, perhaps, at the very highest level. The other sponsor, CMP Dairies, may not be familiar, as a race sponsor, to most people these days, but it was in a very competitive marketing duel with Dawn Dairies, based in White's Cross. Dawn were big sponsors of Basketball in Cork. Another distinctive aspect of the CMP sponsorship was the highly visible CMP milk floats, providing milk and yoghurt, after the finish line, at each of the series events.

CMP's connection with the race was through it's Managing Director, Derry O'Driscoll, a member of St. Finbarr's AC, Derry was a leading Masters (or Vets - Veterans, as the category was refererred to then) athlete at the time, regularly churning out 2:30 marathons, like a metronome, at a steady 5:45 miling. Derry features in 25th position, in the 1987 Ballyandreen 5, running 27:01, in the M45 category.


While the provision of commemorative t-shirts for race finishers was not unheard of at the time, the "Top 50" t-shirt, for the Ballycotton Summer Series was innovative, and, no doubt, helped raise both interest and participant standards.

While the Top 50 shirts are renowned, however, in 1987, there were three groups: Top 40 Men, Top 10 Vets (Masters to you and me, these days!), and Top 15 Women. A few years later, the Top 40 Men and Top 15 Vets categories were amalgamated to become the Top 50, as remained, until the final series in 2017.

1987 Top 40 Mens T-Shirt (Front)	1987 Top 40 Mens T-Shirt (Back)

The 1987 Ballycotton 5 Mile Summer Series - A Personal Perspective

Before the 1987 Series, I had only run in one of the Series races, since taking up competitive running, in 1984. That was Churchtown South, in 1986.

The Ballycotton Summer Series had always carried a 'Prestige' reputation, given the high standards at the front of the races. However the t-shirt at stage added increased interest, and gave club runners, like myself, something extra to aim at.

Thirty three years later, I have few memories from that year's series, except for the first tace and the jockeying for position in the overall standings, particularly in the third race, and especially so in the final race.

Ballyandreen

Three runners, Liam O'Brien, Brian Meade and Tony O'Leary, broke the 25 minute barrier.  As usual, Liam won - at that stage, NOBODY else had ever won the Ballyandreen 5. Afaicr, Liam won Ballyandreen 15 consecutive times.

I learnt a valuable lesson in that race. I was targeting a sub-30 minutes finish, and all was going smoothly, until 400m to go. Going down the short, sharp, drop, by Hartnett's house, my car keys 'went flying' from my pocket [Lesson: DON'T run with keys in your pocket! Doh!!]. Rather than risk being unable to find them after the race - it's a long walk back to Cork! - I stopped and scoured the undergrowth until I found them. The incident cost me approx. valuable 50 seconds. I've never run with keys in my pocket since that day.  I ended with a time of 30:49, in 81st place. After stripping out the first 10 Vets and the two Women who finished ahead of me, I was in 69th place after race 1 - 29 places off the t-shirts.

Shanagarry

Tony O'Leary, Leevale AC, won in 24:44, with East Cork's Brian Meade second in 24:59. Mary Sweeney, in the Youghal AC colours, won the women's race, in 29:22. In my own case, the 30 minute barrier was broken, by the tinyiest margin - 29:59, for 57th place.

Churchtown South

Churchtown South saw 5 athletes go sub-25 minutes: Liam O'Brien, Brian Meade, Ricky Burke, Pat Heffernan and Seamus Hartnett, while Eileen Prunty won the women's event, on 28:22, and was the onlu woman to break 30. I dropped to 70th place 30:08 in Churchtown South.

 
Ballycotton

Dungarvan AC's Tony Ryan took the honours, winning in 24:21. He was followed by 5 others, who also went sub-25; Pat Beausang (St Finbarr's AC), Leonard O'Regan (Leevale AC), Ricky Burke (St Finbarr's AC), Eamonn McEvoy (St Finbarr's AC) and C O'Connor (Bandon AC). Mary Sweeney (Youghal AC) again took the women's honours, in 29:47. I had my best run of the series, 29:24, but dropped back to 77th place - I was down to 'squeaky bum time', to quote former a Man U manager, waiting to see if I might squeeze into the Top 40 men, and merit one of the coveted t-shirts.

You'll probably recall the animated 'buzz' that always enveloped the school hall in Ballycotton, after the final series race.  The chat with friends, colleaguesand rivals, while waiting for the results to be posted on the wall. "How did you get on?" "Well done", and the like, with tales of joy and woe exchanged....and "Did you make it...?", referring to the t-shirt stakes.  The "GC", referring to the Tour de France standings, were a source of much discussion throughout the summer months, and, indeed, right into September, after the dust had settled on the Summer Series.

Then the results would be posted on the wall, beside the 'tea hatch', with everyone on top of each other, (no social distance issues then!) milling around, trying to see their official time, where they finished, who was ahead and/or behind, how others had done. For those chasing GC positions, there were 'seat of the pants' calculations on position: Who was on the list after three races, but hadn't run tonight?, along with working out position changes for peers and competitors.

After all the prizes were presented - and there were many, with prizes for the Ballycotton 5 itself, and the Overall Series prizes.  Then came the t-shirts, with each recipient being called up, to much acclaim, in order of the listing after the third race - this was done simply to make life easier for the organisers - however the last few were called in order of overall series finish time...the questions in my mind were... Had I miscalculated the times? Did I miss someone ahead of me? 

I don't remember whether it was John Walshe or Tommy Hartnett who was calling the names, but the 40th, and final, men's name was called ... "John Quigley, 2:00:30"  I still have, and covet, all my Ballycotton Summer Series t-shirts, a reminder of past 'glory' (it was, for me...LOL) and of the wonderful memories.

Thanks to all the Ballycotton 10 Mile and Series organisers, and associates, for everything you did over the 40 years!  You made an positive and important contribution to athletics in Cork, and Ireland, and, perhaps, more importantly, brought joy and happiness to many, many people. Take a bow.

...and can we have an encore...??? March would be nice!


...And....on the drive home afterwards, John O'Leary would remark.... "It won't be long until we're back here again...sure it's only six months 'till March!"

Happy Days!!

Where are they now?

Series winner, Pat Beausang, St. Finbarr's AC, emigrated to Scotland where he practiced medicine. He became a noted Triathlete there. Sadly, he was diagnosed with leukaemia, and after a short illness, passed away in August 2009.

Denis McCarthy, in 3rd place, is still a regular at most races in Cork

Seamus Hartnett, East Cork AC, 4th, was involved in the Ballycotton events, until they finished.

