Recalling the 1978 Ballycotton 10

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The First Ballycotton 10 1978

3pm, Sunday March 12th 1978

Based on guest piece by John Walshe, Ballycotton Running Promotions

On the eve of the 40th Anniversary race, recalling the very first Ballycotton 10, held on March 12th 1978.

St finbarr's duo Dan Kennedy and Michael Joyce, lining up for the 1978 Ballycotton 10 - Photo: St Finbarrs AC

Essential Event Information

Course Map, Route Details etc, on Cork Athletics Event page

Final instructions from Ballycotton Running Promotions

Weather update & General Information

Previous Ballycotton 10 Results

Ballycotton 10 Results 2016

Ballycotton 10 Results 2015

Full Historical Results on Ballycotton website


The First Ballycotton 10

This year's Ballycotton 10 is being held on exactly the same day in March as the very first Ballycotton 10.  Thirty one (31) athletes lined up that day. No requirement for chip timing, finishing chutes, portaloos, barriers etc.  ...and no Garmins.  Nobody was complaining that the course was long or short - anyway wasn't the course measured by John Walshe, pioneer of course measurement in Ireland. 

Ireland's First Road Race Calibration Course Relaid!

(Extracted from Cork Athletics article - Measurement News May 2014)
The first ever calibration course in Ireland was laid down, in Kilmacahill, Ballycotton, on Jan 1st 1978, prior to the First Ballycotton 10.  The course is on the straight, just before the 6M mark in the Ballycotton 10. It was laid down by East Cork's John Walshe, assisted by Dan Donovan.  The course was a half mile long and the device used was a Veeder Rootes counter, supplied by John Jewell. In 1988, John acquired a Jones Counter from New Your Road Runners (NYRR), at a cost of $35 = £23.74, or €30.15 in today's terms - current cost of a Jones Counter is approx. €120 .....and the rest is history!  

Short report on the 1978 Ballycotton 10 (from Ballycotton 10 History)

1978:
A dull, grey March Sunday, towards the end of the ‘Seventies. Jack Lynch was Taoiseach, John Treacy and Gerry Deegan were winning NCAA Indoor titles in Detroit and here at home ‘The Rare Auld Times’ by Danny Doyle was No. 1 in the charts.

It was also a ‘rare old time’ as far as road running was concerned. A typical field of 31 male runners lined up on a village street for the untypical distance of ten miles. Just after 50 minutes had elapsed, Richard Crowley had added another trophy to his mantelpiece. Twenty four of the 31 would break the hour, all would proudly go home bearing a time certificate and promising to return in a years’ time, hopefully to a bigger and better event.

The 1978 Field

Sadly four of the thirty one starters that day have passed away: Dick Hodgins, Liam Horgan, Joe O'Flynn, and Jerry Martin.  Eight athletes who ran the first race will be lining up again on Sunday: Batt Kearney, Jack O'Leary, Michael Murphy, Donal Burke, John Walshe, Dan Kennedy, John O'Leary and Willie O'Mahony.  Two others are involved in the race management; Liam O'Brien is heavily involved in the event (and countless other athletics events, ventures and bodies!), while Michael Joyce will be doing the race commentary.

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