As far as I can tell from where I was with the 4:00 hour Marathon group, the full seemed to go pretty well. The delay in the start of the Half-Marathon meant that most of the full runners had passed through the start point for the Half before it had started.
Top 10 men and women...
1 » Bartosz Mazerski Lks Zantyr Sztum M M35 1475 (2:28:29) 2:28:29
2 » Gary O'Hanlon Clonliffe Harriers M M35 30 (2:28:52) 2:28:52
3 » Peter Mooney 100 Marathon Club M M35 485 (2:35:25) 2:35:25
4 » Cathal O'Connell St Finbarr's AC M M45 712 (2:35:54) 2:35:54
5 » Alan Foolkes M MS 365 (2:37:18) 2:37:18
6 » Karl Walsh Leevale AC M M35 1184 (2:37:32) 2:37:32
7 » Wieslaw Sosnowski Eagle AC M M40 1391 (2:39:04) 2:39:04
8 » Cedric De Caluwe ABAV M M35 1353 (2:40:17) 2:40:17
9 » Gavin Sweeney IS M MS 715 (2:42:19) 2:42:19
10 » Cornelius Marshall St Finbarr's AC M M35 848 (2:43:21) 2:43:23
1 » Pauline Curley Tullamore Harriers F F40 1341 (2:47:44) 2:47:47
2 » Angela McCann Clonmel AC F F40 1178 (2:55:08) 2:55:11
3 » Nollaigh O'Neill Leevale AC F F40 1345 (2:55:41) 2:55:45
4 » Ann Marie Holland St Finbarr's AC F F35 910 (3:03:17) 3:03:25
5 » Mary O'Leary FC Perlach F F45 19 (3:06:42) 3:06:44
6 » Hannah Oldroyd Saltaire Striders F FS 1049 (3:09:51) 3:09:53
7 » Mary Sweeney St Finbarr's AC F F50 1116 (3:11:57) 3:11:59
8 » Niamh Cronin St. Finbarr's AC F F35 659 (3:18:18) 3:18:27
9 » Fionnuala Desmond Leevale AC F F40 1094 (3:19:18) 3:19:21
10 » Una Plant F F40 751 (3:22:58) 3:23:10
The full Marathon results can be seen HERE
Half-Marathon....It would seem that there were some major problems with the Half-Marathon with it starting about 30 minutes late. It would seem that there was a big delay with the buses getting the half and relay runners out to the Half start line in Mahon.
Someone sent me this comment......."The shuttle bus from City Hall to Mahon did not work smoothly.
The HM start was delayed until nearly 11am, so that the buses could deliver all of the people queued at City Hall. The buses seem to have taken an unnecessarily long route - Douglas road, Well Road, Skehard Road. In 2008, the buses ran from Kennedy Park area, along Blackrock road, and had a much quicker journey. "
The biggest problem with the Half however if it's true was probably the lack of timing mat or gantry at the start. This meant that people times are taken from where the front runners started...i.e. gun time...rather than when runners crossed the start line. This will have added 1 to 2 minutes to the some peoples times.
The delay in the start also meant that the faster runners had more Marathon traffic ahead than would have been the case if it had started on time.
Top 10 men and women in the Half-Marathon
1 » Freddie Kearon M MS 4653 1:08:33
2 » Alan O'Shea M MS 3200 1:09:23
3 » Brian Mac Mahon Clonliffe Harriers AC M MS 4724 1:10:28
4 » John Meade St Finbarr's AC M MS 3732 1:12:45
5 » Michael Morgan St Finbarr's AC M M35 3813 1:14:39
6 » Colm Moore Leevale AC M M35 4343 1:15:19
7 » Owen Casey M MS 3933 1:18:08
8 » Dermot Gorman Raheny Shamrock AC M MS 4466 1:20:07
9 » Joe Coffey M M40 4200 1:21:35
10 » Michael Byrne St Catherines AC M MS 4404 1:22:38
1 » Lizzie Lee Leevale AC F FS 4161 1:19:53
2 » Claire Gibbons-McCarthy Leevale AC F F35 4928 1:20:18
3 » Emma Murphy St Finbarr's AC F FS 3594 1:22:23
4 » Suzanne Quinn Le Cheile AC F FS 4924 1:28:48
5 » Clodagh McMorrow Finbarr's AC F FS 4519 1:33:22
6 » Siobhan Dempsey F F40 4592 1:34:17
7 » Lean McMorrow F FS 4520 1:34:23
8 » Anne Wolfe St Finbarr's AC F F40 3777 1:34:27
9 » Sabrina Glynn F FS 4712 1:36:36
10 » Valerie Kelly F F35 3731 1:36:36
The Half-Marathon results can be seen HERE
Please note that all results are still provisional
Other than those issues, there was some great support out along the course. Some people posted some great times today so if you were one of these, well done!