Gerry Cantwell, Dungarvan AC, 6th, is still heavily involved with West Waterford AC (formed from a number of local clubs, including Dungarvan AC), and is an Athletics Ireland National Grade measurer.

Tommy Hartnett, East Cork AC, 10th, still races from time to time, and is heavily involved in the Cloyne 5k, and the Cloyne Commons 4k series.

Tommy Ryan, Eagle AC, 19th, died tragically several years later, and is remembered in the Eagle AC Tommy Ryan Memorial Carrigaline 5, each february.

John Walshe, East Cork AC, 21st. What can one say about this modest man who has contributed in so many way to athletics, and society in general.  His contribution has been absolutely immense.

Donie Shine, Fermoy & District Harriers, 23rd, is one of the driving forces behind Duhallow AC, and its associated races, including the Duhallow 10 and the Newmarket 5k Classic.

Tom (Brian), O'Flynn, Leevale AC, 26th is another no longer with us. Brian died in the past few years, following a long battle with Cancer

Joe Murphy, Eagle AC, 27th, is another regularly seen at races. Along with his wife Anne, is a prolific photographer at road races.

The evergreen John O'Leary, Leevale AC, 33rd, now in his 80's, still competes, with many half, even quarter, his age trailing in his wake.

Another evergreen Leevale man is Batt Kearney, 34th, who seems to go in every race going!

Jim McMurtry, East Cork AC, in 35th place, is another still regularly seen at races.

36th was Willie Cronin, East Cork AC. Willie had emigrated to USA many years ago, and was 9 times winner of the 'Bay to Breakers' race in San Francisco. Willie passed away several years ago.

Eric Meade, East Cork AC, 38th, is another man still competing at a relatively high level.

Mary Sweeney, Youghal AC, 39th, is still a noted and respected runner, regularly featuring in the prizes.

John Quigley, Leevale AC, 41st, is author of this piece, still competes, and is Webmaster with Cork Athletics County Board. He is also a World Athletics (formerly IAAF) / AIMS International Grade A Measurer.

Dick O'Brien, St. Nicholas AC, 43rd, is still onvolved with his club. He is also the composer of the Ballycotton 10 song.

Liam Doherty, Eagle AC, 45th, now coaches with St. Finbarr's AC

Willie O'Mahony, Youghal AC, 58th, has been an officer with East Cork Athletics Division, for many years

Brid Murphy, Leevale AC, 64th, went on to win the Athletics Ireland National Marathon Championship three times: 1992, 1993 and 1996

Tom Houlihan, Midleton AC, 72nd, is still involved with the club

Dick Barry, Cobh, 87th, is another who succumbed to Cancer, several years ago, as did Mary Cooney, Midleton AC, 94th.

Kathleen O'Brien, Ballynoe, 96th, now runs with St. Catherine's AC and has represented Ireland, at Masters leve, many times

 
With respects to those whom, undoubtably, I've overlooked, and remembering the many runners from 1987 who are no longer with us.

1987 Race Series Results

Ballyandreen 5 - Thursday May 27th 1987

Shanagarry 5 - Thursday June 25th 1987

Churchtown South 5 - Thursday July 23rd 1987

Ballycotton 5 - Thursday August 27th 1987

Ballycotton Summer Series 1987 - Overall Final Positions

Images - Official Final Overall Standings

Overall Final Positions 1987 - Page 1

Overall Final Positions 1987 - Page 2

Pioneering Women of Cross-Country - Guest Article by John Walshe

52 YEARS AGO - Cork's Women's Team Win All Ireland XC Title

"The Flying Rices"

This article, by John Walshe, appeared in The Echo, on Friday April 10th 2020

PIONEERING WOMEN OF CROSS-COUNTRY

Over the past three decades this country has more than held its own on the world athletics stage, in producing medallists at the highest level, of course most notably our own Sonia O’Sullivan, who graced the world scene for so many years.

Half a century ago, it was a totally different world, as was recalled at the recent Cork Athletics Board International Awards Night, which took place at the Kingsley Hotel. Over the past number of years, through the efforts of Ballinascarthy-man Liam Fleming, a Cork men’s team of the past have received awards, but on this occasion a historic occasion for women also received due recognition.

Cork's All-Ireland Winning XC Team of 1968

“These athletes shouldn’t be forgotten, as they were the first winners of a women’s All-Ireland, and were indeed pioneers of the sport,” said Liam, a man who has written a number of books on past champions.

That NACAI All-Ireland cross-country championship of 1968 took place at Dromoland, in Clare, at the end of March. Not alone did Cork easily win the first-ever women’s title, they also provided the first two finishers, with Imelda Rice taking the title ahead of her sister Angela, with a third sister, Teresa, also a member of the team.

They were known as the ‘Flying Rices’, from Tracton Athletic Club, and, for all three, it was an emotional reunion to meet up and swap stories with their team-mates, Ann Leahy and Mary O’Donoghue, in recalling that famous victory of over 50 years ago. The sixth member of the team, Sheila Leahy, has sadly passed away, but was represented on the night.

Teresa (now Walsh), who lives near Ballinhassig, recalled how it all began: “We were originally from Araglen, near Fermoy, and my father and mother, who had six in the family, then moved to Belgooly, where they farmed. My father wasn’t well and died at the age of 63, however my mother was a tower of strength but we had to work hard.

“I was the third in the family, and my father had sport in his DNA – he believed it was very important his children were involved, and it certainly set all three of us up for life.

“We went to school in Belgooly, and, subsequently, to the Convent of Mercy in Kinsale. I suppose we started with the school sports, and then the late Tom Brady, from Tracton Athletic Club, got us involved. When we started competing, for the first seven or eight races, there was no separating the three of us - it was first, second and third all the way. That’s how we got the name ‘The Flying Rices’.

“We got good home support and travelled to such places as Wicklow, Galway, Tipperary and Dublin – all over the country. We used to go in Vincent Kiely’s bus, and sometimes four of five or us would pile into the back of Tom Brady’s car.”

Facilities and gear were non-existent, Teresa recalls. “We had no proper shoes, only rubber dollies for running on the road and around the fields at home, over ditches, streams and everything. We were also warned to make sure, if we were wearing shorts, to wear long shorts!”

Local Sunday sports meetings on grass, which included cycling, were hugely popular at the time, and Teresa has also the distinction of winning the first-ever Cork County cycle championship on the track. “We used to do all the sports, sometimes, instead of medals, they’d give you sets of ware, knife sets, clocks and the like as prizes.”

