Fergus Meade's Analysis of 40 years of the Ballycotton 10
40 Years of the Ballycotton 10 - An Analysis by Fergus Meade
Fergus Meade (East Cork AC)
Fergus Meade, East Cork AC, compiler of the Ballycotton 10 analysis
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| John Walshe, East Cork AC - 40 Ballycotton 10's | Willie O'Mahony, Youghal AC - 39 Ballycotton 10's | Denis McCarthy, East Cork AC - 38 Ballycotton 10's |
John Hennessy's photo taken before the 37th Ballycotton 10, 2014 - Quartet about to undertake their respective 30th Ballycotton 10's
L to R: Roy Cummins, Pat Murphy, John Quigley and Donie O'Connell. Roy, John & Donie went on to complete 33 consecutive Ballycotton 10's when the event ceased in 2017
Fergus Meade's Analysis - 40 Years of the Ballycotton 10
Ballycotton 10 Results 1978 - 2017
Ballycotton 5 Results 1977 - 2017
For over 40 years, the small, picturesque fishing village of Ballycotton, in East Cork, was, literally the hub of running in Cork, and, indeed Ireland. It is also regarded as the source of the first first race series in Ireland, with the Ballycotton Summer 5 Mile Race Series. Such was the attention to detail by the organisers, throughout the life of the race, the Ballycotton 10 was regarded as 'The Touchstone' by whi, literally, all other events were judged. It was also voted as the 'Best Race in Britain & Ireland'. High standards indeed"
Fergus Meade's Analysis
Fergus Meade, East Cork AC has compiled a detailed 116 page analysis of the 40 editions of the Ballycotton 10, covering the period 1978 - 2017, covering such topics as Fastest Times, Club Rivalries, Best Times per Club, Top 100's, and number of Ballycotton's completed.
The analysis is a treasure trove of information, but, as Fergus points out in the document, difficulties are encountered when people, as they often do, join, or change clubs. Some people even change names - usually after getting married, or separating. Quite a few changed to Irish format, or changed to English ...and then there are all the various spelling mistakes. The area where these all had the greatest effect is in the Number of 10's Completed, and to accurately compile the Number of 10's Completed, one would need to know exactly who everyone was and when they transferred/joined clubs - an absolutely impossible task.
Fergus has more work planned, as has Cork Athletics.
