Kinnitty Half Marathon Nov 27th

elvis jones

Hi all,

Listed here on Run Ireland http://www.runireland.com/events/kinnitty-castle-half-marathon

Anyone doing it ?

No sign of a route and i am wondering how flat is it. If it involves the Sileve Blooms mountains i'm out:D

its only 30 mins away from my and might suit !

Ruarl Runner

Aye... Signed up for this,

Took a while to find details, I have been informed that the route is flat and the route goes from the village and heads towards Kilcormac and back....

Personally I would have preferred a run through the Slieve Blooms!!:D:D:D

EC1000

Was thinking of entering but I see its at 11pm, do you think they have floodlights?!!

elvis jones

Ruarl Runner wrote: »

Aye... Signed up for this,

Took a while to find details, I have been informed that the route is flat and the route goes from the village and heads towards Kilcormac and back....

Personally I would have preferred a run through the Slieve Blooms!!:D:D:D

Where did you get the info ?

I'm working in the castle on Sunday and i must ask the guys seeing as they are the main sponsor.

david joseph

hi ,

the course is reasonably flat and one complete circuit.
I see the typo 11 pm has been amended. no need for flood lights on this occasion.

Muckler

Poor

Does any of the entry fee itself go directly to charitable causes? This is not meant as a loaded question i'd simply be far more inclined to attend knowing money goes directly to worthy causes.

thehurly1

anyone hear anything about a duathalon in kinnitty in dec - seemingly its the same guy who is doin the half marathon organising

david joseph

Great level of interest in the run.Mix of walkers , joggers and runners.Talk by Karl Henry Operation Transformation at 4 pm after the half marathon in Kinnitty Castle.

Ruarl Runner

david joseph wrote: »

Great level of interest in the run.Mix of walkers , joggers and runners.Talk by Karl Henry Operation Transformation at 4 pm after the half marathon in Kinnitty Castle.

Do you know how many people are taking part?

Oisin11178

Awful

Ruarl Runner wrote: »

Do you know how many people are taking part?

Has anyone got a course profile?
I wonder is the full marathon 2x the half course or slightly different.

Ruarl Runner

Afraid not, seems to be very little information available in terms of the route etc... What's the story with a full marathon? Didn't see this advertised anywhere?? Is it a case of the organisers putting this together for a select few??

RacoonQueen

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Has anyone got a course profile?
I wonder is the full marathon 2x the half course or slightly different.

I was told it's two loops of the half marathon course.

runningcoach

Awful

spot on RQ two loops was what I was told also.

david joseph

Ruarl Runner wrote: »

Do you know how many people are taking part?

in excess of 400 registered so far

ultraman1

Awful

david joseph wrote: »

in excess of 400 registered so far

can u reg on the day....would be nice to come in in the top 400...

david joseph

ultraman1 wrote: »

can u reg on the day....would be nice to come in in the top 400...

Yes we will take an entry on the day

greenplain

Awful

With the weather that is forecast, will the race still go ahead ?

Ath36

Any news on this race yet on whether it is going ahead. Whats the weather in Kinnity like ?

Oisin11178

Awful

Another short course. The most cardinal of sins.

ultraman1

Awful

PLUS 1...foockin knew it was gonna be short when they drove us up to the 1 mile marker to start the marathon.....bleedin discrace when u consider the bleedin wheather conditions people had to drive down there in......1.2 mile short on the garmin for the mara and up to .7 on a garmin short on the half mara.....and where were the bleedin sambos......(prob wont do this one again)

RacoonQueen

Why did they start you at the 1 mile marker?

ultraman1

Awful

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Why did they start you at the 1 mile marker?

have no fockin idea.....

jonseyblub

Poor

Can't believe that happened. We ran nearly a mile before the race even started. Very bad form. Nice course apart from that.

As for the sambos they did give you a big mother****er slice of bread. You just needed to get the fillings yourself

Oisin11178

Awful

I made up the distance just about i think. Running from the start and through the finish at the end.
No need for a short course. Its the worst of all mistakes.

Aimman

Awful

jonseyblub wrote: »

Can't believe that happened. We ran nearly a mile before the race even started. Very bad form. Nice course apart from that.

As for the sambos they did give you a big mother****er slice of bread. You just needed to get the fillings yourself

You had to run to the start? that's mad. We were chaffer driven to the start of the marathon, mind you, If we ran to it, there wouldn't have been a problem with the distance.

Chip timing seemed to be a waste too, because the start was just a whistle and go, and there were even some people delayed getting to the start, which meant there were two waves of start.

Would have appreciated coffee and sambos afterwards to thaw out and have a chat with the other runners, but everybody just headed off and did their own thing. Accidental stumbled on the prize giving and it was just attended by the winners.

