Location...Rathmore is a small town located near the Cork / Kerry border on the N72 road between Killarney and Mallow.
Course map...The town is actually in two halves with about a mile of countryside in between. Race headquarters is at the Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra secondary school alongside the local church in the western part of the town.
Course profile...
Description of course...The race starts on a narrow and quiet country road about 400m to the south of the local national school. As you can see, it's dead straight and gently rises...
At the first of two bends at about 400m, the Paps and the other mountains to the south come into view...
At about 650 metres, the road veers left at a small junction and then continues gradually upwards...
At about the 1 km / 0.7 mile mark, you reach the highest part of the course near the local GAA grounds. The race continues on this narrow road and just after the one mile mark, you turn left at this junction with the Derrynasaggart Mountains clearly visible to the south...
After another bend, the road then turns north as you head back towards Rathmore. At about 1.4 miles, the road begins to drop...
This next section of the course is by far the fastest as you have long straight sections that are gradually downhill...
At about 2.7 miles, you reach a T-junction in the town of Rathmore where you turn left...
This is another view of the road junction where you join the N72 road...
As the road is open, all runners will need to stay at the left hand side of the road. This is the view at about 2.8 miles as you leave the eastern half of Rathmore with a slight incline ahead...
The section between the two halves of the town is more rural with a footpath now alongside the road. This stretch below is near the 3 mile mark...
At about 3.9 miles, you reach the western half of Rathmore and the finish line is just up ahead by the church...
Overall...A reasonably fast course. Any hills tend to be long gentle ones rather than anything sharp and steep. About 70% of the course is on quite country roads. With it located on the Killaney - Mallow road, it should appeal to runners from North Cork and Kerry.
