10 Things I Think About The Ballintotis 4 Mile 2026

1. Brigadoon

I think that the Ballintotis 4-mile road race is an incredible event. An amazing logistical achievement. I have often dropped Rhona to a yoga retreat in the community centre in Ballintotis and wondered how anyone ever thought of holding a road race here on route that runs along a national main road. It is amazing to return on the actual night and see the race appear from nowhere almost like it was a magical event which it probably is.

2. What Do Ye Be Doing?

I think that the people who turn up for a race that starts at 745pm at 6pm are great. It is because of them that I can rock up at 715pm without issue. But I do wonder what do ye be doing for the nearly two hours? A warmup takes 15 minutes max, putting on the number 5 minutes, putting on magic shoes? Even the pumas can be put on by an old man like me with tight hamstrings and an immobile back in less than 5 minutes, still loads of time left. Instagram, I suppose.

3. Puma Fast R Kneecrushers

I think that the Puma Fast R3s are an amazing shoe, definitely by miles and miles and miles the best 5k, 10k and 10 mile shoe out there. They do however have a slight flaw in that they are crushing my already battered knees. After the 25k on Sunday my knees were not good, so I decided to try out the more forgiving shoe geometry of the Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo. The Asics are very different, very very bouncy, perfect for a moderately old man with temporarily sore knees. A few wallsits and I’ll be able to tolerate the Pumas again but I think I will stick to the bouncy bouncy Asics for half marathons and above.

4. Tribal Rivalry

I think that it is great that the Ballintotis 4 mile incorporates the county road championship. You could feel the tension and the hatred between the different clubs on the line, it was wonderful, like being back playing GAA. “Why don’t we like Banogue? I don’t know we just don’t”. I’m with a new club now Glanmire A.C who are like a beautiful labrador puppy that none of the established clubs see as a threat, “ah look at them aren’t they cute in their lovely white and purple adidas singlets”, so I didn’t have to worry about anything which was both terrible and wonderful as I love a good inter club battle and even better a battle to get into the top four of the club team.

5. Youngfellas

I think that it was great to see so many youngfellas on the line. It is ridiculous that I am nearly 40 and I’m one of the younger people towards the front of races. The youngfellas were mainly from Rob Heffernan’s Cork City A.C, they were very good youngfellas the sort of youngfellas that would make nearly 40 year old men like me consider not turning up for races in future. When the race got under way the swarm of youngfellas took off at a ferocious speed led by their leader Sean Doyle, only Jeremiah Sheehan, Mark Walsh Niamh Allen, Michael Bruton and David Carter were able to follow.

6. A Masterpiece of a Road

I think that the road surface in Ballintotis should be preserved and perhaps some day put in a muesum. It would be difficult to make a road like that again. Years and years and years of filling in the potholes, it is a work of art. The perfect test of a good local club runner, can you navigate the filled patchwork of potholes at 5 minute mile pace or faster. You really do have to concentrate. I was a little worried as the Asics aren’t as nimble as the Pumas so I had a few scares.

7. An East Wind Blows No Good

I think that the wind direction was a big problem for me in Ballintotis. After the first ridiculously fast mile I was left in the second group on the road which comprised of essentially the moderately old man section of the race plus Chris Mintern. Being worried about the last mile I took the lead of the group and tried to run as hard as I could to see if I could maybe drop some of the other moderately old men before the inevitable swamping on the home straight by the lake. I obviously wasn’t as strong as I thought because Niall O’Callaghan had to take over at the front and push the pace on, he was followed by Maurice Feehan so at least I had some shelter.

8. How Do You Run Faster?

I think that it is very difficult to explain what a four mile race feels like at the three mile mark. It’s not very pleasant but at the same time it is wonderful. I’d love to be able to get to that point in a race and be able to start running faster but it has always seemed impossible to me. Like how do you run faster if you have no oxygen left, your legs hurt and are moving as fast as they can? It doesn’t make any sense when fellas like Conor McCauley, John Shine and a Cork Track Club athlete start flying past you from every direction like the race has only started. Maybe I need to pace myself better?

9. The Waiting Game

I think that I might try playing the waiting game in a race some time. It doesn’t seem like much fun, I much prefer the feeling of utter misery from the very start, it seems pure and how it should be. Perhaps we could introduce judges into running like in race walking where you get a yellow card, and then a red card if you aren’t visibly suffering enough during the race. I think it would work well introduce a bit of jeopardy into the event. Michael Herlihy would be a good man for the job.

10. Fifteenth

I think that fifteenth wasn’t a bad result on the night. I was less than two minutes behind Jeremiah Sheehan who somehow managed to beat all of the youngfellas and their leader Sean Doyle. I was fourth in the M35 moderately old man category which meant I didn’t get any medal which was awful and terrible but I’m well used to it so I didn’t mind. I did a good long warm down with Ciaran and Mark Walsh which was supposed to be a mile but ended up being nearly four. By the time I finished it was nearly dark and nearly time for the magical race to disappear again for another year.