Between them, the three Rice sisters won a total of 20 All-Ireland medals, including 12 gold. Uniquely, all three also ended up as nurses. “Our involvement with athletics was brief and short, as I went to Crumlin in 1969, before I came back to the North Infirmary, and when that closed down, I ended up at St Finbarr’s. Imelda was a public health nurse, while Agnes worked in the South Infirmary,” says Teresa.  

“We were delighted to be honoured, because we had put a lot of work into it. When we see all the women taking part today, it’s absolutely phenomenal what improvements have come, and it’s well justified,” concludes the woman, who along with her Cork cross-country colleagues, played a pivotal role in the recognition of female participation in sport all of a half-century ago.

Related Articles, Photos & Videos

International Awards Night 2020

Cork's 1968 Women's National Cross-Country Chamionship Winning Team - 22 Photos

Video - Presentations to Members of Cork's Winning Men's and Women's National Cross-Country Championship Team, 1968

Other Guest Articles by John Walshe

Grange International Cross-Country of 1980 Recalled 40 Years On - Guest Article by John Walshe

Youghal AC's London Emer Casey 10k Exploits

30 Years Ago - Liam O'Brien Wins Cork County Senior Cross-Country Championship

50 Years Ago - When John Buckley Beat The Olympic Champion

40 Years Ago - Jerry Murphy Wins Munster Marathon Championship

Aoife Cooke Runs 55:17 in Mallow 10 2019

Munster Cross-Country of 1989

Steeplechase Legends Meet at Antrim International

Aidan Hogan - Ultra-Athlete

RUNNING FOR BETTER

Cork to Cobh 40 Years Ago

Unique National Double for McGraths

Dick Hooper Speaks at St Finbarrs AC Function

John Hartnett’s 1970 win in International Cross-Country Championship in Vichy

JOHN HARTNETT’S VICTORY OF 50 YEARS AGO

This article, by John Walshe, appeared in The Echo, on Saturday April 4th 2020

L to R: Mike Keogh, John Hartnett, Donie Walsh

2nd row L to R: Greg Fredericks, Bob Wheeler, on Hartnett’s right shoulder, and Marty Liquori

Fifty years ago, on the day after Dana had won the hearts of a nation, when winning the Eurovision with her ‘All Kinds of Everything’, there was another historic Irish victory, this time achieved on the fields of Vichy in France.

There, at the International Cross-Country Championship, Corkman John Hartnett became the first Irish athlete since Tim Smythe, 39 years before, to win a major international title over the country.

Medals - 1970 International Cross-Country Championship

First 25 Results - 1970 International Cross-Country Championship

While Smythe’s finest hour came at Baldoyle Racecourse, as a senior, Hartnett fulfilled the tremendous promise he had shown the year before, in Scotland, where he had finished fourth junior, when taking gold in the same grade.      

John Hartnett hailed from Gurteen, near Ballyhooly. At the age of 14, he joined Kildinan AC, and had his first success, at U16 level, when winning the Cork cross-country championship, at Bandon. When Kildinan disbanded, he joined the nearby Grange club, with whom he won the Cork and Munster U18 titles in 1968, along with finishing fourth at the Irish championship, at Mallow Racecourse.    

The following year of 1969, two Irish championships, at both junior and intermediate level, came his way, culminating in the brilliant fourth-place at Clydebank, where he led the Irish team to the silver medals, in a race won by future world record holder Dave Bedford.

But that winter - after an impressive start to the season in November, which saw him winning the opening race of the Cork senior league - he was plagued with injuries. With the All-Ireland junior championship fixed for Fermoy in February, the pressure on Hartnett to deliver before his home crowd was huge.

The hot favourite was Dan Murphy from Tralee, who had won five of his six previous races, the only defeat coming in the San Sebastian International, along with Eddie Leddy from Leitrim, and 16-year-old London exile Bill Curtin. However, Hartnett certainly answered his critics when leaving the field of 140 in his wake over the undulating four mile course.

Dublin’s Tom Gregan set a cracking pace, with Hartnett and Leddy right on his shoulder, and the trio were joined after a mile by Murphy, who had suffered a fall early on. When Hartnett applied the pressure, only Leddy could respond, and then the Grange man opened up a significant gap, which saw him home in a time of 21:04, 20 seconds to the good over Leddy, with Murphy third, another 15 seconds in arrears.  

The 1970 International Cross-Country Championships were one of the last before the event was given official IAAF World Championship status in 1973. Winner of the senior race at Vichy was England’s Mike Tagg, who defeated three-time champion Gaston Roelants from Belgium, with another English runner, Trevor Wright in third. Best of the Irish was Sean O’Sullivan, in 35th, one place ahead of Pat Gilsenan.

Hartnett’s main opposition in the junior race came from Jack Lane of England, but the Ballyhooly man was well up to the task, and to the delight of the small Irish attendance, crossed the line with eight seconds to spare over Lane, with Eric De Beck of Belgium – who would win the senior race in 1974 – well back in third.

This time, the Irish team were well out of the medals, as Murphy, in 20th, and Leddy, in 23rd, combined with Hartnett to total 44 points for fifth, 10 behind Italy who took bronze.  

Following that famous victory of 1970, Hartnett gained an athletics scholarship to Villanova University. Two years later, he established an Irish 5,000m record of 13:43.0, and the same year competed for Ireland, at the Munich Olympics.

Under the guidance of legendary Villanova coach Jumbo Elliott, Hartnett went on to break Ronnie Delany’s Irish mile record, with a time of 3:54.7, in 1973, and the following year, on a memorable night at the Cork City Sports, on the old Mardyke grass track, ran the mile in 3:56.3.

On the indoor circuit in 1974, he was in brilliant form. On a Saturday night in January, at the Knights of Columbus Games in New York, he ran the fifth fastest time on record for two miles, when covering the 22 indoor laps in 8:26.6.

He finished almost eight seconds ahead of Grant McLaren from Canada (8:34.4), with another Irishman, Neil Cusack, third in 8:37.2. Cusack would go on, three months later, to win the Boston Marathon, in an Irish record of 2:13:39.

Hartnett’s dominance on the boards of North America continued the following month, at the Maple Leaf Indoor Games, in Toronto, where, before a packed attendance of over 16,000 fans, he ran the first sub-four-minute indoor mile witnessed in Canada.

His 3:59.6 was achieved ahead of a glittering field, which included the current and future Olympic 1,500m champions, Pekka Vasala of Finland, and John Walker from New Zealand.

He finished off the season by winning the NCAA indoor two-mile championship, in a meet record of 8:33.6, and added the IC4A title over the same distance, in a similar time of 8:33.2.

