Newmarket 5K 2025

1. Valencia of 5Ks in Cork

I think that the Newmarket 5K is to 5ks what the Valencia marathon is to marathons, except maybe just confined to Cork and surrounding counties. Because of the generous course and usually ideal running conditions it offers the perfect chance to run a great P.B by me which can be broadcast across social media for all to hear, witness and acknowledge which is very important and the reason that most of us run.

2. Perfect Timing

I think that 1pm on a Sunday is the perfect time for a race. It allows plenty of time for sleep even allowing for the hour-long drive to Newmarket. It initially looked as if the race would be held in pouring wind and rain but as I left Glanmire at 11:30 the rain started to stop and the traditional perfect Newmarket 5k running conditions of cold and dry with a little hopefully helpful wind prevailed.

3. Photo Photo

I think that the Newmarket 5k offered many great opportunities for excellent photos to be taken. We had a big turnout of Glanmire A.C athletes, five in total which is our highest to date, we failed to get a group photo because of the large crowd and my lateness but I did get a photo with chairman Gruff.

4. False Start

I think that it would have been great if the rules and regulations of local 5k road races had of been enforced and all the youngfellas that false started had been disqualified. This would have returned the race to the moderately old men like me who are more used to the local road race scene. Instead, everyone just lined up again and off we took at a ridiculous speed down the hill that is primarily responsible for the quick course.

5. Need for Speed

I think that people get a little bit carried away at the start of this race. There is no need to panic at the start of a 5k, it is a very long race, yet still everyone goes off like it is a 400m race. I was a long way back after 400m despite seeing 4:40 mile pace on the watch, perhaps the times would be faster if the start wasn’t so fast, there aren’t many people that can tolerate running 4:40 mile pace for 400m and continue to run 5k.

6. Top Cat

I think that it is interesting how popular the Pumas are. They really are fantastic, my favourite shoe ever. The really great thing about them is that some people can’t wear them, so I get an advantage. Viv wouldn’t believe me for ages about them because he doesn’t trust me but when he ran in them in Waterford, he got two minutes back in the half marathon which is amazing. They seem to be sold out now which is terrible as they don’t last long so I’ll have to use my pair sparingly.

7. Ken’s Army

I think that it was great to see the abundance of youngfellas in the race today. There were hundreds of them and they are really good, most of them appear to be coached by Ken Nason or influenced by Ken Nason. It is very terrible to have to race youngfellas over 5k as a moderately old man as you simply cannot compete with the power and speed that they have. The only hope you have is that they go out too fast and blow up, but this doesn’t happen any more now because they all believe in LT1 and LT2 etc and don’t just train flat out the whole time.

8. Magnitude and Direction

I think that we were very unlucky with the wind today. It appeared to be some sort of cross headwind that was no help going out the road nor back the road. It seemed to be pushing us back no matter which way we ran. Luckily there was an abundance of youngfellas to shelter behind, so it didn’t really matter too much.

9. There Goes Sean Davin

I think that other that the speed and power of the 100s of Ken Nason’s youngfellas in the race the most impressive thing I saw was Sean Davin’s overtake of me at 4km. He came past like he was going to go past everyone ahead and win the race. It really helped me as I am programmed to chase after that St Finbarr’s singlet due to John Meade so I was able to use him to get through the last km which is ever so slightly uphill.

10. What’s 5k Effort?

I think that some people struggle with defining 5k effort. To me 5k effort is really not much different to all out sprinting effort. At the end of a 5k you should be experiencing a lot of misery and not really be able to breath. Luckily there is a photo from the end of the race that shows exactly what I mean by 5k effort. My 5k effort resulted in a 19th place finish which I was quite happy with, the time was very good too. I’m unsure if it was a great P.B by me but sure it was close enough and you can never have enough P.Bs.

pHOTO: dERMOT hever

Defense Forces Cork BHAA 5K 2025

10 Things I Think About The Defense Forces Cork BHAA 5K 2025

1. God Bless The Influencers

I think that when you are an Elite Level Local Cork BHAA runner the best way of maximising your chances of winning a race is to pick the right races. The months of May and October are peak months for marathons. Tadhg O’Sullivan Cork’s number one running influencer, will have most of the local runners of Cork out doing 40k runs on a Sunday so the potential field for a Sunday race will be much reduced. All that leaves is John Meade who is easily distracted by some still weather and the opportunity to climb mountains in Kerry.