Congratulations as well to all those runners who completed their first Half or Full Marathon. You're on the slippery slope now ;o) There are loads of Half-Marathons coming up in August-September if you want to try another one.
Photos...(Updated Tues 1pm)
1) Mark McManus has a gallery HERE
2) Gearoid O'Laoi has a gallery HERE
3) There is a slideshow of photos from Anne Lucey Murphy HERE
4) Peter & Rory Mooney have a large gallery HERE
5) Joe Murphy has a slideshow of photos HERE
6) Doug Minihane has 800+ photos HERE
7) John Quigley of Eagle AC has a number of slideshows...
a) Start
b) 1.25 miles
c) 1.75 miles
d) 3.5 miles
Video...
1) Cliona Hurley has a 10 minute video clip just before the 2 mile mark. It's too small to show on this page so click on this LINK and click on the full screen button (bottom right of video)
2) The Irish Examiner have this video clip showing the start of the Marathon...
Comments? What did you think of it? Did the bus congestion effect you? The late start? Full, Half or Relay....thoughts?
(Photos courtesy of Joe Murphy & Doug Minihane)
107 comments:
I think your wrong with the women's results Annmarie Holland came fourth
The late start for the half was very disappointing. Timings of gels etc were well off. It's a disgrace that there was no chip timing for half. If I knew that then I would have pushed my way up nearer to the start line. Very unprofessional for a city marathon.
I was doing leg 3 in the relay and got one of the first buses to Mahon. At that stage the Bus announcer was saying that priority was being given to HM people. -??? I needed to be in place in Mahon by 10:15 at latest.
As the buses had taken the Douglas route last year, I checked with Bus Eireann management, to ensure that the bus was going via the south link and Boreenmanna Road - closed to everyone, except Marathon traffic - and it was.
To my dismay, the bus headed out to Douglas and then, with difficulty, turned onto the Well Road.
Once we hit the CSO, there was mayhem, with traffic allowed turn towards Aldi only, except Maraton traffic. Traffic was held up, between people making u-turns and making enquiries and generally being perplexed.
The journey to the Relay drop off took 22 minutes in all.
Once I got to the relay station, I made contact with Marathon Management in town and told them what was happening.
The bus situation seems to breakdown every year, with buses either going, or coming back, the wrong way.
Definitely an area where planning and communication needs to be addressed.
Apart from that, I thought things went pretty well. Great day, if pretty humid. Well done everyone!
Support was great everywhere!!
Hi John, ran my first full marathon today, really enjoyed it even with the warm weather. I suppose any of the comments that I may have would include the following,
Headphone wearers, not hearing any instructions with wheelchair athletes comming down the road behind them
Walkers down the Carrigrohane straight being 4 across and then looking at me in an odd way when I asked them to make some space.
A huge crowd of people gathered outside the back end of the finish area with not much space to let runners out.
On the plus side, I was able to get water and sponges when I needed them as there were no real holdups.
The people giving support were great
Will see if I can find my legs tommorrow
Adam
Ran the full last year and this year. The water debacle last year was not repeated as far as I could see so fair play to the organisers for getting that right this year.
Did half. Got bus to start and was there 70 mins before start along with many others. Just getting ready when we were told it was going to be 10 minutes late. No more info until they called us to the start. Incredible that there was no mat or banner at start. Made for difficult run then as we were passing a lot of slower runners. The delay also meant we hit the heat for the second half of the race which affected a lot of runners. All the bad bits out of the way. The positives more than made up for it. Great atmosphere all along the route. Loads of water stations, sponges, sport drink, oranges, jellies etc etc. The run from the mardyke to the finish is as nice as it gets with great support all along the way. All in all not a great start but a great day. Will be back.
The delayed start was not good as I had eat allowing for 10.30 start and the delay meant I did not have enough food in my body so was weak enough when I got about halfway. Also meant we were still only about halfway when it got really hot. Was happy with water stations and sponges glad to see they were in good supply considering the heat.