Other Guest Articles by John Walshe

Grange International Cross-Country of 1980 Recalled 40 Years On

Youghal AC's London Emer Casey 10k Exploits

30 Years Ago - Liam O'Brien Wins Cork County Senior Cross-Country Championship

50 Years Ago - When John Buckley Beat The Olympic Champion

40 Years Ago - Jerry Murphy Wins Munster Marathon Championship

Aoife Cooke Runs 55:17 in Mallow 10 2019

Munster Cross-Country of 1989

Steeplechase Legends Meet at Antrim International

Aidan Hogan - Ultra-Athlete

RUNNING FOR BETTER

Cork to Cobh 40 Years Ago

Unique National Double for McGraths

Dick Hooper Speaks at St Finbarrs AC Function

St Finbarrs AC's Cork 800 8km Recalled

St Finbarr’s AC Cork 800 Road Race 1985

Ballyphehane, Cork

Sunday March 3rd 1985

The Lough, Cork

St Finbarr's AC Logo

Article by John Walshe, with additional commentary by John Quigley

St Finbarr's AC Website

St Finbarr's AC Facebook Page

Back in the summer of 1986, St Finbarr’s AC staged a series of five four-mile road races around the city, at locations such venues as the Marina, Farranree and Ballyvolane. This was almost certainly to celebrate the club’s 35th anniversary, having been formed in 1951.

The previous year, 1985, on Sunday March 3rd, the club held a one-off race over an advertised distance of 8km. It may have been an unusual distance at the time, but was a tie-in with the Cork 800 celebrations of that year of 1985. Cork 800 was a year-long celebration of the 800th of the granting of the City's Charter, in 1185.

Race HQ was on Bandon Road, and the route was around the Ballyphehane area, finishing in Leafdale, opposite the Hawthorn Bar.

Two ‘Barr’s athletes, Joe Hartnett and Ricky Burke, dominated the race up front, with Joe prevailing by just one second, in a time if 23:41.

Given that the first 12 finishers were all under 25 minutes, the actual distance of 8km is have been a little ‘suspect’, due to stewarding issues torawds then end of the race – and, of course,this was long before the Jones Counter became the acceptable method of measurement!

Held a week before the Ballycotton ‘10’, the total of 216 finishers was impressive and as can be seen there are a lot of familiar names among the attached results.

 
Commentary by John Quigley:
Unfortunately I don't have my old records to hand - They're deep in the 'black hole', in the rear of my garage! This was something like my 5th or 6th competitive race. I remember little of the conditions on the day, except that it was overcast, but dry, and temperature was fine...whatever that was <grin>

The race went pretty ok, until the late stages. I don't remember (must be getting old!) most of the route Afaicr, we came up Pearse Road, and turned left, onto Togher Road, and immediate right, into Brookfield Park....and then the fun started.  At the next junction...No Steward!, so I turned right, onto Brookfield Park, towards what appeared to be the finishing line...Only to be flagged back by the finish line personnel. We were approaching the finish from the wrong side. We should have gone straight thro the previous junction and on to St Joseph's Park and then right into Leafdale and on to the finish. The 'detour' cost me an estimated 45 secs. 

Coming up towards the Lough, I had broken away from a large, loose pack, so when the stewards at the finish line waved us back, we all turned and I found myself at the back of the pack that I had previously left in my wake! 

A couple of years ago, I was talking to a prominent Barr's figure about the event, and he chuckled at the memory of the event, saying that the steward at the final turn, in St Joseph's Park, was meant to send people the long way around the Park, but instead had directed runners along the short leg.  However, he hadn't realised that the steward at the previous turn had gone awol.  We both had a good laugh over the 'trials and tribulations' of trying to organise road races - There's always a problem, and, afterwards, you resolve to never let that particular one happen again....but the next year always brings new problems! LOL

After reminiscing about the race, we agreed that everyone went home safely...always the number aim of any event!

I never saw the results until John Walshe mailed them to me in the past few days....some 35 years later! ..and I'm not even in the results!   In the absence of my notes, I reckon I must be in 111th or 112th place - 32:13/32:14. Still I enjoyed the race. It will probably come as something of a shock to many these days, but, back in the 80's, and even into the early 90's, it wasn't unusual for a race not to produce any results at all. With the exception of a few events, like the Ballycotton Series and 10 Mile, along with BHAA races, if you were lucky, you might have got, several weeks later, a many-times-photocopied set of handwritten results. Nowdays, people complain if the results aren't available within a couple of hours - Remember ...I had to wait 35 years for the results of this race ...only to find my name is missing! LOL

Results of St Finbarr's AC's Cork 800 8k 1985

Results Page 1 - St Finbarr's AC's Cork 800 8k 1985

Results Page 2 - St Finbarr's AC's Cork 800 8k 1985

Results Page 3 - St Finbarr's AC's Cork 800 8k 1985

Results Page 4 - St Finbarr's AC's Cork 800 8k 1985

Results Page 5 - St Finbarr's AC's Cork 800 8k 1985

Results Page 6 - St Finbarr's AC's Cork 800 8k 1985

National Marathon 2020 Good for Age Entries Now Open

Good For Age Entries Open for Athletics Ireland National Marathon Championship 2020

Sunday October 25th 2020

How to Guide

Time Period for Qualification Standard Achieved

There was some confusion/contradiction with regard to the time period, but the position has been clarified, following a query by Cork Athletics.

The Dublin Marathon website states: "Good For Age Standards from a Marathon (updated post-2019 event) in the period 1st January 2018 to April 26th 2020", However other Marathon posts state that Performances must have been achieved in the "Past 3 years". Furthermore, for Dublin Marathon, Performances from the 2017, 2018 or 2019 events may be used.

The position has been clarified, as follows:

• For Non-Dublin events, your Marathon MUST have been in the period 1st January 2018 to April 26th 2020

• For Dublin Marathon results only, it does go back to October 2017, so includes the 2017, 2018 and 2019 events
  

"Entering the KBC Dublin Marathon 'Good For Age' does not guarantee you a place in the 2020 KBC Dublin Marathon - times will be verified and you will be notified if you have been successful."

Entry Link



Good For Age Standards MUST be from any Marathon in the period 1st January 2018 to April 26th 2020

Good For Age entries to the National Marathon Championship opened earlier today, April 1st. This is open to Athletics Ireland members ONLY, (you will need to have your Athletics Ireland membership number ready when applying, and ensure that your entry name matches your name on the Athletics Ireland membership system).

 

"Open to Athletics Ireland members, (please have your AAI membership number ready when applying and ensure your entry name matches the name on your AAI membership) who are part of the Athletics Ireland National Marathon Championships. Please also have your race number from any of the Dublin Marathons in the qualifying period stated above (locate your race number from our results section). If you are using any other Marathon please have a link to your own result ready when entering."