2. Tramore Treeless Park

I think that if I ever get into power the first thing I will do is plant a million trees in Tramore Valley park. It is not the worst running loop but the lack of trees just makes it feel wrong. The smooth Formula 1 track like tarmac surface should be the most fabulous place for running but the lack of trees just makes it inhospitable and confusingly not a particularly pleasant place to run.

3. October Weather

I think that October weather is great, it is either lovely still and calm with weird foggy clouds or pouring with ridiculous amounts of rain that makes cross country great. Normally what happens in October is the first two weeks are dry still and calm, the third week is a crazy flood, and the fourth week is cold and windy and wintery. This year seems no different, so we were blessed with a calm cloudy day perfect to send John Meade off to Kerry and me to Tramore Valley park to try and win a BHAA race for the second or third or fourth time ever.

4. Great Things From Herzogenaurach

I think that the main reason I wanted to do the race was to try out my new magic shoes the Puma Fast R3s. Since my terrible career threatening injury that kept me out for 11 weeks, I had not really been able to test them out. A 5k in Tramore Valley Park seemed like the perfect opportunity to see if they would do any damage to my calves like some people have been complaining of.

5. Denis Hegarty Style

I think that it is very important to respect the opposition on the start line. I was delighted to that Tadhg had influenced most of my usual rivals into battering themselves for 40k in preparation for a marathon abroad where it will probably and hopefully be too hot for running. Still nowadays as running has become more popular and me more older, I must be aware of unknown young fellas who could just appear from no where and run 15 minutes for 5k. To account for this, I took the race out as fast as I could and didn’t look back like how Denis Hegarty wins the BHAA races.

6. It’s 2019 Again

I think that the Pumas might be like being back in 2019 again when the Vaporflys came out. They are the closest thing to the magic that the Vapoflys brought. They pop off the ground and like the Vaporflys, make you run with what feels like good running form. I haven’t felt this good since the first time I ran in the pink Vaporfly Next%. Perhaps I should do what the early adopters of the Vaporflys did in 2019 and say nothing and claim that the improvement is actually down to my own greatness.

7. SPR

I think that when running around Tramore Valley Park it is very important to run the shortest possible route so that you spend as little time as possible running around the lunar tarmac landscape. It is always unnerving in a race when you can’t hear anyone behind you after a kilometer. My great fear in races like this is that I am being tricked, John Meade would be the chief suspect, that he is going to start way back and let me dream that I am going to win before effortlessly passing me with 50m to go making me look like the useless article that I am. These are in fact positive thoughts however as I use them to motivate myself. The only way of fighting such a scenario is to run as fast as I possibly can which is what I do.

8. Teddy Guantanamo Bay

I think that the course in Tramore Valley Park is deceptively hard. The most awful part of the course is the hill by the teddy bear Guantanamo Bay where the teddies are imprisoned and pinned to the fence. This sort of hill is a Barry Twohig or John Meade hill, a hill that requires power, power that I cannot generate well. It costs me a lot of time and then you have to do it twice to make it worse.

9. Great Solo PB By Me

I think that it was a pity that I didn’t get to break the 16-minute barrier. I was just over it which is still a solo 5k P.B for me. I am normally about 30 seconds slower over 5k when running on my own so it must mean that the Pumas are the game changers that they feel like they are.

10. Club Record

I think that it is great to be the current Glanmire A.C club record holder over the half marathon and 5k distance. This is one of the hidden benefits of starting with a new club. In addition to the club record I also got to go and collect my BHAA prize which was handed over in an envelope. I won my first BHAA road race on a beach in Youghal 15 years ago so it was nice to win another one as a moderately old man. Only a few more to catch the unofficial all-time record holder John Meade.

Cork BHAA PWC 5K 2025

10 Things I Think About The PWC BHAA 5K 2025

1. Climate Change

I think that the new climate is great, it rains in Spain and it is beautiful and dry if a little windy in Cork. It makes running so easy and nice. To make it even better the clocks have returned to normal and the evening BHAA races are back.

