Location...The town of Kilmallock is in the SE of Co.Limerick and is just 5-6 miles east of the main N20 Cork-Limerick road....
This map below shows the various approach roads...
Registration is at the Deebert House Hotel on the east side of the town. This is just off the R515 road to Tipperary town.
Look for the red signposts for the hotel...
Course map...
Course profile...Gentle slopes and mostly flat...
Course description......The race starts about 200m east of the road junction near the Deebert House Hotel on the R515 road to Tipperary town...
At the road junction, you turn left and south. As you can see from the photo below, on the return leg you will be heading towards the finish line by the hotel.
After a short flat section, you turn right at the next T-junction and head into the town...
Past the courthouse, staying right at the junction and heading up the main street of the town...
At the next junction with Emmet Street, you continue straight ahead. This is where the race returns to the town later.
After about 1km, you come to King's Gate which was once part of the walls of the town of Kilmallock. Access to the north-western part of the town was via the narrow gate as shown below but of course today, the road just skirts around the tower to the right.
At about 0.8 miles, you come to the very prominent church where you turn left....
The road here at first is very slightly uphill as you pass through a residential area but soon, it changes to a narrow country road as you begin to leave the town...
This next mile or so is mostly flat as you head away from the town. At about the 2.5 mile mark, you turn left at a junction and begin heading back towards Kilmallock...
Initially there is a slight climb but it is mostly flat along this narrow country road...
At about the 4 mile mark, you join the Charleville Road...
From here, you head back in towards the town. At about 4.4 miles, the main road takes a turn to the right whereas you will turn off left in towards the centre of the Kilmallock...
You then run through Blossom Gate...another part of the old walls of Kilmallock.
...and how it looked at the start of the 20th Century...
Just on the other side, you complete the loop when you return to the junction where you passed earlier and you turn right for home...
For the last 800m, you run back towards the start line except that at the last T-junction you turn left...
...and the finish line is near the Deebert House Hotel...
Overall.......Starts and finishes in the town of Kilmallock with plenty of the course on quiet country roads. Any hills are very modest and it should prove to be a fast 5 mile course.
