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.

Grange Fermoy 4 Mile 2020

10 Things I Think About The Fantastic Grange Fermoy 4 Mile

1. An Rud is Annamh is Iontach

I think that less races is better. No races is definitely terrible but perhaps we had too many races before. This was a proper race, a real race, no nonsense, no money, no prizes and no shiny medals. It was less than 200 people trying to find out who’s the best at running 4 miles. Because there were no other races on, everyone was there, everyone.

2. Doublethink

I think it shows you how messed up this country is that the pubs were open before there was a road race in Cork. It doesn’t take a masters in public health to figure out that pubs are very dangerous dens of disease and small local road races are not.

3. Prohibition

I think that we should ban running every few years to increase participation levels. There was clearly a lot of training going on over the last few months judging by the standard of this race. That or a lot of online shopping on Nike .com

4. Billy and the Stress Fracture

I think that I had two excellent excuses for my performance today. I spent four weeks doing nothing because of a second metatarsal stress fracture in May. Then just as I’d gotten over the stressie, Billy arrived. I think I’d take Billy over a stress fracture any day. Billy permits ample running, stressies do not.

5. Magic Shoes

I think that the magic shoes make it so much easier to comeback after a stress fracture. Normally it would take 12 weeks to be able to tolerate sessions and races after a stressie but with the nice soft springy Vaporflys you could probably race even when you had the stress fracture. They really are magic.

6. Hairy Beasts

I think that it is a shame that only myself, Barry and Conor have maintained the lockdown look. Initially, I went down the top knot/mini man bun route but recently I have discovered hairbands which are far better. I think I’ll keep the hair, the beard might go.

7. Social Distancing

I think that Grange Fermoy did an excellent job on the race. It was far more socially distanced than any GAA match you’d watch through a fence. The hall which is the primary source of most pre and post race infections and diseases was exchanged for a beautiful white outdoor Gazebo. It was like a race in Spain, just with a bit of wind and a few threatening sprinkles of rain. Everyone lined up on excellently socially distanced blue Xs. We were called to the line a few seconds before the start and away we went like normal minus the pointless touching and jostling like penguins behind the line. Perfect. Almost better than before.

8. The Old Normal

I think that no matter what happens I will always end up racing John Meade and Viv. I was pretty sure I was done with them last year but the stress fracture has made me quite bad. John Meade still hasn’t given Nike a shiny penny, in-fact he hasn’t given any shoe companies any pennies. He’d probably be disadvantaged even if there weren’t Vaporflys. In fairness to Viv at least he beat me badly, John Meade just sat on me until the last 100m and then sprinted away like a man who was delighted with himself. To make it worse he brought Kieran McKeown with him.

9. Can We Do This Again?

I think we need more club only races. I love a big huge race as much as anyone but there is something special about these races where everyone is capable of running under 22 minutes for 4 miles. It was like the All Ireland Cross Country on the road. Standards are good.

10. Living is Better than Existing

I think that it is great to be back racing. I know runners are awful selfish sweaty creatures who look like the perfect vehicles to spread disease but really we are no worse than GAA players. Life is definitely better when there are races, races are definitely better when Grange Fermoy organize them. I hope there are more.