2. Beautiful Clean Shoes

I think it is terrible that the modern runner believes that they are only a new pair of shoes away from greatness. Greatness can be purchased, victory over that person who always beats you is only a pair of shoes away, you just have to be online at 8am and get the shoes before they are all gone at 8:02am. Last Thursday I was that awful modern runner getting a pair of the Vaporfly 4. I’d have been better off getting an extra run in. Miles are the secret not shoes.

3. On Time

I think that I will try and be on time for the races this year. It is a much more pleasant experience being on time. No stress, no messaging Graham asking him to pick up the number, a warm up, a chat, it’s a better way to operate.

4. Stress Reaction

I think that I did well to limit the impact of a stress reaction in my left fibula to only a 8 week absence from racing. I think I hurt my calf in a cross country race then ran Seville, Dungarvan and the Little Island 5k with a calf niggle which turned into a bone injury. I’m getting wise in my old age so stopped before I couldn’t walk so the recovery was relatively quick.

5. 90 Day Pause

I think that the start of the race was very well organized. There was a line on the road for the start with microphone speakers mounted on a plywood plinth which meant that there was no need for the usual will ye for god’s sake push back, instead we walked forward slowly to the line and then waited for the chip timing. It was a good long wait but it was fine because it was sunny and nice.

6. SuperValu

I think that it was apt that the race ran around SuperValu Pairc Ui Caoimh as BHAA offers truly super value. A 5k race for €5, no inflation, no tariffs. It’s cheaper than a coffee at the Marina Market. The route was one I haven’t seen before, up to the red shed with no walls in front of Pairc Ui Caoimh, around that, then a sharp hairpin before running along the back of the main stand. I got to the stadium in contact with the front group containing one of the Barrys, Tadhg, Mark Walsh, Danny Mullins and Nate but the pace became too much and I lost contact as we went around the Blackrock End terrace.

7. Golden Mile

I think that the new Marina Mile is tremendously beautiful. It is a wonderful surface to run on, like a golden track. This was the first race to use the new path, it was so nice not to have to study the ground for potholes and patches. Unfortunately I was left to run along the path on my own as the front five were way too strong and left me to enjoy the new path on my own.

8. Tadhg Not Like Us

I think that it was great to see Tadhg win the race. I am happy because Tadhg is a believer in the more miles is better and that you don’t need to do 400s to run a fast 5k. For some reason marathon training is better for 5ks than it is for the actual marathon.

9. Not so Solo

I think that I was lucky that I didn’t end up solo to the end of the race, otherwise I wouldn’t have broken the magical 15-minute barrier. I did my best on the long run to the finish along the Marina Market Road to keep Tadhg in sight so that he wouldn’t think that he was that great. As I approached the roundabout I began to hear footsteps, then I heard well done Ray, so I initiated John Meade mode and sprinted for the line and the sub 15 minute 5k.

10. BHAA Vaporfly 6%

I think that instead of being stuck to a phone at 8am to buy magic shoes people need to start running BHAA road races. It is much better value and more fun. According to the GPS watches which have papal levels of infallibility the race was around 4.6 to 4.7k. Sure what harm. I think there should be more races like this, keep us guessing, have course records become a thing, a lap of the Marina is a lap of the Marina who cares if it’s 5k or not, Tadhg still won.

Cork BHAA Janssen 5K 2025

10 Things I Think About The Janssen Cork BHAA 5K

1. In GPS we Trust, Everyone Else Needs a Jones Counter

I think that the Cork BHAA Little Island 5K route might be the most famous 5K route in Cork. It’s the one where everyone runs tremendous times, the one where the Stravalurkers who didn’t run the race think it’s short because they don’t like the times. The GPS watch must be trusted, never mind that it has been measured with a wheel, the GPS watch is always right. I was hoping the Stravalurkers were right I fancied a 5K PB, it’s been a while.