Life reg Number: You MUST enter this, or you will NOT be able to proceed.  If you don't know this, please contact YOUR club Registrar

Qualifying Times from KBC Dublin Marathon

You will also need your race number from any of the Dublin Marathons in the qualifying period (2017, 2018 or 2019 Dublin Marathon). You can find your race number in the KBC Dublin Marathon Results section.This link defaults to the 2019 results. If your performance is from 2017 or 2018, just select the appropriate year from the dropdown list, on top left

Qualifying Times from Other Marathons

If you are claiming any other Marathon, please enter the DIRECT link to your own result when entering. It is YOUR responsibility to find/locate any such link. Please do NOT ask Athletics Ireland or the KBC Marathon Office to find this for you.

Athletics Ireland Information

Good For Age Places

Dublin Marathon 2020 - Good For Age Standards

Good for Age Standard places will be allocated to Athletics Ireland members. Applications for these places open on 1st April 2020. Athletes wishing to take up these places MUST have met the required standard in a recognised marathon in the period January 1st 2018 to April 26th 2020 AND be a registered member of Athletics Ireland.

Declaring for Your Club

To declare for the National Championships, you must enter all your details on the KBC Dublin Marathon entry system exactly as your membership details in the Athletics Ireland registration system.

Any details, that YOU enter, will be automatically checked against the Athletics Ireland registration system. Athletes personal details on the KBC Dublin marathon website are NOT editable. Consequently, it may be necessary to amend YOUR Athletics Ireland registration details. Providing your details match, your club name will then appear beside your name on the KBC Dublin marathon entry. If these details don't match, your club name will NOT appear

Membership details will be automatically checked against the Athletics Ireland membership system, to verify an individual athlete's membership, and your details will be automatically filled in from the Athletics Ireland system.

Please ensure that your own personal details are correct. Your name MUST match your Athletics Ireland registration name (e.g. you register for the Marathon as 'Dave', while your Athletics Ireland registration is 'David'). You will need to contact your club if you need any personal information to be  updated.

Please contact Your Club if you require access to your Athletics Ireland membership number.

Your CLUB must have affiliated with Athletics Ireland for 2020, in order for individual athletes to be able to register as an Athletics Ireland member.

Possible Name Problems 

 Looking at the registrations, there are lots of pitfalls. For example, many names appear to have been 'missplet' when entering: ")'C....", then there is " C", with the space before the C. Variations on O', Ó, and O, along with Mc, Mc , Mac, and any permutation you like among those.

Forenames: Is it Abbey, Abbie, Abbie, Abbie, Abby, Abaigeal, Abbie, Abie, Abigail, Abbey, Abbie, Abigail, Abbie, Abigail, Abi, Abiageal, Abby, Abbigail, Abigail?

If the details don't match then you're in trouble.  Best option, for peace of mind, is to ask your Club Registrar, or whoever looks after registrations in the club, to send you a copy of what's there including your "Life Registration Number". Please DON'T look for someone else's details - everyone's personal details are...personal details...and may NOT be disclosed under GDPR regulations.

Editorial - Do You REALLY Need To Get Out?

Covid 19 - Time to Step up to the Mark!

Editorial from John Quigley, Webmaster, Cork Athletics County Board


Last night, at midnight, new, and updated, Covid-19 restrictions came into force, including a limit, of 2km from home, on the distance one may go for individual exercise.

We are at a critical stage in a time of unprecedented danger to all our lives. It is ABSOLUTELY VITAL that we ALL play our part in fighting this danger. How we behave WILL have an impact.

As a community, all athletes and runners must ask ourselves, individually and collectively: "Do I really need to get that run in today?"

If you are honest, the answer is an emphatic NO!

Which is more important? Getting out for your "daily fix", or preserving your own health and that of your family and other loved ones?

Since the announcement last night, I have seen lots of comments on social media asking/stating "How will they police it? Sure, how can they enforce that? etc...

If you're thinking about "They", then you just don't get it. 

Look in the mirror! "They" is YOU! 

YOU are going to police this.  And...without YOU policing and enforcing this, it isn't going to work.


The front line services, including Health and Emergency Services, along with many, many more, are literally putting their lives on the line!  They have probably not yet faced the worst of the surge, but are working to the bone, in a highly stressful environment. They will become tired and fatigued, a stage where slips, accidents and errors happen. Please don't add to their load.

Updated Restrictrions Synopsised (Unedited extract from Gov.ie website)

The main rule is to STAY AT HOME. The only times you can leave your home are:

•     to travel to or from work if you are providing an essential service. [external-link https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/625292-updated-list-of-essential-retail-outlets-27th-march-2020/ | The full list of essential retail services is available here. A full list of essential workers will be published on Saturday morning]

•     to shop for food

•     to collect medical prescriptions and medical supplies and attend medical appointments

•     to carry out vital services like caring (including family carers)

•     for brief individual exercise - within 2 kilometres of your house. (You can bring children but must keep 2 metres away from others for social distancing)

•     for farming

Cork Athletics Newsletter January-March 2020

Cork Athletics Newsletter

Download the latest edition - January-March 2020

Newsletter, Issue 3 - January - March 2020 

We hope you enjoy the January-March edition of the Cork Athletics Newsletter, with a round-up of all the news from the past two months.

If anybody would like to contribute any news, articles or reports for the Next Edition of the Newsletter, or has any other ideas on how to add to this newsletter, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

View or download the latest edition of the Cork Athletics newsletter


Download September-October 2019 Edition - Issue 1

Download November-December 2019 Edition - Issue 2

For future issues, Cork Athletics would love to hear from YOU

• Is your club doing something special?

• Is your club developing facilities?

• Have you an unsung hero that you'd like to mention?

• Is there something (athletics related) that you'd like to talk about? 

The newsletter is NOT intended as a mirror-image of the website, but as a complement to it, including material and articles that are not necessarily 'mainstream' news.  YOUR contribution may be the highlight of the issue!

Cork City Sports Postponed to July 2021

Covid-19 Results in 69th Cork City Sports being postponed to 2021

Sad to report that this year's 69th Cork City Sports has become another of the growing list of Prime events that have been postponed due to Covid-19. Cork City Sports is Ireland's Premier Track & Field Meet, with European Athletics status. Indeed, European Athletics had been in discussions with Cork City Sports, with a view to upgrading the sports. An imoportant element in that would have been the re-laying and upgrading of the CIT track. Hopefully the economic fallout following the Covid-19 pandemic will not adversely affect the CIT Track developments.


