Hundreds of Sanctuary Runners to take part in the Cork City Marathon this weekend

The Sanctuary Runners team is gearing up for their biggest in-person team ever to take part in a Cork City Marathon this weekend.

Over 500 runners, joggers and walkers are ready to lace up those runners and pound the pavement in the Rebel City under the Sanctuary Runners banner.

While the award-winning solidarity-through-sport movement, founded in Cork in 2018, did have a team of 1,700 taking part virtually in the marathon in 2021 this will be the biggest in-person team to have entered the event.

The Sanctuary Runners use running, jogging, walking, and more recently open-sea swimming, to bring all in the community together including migrants – and especially asylum seekers and refugees.

In the team this year will be upwards of 80 people currently living in Direct Provision in Cork city and county including 35 participants from the St Joseph’s centre in Fermoy. 

70 people who moved to Ireland from Ukraine since war broke out in their country will also take part on Sunday.

Graham Clifford, founder and CEO of the Sanctuary Runners said: 

“For many, being a migrant, can be incredibly isolating and many who run with us can initially be anxious and unsure of how they are perceived, but we quickly show them that we don’t judge but rather we are a team of equals, respecting each other and being sound to, and with, each other.” 

In recent weeks the Sanctuary Runners have been meeting at the Mardyke on Friday evenings for training sessions with international stars of the track such as Olive Loughnane, Sonia O’Sullivan, Ailís McSweeney, Marian Heffernan, Derval O’Rourke, Marcus O’Sullivan and Aoife Cooke all helping out by taking training sessions along with local coaches.

The support of Cork City Council is crucial in enabling the Sanctuary Runners to take part in the race each year.

“Without the support of the council we couldn’t do this. 

“This is the fifth year in which the council has supported us and we are so, so grateful. 

“Every Sanctuary Runner top carries the city council logo and we are so grateful to race director Eamon Hayes and all at the council for their support,” said Mr Clifford.

The Cork City Marathon kicks off at 8:15am on Patrick St on Sunday morning.