2. Late for the Late Start

I think that it was a great achievement to almost miss the start of a BHAA race that started fourteen minutes late. There was a very long queue for registration, very long, it went back into a part of the sports hall that I didn’t know existed. At 10am it looked like the race couldn’t start for at least another 30 minutes, so I decided to drive down to the finish with Rhona and Billy and jog back up to the start. As I was putting on my magic shoes Michael Herlihy offered to drive me up to the start as he said they were just about to start, fearing the speed of the Audi Etron more than missing the race I decided to jog up. Running past the eerily empty sports hall I feared that I was about to meet a wave of runners. Luckily, they were just after the “for god’s sake will ye push back” phase of the start so I was fine.

3. White Shorts

I think that it is too difficult to purchase coloured shorts. Irish people are very boring when it comes to colours. Shorts are grey or black, cars are grey or black, nothing else is allowed. Spanish races are very different, it is like a competition to see who can wear the most colourful costume. My contribution to the battle against the grey and black short brigade is white shorts, yes they look like GAA shorts but they’re not grey and not black. You can get them off Adidas, they’re retro apparently.

4. Tis Neither Good for Man nor Beast

I think that the real reason why the Cork BHAA Little Island 5K route produces so many tremendous times is the prevailing wind direction. The route runs from west to east so normally it has a strong tailwind component for about 70% of the race. Unluckily for us on Sunday we encountered the beast from the east meaning, 70% of the race was run into a block cold headwind. Not good for the PB chances.

5. Two Beasts

I think that the other runners in the race were very lucky that John Meade and I turned up for the race. Two brave men not afraid to run into the wind. The race quickly settled into a formation that would not change from start to finish except for the bit at the finish that actually is the most important bit of the race. John Meade and I up front, Aidan Noone in the quarterback position, flanked by Darren McCann, John Longan and Sean Twohig.

6. Three K Trouble

I think that I knew I was in trouble after three kilometres. Three kilometres in a five kilometre race is a crucial point, if you are in a group at three K you’ll probably be in the group at five K. The group of six was still a group of six. I tried everything I could to shed a few from the group, everything involved trying to run fast down the hill but every time we turned right at the bottom of the hill we were met with a wall of wind and John Meade brought everyone back together.

7. One to Go

I think that I knew what was going to happen with a kilometre to go. The fourth kilomtre marker at the top of the hill signified the start of the actual race. For the second time I tried my only tactic of running fast down the hill. Again John Meade neutralized the attack, unlike the first attack Aidan also followed John Meade so I went from first to third. Aidan had yet to feel a breeze at this stage having cleverly and patiently waited for myself and John Meade to tire ourselves out.

8. John Meade Fan Club

I think that Aidan is lucky that John Meade didn’t take inspiration from Martin Drake who was marshalling the turn for home. Martin is very clearly a John Meade fan and was vociferous in his support for John once we turned right with between 400 and 430m to go depending on whether you are going by GPS or measured course. John initiated the all too familiar John Meade sprint which is usually an insurmountable challenge for all but the best local elite Cork BHAA runners, unluckily for John he had Aidan Noone on his tail, a man who is borderline unbeatable in a sprint as John was about to find out.

9. Swamped

I think that I would normally be able to hold onto some level of contact with a John Meade finishing kick. Sunday was different, once John and Aidan had separated themselves from the group of six I was left in third. I didn’t stay third for long as coming onto the finishing straight Darren McCann flew around the outside of me in a pair of what looked like Adidas Adios Pro 4s, I tried to sprint but my sprint isn’t very sprinty so it wasn’t long until I saw John Longan and Sean Twohig fly by leaving me to jog home 10 seconds and six places behind Aidan.

10. Suspicious Fast

I think that having run the Cork BHAA Little Island 5K route there is something about the course that makes it fast. Despite the headwind and tactical race the times were tremendously fast. I don’t think it is short as I have carefully reviewed the GPS data and it is clear that the GPS is cutting the corners so reading shorter than the route that we actually run. I think it is fast because of magic shoes, a course that lends itself to the formation of groups and being ever so slightly downhill, add a westerly wind and it’s very tremendously fast. Anyway I don’t really understand the obsession with 5K road times, who cares what time you ran, it’s much more important who beats who and Aidan Noone beat us all very badly especially John Meade.