It was a good course. Found it quite flat, bar the hill with 3 miles to go.

donothoponpop

Poll added on user request.

Oisin11178

Awful

Thanks bud.
Thought that this needed a poll as it fell way short of were a race should be.
1. Short course is unforgivable.
2. Ill never undersand having timing chips and not using them at the start.
3. I was out on the course for the last 13 miles on my own and they left no water out for me, i can understand no marshalls but not to leave a bottle of water on a table for me is a bit much.
It took me and the mate 4 hours to get down there and we were let down to be honest.
On the minor plus sides the course was nice enough and the people at registration were nice and the only reason im not giving it the lowest score.

Aimman

Awful

I think is would be a good race next year, if they took a lot on board. It has the potential. For a two lap race, the second time around was just as enjoyable as the first, particularly because the Half Marathon runners were let off by the time we were on on the second lap and populated the route. Fair play to the Half runners who were giving us encourgament as they passed.

If the course was bang on the distance, chip timing was used properly and Kinnitty Castle had put aside a room for us all to have a coffee and relive the war stories, it would be a great day out.

Cant hold them responsible for the old weather and the lovely sunshine made up for the low temperature.

Unlike other first timer marathons that were done this year (cough, bogtrotter :rolleyes:) , I'd do this again, if they take it on board and improve the bits that count to making it a proper race. But for now, I'll give it a lowish rating too for this year's one

thebestone

a pure money making project. i didnt do the maths but it dont take a genius to work out the profit. crap goody bag - half a loaf of bread, a disgusting BROWN hat, a drink and a lollypop. all sponsored. a tee shirt and that was the wholy all we got in return for our 35euro. where was the cup of tea which is always always part and parcel of any little event. the prizes were a disgrace. sponsored by ;kinnity castle, and a sports injury clinic. that guy didnt have to put his hand in his pocket for anything. im disgusted. you could take part in a low profile club race and there would be - age group prizes, spot prizes, and a hell of a lot more ---- all for a tiny entry fee by comparison. and and there is always the gathering for for the cup of tea afterwards to chat and discuss the event and performances. but no, we all got out of there as quick as we could. i pity anyone who travelled miles in that weather and then to run 12.61 miles. even that wasnt correct. never again. lets watch to see his next project.

dizzymom

Awful

Travelled from limerick in snow and sleet, freezing conditions but still we braved it. I was slighly aggrieved at the start when there was no race brief, i concluded that this was because it was so cold !
There was tons of confusion at the start of the race because most of us believed we were in the middle of a warm up but actually the race had started! I hadnt heard any gun, there was no mats on the start line, despite been given chips with our numbers.
My biggest grievance of the day was the inaccuracy of the course, I started my garmin where there was a guy with a lap top ( i took this to be the 'actual' start) anyway my garmin was accurate to mile 10, the 11 mile marker came early as did the mile 12 marker. At mile12 my garmin read 11.5. I then thought ok the organisers must know that there is a discrepany and maybe we have to do the last 1/2 mile inside the village but no the race was actually 12.6miles.
I am disappointed as I clearly ran my best on day but I cannot determine my PB as I pulled back on the last leg thinking I still had another 1/2mile to go.

On the plus side, the course was scenic & weather was fresh & cool, the organisers were friendly, the course up to mile 10 was accurate according to garmin (how is it aai approved when clearly mile 11 was short)
anyone else had this experience yesterday?

figmundo

Average

I braved the weather and drove down from Dublin on the day. It was my first time running any kind of race. I was one of the fun runners / walkers. I was delighted we got such a good day considering the weather in Dublin that morning.

I thought the goody bag was odd. Loaf of bread ??and a brown hat which i actually like. Tea and sambo's in the castle afterwards should have been provided as it would have been nice to shoot the breeze with fellow runners afterwards. As for the length of the race it felt like 26 miles to me but if it was shorter then the proper distance, that would annoy me if i were at the top of my game.

I thought the prizes on the day seemed pretty decent. A weekend in Kinnitty Castle and VO2 max test in the Sports Surgery Clinic. I wouldnt mind either prize although given the choice i would take the weekend in Kinnitty as i fear the outcome of a Vo2 max test.

This event definately has a lot of potential. I would give them a chance as it was the inaugral race. Lets hope they get it right next year.

ThePiedPiper

Awful

Somebody made an awful mistake on the distance and am sure is fairly kicking themselves now.. It was measured perfectly up until mile 10, I can't figure out how this mistake could possibly have happened. It's really disappointing as this would've been a half marathon PB for me by a couple of minutes but instead it's a 12.6 mile PB!!! Very odd that there was no cup of tea in the GAA grounds afterwards or in the castle and the timing chip issue was another oddity.