Events like Cork City Sports always carry a long lead time, with planning and scheduling going on all year round, so events like the pandemic create absolute havoc for meet organisers.  Yet, when all else is considered, event dates can be moved, admittedly with much difficulty, but athlete availability hard to pin down, a nightmare at the best of times, is currently impossible. Even if the pandemic were to be over by July, many questions would remain; Can athletes travel?; How does the date tie-in with other Meets?; How does Meet Sponsorship hold up in the altered economic environment. Such are the questions that must have been faced by the Cork City Sports Committee.

So....for the 2021 event, hopefully CIT Track relaying and upgrading will have been completed, and the 2021 Cork City Sports will be the biggest and best yet.

Cork City Sports Press Release

"Due to the ongoing situation with Coronavirus, Cork City Sports committee has made the decision to postpone the 2020 International Sports Meet which was due to be held in the CIT Arena on Tuesday July 7th until July 2021. Given the unprecedented developments around the world with the Covid-19 pandemic, the committee believes that this is the correct decision under difficult circumstances.

Chairman Tony O'Connell states “the decision was taken to protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus. He goes on to “thank our loyal sponsors for their support and understating and looks forward to next year’s meet which will still be held in an Olympic year.”

Meet Director Joe Hartnett added, “We were very much looking forward this year’s meet, but the priority has to be to keep participants and spectators safe. We had a spectacular event in 2019 and we are in no doubt that 2021 will be the best yet”.

The 2021 BAM Cork City Sports International T&F Meet will be held in early July, the exact date will be confirmed at the earliest possible time."

Donal Murnane PRO

31st Ballycotton 10 - March 2008

Vinny Mulvey Wins 31st Ballycotton 10

Sunday March 9th 2008

Ballycotton Running Promotion's Report on the 2008 Race

Despite a severe weather warning for later in the day, conditions wereas ideal as onecould hope for as 2,202 runners–the second biggest in history–brought the total finishers toan incredible 31,585. Vinny Mulvey made it two wins in three years as he crossed the line in atime of 50:37 while Rosemary Ryan deprived Pauline Curley of her hat-trick, the winning timeof 56:48 being the 11th fastest on the all-time list.

Irish Examiner Preview

VINNY MULVEY, Raheny Shamrocks AC, the winner two years ago when he also won the national senior cross-country title, will go to the line as the favourite when the phenomenon that is the “Ballycotton 10” gets under way on Sunday.

This year the event which continues to astonish, has attracted 3,100 entries, a hundred-fold increase on the 31 runners who faced the starter for the inaugural event, on March 12, 1978. Denis Manning, Dan Kennedy, Michael Murphy, John O’Leary, Batt Kearney, Willie O’Mahony and John Walshe — have entered again this year.

Vinny Mulvey should lead the mammoth field back into Ballycotton, at the end of the magical 10 miles that continues to captivate runners from as far away as the United States.

He claimed the title on his first visit two years ago, in 49:03 and, if consistency is the criterium, he is set for his second win.

Last Saturday he finished third in the national inter-club cross-country championships in Belfast. Before that, he won the Leinster title, and he could hardly have been more impressive when he won his own club’s “Raheny 5”, in 23:37, and he has an added incentive this year, when he leads a strong Raheny team hoping to win the team title, 29 years after they last won it.

Included on the team is Cork-born Cillian O’Leary, who was 14th last year, and, since then, has been runner-up in the national novice and intermediate cross-country championships. He won the Belgooly four-mile road race, on St Stephen’s day, and was 14th in the national senior cross-country championships, in Belfast last week. His clubmate is likely to figure at the front.

Last year Alan O’Shea, Bantry AC, became the first Corkman to win the race since Liam O’Brien in 1988, before going on to win the revived Cork City Marathon, and, if he has recovered from injury, will be wearing No 1.

Raivis Zakis (West Waterford) who was eighth last year won a lot of races around Munster since then and, after a bout of ‘flu, was back to his best in Dungarvan last Sunday with a pb of 31:34 for 10k.

Sergiu Turea, Clonliffe Harriers AC, won a 10-miler in Dungarvan, in 50:18, last month, ninth in the national cross-country championships, and won the AAI national half marathon title last year, so he will be a big contender.

Pauline Curley, Tullamore Harriers AC, has won the women’s title for the past two years, and she will be favourite. But Rosemary Ryan, Bilboa AC, former national cross-country champion, is preparing for the San Diego Marathon, in June, where she hopes to achieve the Olympic qualifying standard (2:37), and she will know the course.

Run Ireland Race Report

2008:Despite a severe weather warning for later in the day, conditions were as ideal as one could hope for, as 2,202 runners – the second biggest in history – brought the total finishers to an incredible 31,585. Vinny Mulvey made it two wins in three years, as he crossed the line in a time of 50:37, while Rosemary Ryan deprived Pauline Curley of her hat-trick, the winning time of 56:48, being the 11th fastest on the all-time list.

Irish Examiner Report: Brendan Mooney

Brendan Mooney reported in the Irish Examiner: Ballycotton win buoys Mulvey (Brendan Mooney, Irish Examiner) VINNY MULVEY, Raheny Shamrocks AC, raced to a solo and very satisfying victory, in yesterday’s Ballycotton ‘10’, and then confirmed what more than 3,000 entrants proclaimed: that this is the best 10-miler in these islands.

The diminutive Dubliner who has national inter-club and inter-counties cross-country titles on his CV and finished third in the nationals in Belfast the previous week, had almost half a minute to spare over Sergiu Turea, the Moldovan who runs for Clonliffe Harriers, with his clubmate Cillian O’Leary, another 15 seconds back in third place.

Alan O’Shea, Bantry AC, who last year became the first Corkman in 19 years to win the title, finished fifth.

This was Mulvey’s day, and, if there was one little disappointment, it was the time of 50:37, which was well outside the 49:03 he ran, when he won the race, on his first attempt, two years ago.

“It was very windy our there, particularly over the first five and a half miles,” he said. “It was just breaking my heart. It was slowing me down.

“Two years ago, I was hitting 4:50 miles, but when I got to five miles, averaging 5:03 today, I knew it was going to be a long day and, added to that, I was very tired from last week’s race in Belfast. The conditions were bad up there. It was the toughest course I have ever run, and I don’t think I have fully recovered from that yet.”

Despite that fact, he applied all the pressure that took himself, Alan O’Shea and John Eves, DSD AC, away from the field, with a 4:50 first mile, and then he swept into an early lead, at the two mile mark.

When he hit half way, at Ballymaloe, in 25:15, with a lead of more than 200m, he was not going to be caught on the run back into Ballycotton.

