Preview of the Sixmilebridge 10 km road race...
Located in the south of county Clare, Sixmilebridge is within easy reach of Limerick City, Shannon and Ennis..
This race is organised by BMOC Athletic Club and registration is usually at the local GAA grounds. If you are approaching from the Limerick side then turn left at the main crossroads in the village...over a small bridge...and then take the next right....
The 10 km course is to the north-west of Sixmilebridge and takes in the village of Kilmurry as well.
Closer look at the 10 km course...The race starts and finishes just outside the GAA grounds. As you can see from the photo below, it's an uphill start which by the same token means that it is a downhill finish.
At about 0.2 miles / 300m, the road eases off and you come to the road junction that marks the start of the loop to the north-west.
From here, the road is reasonably fast with just the odd gentle incline. At 1.3 miles / 2 kms, you come to Feenagh Cross and you turn right onto a quiet country road as you head towards Kilmurry...
This is another reasonably fast section as the road gently rises. Around the 2 mile / 3.3 kms mark, you pass Walton Lodge Golf Club....
Since the crossroads, the road has been lined with trees and bushes offering some shelter from any wind. Closer to the top of the hill around the 3 mile / 4.8 km mark, it becomes a bit more open...
There is a slight fall in the road ahead and you enter the village of Kilmurry at about 3.4 miles / 5.5 kms. First, you run past the church which looks as if it's out on the road ;o) ......
...and then at the T-junction, you turn right onto a larger road and head south...
Note that this is a busier road and there is likely to be some traffic present.
Up to now, the course has been pretty modest with just some gentle inclines. If you are used to running 10k and above then you should have found the first 3.5 miles reasonably fast.
The second half of the course is however quite different. The last mile of the race is pretty tough so you are going to lose time there. If you have a target time in mind then you have to make the most of any downhill running. That's where the next section of road comes in. From the road junction above in Kilmurry at around 3.5 miles / 5.6 kms to where the road turns off at around 5 miles / 8 kms, it's a gentle downhill slope. You should try to make the most of this to build up a cushion ahead of the difficult section to come.
This is the course around the 4 mile / 6.4 km mark with the castle ahead...
Mountcashel Castle...built in the second half of the 15th century.
The end of the downhill section near the 5 mile / 8 km mark. Now you turn off right on to a narrow country lane....
So narrow in fact that there is only space for one car at a time. The road rises and it opens up again around the 5.2 mile mark...just one mile now to go to the finish line.
The road narrows again and then continues to rise gently. At the 5.5 mile / 8.8 km mark, the toughest part of the course starts with a climb that lasts for about half a mile or 800 metres. The start is marked by this sharp left hand bend below...
As you approach the top, you'll see the houses in the distance ahead which mark the T-junction...
When you turn left here, you are just after the 6 mile mark and you have a 300 metre downhill run to the finish line.
Overall.......10k course on mostly quiet country roads in the south of County Clare. The course is reasonably fast with a challenging last mile. Make the most of any downhill or flat sections.
