Location... The village of Littleton is located on the old Cork-Dublin road near the town of Thurles. It is literally just a few minutes drive from exit 6 on the M8 motorway so access is very easy.
From the M8, take exit 6 and follow the signs for the Horse & Jockey. At the T-junction there, turn left and drive north-east.
Littleton will be the first built up area you will come to. Take a right at the only crossroads in the village...
Look for the newly built community centre near the church.
Course... The 5k race starts in Littleton and takes in an anti-clockwise loop to the south.
Profile... The 5k course is pretty flat and hovers around the 120m ASL mark. An inspection of an Ordnance Survey map shows that the 5k course doesn't cross any other contour other than the 120m one. In other words, the course never changes by more than +/- 10m in altitude.
Description... The 5k race starts outside the old church and heads back into the village...
After about 300m, you turn left at the crossroads and head south-west on the old Cork-Dublin road.
Considering it was once one of the main roads in the country, it's pretty wide and there is plenty of space on the left for runners.
Just after 2kms, you turn left...
This narrower road heads for Ballynonty and has a small climb on it. At 3.6kms, you turn left and head back towards Littleton...
At about 4.8kms, you're back at the start line where you turn right and head for the finish...
Overall.....Fast 5k course. Very easy to access from the M8 motorway.
