Google+ Running in Cork, Ireland: Details of the Ballycotton Summer Series...May to Aug 2015

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Details of the Ballycotton Summer Series...May to Aug 2015

The Ballycotton Summer Series is the oldest road race series in the country and it's hugely popular every year. The dates and times are always the same...4th Thursday of every month from May to August....Starts at 8pm except for the last one which is 7:30pm. The top 50 men and top 30 women in the series get finishers t-shirts.


Every race usually gets around 500 runners so it's advisable to get to each one well before the start time. This map shows the locations of each race...

Previews of each course......
1) Ballyandreen 5m...(May)...HERE
2) Shanagarry 5m...(June)...HERE
3) Churchtown South 5m...HERE
4) Ballycotton 5m...HERE

(Ballyandreen 5m........Ballycotton Running Promotions will be taking entries Wed 27th May at Midleton Community Centre from 6-7pm. Also entry on the night)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Frequently, I read here that the number of competitors are races is on the increase. That increase cannot all be down to us male competitors.
E.g. 55% of competitors at Clonpriest 5k were female.

The country has just said an overwhelming Yes to equality on another issue.
Isn't it time that there were the same number of t-shirts for both male and female in this series.

It should at least be reviewed mid-series

John Desmond said...

A lot more men than women complete the Summer Series. Last year, a higher percentage of women got a series t-shirt compared to the men.

If you have a look at this post, you'll see it explained.

Anonymous said...

The referenced post highlights the problem with percentages and statistics.
They can give a slanted view of reality. It even points out why the percentage of men getting a t-shirt was low (much higher numbers, so that will dilute the percentage). Similarly trying to maintain a balance in the percentages getting t-shirts again exposes the problem.
If equal numbers of men and women were to complete the series then the percentages would more accurately reflect the current bias with more t-shirts for men.
E.g. 50 t-shirts for 100 male competitors versus 30 t-shirts for 100 female competitors

Having more t-shirts for female competitors won't devalue the series, or the achievement of getting one. If anything it will make it more competitive. Those who would have previously finished a well outside the top 30, would now have something to fight for.

The series poster states that everyone gets a plaque for completing the series. So there is equality there. Everyone gets one, so it's not a prize.

The first 5 men and first 5 women receive overall prizes. So there is equality there.

T-shirts are not awarded to all competitors, so they are also a prize. Why is equality not in evidence here.

The series organisers should review this in the interest of fairness

John Desmond said...

There is no problem with the stats or the percentages.

238 men completed the series and 50 of them got top 50 t-shirts. That's 21%.

120 women completed the series and 30 of them got top 30 t-shirts. That's 25%.

The simple fact is that more men than women complete the series and the number of t-shirts reflect that. The organisers are being more than fair and there is no discrimination.