Watch: Cork City Marathon gets underway with 12,500 runners taking part

THE Cork City Marathon got underway earlier this morning with thousands descending upon the city in a year of “unprecedented” interest in the annual event.

The full marathon commenced on Patrick St at 8.15am, while the inaugural 10k race began at 8.45am also on the city centre’s main thoroughfare.

On Monahan Rd, those partaking in the half marathon will start their 21.1k run at 10.15am.

As of Friday, more than 12,500 runners from 37 countries had registered to partake in one of the three races.

Speaking to The Echo yesterday, race director Eamon Hayes said there has been an “unprecedented” level of interest in the Cork City Marathon this year with registrations still coming through as of yesterday afternoon.

“It’s exceeded all expectations. Numbers are amazing for all three races. There’s been a mad late rush for the 10k as well which is incredible. It’s great to see.” 

The major event in the city’s sporting calendar has essentially been a year in the making, with preparations underway since just after the 2022 marathon.

“There’s a pile of work goes on all year! We’ve had a great core team from the event management agency to Cork City Council to the athletics bodies, and Athletics Ireland and BHAA (Business Houses Athletic Association),” Mr Hayes explained.

“We meet every two weeks for most of the year and closer, obviously, coming up to the event.” 

Ahead of the marathon, participants had been advised to stay safe in the sun and to follow a number of steps to protect themselves in the heat.

“We’re not used to fine weather in Ireland!

“It is 19/20 degrees so it’s not like 29/30 but at the same time, because we’re not used to it, it’s obviously different for people.

“The only good thing is that it has been like this for about two weeks so people should have had a long run in this weather,” Mr Hayes said.

“You acclimatise to it, but people do need to be careful at the same time and to hydrate properly is crucial but not to over hydrate.” 

The annual event, he said, brings a major boost to the local economy.

“You can’t book a hotel in Cork because there’s so many people coming into the city from all over the world, so it’s so good for local businesses, it’s good for the health of the thousands of people that are going to be doing it, and the amount of money that’s raised for charity as well. The feel-good factor is amazing in it.” 

The Cork City Marathon is organised by Davis Events Agency on behalf of Cork City Council.