Wednesday 26th May sees the 7th running of the annual Buncrana 5km Road Race and fun run The race has consistently been the among the largest summer 5ks in the NW for the last 5 years and attracts a good mix of runners of all abilities from mostly Donegal and Derry but many more from further afield with over 200 expected.
• Race founded and organised by Eoghan and Dara Furey of Buncrana with the help of their club mates in City of Derry Spartans Athletics Club
• Race is generously sponsored by Sean Furey Insurances of Buncrana and Carndonagh who are also the main sponsors of the hugely successful Furey Insurances 5k series which consists of 6 5km Road races held between April and July.
• The 5k Series which is in its 10th year started out in Derry City only but has now become a real cross border affair with 4 races in Derry City and 2 in Inis Eoghain (the other one being the Carndonagh 5k – 30th June which is run as a joint venture between City of Derry AC and Inishowen AC)
• All the main local clubs should have a good presence at the race with the Red vests of City of Derry, the Yellow of Inishowen AC and the purple of Foyle Valley AC having 20+ members toe the line. A sizeable contingent also from the other clubs in the NW, Letterkenny AC, Springwell AC (Coleraine), Finn valley AC and Tir Connell AC.
• 3 times winner of the race, local legend and primary school teacher Pauric McKinney should be back to see if he can still show these youngsters how it’s done and you wouldn’t get good odds betting against him however..
• Former winner Greg Roberts of City of Derry is very much the man to beat at the moment having risen to national prominence recently when winning the prestigious Ballycotton 10 mile road race in a mind blowing 50 mins and 16 ses.
• Last year McKinney just edged out Roberts by 2 secs for the win and if both toe the line a very interesting contest should unfold.
• However their party could be upset by Letterkenny’s Ciaran Doherty or Patrick Brennan with the latter having run 14.56 to win the Interfirms 5k on the 18th May
• The course record of 14min 44 sec will be the target for the top runners but there are rumours of a number of Belfast based athletes making the trip to see if they can pick up the 100 euro bonus for breaking the record which was set by St Malachy’s Kevin Seaward in 2007.
• Apart from McKinney there is realistically very little chance of an Inis Eoghain based winner of the men’s race but the women’s might be a different story…
• Theresa McGloin of Finn Valley is the woman to beat at the moment and has recently dipped under the 17 min mark which is the standard of top class 5k running in the NW and is also the time required to get the women’s 100 euro bonus, current female record is 17.14 set by McGloin in 2009. The evergreen Helena Crossan (Former 2 time winner of the race) of Inis Eoghain AC is still the top female distance runner in the peninsula and should still have too much strength for the new ladies on the scene from City of Derry or Inishowen AC.
• News just in: Letterkenny’s Maria McCambridge won the Interfirms in 16.31! If she makes the trip up to Buncrana she will be very hard to beat!
• The local battle in the men’s race should be between the top 3 from the recent Culdaff 5k, Joe McKinney, Paddy Mór Doherty and James Brown but given the standard of the event a top 5 or 10 finish is where they will likely end up. A better target for them would be the fastest time for an Inis Eoghain man which is currently held by injured race organiser Eoghan Furey at 15mins55secs from 2006 :)- Can you do it lads?
• Local women’s battle should be between Theresa Doherty and Evelyn McGinley of Inishowen AC who should have a tight battle with Jackie McGinley and Marina Campbell of City of Derry. North Belfast’s Cathy McCourt is a former winner of the race and will be a target for all these girls.
• While the up front action is of great interest to athletics fans, over half of the field are made up of non club runners and these are the people that the event is really targeted at. All levels of runners and joggers are welcome take part and the event is only as serious as you make it yourself.
• There is a myth that a 5km event is too fast which is based on the fact the most people can’t stay with the people at the front, however this doesn’t make sense as the same people who complain about the 5k being too fast will go and do a full or half marathon where they are even further away from the front runners!
• For further details, email [email protected] or ring 0879474883
• Registration from 6pm on Wed 26th may at Buncrana Leisure Center with the race start at 7.30 sharp, registration will close at 7.20 and given the large numbers expected we advise competitors to come early. Prize giving and refreshments straight after the race in Buncrana Leisure Centre. This year the race will use Championchip electronic timing! Hope it works 🙂
