Cork City Marathon
The Marathon for Everyone! An ideal event for charity fund-raising, runners, joggers and walkers of all levels.
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The Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon
The Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon is a certified 26.2-mile course. It is held on the June Bank Holiday Monday, which falls this year on June 6th.
The event has three categories: marathon, wheelchair marathon and team relay. All three are run on the same course and start at 9am on the city-centre's main street, St Patrick's Street.
The course is closed to traffic for the duration of the race, with a 6-hour time limit. St Patrick's Street is closed to traffic for the day. Other roads on the course are reopened as the race passes through each area.
CHANGING Facilities:
On race day, the City Hall and the Millennium Hall will be available for changing and leaving your bag for later collection. All bags must have a label (available in the halls) with your race number clearly written on it. Please do not leave valuables in the halls.
START & FINISH Line:
The race starts at 9am on St Patrick’s Street. The start area will be zoned into your predicted time for the race – please respect these zones. The race also finishes on St Patrick’s Street.
TIMING CHIPS:
This year we’re using a disposable ChampionChip timing system. The chip is a small white plastic disc that you attach to your shoe lace with two plastic ties (provided). Thread one of the ties through each of the two arms of the chip and pull to fasten.
You’ll notice a series of mats stretched across the start and finish line. These cover the wires that register your chip as you pass over the mat. For the relay, the team member who will cross the finish line wears the chip on his/her shoe.
At the end of the race you do not need to return your chip. (If you wish to recycle your chip, bins will be available but please remove your chip away from the finish line.)
WATER STATIONS:
Thanks to Dunnes Stores, all water stations will have 250ml bottles of H2O Kidz water. In the event of warm weather, additional ‘sub-stations’ will be included along the course.
The main stations are as follows:
Blackpool, just before O’Connell Street (c. 2.5 miles)
Horgan’s Quay (c. 4 miles) – small station
Lower Glanmire Road (c. 6 miles)
South Ring Road (c. 9 miles)
Ringmahon Road (c. 10.5 miles)
Old Railway Line at junction with Skehard Road (c. 14 miles)
Marina, Lee Rowing Club (c. 15.5 miles)
Curragh Road (c. 17 miles)
The Lough (c. 19 miles)
Model Farm Road (c. 20 miles)
Inchigaggin Lane (c. 23 miles)
Mardyke, at Mardyke Bridge (c. 25 miles)
Finish Line: water & Fair Trade bananas
COURSE TIME LIMIT & Traffic:
The course time limit is 6 hours. After 6 hours, the Gardaí may ask you to move onto the footpaths but the finish line will stay in place for 7 hours. St Patrick’s Street will be closed to traffic for the day.
While most of the course is closed to traffic, there will be traffic on two main roads: the Wilton Road and the Carrigrohane Road. In both cases, the Gardaí will operate a stop/go system for traffic to give you priority to cross the road to traffic-free lanes. Although all other roads are officially closed to traffic, please remember that essential traffic will be guided through the course by the Gardaí and that there is always the possibility of traffic straying onto the course inadvertently.
The Jack Lynch Tunnel is a critical link in the city’s traffic network. If you haven’t reached the tunnel by 11.30am, you will not be permitted through it.
HEADPHONES:
While headphones are not banned from the race, you are strongly advised not to wear them.
GETTING TO THE START LINE:
The marathon and relay begin on St Patrick’s Street at 9am, with the wheelchair marathon setting out a few minutes before that.
There will be major traffic restrictions throughout the city on Bank Holiday Monday, but the general advice is to use the city’s Ring and Link roads when possible. You can drive into the city centre, but allow plenty of time to get to your start line. Contra-flows will operate in the Jack Lynch Tunnel, on the South Ring Road to Mahon and on the South City Link. A full list of roads affected is available on the marathon website (http://www.corkcitymarathon.ie).
The Park & Ride service from the Black Ash centre, on the South City Link (N27), into the city centre will operate every 10 minutes from 07.30 to 19.15. The service costs €5 for the day. Participants and spectators are urged to use this facility and leave your car outside the city centre. The bus will bring you into the centre, a minute’s walk from the City Hall and a few minute’s walk from the start line.
City and suburban bus services will be restricted because of the race.
TOILETS:
There will be portable toilets at the start area, on St Patrick’s Street, and just before each of the Relay Changeover points.