While it's great to have a new half marathon on the calender in winter, it's a major disappointment that the most basic of issues was messed up. There were a lot of positives to take from the race though, loads of volunteers manning the water stations, decent organisation of parking, number pick-up, etc and the course was in top condition considering the weather, a lot of work obviously went into these areas. I've voted it Poor though, because short measuring by half a mile is inexcusable for a race with a €35 entry fee. I wonder will there be any official apology or explanation?

Aimman

Awful

Judging by the route map on the website, the start and finish areas are the other way around. Surley they couldnt have mixed them up on the day, that would definitely beat the cock-up for the Irishsrunner 5 Mile in the Phoenix Park in July.

The Route has an AAI Road Measurement Certificate, would be interesting to see how it was measured.

greenplain

Awful

This was a very odd event for me. It took me three hours to get down from Dublin, I was late and the race had just started (or so i thought) when i got to the start line. One of the stewart said the race had begun and to get going, so on i went. then after a half a mile running through walkers etc. The race stopped and I arrived at the start line !!!.

The race then was started. The course was good its a real pity that the course was short. This must be the fifth race I have run this year where the course has been short.

This type of mistake is terrible as you pay good money only to come up short.

dizzymom

Awful

I got a call back from one of the organisers last night, and yes they admitted the mistake, it had been aai approved but the error was on their part afterwards, something on the lines of taking a left on a hill instead of a right, but it was their fault not aai!

Actually the guy was very embarassed & hoped he hadnt pi**ed off people who had travelled to the race etc.

I would think it has the potential to be a great race next year as it is a fantastic course in a lovely rural location, once the teething problems of this year are ironed out. But I dont think the race was value for money as there was no cup of tea afterwards or water/sports drinks at the finish. It was 35 euros and only provided a regular and not a technical t-shirt & a below average medal. Other similar races like Villierstown & Craughwell are far more competitive in cost. Other races should take note. On a final note, I hope to be back next year!

Aimman

Awful

dizzymom wrote: »

Actually the guy was very embarassed & hoped he hadnt pi**ed off people who had travelled to the race etc.

Well, I'll be very pi**ed off if that isnt recognised as completing a proper marathon, after running for 4 hours in the freezing cold.

Oisin11178

Awful

Eamonn i think you right that they got the start and finish lines mixed up. To say a wrong turn was used is bull in my opinion because i ran the second lap on my tod and the lap was very easy to follow and i dont remember a turn that could have made up the disance without taking us way of course. Looking at the map it looks like they got the start and finish mixed up.

ThePiedPiper

Awful

As well as that, when I checked the course map online to my Garmin map for the run we actually did, the planned course didn't go right into Kilcormac, it was meant to have hung a right before that. One way or another, it's hardly a satisfactory answer to the error.

Five and a half hours round trip, 250 quid down including "marathon special offer" stay in the castle for the night. The longer the lack of any sort of explanation goes on, the worse the sour taste that this leaves.

ultraman1

Awful

Aimman wrote: »

The Route has an AAI Road Measurement Certificate, would be interesting to see how it was measured.

it well may have been measured properly ,but if the organiosers dont know where the stasrt or finish is then theres a problem,wouldnt mind a pike at the measurement notes......

donothoponpop

david joseph wrote: »

hi ,

the course is reasonably flat and one complete circuit.
I see the typo 11 pm has been amended. no need for flood lights on this occasion.

david joseph wrote: »

Great level of interest in the run.Mix of walkers , joggers and runners.Talk by Karl Henry Operation Transformation at 4 pm after the half marathon in Kinnitty Castle.

david joseph wrote: »

in excess of 400 registered so far

david joseph wrote: »

Yes we will take an entry on the day

Hi david joseph,

you've used the forum to promote your event a bit, its only fair to the runners whose money you took that you give them a bit of explanation of what happened?

-donothoponpop

david joseph

As one of the organisers of the Kinnitty Castle Half Marathon I apologise for the shortcomings which you have correctly identified with our event last Saturday.
We acknowledge the effort athletes put into training and preparation for an event.We know how important it is for things to be perfect.
Having put a lot of time , planning and effort into the event it is most disappointing for us to have come up short in a number of key areas. Given that this was our first event we were determined to put a quality event on display.
Obviously, we did not succeed in achieving this objective.
While we are disappointed with the negative feedback which we are receiving, we are taking on board all comments both positive and negative.
We are determined to learn from this experience. We are confident that this event has potential and I can assure you that we will not make the same mistake again with any of the issues raised.
In relation to the course , I can assure you that a half marathon course was accurately measured by suitably qualified AAI certified personnel and carries a certificate. However , in human error we the organisers directed the competitors to take a left after the 10 mile mark which was incorrect.
The competitors should have continued past that left and taken the next left.
In so doing, the competitors would have completed an extra half mile which would have ensured 13.1 miles (as against the 12.6 miles which was completed).
Again , we apologise for the upset and disappointment which we have caused
to all participants.Thank you for your forbearance.

