Cork City Marathon: All you need to know

On Sunday June 5, the 14th Cork City Marathon will see over 12,000 runners from 100 countries pounding the pavements of Cork, as part of the first major Irish marathon since the pandemic.

Dympna Murphy, Senior Executive Officer Community, Culture and Placemaking at Cork City Council, said that they are thrilled to be welcoming thousands of runners back to the city.

“It’s incredible to see so many dedicated runners from all walks of life coming out in force to show support for their chosen charities. It’s going to be a proud day for both the runners and for Cork City itself,” she said.

Routes 

The starting gun for the full marathon and relay will fire at 8:30am on Patrick’s Street, and participants will then weave their way around the mostly flat course in the city centre, to end back where they started.

Runners will first head out to Blackpool, then out to the Dunkettle roundabout, before running through the Jack Lynch Tunnel – a novelty that many past participants have commented on, being able to go through the Cork landmark while hearing the rush of water overhead.

Participants will loop around the Mahon area, hitting the halfway point before heading in towards Blackrock and along the waterfront to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Runners will then come into the city as far as City Hall before veering out to Turners Cross and Ballyphehane, and then back in past the Lough, UCC, and out as far as MTU (at this stage having covered about 22 miles).

Then the home stretch is back in along the Lee Fields, by Fitzgerald’s Park, a quick hop over the bridge to run along the North side of the river, then back down North Main street to the finish line on Patrick’s Street.

Those running the half marathon will depart at 10:15am from the Monaghan Road, heading to Páirc Uí Chaoimh, then on to Ballintemple, and back to the Marina after 1.5 miles to join the full marathon runners at their 15 mile mark.

Traffic and Parking Restrictions 

There will be traffic restrictions on the day in Cork City and Suburbs between 6am and 6pm.

For travel into and around Cork City on Sunday June 5, the general advice is to use the Ring Roads (N25 South; R635 North) and Link Road (N27).

St Patrick’s Street and adjoining streets are closed to traffic all day, from 5.30am to 6pm. North Main Street will also be closed to traffic from approximately 10.00am until 3pm.

Access to Parnell Place Bus Station by car will be restricted between 8:30am and 9:30am. After that, traffic will have access but will be restricted by the closure of St Patrick’s Street.

The Blackpool Bypass will be closed from 7.30am to 11am TBC.

The Jack Lynch Tunnel will be open with a contraflow and traffic delays should be expected.

The Silversprings dual carriageway/ Lower Glanmire Road (N8) will be closed to traffic inbound from 7.30am.

While the course is closed to traffic, there are some areas where local residents will have to access their homes, at Castle Road, Model Farm Road, Inchigaggin Lane and Mardyke Walk.

All road closures and re-openings are at the discretion of the Gardaí and changes may be necessary on the day. 

For full traffic details and road closures, visit the Cork City Marathon website.

People are encouraged to make their way into the city for the Cork City Marathon by foot, cycle or public transport.

Due to the Lower Glanmire Road closure to the North and Horgan’s Quay to the South of the Station access to both the North and South car parks in Cork Kent station will be restricted on race day.

There are no parking facilities in the area of the half-marathon start, however the start line is easily accessed on foot from Blackrock or is a short walk from City Hall.

For those who need to park in the city centre, Q-Park are offering a 25% discount for participants who pre-book their parking online and use the promo code CCM25.

EXPO 2022 

The Expo 2022 will take place at Cork City Hall on Friday June 3 from 12pm - 7pm and again Saturday June  4 from 11am - 6pm.

A packed schedule of speakers at the 96FM stage between 2-5pm, and exhibits, are free and open to everyone, even if not participating in the marathon.

Exhibitors include Hemp Heros, Roca Sports, Fit Pink, Enervit, Sanctuary Runners, and more.

Information for Runners 

Registration will take place at Cork City Hall on Friday June 3 from 12pm - 7pm and again Saturday June 4 11am - 6pm. Each participant of the Cork City Marathon will receive their race number and bag during registration in the main hall of the Concert Hall of Cork City Hall on Friday and Saturday.

There will be changing facilities available in Cork City Hall and leaving your bag for later collection. All bags must have a label with your race number tag on it, which you will find as a tear-off on the bottom of your race bib.

In terms of hydration, there won’t be water available on St Patrick’s Steet for the marathon/relay start, but Refill Ireland will have a hydration station set up there after the finish line.

Water and Lucozade Sport will be available throughout the course. All water stations will be stocked with 100% recyclable cups. Lucozade Sport will be provided in cups at three of the stations, roughly at 11, 18 and 23 miles.

There are toilets at the start area and around the course (near the Relay Changeovers).

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.

As the Jack Lynch Tunnel is a critical link in the city’s traffic network, if you haven’t reached the tunnel by 10.30am, you will not be permitted through it.

To allow the South City Link Road to reopen, there is an official time limit for reaching the Turners Cross junction of 12.30.