Ran the full this year and have to hand it to the organisers who had plenty of water stations. No probs with cyclists either. That siad it was overly crowded at the finish line. perhaps route runners down the side streets.Still think though that the marathon should be changed to a Easter/ April date and/or run on a Sunday. Perhaps revamp the route a bit?
Thanks so much to the 2.15 pacers in the half marathon- would not have finished without them- Thanks Lads
Upsides - great support, scenic course, well organised and friendly volunteers
Niggles - the marathon field was fairly thin between the pacing groups- it would have been great if the half was staggered in such a way to link up runners of similar pace
Bins after the water stations would help avoid the serious risk of tripping on bottles - it could end your race quickly if you slipped
Is there any compelling reason that this has to be held in June? Spring might be busy with Marathons already but it's Russian Roulette each year with the weather in cork
Cycling shirts for runners? I'll give it a go I suppose
I ran the half and for all the reasons written above, I am quite disappointed. But I will remember the children who were offering haribos and cereal bars, and because of this I will probably be there next year.
Half was an absolute shambles. Also, I did not get my desired Tshirt size which is a joke considering the amount people have to pay to register.
Did the full, went out too fast, first time mistake. Really enjoyed it though and broke 4 hours. Atmosphere was fantastic, kids right through to the older people were just brilliant. Made me so proud to be from cork. Water stops were spot on.
Ran the full this year and found the organisation brilliant. Water was plentiful and the support was fantastic. 8am start for next year maybe?
Michael
Hi John,
Just letting you know that I'll have about 1,600 picutres when all these finish uploading to here
http://www.racepix.com/Cork-Marathon-2013/racephotos/893/user/darrenspring/
Has there ever been better weather conditions for a marathon?!
There are a lot of negative comments here about the half marathon in particular but to be honest I only started running because the Cork City Marathon came back to Cork in 2007 & 6 year's later I am still running. The Cork City Marathon doesn't owe me anything. In fact I owe it. A lot. So do thousands of other people.
Hi there,4th position female-Andrzej Fiodorek is a male :)His an acquaintance of mine and he came 38th in general.Anyway this was his second marathon in last 10 days,he came second in Burren Marathon and today,after only nine days he even improved his time.In 12 days he is taking a part in another marathon in Poland.Respect Andrzej.
Am I going mad or did the mile markers for the full disappear fairly early? Not a major problem, but annoyed me a little
Did the Full for the second time. Water stations were sorted this year after the mess last year. Brilliant support all the way. Thanks to the family on the mardyke that gave out fresh strawberries! Definitely should consider moving this to the May bank holiday.
John,
Great day in Cork - we are gradually getting our photographs from today uploaded to flickr.
The link is
http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157633904614173/
They should be all up in the next 90 minutes or so. Keep up the good work and maybe see you in Portumna!
Rory and Peter
Apart from the half marathon bus debacle, what a great day. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved running around my native city. Thanks to everyone out in their driveways clapping and cheering. Great buzz finishing up on Patrick St., proud as punch of our beautiful city.
Ran my first full marathon today and finished in 3.56- my name and results and not on the results page. Who would I contact about that as it is very disappointing ???
Did the half today - did it last year too. The 30 min delay was inevitable as most people watched start of full which meant a big crowd at city hall for buses about 9:45. 11 start last year made more sense. Very annoyed with lack of chip time for half. Fair play to 1:50 pacers for making it up. They got me over the line in my PB. water was no issue but agree with earlier comments about having bins to dump water bottles to prevent people tripping. Works in limerick. Very hot today! Still think June bank hol is wrong time. Please try and change it. Also carrigrohane is demoralising - any chance to change the route there for next year please?!
If anyone has any issues with their times or if they are missing then contact the timing company info@precisiontiming.net
As a spectator I saw numerous runners stopping at the 100 metre barrier, we had to yell at alot of people to keep going, maybe this marker could look different to the finishing banner.