“The support and the atmosphere along the way is a such a big help. It is a great event,” he said. “I had heard about the tradition, and all that, but when I came down here two years ago and saw the setting, the view, and the people from all over the world, it was even more than I expected. They are chasing personal bests, and running for charities — it is a amazing race.”

He said he may run the Streets of Dublin 5, on St Patrick’s Day, and, after that, it will be the world cross-country championships in Edinburgh, at the end of the month.

Rosemary Ryan, Bilboa AC, broke clear of the field early on, to win the women’s title on her second attempt — she was runner-up to her then training partner, Valerie Vaughan, first time around.

This time she won in 56:48 from two-time winner and champion, Pauline Curley, Tullamore Harriers AC, 58:51, with Louise Cavanagh, UCC AC, third, 60:56.

The former national cross-country champion, who finished 24th overall in yesterday’s race, is currently preparing for an early summer marathon.

“I am very quite fit at the moment, and today I would have liked to have run a very fast time but I thought it better to just race rather than chase a fast time,” she said. “Whenever I have gone for a fast time on the track — looking at the clock — I have always just missed it by a hair’s breadth.

“I am going to do another marathon — probably in June — and there is a race in San Diego about that time, but I have not booked anything yet.

“I am not thinking about the qualifying time for the Olympic Marathon, but if it comes, I will be very happy with it. But if I went out aiming for 2:37, I would probably run 3:37.01. So I will go out to run my best race, improve on my best time, and anything else will be a huge bonus for me.”

Pauline Curley has her sights on another Dublin Marathon victory but yesterday she was just happy to get around the course.

“It has been a bad year for me so far — I have been sick quite a bit — but I hope this is the turning point,” she said.

Read more ...

Covid 19 and Long Runs or Long Periods in Public

Long Distance Running / Long Periods

Cease and Desist!

 
Page Updated 9pm Thursday April 9th - UCC Statement regarding Trespassers at UCC Farm and Mardyke Track

Gardai have been notified that UCC Farm and Mardyke Track are CLOSED and anyone on these facilities is TRESPASSING

Cork Athletics County Board, along with Athletics Ireland, is aware that a very small minority of members are continuing to exercise for long periods and/or long distances, with some travelling relatively long distances to their exercise locations, in contravention of HSE guidelines

The overwhelming majority of Athletics Ireland members have been conforming to HSE guidelines to exercise within 2km of their homes, for BRIEF periods

"exercise briefly by yourself, or with children from your family, and only within 2 kilometers of your home, keeping 2 metres distance from other people"

However a minority have been either flouting, or 'bending' them. "...exercise briefly by yourself, or with children from your family, and only within 2 kilometres of your home, keeping 2 metres distance from other people" does NOT mean that you may run around the circumference, or run many multiples.

Yesterday, in a phone conversation, Hamish Adams, CEO, Athletics Ireland, and Cork Athletics agreed that both "take a dim view" of those who continue to breach the HSE guidelines, and a "zero tolerance" approach is warranted. Furthermore it was agreed that those who breach the HSE guidelines may be open to a charge of "bringing the sport into disrepute"

Mr. Adams said that Athletics Ireland had already told a number of high profile athletes, who had continued to train in groups, or breach HSE guidelines, to stop.

Cork Athletics Grounds

Cork Athletics is aware that the Riverstick grounds have been used by a minority of persons. These grounds have been closed to all persons. Following a virtual County Board Officers meeting last night, it was decided to remove the club locks on the gate to the Riverstick grounds. The grounds are now locked and out of bounds to all persons. In addition, the Gardai have been informed.  

In addition Cork Athletics is aware of members entering closed tracks, grounds and premises, without permission or authority. This MUST NOT happen!

The Farm – UCC Sports Ground, Curraheen

"It has been brought to our attention that there are still people using the Farm, UCC Sports Grounds in Curraheen for training. Many of whom are travelling from well beyond the 2km restrictions currently in place.

As per the Governments directive the University and all its sites were closed on March 12th until further notice. Therefore the grounds in both the Mardyke and Curraheen are CLOSED until the University re-opens. Please DO NOT use the facility while it remains closed, if you do you are trespassing.

The Gardaí have been notified of the continuous breach in government and HSE guidelines and will be forced to act on anyone found to be trespassing on the grounds.  Our frontline workers have enough to be doing in these difficult times, so we would appreciate your cooperation on this matter.

We all need to play our part in this matter in order to help safeguard others. The rising figures are a constant reminder that this is a very serious matter.

Please STAY HOME and STAY SAFE

Kind regards,

UCC Department of Sport & Physical Activity"

ALL Atheltics Activity Suspended

Athletics Ireland issued the following decree, on March 24th: "... from midnight tonight All organised indoor and outdoor events of any size are not to take place".

This Government decision means that no Athletics Ireland  activity, whether Provinces, County Boards, Clubs or affiliates may operate in ANY capacity. Therefore Athletics Ireland insurance cover for Provinces, County Boards, Clubs and individuals is NOT operational during this period.

Cork Athletics County Board has been notified, by Athletics Ireland, that insurance cover has been suspended for the duration of this closed period, therefore NO training activity, or meeting, held has insurance cover.

1 Million Diagnosed with Covid-19 - 1,000,000

We are all in this together, with the overwhelming majority 'battening down' and helping safeguard everyone.  Thousands of front-line personnel, along with many, many more in various other positions, are putting their health, and lives, on the line for the good of us all. They deserve all our help and respect. So please, please, help them!

Sometime this evening, Thursday April 2nd, the number of people, worldwide, who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 will exceed 1 million, with 50,000 dead. In Ireland, almost 3,850 have been diagnosed, with 98 deaths to date. Those figures are a stark reminder that this is an extremely serious matter!  Please, please abide by the spirit of the HSE guidelines.

Revised Dates for Olympic Games Announced

New Dates announced for Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

Monday March 30th 2020

Earlier today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japanese Government announced agreed new dates for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, in 2021. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will take place from July 23rd to August 8th 2021. New dates for the Paralympic Games were also revealed. These will run from August 24th until September 5th 2021.

The leaders of the key parties agreed the new schedule via telephone conference, and were joined by IOC President Thomas Bach, Tokyo 2020 President Mori Yoshirō, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Hashimoto Seiko.

The decision was based on three main considerations, and were in line with the principles established by the IOC Executive Board (EB) on 17 March last, and reaffirmed today. The International Summer Olympic Sports Federations (IFs) and all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) supported the decisions.

