ROBBIE WHELAN 6K SERIES -2024-
-Week 1 – 2024-
We had a fantastic turnout of 147 runners for the first night of the Robbie Whelan 6K Race Series. Despite the wet conditions, Kealey Tideswell made history as the first lady to win the overall race. She continues to go from strength to strength. Jamie Byrne and Danny Brosnan completed the top three finishers. Well done to all who participated and looking forward to seeing you all again next week. Team Results and photos to follow.
A special thank you to Robbie Whelan’s parents who braved the elements to show their appreciation for all the runners.
-Week 2 -2024-
Route Change – Race 2 Robbie Whelan 6k Series
With the blueway flooded we have to make a change to the second half of the route for this evening’s race.
The race will start as usual close to Minella and proceed down to Ferryhouse and cross the bridge onto Waterford road. From here, participants will proceed straight up the Waterford Road to finish outside Barlo Motors.
Another great turnout of 137 runners this week and a multitude of happy faces and improving times! Kealey Tideswell continued her great form to win for the second time, followed again by Jamie Byrne and Danny Brosnan. Super running to be top three two weeks in a row!
The first three ladies were also the same as last week, Kealey Tideswell, Aisling English and Elaine Horgan. The first three men were Jamie Byrne, Danny Brosnan and Mark Crehan.
-2023-
Clonmel Athletic Club has had a long history of running a spring race competition and this year we have decided to rebrand the series to honour and commemorate Robbie Whelan who served Clonmel AC with distinction as an athlete, administrator, advocate for, and supporter of athletics in Clonmel and South Tipperary. In partnership with the Whelan family, we feel that this event will be a fitting tribute to Robbie’s memory, whilst also promoting athletics and participation for all.
Competition Format
The race series will be run over four consecutive Wednesdays, commencing on March 29th with each team comprising a maximum of five runners. The first three races will be considered to decide the team placings, with spot prizes awarded on the fourth evening based on finishing positions in that race. As the competition is based on predicted times, watches are not allowed on the first three nights, but runners are free to wear them for the final race. Any runners wearing watches in the first three races will result in their team being excluded from the competition in the determination of prizes.
On completion of the first race, teams will be split into divisions based on how close the team were collectively to their predicted time. The closest three runners to their predicted time in each team will be considered for this purpose. As such, the divisions are not based on current fitness or athletic ability, but rather on the team’s ability to accurately predict their finishing times. In each division, the team closest to their predicted time after three races will be declared the winner. A further team prize will be awarded, in each division, based on the best team performance in an individual race over the first three nights. The division winner is excluded from eligibility for this prize.
Presentation of prizes will be held immediately after the race on the fourth night, adjacent to the finish line. In addition to the usual voucher prizes, the Whelan family have sponsored specially commissioned commemorative trophies for all prize winning teams. Robbie’s contribution to, and association with, Clonmel Athletic Club continues with this very generous gesture and we are humbled by this support.
Payment Instructions
To complete your team entry we are requesting all captains to collect entry fees for your team and pay the full team price of €125 using the following payment link:
Team Entry – Click Here
It is important that the email address you enter on the payment corresponds with the email address used to submit your team details; this will allow us to match your payment correctly against your team. There will be no race entry on the night and no cash payment can be accepted. We have partnered with Stripe, a recognised and secure payment provider, and as such, Clonmel AC do not retain, or have visibility of, your card details. Please note also that the administration fees associated with your entry will be paid by Clonmel AC.
While we encourage all runners to participate in the team challenge, we appreciate that some may not be able to field a team of five or indeed may prefer to run the series as an individual. We can therefore facilitate individual entry to the full series at a cost of €25 using the following payment link:
Individual Entry – Click Here
Submission of Predicted Times Instructions
On successful completion of your payment, the organisers will send out race numbers for the team to the captains for further distribution. Each number is unique to the individual team member and must be retained for use in each of the four races. Please ensure you enter your team in sufficient time to facilitate postage of race numbers. We would therefore ask that all teams are entered by
Each captain will be asked to submit predicted times for their team members by the Monday evening prior to each race. We will issue further instructions as to the submission methodology in due course. Therefore, predictions for the first race on Wednesday 29th March must be submitted by Monday 27th March. Where a team captain does not submit a prediction for the first night, the team will automatically be excluded from winning a prize in the competition. For the second and third races, where predicted times are not submitted, we will automatically use the actual race times from the previous race.
Race Instructions
The race will start just after the entrance to Minella Hotel from where athletes will run out the Coleville Road staying on the left hand side turning left at Sir Thomas’s Bridge and over Ferryhouse House Bridge and out onto the Waterford Road. Athletes will run towards Clonmel keeping left before joining the Blueway at Carey’s Slip where they will complete the final 2km on the beautiful Blueway finishing at the back of the Dog Track. The race will commence at 7pm sharp and will not be delayed for any reason to ensure both the safety of all runners and adequate daylight to complete the course. Runners are asked to please park in the free car park at the Gashouse Bridge at the following link:
This car park is adjacent to both the start and finishing points.
Further points of attention are as follows:
Due to the proximity of the car park to the race finish, runners are encouraged to bring their own water as it will not be provided.
No headphones are permitted for the safety of all runners; any runner wearing headphones will be excluded from the results
No watches or timing devices are allowed for the first three races; this restriction does not apply to the fourth race
No entries will be accepted on race evening
We expect this series to be very popular and would like to thank you, in advance, for your support of our first event of 2023. The support and co-ordination by the Team Captains is much appreciated and will facilitate the smooth running of the event. If any further clarification is required, please email [email protected] and we will provide any additional answers necessary.