John, first off, support along the route was brilliant. Best I can remember. Now for the big negative. Buses at city hall to mahon were a shambles. I did relay leg from mahon last year. Bus left city hall at 9am. Sure I was out in mahon early, but at least I was there waiting as were hundreds of others doing relay and hm. This morning, got to city hall at 9.15. Bedlam. No buses and hundreds of people waiting. One bus at a time arriving, and about a thousand people panicking to get on. I eventually got on a bus at 10.10. Several hundred still waiting as we left. Got to hm dropoff at 10.25. Stayed on to get to relay point and bus driver didn't know the way and headed for blackrock village. Had to run downstairs and direct the driver back to ringmahon road. That's why hm was late starting. A complete farce. If they want us to leave cars in park and ride etc, provide a bloody bus service that gets us to start line at time. Dave, whitegate.
First time doing de half & tho the start was a shambles, don't care because everything else was perfect. Well done 2 all & the people of Cork u made me proud 2day 2 be a Corkorian xxx
The crowds were amazing out supporting us today. I did my 1st half in Limerick a few weeks ago. Today I was a lot more nervous. But it was worse having to hang on for an extra half hour before we could start. When we got to Model Farm Road it was terrible having the relay people out on top of us. They wouldn't push back. The kids were amazing handing out jellied and water on the way. Also I would love to have worn the t-shirt we got when we registered. I got a medium but it was like a small. A lot of people went up to ask to change them but no satisfaction.
Fantastic day out couldnt fault it for my first road marathon The support all the way round the route was second to none.So proud of my native city.
My first marathon and I loved every minute of it. Great buzz, great support, great organisation. Thanks to all involved!!
Mark
A big congrats to the East Cork relay time who had an incredible win ,with some team members taking part in the Munster T&F on Sunday they still managed to turn around a difference of 1m 40sec at the Mahon changeover point ...Well done lads great running ...
Overall an enjoyable day showing the true spirit of Cork. Looking at the programme, I reckon between the half & relay, over 2,700 runners started at Mahon. It's a logistical nightmare to get so many people there between say 10am (fastest relay) and 11.30am, (slowest relay). I ran the 2nd leg from Silversprings and my team mate had just arrived at Mahon before me at 10.30am. At that stage stewards were calling names over the tannoy as relay runners were panicking. I arrived back at City Hall c. 11.10am and some runners still hadn't departed for Mahon. Solution? perhaps a different start for half?
Great event for the city. The support on the course was fantastic. No excuse for the bus debacle for the half. Even worse is the lack of chip timing at the start of the half. That is not acceptable given the volume of runners. I know of people finishing ahead of their pacer baloon and not getting their target time. Thats not fair after all the effort they have put in.
Still a mighty day but a number of issues need to be sorted out. Registration..why not have the bags prepacked and hand them out with number when athlete hands in docket, anyway the bags are too, too big with virtually nothing in them. Half...just not enough buses available to take people out, is there any chance the start could be brought nearer to town to eliminate buses, say on the old Blackrock Road and run the race down into Blackrock village, I know it is a bit narrow but people are adhering well to time zones so that should solve that problem, also time mat required at Half start, there is one result in the masters men where the gentleman concerned took off walking two hours early and is now shown in the results, otherwise great promotion with fantastic crowd support
Still a mighty day but a number of issues need to be sorted out. Registration..why not have the bags prepacked and hand them out with number when athlete hands in docket, anyway the bags are too, too big with virtually nothing in them. Half...just not enough buses available to take people out, is there any chance the start could be brought nearer to town to eliminate buses, say on the old Blackrock Road and run the race down into Blackrock village, I know it is a bit narrow but people are adhering well to time zones so that should solve that problem, also time mat required at Half start, there is one result in the masters men where the gentleman concerned took off walking two hours early and is now shown in the results, otherwise great promotion with fantastic crowd support
A Great run (I did the Half)though tough because of heat. Terrific local support all along the route - it is a great encouragement when you are feeling the pressure. Gripes: the bus problem at City Hall - stressful, the lack of mat at start (my 'official' time is 2 mins longer than my watch time) and the large groups of walkers on the last lap, wearing tee shirts advertising a taxi co. (I only realised afterwards that they were also supporting a charity - when I saw the front of their tee shirts.) They had no understanding of runners and clogged up the narrow route, strolling three abreast. Finally, I had to shuffle crowd to get water at the end, when I was parched - it would be useful to hand the water as soon as runners cross the line. Apart from those gripes, a wonderful day. Thanks.
