Ballymore Cobh AC News

Exciting times at Ballymore Cobh AC with little time left before we welcome back Sonia O’Sullivan on August 25th to celebrate the passing of twenty years since her European Championship Gold medal.

As on that summers evening in Helsinki in 1994, local runners will take on the challenge of the 3000m distance, with separate races for boys, girls (both 14-17yr olds), men and women commencing at 7.00pm from Lynches Quay.

The event is open to runners of all abilities and the flat course will suit everyone from elite to beginner. From the start line, competitors will race along the town, passing The Commodore Hotel before continuing onto the
Lower Road until turning before the entrance to Whitepoint before returning in the direction of town via the Lower Road with the finishing line just beyond the Promenade.

A big crowd is expected in The Commodore Hotel for the after race ceremonies which will include prize giving, finger food and refreshments before a Q+A session between sports journalist and athlete Feidhlim Kelly and our very own Sonia O’Sullivan.

Entries for these races are now filling up and we encourage everyone planning to take part to pre-register at http://precisiontiming.primo-solutions.co.uk/ps/event/TheSoniaOSullivanBallymoreCobhAC3000mRoadRace

On the competitive front, the clubs athletes continue to go from strength to strength. Jennifer (1.53.01) + Malcolm Meade (1.55.27) maintained their preparation for this years Dublin Marathon when running in the Rock N Roll Half Marathon which was also staged in the nations capital, last weekend.

The local race scene continues to see a welcome return of the black and yellow vests to the many courses around East Cork and beyond. Cloyne played host to a well attended recent 5k event and the travelling contingent were well represented amongst the 600 athletes who took part on the night, with Fiona O’Sullivan (21.56) leading home the Cobh ladies with a gutsy display to put her amongst the Top 20 females in the field. Trevor Cummins (17.42) continued his impressive form so far this season with a solid effort that placed him in 18th position overall.

Kevin O’Keeffe (21.14), Stephen Ryan (24.08), Louise Dunne (25.04) and Laura Forrest (26.07) all achieved personal bests on the night and this bodes well for the remainder of the campaign for these athletes with further progression anticipated on the back of more training.

Next up on the schedule is a trip to Clonmel for a half marathon that will serve as a stepping stone for those building towards the Dublin Marathon in October. The final leg of the Ballycotton Series follows this at the end of the month and preparations will then get underway for the annual Cork-Cobh race staged in late September.

The Juvenile section of the club also continues to move in the right direction with Wednesday’s training sessions at The Track, Carrignafoy proving popular with the 14-17yr old category. Any athletes, regardless of experience, are welcome to join in these sessions which begin at 6pm weekly.

For those interested in keeping up to date with all the latest Ballymore Cobh AC clubs news, please stay to tuned to our online content.

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