People of Cork urged to claim their city’s marathon as a day to celebrate

CORK City Council is calling on members of the public to line the streets of the city next week to lend support to participants of this year’s Cork City Marathon.

With more than 550 international visitors from 26 different countries set to take part in the event on June 2, it is expected that a total of 10,000 entries will participate in the race.

The full marathon race will kick off from St Patrick’s Street at 8.15 am, with organisers hopeful that runners will be met by a crowd of well-wishers holding posters from the starting line through to the finish line of the 42km course.

The half marathon race will commence at 10.15am from the Monaghan Road, and the 10km race will kick off at 8.45am from Merchant’s Quay.

This year, Cork City Council hopes that the support will be the best it has ever been and is calling on members of the public to claim their city’s marathon as a day to celebrate.

Race Director, Eamon Hayes said: “You see these hand-held signs at lots of sporting events, often bearing messages of hope, determination, and perseverance, and just as frequently some well-observed humour.

“We hope that in the run-up to this year’s race people will take the time to think up their own supportive message to crack a smile from participants and essentially provide a much-needed morale boost to runners at every stage of the race."

“We are incredibly excited to see the impact of these motivational posters on our runners," he added.

“World-class support like this embodies the spirit of Cork, where community and camaraderie are at the heart of everything we do."

Local schools, clubs, businesses, and art groups are also invited to join in the fun, creating and bringing along homemade signs to keep the momentum up for athletes.

“Seeing these posters along the route was incredibly motivating during last year’s marathon,” said past participant, Alex O’ Shea, who is a pacer in this year’s race.

“When you’re feeling exhausted, a message like ‘You’ve Got This!’ or ‘Keep Pushing!’ gives you that extra boost to keep going. It’s a reminder that you’re not alone, and the entire city is cheering you on.” 

Participants and supporters are also invited to share their favourite posters and messages on social media using the hashtags #CorkCityMarathon24 #EveryMileisaMemory.

For more information visit: https://www.corkcity.ie/en/cork-city-marathon-2024/.