Registration opens for the 2022 Cork City Marathon

Registration for the 2022 Cork City Marathon has now opened with race organisers hopeful that the event will be able to take place in its traditional format next year.

Now in its 14th year, the Cork City Marathon will be held on Sunday, June 5, 2022 starting on Patrick Street and winding its way around the city centre to end back where it started.

Both this year and last the marathon shifted to a virtual event in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Launching the 2022 Cork City Marathon registration for entries, Dympna Murphy, Senior Executive Officer at the Sports and Sustainability section in Cork City Council, said the council is currently envisaging that the annual event will be a return to the typical race day if guidelines permit.

Environmental initiatives 

Ms Murphy also spoke of ongoing initiatives to make the event more environmentally friendly.

“We are trying to use less plastics if we possibly can.

“We’re hoping to trial water pods which dissolve in your mouth - they’re really innovative,” she told The Echo.

Participants will also have the option to choose for a tree to be planted instead of receiving a race day t-shirt under the new ‘Trees for Tees’ initiative.

“We’re also looking at other things such as using more sustainable materials in the bags and also in the medals,” Ms Murphy added.

The 2022 marathon will feature all the classic events of previous years including the full and half marathon, relay and youth challenge.

The event will mark the fifth successive year of participation for the Sanctuary Runners as they aim to have 1,000 Sanctuary Runners running in the full or half marathon or as part of a relay team.

Sanctuary Runners

The multi-award-winning movement founded in Cork and supported by Cork City Council, was established in January 2018 to enable Irish residents to run alongside, and in solidarity with, people living in Ireland’s Direct Provision system.

In a first for the Sanctuary Runners in the 2021 marathon, teams in cities twinned with Cork city participated virtually on race day.

“We had 1,700 runners from something like 40 countries all around the world - it was all a bit nuts but it was beautiful really to think - and this will happen next year too - that people were running in places like Rome or Shanghai or San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge or in Zimbabwe and they were running as part of the Cork City Marathon,” founder of the Sanctuary Runners movement, Graham Clifford said.

Speaking at the launch of the marathon, radio and TV broadcaster and performance and lifestyle coach, Anna Geary encouraged people to don their runners for the 2022 event.

“I think the most important thing when it comes to the marathon is knowing that there are different options available.

“Even if you’re not quite there yet for doing a full marathon there’s the half marathon, there’s the relay and then there’s the youth challenge,” she said.

“2022 should be a year to make a really positive, realistic goal for yourself from a health and fitness perspective.

“With the Cork marathon, it’s as much about the fun and the craic and the social as it is about trying to get your personal best.

“It’s a very flat route so if you are trying to get a personal best, it’s probably one of the best ones to start with but if it’s only your very first time running a marathon or a half marathon or a relay, it’s a great thing to work towards,” Ms Geary continued.

Advice for novice runners 

The former Cork camogie player also offered some advice to novice runners considering taking part in the 2022 event.

“What I would say to anybody looking to take up running is accountability is key so having a running buddy or running group is important because on the days or the mornings where you just don’t want to get out of bed, you know you have to show for your friends or your work colleagues or whoever.

“You can put a charitable element to it and there’s nothing better to inspire people and motivate people to keep going than if you’re trying to raise money for a vital cause.

“And then it’s about consistency.

“Like on a Sunday evening writing down okay, where are the times in my schedule that I can actually fit in a little bit of running?

“I would always say a half an hour is better than nothing.

“If you don’t have an opportunity to give an hour to it every day, no problem.

“Start with a half an hour every second day. 

“Before you improve any habit you have to create it.” 

The Cork City Marathon is managed on behalf of Cork City Council by Davis Events Agency, whose experience includes The Olympics Games, Paralympic Games, Notting Hill Carnival, and the Dublin Marathon.

For further information or to register for next year’s marathon visit www.corkcitymarathon.ie.

Those looking to find out more about the Sanctuary Runners can visit www.sanctuaryrunners.ie or email info@santuaryrunners.ie