Location.....The village of Allihies is located near the end of the Beara Peninsula in the far south-west of County Cork...
It is signposted from the centre of Castletownbere as being 19kms on the R572 via Cahermore...
The village is quite elongated with the race HQ being at the Allihies Community Centre near the northern end...
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| Allihies Community Centre |
Course map...
Course profile....
Course description...The race starts about 700m to the south of the community centre near a small crossroads...
From the start, there is a gradual climb up to the village...
...with a myriad of colours and shades as you run through...
The course levels off near the Community Centre at 0.4 miles and just after it, you come to the start of the loop.
After some level running, there are one of two more short pulls until you start the gradual descent near the 1 mile mark. At 1.1 miles you come to this junction....right for Eyeries but the course swings to the left and south. As you can see, on a sunny day the views from here are incredible...
At 1.8 miles, you begin the descent towards sea level...
At 2.1 miles, you reach the lowest point of the course near a beach. You take a sharp left here and begin the gradual ascent.
At 2.3 miles, you join the approach road to Allihies where you stay right....
At 2.7 miles, you veer off left....
All the while, the road continues to gradually climb with some stunning scenery...
Some level sections around 4 miles...
In summertime, the colours in the countryside reflects the multitude of colours in the village...
At 4.6 miles, you begin the final descent. You stay right at this fork at 4.7 miles...
Eventually, you come to the end of the loop with the finish line around the corner near the community centre...
Overall........Not a course for running personal best times but most people wouldn't come here for that reason. It is quite simply one of the most scenic parts of the country and this course on a sunny day is simply outstanding. Recommended.
