BALLINTOTIS 4 MILE ROAD RACE  CELEBRATES 10th Running

The Ballintotis 4 mile road race, hosted by Ballintotis Area Community Council and held in association with East Cork AC, will be celebrating the tenth running of the event on Wednesday April 17th 2019 (starting time 8pm.) Traditionally seen by many runners as the start of the summer season, this year's race will be held on a Wednesday rather than the usual Thursday date.

In 2010, the first staging of the race took place attracted 425 runners, a figure which at the that time exceeded the organisers' expectations.  That initial event got fund raising underway for the Ballintotis Community Centre which has since been built and is now the hub of the race.. The event formerly took place in Castlemartyr, but East Cork AC moved the race to Ballintotis, which has proved a hugely popular location, with the venue boasting in excess of 1,000 participants on a number of occasions. The scenic 4 mile loop includes a lap of road bordering Loughaderra Lake in the closing stages.

Great Prize List
Again this year's race offers great value for money with a very attractive prize structure overall and a full list of category prizes in all age groups (1st 2nd and 3rd) as well as the opportunity to win one of the many spot prizes on offer. Castlemartyr Resort will again sponsor the top prize which this year is a 12 months free membership of their Leisure Centre for both the male and female winners. 
Trabolgan Holiday Village have again confirmed that they will sponsor a  Family Weekend Away or Mid Week stay for the both the race runner up and ladies runner up.   Once more Garryvoe Hotel Leisure Centre have come on board with a magnificent prize for the third runners home, in the shape of six months membership to their superb facility.  Market Green Shopping Centre  have also been confirmed among the other main race sponsors.


Tenth Year Commemorated
But,of course, this year is a very special year as it marks the tenth running of the race at the venue.  As well as the famous Ballintotis Buff again kindly sponsored by Simon Ahern of  Ahern's Centra,  Ballintotis Area Community Council will present a special ten year commemorative medal to all finishers - And there's more as thanks to The Hunted Hog and J.J Coppingers', all finishers will also receive a goody bag to mark 10 years of the by now famous Ballintotis 4 Mile Race.  All of this for just 10 euro.

On Line Registration
For those who wish to enter on line, registration opens at www.ballintotis.com on Monday March 11th and will remain open until Saturday April 13th. All those who enter on line will automatically enter into a draw, the winner of which will receive overnight accommodation and breakfast for 2 at Garryvoe Hotel.  So overall, there is so much on offer in Ballintotis on Wed April 17th.

Race History

In the inaugural race James McCarthy took top spot with a time of 19:54. McCarthy went onto win the race a remarkable eight times in a row, his best time being 19:23 set in 2016. Last year a new man was on the podium as another East Cork A.C competitor Michael Harty won in style and in the process set a new course record of 19:15 in the 2018 race, with the previous record also being broken by Sergiu Ciobanu who was runner up.

The entry was a remarkable 1,170 runners in 2015.  Irish Olympian Sonia O Sullivan was among those taking part  that year following up on her previous visit in 2013.  Current national marathon record holder Lizzy Lee from Leevale is the ladies course record holder (21:22), with her fellow Irish International Claire McCarthy posting the second fastest time around the course.   Fiona Santry of East Cork A.C is the defending ladies champion in Ballintotis.

PREVIOUS BALLINTOTIS 4 MILE ROAD RACE WINNERS

2010: James McCarthy, 19:54 

 2011: James McCarthy, 19:34

 2012: James McCarthy, 19:56

 2013: James McCarthy, 19:43

 2014: James McCarthy, 19:31

 2015: James McCarthy, 19:25 

 2016: James McCarthy, 19;23

2017: James McCarthy, 19:55 

 *2018: Michael Harty, 19:15*