Clonee 10K Race Preview

The 4th annual Clonee 10k Road Race & Fun Run, in partnership with Athletics Ireland, takes place on Thursday 28th June 2018 at 8pm. 

The mid-week, midsummer, evening time, race attracted an entry of almost 700 in 2017.  The flat course offers great potential for athletes to target a fast time and also gives first time participants a great friendly introduction to the 10k distance.  The emphasis is on a fun evening in a friendly and safe environment.

The 2017 race proved a great success with many comments from competitors on how well it was run and the quality of the organisation shining through (down to ensuring a scheduled fresh pizza delivery for the participants from the back of the pack).

Features include…

• Medals for all finishers.
• AAI Permit Event – Chipped Timing
• Post Race Refreshments. (Pizza)
• Prizes: for Mens, Ladies, Age Categories and Club Teams.
• Race HQ: Grasshopper Inn, Clonee Village.
• Please contact Dunboyne AC or Keith Eglington (086 814 4012) with any enquiries.
• Participants must be 16 years of age or over.

To Enter...

• Online entry is now open.  €15 (+€1.05 transaction fee) https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/DUNBOYNEAC2018
• Entry on the night: €18
• Any profits from the event will go to Dunboyne Athletic Club (Track Development Fund).

Dunboyne AC 4 Mile

Preview of the 49th EirGrid Dunboyne 4 Mile Road Race

The 49th EirGrid Dunboyne 4 Mile Road Race & Fun Run takes place on Sunday 25th March 2018 at 3pm. The race over the classic 4-mile distance is a landmark event on the Irish road racing calendar, attracting an entry of almost 1,000 runners in 2017.  The course offers great potential for athletes to target a fast time and also allows supporters to provide plenty of encouragement along the way with athletes crossing the village 3 times en-route.

The race attracts a top field, with last years event won by Mick Clohisey (Raheny AC) in a time of 18:46. In the women’s race Ciara Durkan (Skerries AC) stormed to victory in a time of 22:06.

Juvenile Races

The day’s programme includes boys’ and girls’ races in the following age groups: 

• Age 9 and Under: 600m 2.00pm (start adjacent to 4 mile start)
• Age 12 and Under: 800m 2.15pm (start adjacent to 4 mile start)
• Age 15 and Under: 1 mile  2:30pm (start adjacent to secondary school)

Entry for these events is just €2, payable at the start line on the day. Every finisher will receive a souvenir medal. 

Prizes

Cash prizes of €400 for the first man and woman home, and a €250 bonus for anyone who breaks the men’s (18.09) and women’s (20.00) course records, currently held by Glynn Thomas (Coventry Godiva Harriers) and Rosemary Ryan (Bilboa AC).

• Men: First 6 Seniors; First 3 O/40, O/45, O/50, O/55, O/60; First 2 O/65, O/70; First 3 Juniors U19; First 4 Club Teams (4 to score)
• Women: First 6 Seniors; First 3 O/40, O/45, O/50, 0/55, 0/60; First 2 O/65, O/70; First 3 Juniors U19; First 4 Club Teams (4 to score).
• Colman Jarrett Cup: Awarded to the first Dunboyne AC athlete home

Features This Year include…

Flying Mile!

Like its name suggests, it’s a mile where you can put the foot down and see what you can do.  And what better mile to do this than in Mile 4.  Entrants must use Strava to take part and there is a Dunboyne 4-mile segment on Strava.  There will be prizes for both men and women.  Main prize winners will be excluded from the Flying Mile prizes.

Corporate Team Challenge

Get your team organised for the #dunboyne4mile corporate team challenge – four to a team and see if you’ll bring the Glory Trophy to the office or the staffroom!

Pacers

Do you want to challenge yourself to a goal pace this year? Dunboyne AC 4 mile have made this easy for you by providing Race Pacers for 26, 30, 32, 35, 40 & 45 minutes targets.  Look out for coloured balloons at Start-line.

3 Race Package

This year the organisers are offering entry to the Dunboyne 4 Mile, Clonee 10K (29th June) & Carton Trail Race (27th July) for €40, a saving of €10 if you are interested in participating in all 3 events. The Clonee 10K & Carton Trail Race are mid-week evening races in the Summer.

