The Flattest, Straightest and Fastest Half-Marathon in Ireland is ideal for achieving a personal best time. Ideal for anyone wanting to try for a personal best time or wanting to get a good indication of their fitness level heading into the Dublin City Marathon or other European Marathons at the end of the year from October to December. Other races promote themselves as being ‘fast‘ only for runners to turn up and find plenty of hills and drags. The clue to how flat this course is can be seen in the course maps. You can see the grey and white line which shows the route of the Cork to Dublin railway line. Laid in the mid 19th century, these routes were chosen to allow steam powered trains to run on…i.e. no steep hills. Looking at the Ordnance Survey map of the area, the few contour lines that are present are well spaced out so it would certainly seem to fit the bill as a fast course. The Charleville International Half-Marathon continues to grow in reputation each year with the competitive field it manages to put together. This year there are at least 10 elite runners entered with personal bests for the distance that are under 70 minutes which will make for a highly competitive race on the day. This race is organised by North Cork AC who make a donation to St. Josephs Foundation for people with special needs, from the proceeds of the event. The Charleville race is located roughly halfway between Cork and Limerick. It has traditionally attracted runners from both of these counties but due to the positive reputation which it has gained, more and more people are coming from further afield. Charleville is approx 40kms or a 35-40 minute drive from Limerick city and approx 60 kms and a 50-55 minute drive from Cork city. This is a completely voluntary effort and the proceeds of the race go to two worthy causes. The proceeds of the race go back into the development of the host athletics club which caters for all age groups in their activities. The organisers are also making a donation towards St. Josephs Foundation, Charleville. They are hosting the race at their facility and they have built a 200m running track which a number of the local athletic clubs use. It will also be the warm-up area for the Half marathon and changing rooms will be in the GAA Hall next door.