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Road Racing: Mike Harty has continued his early summer form with a 2nd place in the Midleton 5 mile in 24.28. Also running were Donal 29.10, Annelise 34.35, Dave 34.43, Sarah Goulding 35.45 and Denis 50.01. Mike followed Midleton up with a comfortable victory in the Killeagh 4 miler, setting a course record of 19m 10s, no doubt boosted by a recent new arrival. Congrats Mike and Nadine. Lorna ran as well and was just outside the 30 minute barrier in 30.04. The blue riband event in the BHAA calendar, the John Buckley 5k, was run over 5.4k around the Marina on Tuesday 19th May. Michael Furlong was our first finisher home in 43rd place. Convinced he had cracked 17 minutes, the records will forever state he finished in 18:12 over a course that measured at least 300 metres long. Scientific analysis can reveal that his true 5k time was in fact 17:02. At least his PB was never under threat on the night. With the length of the course in mind there were also some good runs by Eoin Hartnett in 19.19, Stephen O'Brien 19.35 and Tim Mahony in 19.57. Michael Furlong also ran the Killarney Half Marathon in 79.07 and Eibhlin ran the Cheetah Run in Fota in 28.12. Track and Field: Our only apparently serious track athlete, Ollie Smiddy, ran the mile in the May Graded Leagues at MTU, finishing 8th in 5m 27s. Wicklow Way Relay 2026 – a happy ending! Saturday 16th May saw the 23rd annual running of the Wicklow Way Relay – the annual sideshow. The club has an impressive recent record in the Wicklow Mountains, finishing as runners-up in 2022 followed by three wins on the bounce from 2023-2025. Last year’s big question was whether we could win without our no-so-secret weapon, Tim O’Donoghue. This year’s big question was whether we could field a team at all. The team captain cast the net far and wide in his search for volunteers and, come Saturday morning, we had a full complement ready and willing to take on the challenge, with three team members making their debut. Although outright victory was seen as a long shot, the absence of a competitive Rathfarnham team raised hopes that a podium finish could be achieved. Race day dawned grey and murky, a far cry from the blazing sunshine of last year. The honour of leading the East Cork charge fell to Diarmaid Collins. Feeling refreshed, having camped out by Lough Tay the night before, he set off from Kilmashogue in the Dublin Mountains at 7:01 am. Diarmaid was a man in a hurry, as he needed to be in Kenmare for a nautically-themed stag party in the evening. With that thought foremost in his mind he ground out a decent opening leg which included two long uphill slogs. At the 7-mile mark he crossed from County Dublin into County Wicklow and he reached the changeover in 3rd place, albeit with a 6-minute deficit to the early pacesetters – Belpark Tri Club and TT Racers. The gap to 4th place was a slim 17 seconds at this stage. Diarmaid was soon hightailing it down to Kerry for pints and pizza. With over 2,200 feet of climbing over nearly 9.5 miles, Leg 2 packs a punch and we had our best punching bag available to take on the challenge – team captain, Kevin O’Brien. Kevin had also camped out at Lough Tay the night before but in the rather more luxurious surroundings of the O’Brien Family Camper Van. Leg two takes the adventurous runner from the outskirts of Curtlestown Woods, up under the watchful gaze of Djouce Mountain to a spectacular viewpoint over Lough Tay. Kevin didn’t stop to take in the views on this occasion though as he ticked off the miles in just over 73 minutes. We gained 90 seconds to TT Racers on this leg, though Belpark had pulled out another 90 seconds in the lead. 4th placed The Hurt Squad were now 9 minutes behind us. Legs 3 - 5 enter our three Wicklow Way novices. Having survived the long journey up with Chris McGrath, Chris Kelly and Stephen O’Brien – departure from East Cork at c. 4:45am – Eve Buckley immediately sought some peace and quiet in the oasis of serenity that was the aforementioned O’Brien Family Camper Van upon her arrival at Lough Tay. Convinced she was livin’ the dream, she was raring to go when Kevin arrived at the changeover point. And she most certainly went. One of our strongest performers on the day, our recent W21E national orienteering champ put her experience over rough terrain to very good use on the short Leg 3. Fastest overall on the leg, she arrived at Oldbridge having taken 2 minutes out of Belpark’s lead and 3.5 minutes off TT Racers. The gap to 4th place was maintained at 9 minutes. It was on Leg 4 that any hopes of victory began to drift. Stephen O’Brien, another rookie, took over for the short and rolling leg from Oldbridge to Glendalough. Though he was second overall on the leg, the deficit to TT Racers, who had by now taken over the lead, had grown by 4 minutes to 6 minutes overall. The deficit to