Following today’s decision, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “I want to thank the International Federations for their unanimous support and the Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees for the great partnership and their support in the consultation process over the last few days. I would also like to thank the IOC Athletes’ Commission, with whom we have been in constant contact. With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”

Andrew Parsons, the President of the IPC, commented: “It is fantastic news that we could find new dates so quickly for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The new dates provide certainty for the athletes, reassurance for the stakeholders and something to look forward to for the whole world. When the Paralympic Games do take place in Tokyo next year, they will be an extra-special display of humanity uniting as one, a global celebration of human resilience and a sensational showcase of sport. With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 512 days away, the priority for all those involved in the Paralympic Movement must be to focus on staying safe with their friends and family during this unprecedented and difficult time.”

The President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Mori Yoshirō, said: “IOC President Thomas Bach and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee held a conference call today to discuss in detail the revised dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Hashimoto Seiko and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko joined the call. I proposed that the Games should be hosted between July and August 2021, and I really appreciate that President Bach, having discussed this proposal with the various international sports federations and other related organisations, kindly accepted my proposal. A certain amount of time is required for the selection and qualification of athletes and for their training and preparation, and the consensus was that staging the rescheduled Games during the summer vacation in Japan would be preferable. In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the COVID-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021. Notwithstanding the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in history, and various other issues that have already been highlighted, the event schedule is the cornerstone of future preparations, and I am convinced that taking this decision promptly will help speed up future preparations. I would like to thank all the stakeholders, including the host city Tokyo and the Government of Japan, for their hard work during this short period. The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will continue to work hard for the success of next year's Games.”

Governor Koike Yuriko said: “In consideration of the global coronavirus outbreak, we need a certain timeframe before we fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure for the athletes and spectators. Also, the preparation for the new dates will go smoothly, as the dates match with same timeframe as the original competition dates, corresponding with ticketing, venue staffing, volunteers and transport. Therefore, I believe that celebrating the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on 23 July 2021 is ideal. The athletes, volunteers, torchbearers and local municipality governments have been concerned about the situation. Since we now have concrete new dates to aim for, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will commit all its resources, and work closely with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the national government and other stakeholders to fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure.”

Qualification

It had already been confirmed that all athletes who have already qualified, and quota places already assigned, for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, will remain unchanged. This is because these Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, in agreement with Japan, will remain the Games of the XXXII Olympiad. It has yet to be decided/disclosed what the position is with regard to qualification period extensions, given that the current qualification period, for the Marathon at least, ends on May 31st 2020, and few if any events have been, or are even likely before the end of May.

Update - Athletics Ireland Events and Covid 19 Coronavirus - March 24th

Updated Information on Coronavirus Covid 19 & Athletics Ireland Events

Tuesday March 24th 2020
 

Athletics Ireland: The ONLY advice to be followed will come from HSE

Summary of New Measures Applying up to April 19th

•      All theatres, clubs, gyms/leisure centres, hairdressers, betting shops, marts, markets, casinos, bingo halls, libraries and other similar outlets are to shut. All non-essential retail outlets are to close.

•     Cafes and restaurants are to limit supply to take away food or delivery.

•     Sporting events are cancelled, including those behind closed doors.

•     All places of worship are to restrict numbers entering at any one time to ensure adequate physical distancing.

•     Physical distancing restrictions remain in place and people are urged to stay home as much as possible and work from home if possible. Non-essential indoor visits to other people’s homes should be avoided.

•     People should only go to the shops for essential supplies, medical or dental appointments, to care for others or to take physical exercise.

•     Social events or gatherings involving more than four people that have not already been cancelled should now be cancelled.

•     No unnecessary travel should take place within the country or overseas.
  
  Note with regard to "gatherings involving more than four people" - Reports circulating on social media suggest that group of runners have been continuing to train together. 

If any Athletics Ireland members have been continuing to meet up, they should cease IMMEDIATELY, in compliance with Athletics Ireland instructions

All Events up and Including April 19th Have Been Cancelled

With a very small number of exceptions, all events up to April 19th had already been either cancelled or deferred. Cork Athletics County Board has now listed ALL events in the period as CANCELLED (or deferred, if the Board has been notified). Many events, up to mid-May, and beyond, have also been Cancelled or Postponed.

Athletics Ireland Congress, scheduled for Saturday April 29th has been Postponed, and all Monthly County Board meetings have been cancelled until further notice

Cork Athletics Calendar

Athletics Ireland Statement & Instruction

Athletics Ireland is guided by this expert HSE advice and will physically close our office from tomorrow morning but all staff will be operating our business from their homes. We have all prepared to operate telephones and emails remotely to minimise disruption to our business.

Athletics Ireland is therefore instructing all affiliates to suspend all athletic competitions and events with immediate effect. We understand that this decision will result in inconvenience and disappointment to many athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and supporters. However, we are sure that all will understand that the decision is taken in the best interests, not just of the athletics community, but of the Country.

Meantime:
a) Check the HSE site, at least daily, for updates or changes in the advice

b) Follow HSE & WHO advice on Hygiene and Social Distance

c) There are no specific adverse conditions relating to your event, or people associated with your event

d) Common sense prevails - The trouble with Common Sense is that it is very rare!

HSE Coronavirus Information

HSE Guidelines on Mass Gatherings

HSE Guidance and Advice Resources

Guidelines on Mass Events

The Government has issued separate guidelines for those organising mass events involving groups of more than 5,000 people and those with groups of less than that amount.

The Taoiseach said this afternoon that the Government will not be ordering the cancellation of any events at this stage, including St Patrick's Day events.

Coronavirus Symptoms

Cancelling Events

Yesterday, a government statement said "people should not act unilaterally, including crèche owners, school principals, business owners or event organisers as that causes problems."


So....The current position is that Athletics Ireland events may proceed, but that, due to the coronavirus crisis, event organisers do have additional responsibilities if they go ahead with their events.

While no information on these additional responsibilities have been published, it is likely that will include considerable emphasis on the area of maintaining personal hygiene, maintaining 'social distance', and the provision of additional toilet and handwashing facilities, and ensuring that the highest standards are maintained.

Indoor / Outdoor Events

Indoor events present a greater risk of virus transmission, due to the closer proximity of people at the event, while, outdoors, the risk would appear to be less. However at race starts, in particular, athletes are likely to be tightly packed.

Some Suggestions for Race Participants

Practice good Hygiene ...ALWAYS!

If you are ill, or feel ill, please don't come to the event!

If you have been to a Covid-19 hot-spot please do NOT attend

Do NOT share cups or water bottles

If you are a spitter, please swallow instead

Blow your nose using 'Runner's Snort'? Please don't do it!

Avoid close contact with others. Start and finish lines, and queues for refreshments are areas where this is particularly likely.