The course record was smashed at the annual John Hartnett 10km road race in Ballyhooly last Sunday. A top class field complemented well by a large increase in local runners took to the course in ideal weather conditions, with just a slight drizzle at the starting line to whet the appetite. From the start the pace was fast and it didn’t take long for the main contenders to stretch out the field.

Crossing the line in first place and creating a new course record for the 10km course was Cork man, Gavin Sweeney, in a blistering 32mins 38 seconds, followed by St Finbars AC man, John Meade, in 33.17, with last year’s winner, Danny Smith from Ballynonty AC taking the third position in 34.38. Unlucky to miss out on the medal positions was local man, Denis Beecher, a nephew of John Hartnett who ran a great race to come in fourth place in a time of 36.34.

In the ladies, Anna O’Neill from Doheny AC and Castletownroche native, Mary O’Leary had a very competitive battle with Anna crossing the line first in a time of 40mins 47 seconds with Mary hot on her heals, 6 seconds later. Grange Fermoy athlete, Clotilde Fitzgibbon, completed the podium positions with a third place time of 42.58.

The committee are very grateful for the expertise of John Walsh from Ballycotton Running Promotions and also to the Grange-Fermoy AC for their help and support with the event, particularly Eileen Noonan and Clotilde Fitzgibbon. They are also grateful to Liam Howard of The Avondhu Newspaper, Ballyhooly GAA and Ballyhooly Community Hall, Bob Burke and Dan McCarthy. The race is dependent on volunteer stewards and the ladies involved in the catering. Without your help and support we would have an uphill battle so thank you to all who help out on the day.

We also wish to thank our sponsors. The race is non-profit and the aim is to have a well run race with all the necessary supports. This would not be possible without our sponsors: James Walsh Engineering, Amber, Acorn Veterinary, O’Riordan Connor Finns Veterinary, FBD, Dairygold, Paul and Vincent Millers, Ballyhooly Tug of War, Glenhill Tug of War, Ballyhooly Tennis Club, John Joe’s Bar and William Leahy of Provimi Ireland. We wish to thank them and also encourage everyone to support them.

Full results are available on the Cork Running blog.

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