Belpark, in second place, was maintained at 5 minutes. The gap to the Hurt Squad, in fourth, had grown to over 12 minutes by now, aided by a malfunction at their changeover in Oldbridge. There was a new approach to the changeovers this year. Gone were the fingertip dramatics and flying trackers of yore. Competitors now had to stop, unclip the tracker, hand over the tracker, clip the tracker, and go. Stephen and Chris Kelly methodically demonstrated this approach at the changeover in Glendalough – pictured below. Tea and biscuits were offered to the pair from onlookers, however they were in too much of a hurry to get going to accept. Once the changeover formalities were concluded, Chris got going for his first Wicklow Way experience. Leg 5 takes competitors from Glendalough to Glenmalure and, as a result of some fresh logging en route, a diversion had lengthened the stage by a kilometre or so. Chris first had to negotiate the contents of several tour busses which had been deposited onto the trails on the lower slopes of the valley. Once clear, he acquitted himself very well on the gruelling 4 mile climb up towards Mullacor. Chris was enjoying his run so much that he chose to extend it somewhat by taking a wrong turn on his way down the mountainside. Mistake rectified, he arrived into Glenmalure maintaining the club’s 3rd spot. The gaps did grow on this leg. TT Racers had pretty much checked out in the lead by now. Belpark had a 16 minute advantage over us and our gap to the Hurt Squad, in 4th place, stood at 11 minutes. A lot can change on the Wicklow Way Relay however. Forestry activity has left the mountains bare to the south of Glenmalure. This comes with an advantage though, as competitors can see the opening stages of their route clearly scrawled against the treeless hillside. Mind you, it can be equally dispiriting to see so clearly what your running future holds…. Nonetheless, Donal Giltinan attacked the leg with relish in deteriorating weather conditions. Buoyed by some vocal support alongside the Military Road – some German walkers were very impressed by this specimen of an athlete – he reached the Iron Bridge having taken 6 minutes off Belpark. The gap behind was now 13 minutes. Leg 7 is to the Wicklow Way Relay what ‘Moving Day’ is to the Augusta Masters. Graham Swords was given the responsibility of taking on the sprawling 12.5 miles stage from the Iron Bridge to Crossbridge. As a man who likes the misery, Graham gritted his teeth and got to work. Rumours that he scaled the 177 steps towards the end of the leg on his knees may not be far from the truth… A monumental effort saw him lop 6 minutes off Belpark meaning just 4 minutes separated 2nd and 3rd places at the final changeover. An equally monumental effort from The Hurt Squad saw them reduce the gap to us to 4 minutes as well. So all was to play for on the final leg as far as the minor podium positions were concerned. Our hopes rested on the shoulders of Annelise Hutch. It was on this leg 4 years ago, that Annelise saw a handy lead evaporate in a race that ultimately saw us finish second. There was no sign of that painful memory though as she set out on her leg with a smile on her face. Annelise looked comfortable throughout and it was Belpark’s runner, an M50, who looked under most pressure. Not long after passing the Dying Cow pub, the gap to 2nd place had reduced to just one minute with less than 5k to go. The four minute gap to 4th place was being maintained. Anticipation built as the rest of the team gathered by the finish line at Parkview House in Shillelagh. TT Racers had long ago won the race but, for us, all eyes were on the next finisher. And it was Annelise that appeared first having taken over 2nd place with just a few hundred metres to go. She crossed the line, still with a smile on her face, just four seconds ahead of the Belpark athlete after over eight hours and 104 kilometres of running. Any demons from 2022 were well exorcised. Given that the club was missing some notable names this year, it must be said that we maximized our finishing position, though the 39 minute deficit to the winning TT Racers team told its own tale. Congratulations to all nonetheless. Thanks to the organisers for putting on another very well-run and enjoyable event. Thanks also to our support crew of Ava & Lavinia, Lorna, Daniel & Robyn, and Tamzin, for providing transport and support all along the way. Special thanks must go to Chris McGrath who took on the onerous responsibility of delivering three athletes to Wicklow. He went on to run a marathon two days later – an altogether more pleasant experience no doubt! The Wicklow Way Relay is truly a team effort! Summer training A reminder to all club members that the summer training season has started. Sessions are at the CBS on Wednesday evenings at 6pm and Saturday mornings at 10am. Warm weather and sunshine are guaranteed. 