Entry

Online entry is now open. Online entry is €20 per adult and entry on the day is €25 per adult. Entry includes a wonderful 52 week running diary and a great newly designed technical t-shirt, exclusive to Dunboyne 4 mile entrants.  Entry also includes chip timing and post-race refreshments. Any profits from the event will go to Dunboyne Athletic Club.

Link to Online Registration

The Irish 3/4 Marathon

The Irish 3/4 Marathon - an essential step on the road to the Dublin City Marathon

If, like me, you are one of 20,000 people signed up for the Dublin Marathon (or the other marathons around the same time) then you are likely dreading the thoughts of your "Long Run". Well, in this post I'll cover 'the answer to your prayers'......The Irish 3/4 Marathon.

This race was first run in 2010 as a way for runners to prepare for the Dublin City Marathon and it has grown in popularity since then. It is 19.6 miles and on 3 weeks before Dublin, so it corresponds with most training plans that recommend doing that distance 3 weeks before the marathon (and the last significant run before tapering). The race is on Sunday 8th October.

I've run this race twice, when preparing for Dublin and for New York (and I'll be back again this year). The mantra of the organisers is not to treat it as a race, but rather as training. And thus, everything is set up in this way. For example the pacers will run 5% slower than your marathon race pace, as that is considered the ideal way to train at this time (you don't want to burn out before the big event).

Atmosphere

All of this creates a unique atmosphere of camaraderie. Nobody is really there under pressure to perform, so are in the mood to just have an enjoyable run and chat to new people along the way. I've spent both my runs there just talking to different groups about how their training has been going and what they expect in Dublin......the miles just fly by. And the alternative (which I've also done before) of doing the long run on your own pales in comparison.

The Course

This race is run on very quiet country roads, but is pretty scenic also. There is no major hills to worry about, just a couple of small climbs over river/canal bridges. It's only an 88m gain spread out over the entire course. Actually the 88m gain is 3/4 of the gain in the Dublin Marathon, which has a gain of 119m (again ideal preparation). Here's the course:

What you get

All finishers get a nice long sleeve tshirt, a medal and running gloves, all pictured below:

Register

This race will Definitely Sell Out well in advance (it has the last couple of years), so if you can see the benefit the race to your training plans, don't leave it to late, register now. Also, keep in mind the price increase on 1st September, so try register on or before Thursday 31st. See you there......here's the link:

irish3quartermarathon.ie/

Meath Half Marathon & 10K

13th March

Organised by Bohermeen AC in Meath, this Half Marathon has been on the go for a few years now. The 10K will likely have smaller numbers than the half, which is often not the case, but this half marathon has a reputation, and is a pretty fast course. Expect somewhere around 1,000 runners for the half and around 400 for the 10K.

Route

The half marathon is 2 laps of the course (the 10K being 1 lap). As mentioned before, there is no significant climbs to face, so it is a good option for a fast time. However, one thing to be aware of is that the local roads are unlikely to be closed. There are a couple of points on the course where cars will be prevalent, so don't wear headphones or if you really have to, take them out around busy spots.

Registration

Entry for the Half Marathon is €26.73 (incl booking) before 1st March. After 1st March, this will go up to €32.

Entry for the 10K is €21.38 (incl booking) before 1st March. After 1st March, this will go up to €26.50.

Link to Registration

Further Details:

Race Medal

Trim 10 Mile

7th February

Returning for the second year on Sunday 7th of February is the Bewleys Trim 10 Mile. A flat and fast 10 mile race, this had over 800 entrants last year. Organised by Trim Athletic Club it is likely that there will be an increase on numbers this year (based on the course and the positive reports from last year....plus the timing of the race).

The Course

The course is pretty flat and fast, no major hills to worry about. The winners posted some pretty fast times last year. It starts and finishes in Trim, but the route is very much on quite country roads all the way.

Link to the course map: MapMyRun

Pacers

There will be Pacers for 60, 70, 80 and 90 minutes.

What you Get

The first 750 entrants will receive a pair of race branded INVERSE Technical socks (see artwork below). If you enter before 31st of January, you can get the socks posted out with your race number in advance of the race, but there's an additional cost to this postage (see registration page).

Registration

You can register on the Fit Magazine website here. Registration is €21.40 (including the booking fee).

Below is the official race flyer:

Indaver 10K Duleek

Indaver 10K - 16th August - Duleek, Meath

www.duleekac.ie

Here's an interesting map of the route: