The Annual Ballycottonfest is almost upon us. The final days of tapering have arrived, when every run feels like a drag, you catch a cold, the dog bites you and you just know you're not prepared well enough. Don't worry, if that's how you feel you can rest assured that everybody else feels the same.

The Athenry mob to descend on this year's race is

Dave Dunne

Mick Rice

Liam Mycroft

Conor Dolan

James Lundon

Frank Burke

Maeve Noone

Maire T Beatty

Peter Delmer

Alan Burke

Johnny O'Connor

Cathal McLaughlin

Hopefully we'll carry home a few top-100 teeshirts, a few personal bests and a hat full of memories from another fantastic trip.

This year there's a very good blog - choc full of good information - accessible from the Ballycotton website. The blog is at http://www.corkrunning.blogspot.com/ and is being updated daily with detailed info on the course, arrangements for parking etc... If this is your first Ballycotton or if you're a seasoned campaigner you'll find plenty of things you never knew about the Ballycotton 10 there.

There's a free weekend away in Kiltullagh for anybody who can predict James Lundon's finishing time this year. His previous performances (and pre-race training loads) are

Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008

Miles Before 81.66 136.79 133.23 211.41 300.65 ~140.0

Finishing Time 1:14:33 1:11:25 1:10:31 1:09:19 1:05:40 ??

Each year Athenry AC meet up outside the marquee at race HQ at about 12 o'clock. All are welcome, but be warned that all conversation will revolve around lack of training, sore quads, old war wounds and blisters.

Roll on Sunday.....