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Ballintotis 4 Mile & County Roads As the traditional curtain-raiser for the summer evening road racing season, the Ballintotis 4-miler is always one to attract a crowd and this year proved no different. Aside from a stiff easterly breeze, conditions were perfect for racing as around 1,200 athletes lined up, under blue skies and a setting sun, to tackle the 4 mile loop around Loughaderra and its hinterland. The course itself was immaculately presented with all verges trimmed and plenty of support, signs and mascots around and about to offer encouragement to the observant athlete. The observant spectator may have noticed a lack of East Cork singlets at the sharp end when compared to previous years but all our representatives ran to the best of their abilities on the night. Many of those unable to take part assisted in stewarding and administration so thank you to them. Leading our contingent home was Michael Furlong. Back on form, after some decent solo graft over the past few weeks, and sporting a fresh pair of Puma Super Turbo Boost shoes, the Cork/Kerryman started strongly. In a break from tradition, he then kept it going through to the end, finishing in 27th place with a huge PB of 22m 07s. Sub 22 is surely not far away. Being the top East Cork finisher in Ballintotis is a notable honour. As he stands on the shoulders of club giants, we can be sure sure that Michael will carry this achievement with humility and grace over the coming year. Somewhat chastened after a bit of early argy-bargy with his leading clubmate, Stephen O'Brien followed Michael home in 29th spot (22m 20s) with Grange-Fermoy's Kieran McKeown separating the two. Kieran Beausang, making his debut for the club, finished 39th while Chris Kelly was 48th having got the better of his Ballynoe nemesis, Jim Harty. Martin Hennessy led the more experienced contingent home in 72nd place ahead of Ollie Smiddy. Annelise Hutch was our top female finisher as she continues her return to racing. Also running were Dave O'Dwyer, Lorna O'Brien, Olwyn Reidy, Denis McCarthy and Eiblin Cleary. Special mention should go to Eadaoin Gilmartin and Sarah Forristal who made their returns to the racing scene. As has been the case since 2024, the race also doubled up as the County Road Championships. The club secured the silver men's novice medal (Michael, Stephen, Kieran & Chris) and bronze M35 (Stephen, Kieran, Chris & Martin). Congratulations to all. We should commend all those who made light work of organising such a huge race in the East Cork area and for making it an enjoyabale evening for participants and spectators alike. Long may it continue. Other notes - Michael Furlong prepared for his Ballintotis heroics by spending some time locked up in Spike Island. And during his time there he tackled the 5k race, finishing in 2nd place (17m 44s). His prize? A voucher for a free visit to Spike Island.... - Paul Hartnett wrapped up his UCC career in the Intervarsities Track & Field Championships at MTU. He finished 5th in his 1500m heat (4m 04s), qualifying for the final, however a niggle prevented him from taking his place in the race the following day. - Meanwhile our other Michael - Michael Harty - took a comfortable victory at the Curley 4 miler in Galbally, clocking in at a very impressive 19m 24s in his season opener. - Also Kevin won the uphill only 3k IMRA race on Claragh Mountain in Millsteet in April.  |
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