FOTA WILDLIFE PARK
We are delighted to announce that entries open for our hugely popular Eagle AC Cheetah Run in Fota Wildlife Park, on Friday 7th April 2023, bright & early at 8am!
This one sells out quickly, so set your alarms for Good Friday morning and make sure to secure your place for this years event!
Link for ticket bookings: https://eventmaster.ie/event/JVJQipvHRk
A Race Like No Other:
The Cheetah run offers a truly unique experience to run a 5K race (adults & those aged 16 and above) or a 1 mile race for those aged 11-15 years, within a wildlife park. Your supporters will be not only your family and friends but also all the animals within the park. The Giraffes & Ostrich’s always take a particular interest in our runners as they gather for the race start! With the additional celebration of Fota Wildlife Park’s 40th Anniversary, this promises to be one to remember.
Hugh McSweeney, Eagle AC with Sean McKeown, Director Fota Wildlife Park, Conor Kavanagh, John Buckley Sports, Ruairí Egan & Karen Bevan, Eagle AC Race Directors, Eoghan and Conor Looney from Blarney Inniscara Athletics Club. Pic Darragh Kane
The 1 Mile Race
The 1 mile race for juveniles this year (Ages 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15) will commence at at 7:15pm. The numbers will be limited to 100. The one mile race has been measured accurately by Jones Counter, will be chip timed and all finishers will receive a medal. Please note that there are no prizes in the juvenile race.
Link to last years winning times: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/fota_cheetah_1_mile_run/4489/results
The 5K Race
The minimum age is 16 for the 5k race as per Athletics Ireland permit recommendations. This will commence at 8pm.
There will be prizes for the first 5 men and women as well as the usual age categories. The exact number of prizes for the age categories will be determined after the online entries close with the aim of making each age category competitive.
Link to last years winning times: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/fota_cheetah_5k_run/4368/results
How to Enter:
Entry is via ‘Eventmaster’ and the link for ticket booking is: https://eventmaster.ie/event/JVJQipvHRk
The entry fee for the 5k event will be €16 (+ processing fee), entry fee for the 1-mile junior race will be €9 (+ processing fee), the athletics Ireland levy is also applicable to those runners who are not currently members of an AAI club. The places for the 1-mile race are limited to 100 & the 5k places are limited to 900 runners. Each runner can bring a maximum of four visitors along with them free of charge to watch the race, this is a part of race entry. Access will be controlled on the night and gates open at 6:30pm
The Cheetah Run Launch 2023.
This year we were delighted to welcome Hugh McSweeney Eagle AC along with Conor & Eoghan Looney brothers from Blarney Inniscarra AC to launch our 2023 Cheetah Run.
Huge McSweeney is an incredibly talented track & field masters athlete with a resume that few could contest, along with this he has some impressive performances in road races also! Hugh started his running career in 1982 and is a long standing member of Eagle A.C. Over the last 40 plus years he has won to mention but a few, 30 National Gold Medals, 15 National Silver Medals, 2 National Bronze Medals, 2 World Indoor Games (1991) 2 World Masters Outdoors Championships Medals (2022), & 2 European Indoor Championships Medals (2022). Hugh has held 10 National Records over 60 meters, 200 meters and the long jump. This includes a long jump record that lasted for 22 years! If you want to talk about inspiring athletes & life long dedication to the sport Hugh believes that last year ‘2022’, was his best year to date when at the age of 77 he won 3 National, 2 European & 2 World Championship Medals. Hugh Kindly brough along these medals and the Baton from the European Masters athletics Championships
Conor & Eoghan Looney finished first and second in our Cheetah Run 2022 1 mile race in time of 00:05:28 & 00:05:34 respectively. They are a true example of the young & talented athletes we have here in Cork. We would like to wish Conor & Eoghan every success and look forward to seeing what the future holds for them. Perhaps they will come along to defend their titles, they look set to us!
What’s New This Year:
We have a couple of changes to the entry system on the night and the prize giving ceremony this year.
You will enter the park via the main ticket booths and your number collection will be provided from the ticket booths. This should speed up entry and allow you to enjoy the wildlife park as soon as you enter, avoiding number collection queuing.
The Teas & Coffees will be served at the Fota Wildlife Park Coffee shop with the prize giving for the 5K race taking place in the main pavilion outside the coffee shop. The shop will be open this year until 9.30pm for anyone who would like to purchase a memento of their Fota run 2023.
Following the sell-out return to Fota Wildlife Park in 2022, we are looking forward to welcoming everyone again to our exciting and unique race. We are very grateful to John Buckley Sports & Brooks for their ongoing support of this event. We are grateful also to the OPW and to Fota house for their continued support in allowing us to use their property. It is a pleasure to work with everyone at the park and we are delighted to again support their wonderful research & conservation projects.
Fota Wildlife Park has been listed as one of Ireland’s Top Ten visitor attractions (CSO 2010) and is the most popular tourist destination in Cork. This year Fota celebrates its 40th year open to the people of Cork & beyond. Hundreds of thousands visit the park every year. Fota is a non-profit organisation and is also a registered charity. It is completely self-financing, relying entirely on gate receipts and membership fees for its income, and any financial surpluses generated are reinvested in order improve infrastructure and promote the company’s core objectives of conservation, education and research.
Their website is http://www.fotawildlife.ie/
Our Sponsors:
The club would also like to acknowledge the continuing sponsorship of John Buckley Sports for this years race. John Buckley has been a great supporter of road races and athletics in the Cork region over the years and is one of the main shops in Cork for running gear.
Their website can be found at http://johnbuckleysports.com/
Please note that John Buckley Sports are offering a 20% discount if you bring your race number into their store for the 2 weeks after the race
Their website for the UK and Ireland is http://brooksrunning.co.uk/
Course Descriptor:
5K Route
1 Mile Route
Eagle Athletic Club 
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