Records to break at the Coillte 10k Road Race

Wednesday, the 3rd of July at 8 PM, the Coillte 10k Road Race in Dundrum, Co. Tipperary will be run for the 39th consecutive year by the local Dundrum Club. The race, which started out as part of a local long weekend festival that was very popular back in the eighties, is still going strong 39 years later.

This year’s official race starter is Liam O’Dwyer. The Rossmore man has been involved with the club since 1965, both as an athlete and volunteer. Liam excelled in all the throwing events, winning many County, Munster, and National medals over the years.

Race HQ is Dundrum Community Hall (Eircode E34 EY28), where the club has its athletic facilities. Race numbers and Souvenir Towels can be collected there on the evening of the race. The race HQ is only 200 meters from the start and finish lines. For an excellent guided tour of the course road by road, Google the Running in Munster Ireland Website.

The race also incorporates a 5K for juniors (ages between 13 years old on the day of the race and 19 years or under on 31/12/2024). There are prizes in every category from Senior to Over 70 years for both men and women, with the Master categories at the standard five-year intervals from Over 40 years plus. There will be the usual specially embroidered Souvenir Hand Towel for all online entrants to be collected on the night. For Tipperary athletes, there is the added incentive of the Tim Crowe Memorial Trophy (kindly donated by Dominic Moore) for the first Tipperary athlete to finish the 10k. The present holder is Kevin Moore from Dundrum, who won the overall race for the third time last year and the Tim Crowe for the fourth time.

The club is delighted to have Coillte once again as our main sponsor. Dundrum is surrounded by trees and forest trails for running and walking, developed by Coillte over the years. It is appropriate that Coillte is involved with us in the healthy sport of running. The company’s managed forest trails around Dundrum, and indeed around the country, are a haven for people to get out for a bit of fresh air and exercise, never more appreciated than during the recent Covid lockdown. The semi-state company has been involved in this race every year since it was set up in 1988, which is appreciated by the Dundrum club.

This year, the club has once again linked up with Niall O’Sullivan’s Premier Timing Systems for entries and result data to manage the ever-increasing numbers of runners every year. Entries are online via the link https://eventmaster.ie/event/JIVmfpvHRk. 

The club would appreciate it if participants could enter at least a week or two before the race date. Early entry gives the organizers an idea of the number of embroidered dated towels required, plus the food requirements for the big spread afterwards. Also, it is a big help to Niall for him to get working on his system early.

The planned village of Dundrum from the old Estate era and the two-lap course make it ideal for spectators to view the race and encourage the athletes as the race progresses. One section of the course in the village allows viewing of the race at four different stages by moving about one hundred meters.

The race will be run over the usual flat two-lap circuit, with the lap consisting of a series of five straights where one or two records are broken every year. Tanzanian international Daniel Gidumbanda's incredible time of 29:45, the course record for the 10k, has stood since 1997, which is now well over a quarter of a century ago. Irish Olympian Lizzie Lee of Leevale smashed the women’s course record in 2021 when running a super 33:45 for the classic distance.

Indeed, Lizzie’s great run that year and Angela McCann of Clonmel's super run and time of 37:21 in the same race set two National Irish Records for Over 40 and Over 50 women, respectively. They have now been joined by Joe Gough of West Waterford, who last year ran a super 41:10 to set a National Irish Record for Over 70 men. A tremendous achievement by the three athletes and confirmation of the two-lap circuit being a fast course.

For the record, the following are the course record holders over the Dundrum course:

Senior Men:

• Daniel Gidumbanda, Tanzania, 1997 - 29:45
• O/40 Men: Michael Harty, East Cork, 2022 - 30:13
• O/45 Men: Kieran McKeown, Watergrasshill, 2021 - 33:39
• O/50 Men: Vivian Foley, Eagle, 2023 - 32:58
• O/55 Men: Michael Hassett, St Catherines, 2015 - 35:51
• O/60 Men: John Collins, Leevale, 2019 - 39:38
• O/65 Men: Joe Gough, West Waterford, 2022 - 39:12
• O/70 Men: Joe Gough, West Waterford, 2023 - 41:10
• Junior Men 5k: Luke Purcell, Nenagh Olympic, 2023 - 14:53
• Wheelchair: Cillian Dunne, Borrisokane, 2019 - 28:20

Senior Women:

• Lizzie Lee, Leevale, 2021 - 33:45
• O/40 Women: Lizzie Lee, Leevale, 2021 - 33:45
• O/45 Women: Rosaleen Mackeown, Leevale, 2021 - 38:56
• O/50 Women: Angela McCann, Clonmel, 2021 - 37:21
• O/55 Women: Dorothy Ryan, Country Club, 2016 - 45:01
• O/60 Women: Kathleen Cronin, Mallow, 2022 - 47:06
• O/65 Women: Sally Jeyes, Ivanhoe, 2018 - 56:47
• Junior Women 5k: Niamh Cunneen, Nenagh Olympic, 2022 - 18:28

Photo : Paddy O’Gorman on left with Liam O’Dwyer at last years Coillte 1OK in Dundrum. Liam is the official race starter for this years race which takes place for the 39th year on Wednesday 3rd July at 8pm in Dundrum (courtesy of Dundrum AC)