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Ireland > Bay Run Half Marathon
Glengarriff, Ireland

   

Date

Sunday, May 3, 2009


 
Event Details

Spectacular views of the nearby Caha Mountains combine with the blue waters of southwest Ireland's Bantry Bay to form the backdrop for the annual Bay Run Half Marathon, a point-to-point race that saw just under 2,000 runners cross the finish line at its spring 2008 running. With a course that takes participants from the village of Glengarriff overlooking the bay's northern shore to Bantry along its southern side, this race features much of the magnificent scenery for which this part of the country is known -- high mountain ridges off in the distance, mountain streams cascading down to the lower elevations, and hilly green pastures, lakes, ponds and forests in between.

Formerly known as the West Cork Run, the Bay Run Half starts runners off in the village of Glengarriff, which is perhaps most famous for Garnish Island, a small island located just off the shore from Glengarriff in Bantry Bay that is home to a world-famous collection of plants, horticulture and Italian gardens. From the starting line in the village, runners head out along the main N71 highway towards Kenmare, though they take a quick detour through the Glengarriff Wood National Nature Reserve in the race's first mile.

Filled with some of Ireland's largest and oldest oak trees (some are more than 200 years old), the reserve features a nearly half-mile stretch of road called "The Avenue" that those running the race will traverse on their way through the reserve and then re-join the N71 for the rest of the course toward the village of Kenmare. Runners stay on this stretch of highway for the next 2 to 3 miles until reaching the third mile marker, which begins perhaps the race's toughest hill.

The third mile begins a roughly mile-long uphill stretch that will no doubt challenge even the hardiest of runners, followed by a stretch that's much flatter, though it does have a slight incline. As runners make their way through miles 4 and 5, they enter the portion of the course that organizers say is its most scenic, as they run through the village of Ardnatrush with views of the azure blue Bantry Bay over their shoulder.

The course remains at near sea level for the next couple of miles as runners continue their way around the eastern shoreline of the bay, through the town of Ballylickey and past gorgeous green golf courses toward the home stretch of the race, which features a flat stretch and a downhill toward the finish line in the village of Bantry, in Wolf Tone Square.


Race Weather & Climate

Located among the lush green pastures, mountains and lakes of southwest Ireland's County Cork, the villages of Glengarriff and Bantry typically experience relatively milder, warmer weather than the country's northern regions, with often heavier rainfall and humidity than the country's eastern side, thanks to its proximity to the breezes sweeping in from the Atlantic Ocean. In May, monthly temperatures in Glengarriff average around 15°C (59°F).


Fees

€50 for runners and walkers


Registration

To reserve your place in the spring 2009 running of the Glengarriff-to-Bantry Bay Run Half Marathon, register online at the event website or print out and mail in this downloadable entry form.


Websites

www.bayrun.ie



Course Map


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