TheRoadRunner

david joseph wrote: »

As one of the organisers of the Kinnitty Castle Half Marathon I apologise for the shortcomings which you have correctly identified with our event last Saturday.
We acknowledge the effort athletes put into training and preparation for an event.We know how important it is for things to be perfect.
Having put a lot of time , planning and effort into the event it is most disappointing for us to have come up short in a number of key areas. Given that this was our first event we were determined to put a quality event on display.
Obviously, we did not succeed in achieving this objective.
While we are disappointed with the negative feedback which we are receiving, we are taking on board all comments both positive and negative.
We are determined to learn from this experience. We are confident that this event has potential and I can assure you that we will not make the same mistake again with any of the issues raised.
In relation to the course , I can assure you that a half marathon course was accurately measured by suitably qualified AAI certified personnel and carries a certificate. However , in human error we the organisers directed the competitors to take a left after the 10 mile mark which was incorrect.
The competitors should have continued past that left and taken the next left.
In so doing, the competitors would have completed an extra half mile which would have ensured 13.1 miles (as against the 12.6 miles which was completed).
Again , we apologise for the upset and disappointment which we have caused
to all participants.Thank you for your forbearance.

Are refunds being offered? The service advertised wasn't delivered. At the very least free entry to next years race should be offered as compensation.

For those of you who considering entering this race next year without some compensation/concession from this years I think you are mad.

david joseph

Organising committee are reviewing the position.

menoscemo

Just looking at the official webpage there. No mention of any problems in fact, quite the opposite:

kinnity Half Mrathon Website wrote:

Over 400 athletes, fun runners and walkers braved the freezing conditions to takepart in the inaugural Kinnitty Castle Half Marathon in the picturesque village nestled in the foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains in County Offaly. The official Athletics Ireland event organised by trainer and team builder Oisin O'Neill ran off with out a hitch with runners travelling from all over the country.

The mens winner, Paul Buckley finished in a time of 1:09:44, with runner up Declan Fahey in 1:11:28, followed by Paul Ward in at 1:13:12.


The womans title was taken in style by Irish olympian Pauline Curley from Tullamore in a time of 1:17:19, with runner up Mary Hanley in a time of 1:21:27 with 3rd place taken by Liz Cuskelly in a time of 1:22:11.

So it seems you are willing to admit mistakes on here but trying to cover them up on your own website. Why is this?

jonseyblub

Poor

menoscemo wrote: »

Just looking at the official webpage there. No mention of any problems in fact, quite the opposite:



So it seems you are willing to admit mistakes on here but trying to cover them up on your own website. Why is this?

In fairness there is a big link at top of page with apology

menoscemo

jonseyblub wrote: »

In fairness there is a big link at top of page with apology

That has literally only just appeared there. It was not there when I made my post.

Runonewon

There seems to be overkill in relation to what happened on Saturday.It's not the end of the world.I travelled along way on Saturday and was i little dissapointed when i heard the course was short,but it didnt disguise the fact that this race can be a real gem if it is given a fair chance,It is flat and fast which is what we all want.

I note that the race organisers are reviweing their positions i hope this is not the case as our sport need to have people willing to organise races.There is a full and frank apology on the website,so lets not overstate the offence,somtimes we runners can take ourselves and our sport a little too seriously,I for one will be back next year.

greenplain

Awful

Normally I would agree with you, But for me this year this is the third/fourth race that the distance has not been correct.

Yes the course was good, and i know it was there first year, but i trained hard for this event and paid hard well earned money for this.

Not to have the race the correct distance, well it just leaves me frustrated and this forum is a good place to vent.

david joseph

Response to runonewon: We have admitted that we got a few key things wrong.
Thank you for being prepared to give us a second chance. We are confident that we have a good product which we will prove in 2011.

ThePiedPiper

Awful

David,
Thanks for coming on here to explain the situation. The event has a huge amount of potential and I think most runners who compete in the first staging of any event should expect some hiccups. I sincerely hope that the committee will go ahead with the event again in the future as there were a lot of positives from the event and it takes people like yourselves to have the energy to go and organise something in which hundreds of people can participate.

Best of luck with next years event and I'll hopefully be back on the start line.

david joseph

Thank you for balanced response.