The Great Island 10 Mile Road Race

The Irish Cancer Society needs your support. Great Course, Great Challenge, Great Cause The Great Island 10 Mile Road Race takes place on Sunday 13th April at 10.30 am in Cobh to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society. Registration is now open and the race committee are calling on people to help make a difference in the fight against cancer by either entering the 10 mile route or running/walking the 5km route on April 13th.  With over 700 runners last year the race continues to go from strength to strength and race organisers are encouraging people to register early to book their place. Last year the race was honoured to have its local hero, Sonia O’Sullivan participate in the 10 mile race and present the prizes to the winners.  Sonia said "It's not easy to run a race on the roads you trained on but running in the Great Island 10 mile last year was very enjoyable. I tried hard to run a decent pace and was helped along by the runners in the race and with so much support from the stewards along the route and the crowd waiting at the finish line it made the effort worthwhile and helped everyone smile across the finish line." Twice voted the best 10 mile road race in Munster by readers of the Running Blog in Cork, the race is ideal for those in training for the Cork City Marathon. There are prizes for the first four men and women as well as for the master categories and all participants receive a chip for timing. For those who prefer a shorter distance, a 5km run/walk will take place at 10am leaving from the community centre and finishing in the town centre and await the arrival of the 10 mile participants to disco music. There is no fee for the 5km run/ walk entrants but sponsorship cards are provided.   Last year the race raised €21,959.66 and to date has raised over €100,000 for the Irish Cancer Society.  The money raised has gone directly to fund services such as night nursing.  In Cork alone 598 nights of care was provided to families by Irish Cancer Society nurses or every night last year in Cork, a night nurse was with a family in their own home during the last days of their loved ones life.  Race organiser Roslyn Crotty is proud to be supporting the Irish Cancer Society ‘Cancer will affect one in three people in Ireland during their lifetime. The word Cancer is so powerful that it forces you to focus, prioritise and to learn fast what’s important in life. The frightening thing is no one will escape the pain of cancer so events such as The Great Island 10 allows us to raise funds to invest in our future and make sure this service is still available to help whoever might need it.’ Those wishing to support The Great Island 10 can register online (€18) at www.greatisland10.com or on the day (€20) from 8.30 am at Cobh Community Centre. Postal entries can be sent to Eamonn Crotty, Hilltop Park, Cobh, Co.Cork and sponsorship cards can be ordered from Sonya Murphy on 021 4815125 / 087 7904895