I ran the 2nd relay leg and as usual, team mates gave kit bags etc to those finishing their leg. However I noticed an unusual & beautiful exchange at Mahon: a baby!!! When I enquired, the baby's mammy told me she ran the 2nd relay leg and her sister ran the 3rd. However, all possible childminders were also taking part, so sister brought the baby & buggy to Mahon by bus and handed her over at the changeover to her mammy who then returned to city hall by bus! I think that's a beautiful story!
A great day indeed albeit a bit warm/humid from 11am onwards. Everyone seemed to struggle on the second half of the full with the hills and heat. Only negative thing for me was that only a few half marathon runners wore the extra bib on the back. I believe it wasnt compulsory and so it was very disheartening when you are at mile 20 or so and there runners passing you and you are thinking they are full marathon runners. Could it be made compulsory?
Fantastic day to run and complete my first marathon!Amazing support on route, water stations were outstanding...even got a full bottle of lucozade at the Castle...I must have looked like I needed it :-) Last 6 miles were rough but hey its a marathon!
I ran the half marathon had a good day. Would have liked to get away on time as like meany I had eaten for a 10.30 start and no timing mat ment some unhappy people. I had a good run the 1.30 paces were so good kept lots of us going with raily good time splits and help along the way.
I feel very proud to be from Cork after witnessing the turnout yesterday. I found the run really difficult (i did the half) and was 5 minutes slower than a pervious half i had run two weeks ago. that is my own problem. one thing that struck me and being totally honest frightened me was the amount of people out cold on the road....from seeing these all i wanted was just to get home...SAFE....did anyone else notice it? Was it worse than other years? I hope everyone i saw is ok today. Well done to everyone who endured what i thought to be a very difficult race yesterday.
And i also had an issue with the cab company who were 4wide WALKING along the narrow road. needless to say when i got the dirty look when i asked them politely to move i told myself i wouldnt be using their service.....
Other than that it was a fabulously organised run.......cant commment on the travel but the run water and support was outstanding. well done.
Much to be learned for next year. Sort out the bus problem - City Hall was anarchy. An actual chip time for the half marathon as well. I ran in ahead of the 2:00 pacers with a personal time of 1:57 but an 'official' time of 2:01. Not fair! The finish line was also too small and crowded. I wanted to get out of the way and get water but got held up in a bottleneck exit for 3 minutes.
All the things that made this event enjoyable can be attributed to the city of cork, its people, good weather and fellow runners. The organisers didn't bring anything to the table. Terrible value for 52 euro.
Did the half in Limerick last month and it was superbly organized in comparison to this.
Did the full yesterday and really enjoyed the run. No issues whatsoever. I do agree that a timing mat should have been at the half start but that is surely an issue for the timing chip company. Was it an oversight or had they not planned to put one there ? Also the bus situation could be resolved by moving the start to closer the city centre to allow the ever increasing numbers to walk to the start. These are issues which would need to be resolved but like they did with the water stations yesterday, this was resolved from last year and I'm sure with some effort these can be too. Delighted to have taken part and I hope this event goes from strength to strength as it is fabulous to see so many people out running the streets of Cork. How many people ran a relay leg yesterday for the first time ever ? This event is much more than just a race for experienced runners. Well done Cork.
No timing mat for the half is a disgrace as we were told it was chip timing. Is it presision timing or the organisers are at fault?
Hi, I agree that the late start of the half marathon was a disappointment. It got really hot towards the end.. The water stations and all the people along the way were amazing! Thank you to everyone for the oranges, jellies, sponges, music and cheering on along the way! You guys made the difference!!!!
I did the half and thought the delay to the start was an issue, meant many of us were coming into the final stretch just when it started getting warmer and not before, also warmed up thinking a 10:30 start, was told 10mins and then did not start till 11. Was happy with my time but a little annoyed at the delay
Great day for those doing the full and loads of water bottles, which was needed in the heat! Also great was the support, the kids at the Lough are great every year and also the water hose on the Model Farm Road. Also have to applaud the family in Glasheen who are out every year shouting the bid numbers in support, they must be hoarse. It's amazing how year on year you can know exactly what is coming around the corner in relation to support! Thought the atmosphere at the finish line was also great!Well done to all involved to making this an event- at least the full this year- that Cork can be proud of!
A big thank you to 2:15 pacers. They were Brilliant. As I assumed chip timed, did not check time at start. Would love to know how many mins behind gun time were the 2:15 pacers.
Hi,
Great event but echoing the thoughts of many about the buses. Did the relay (leg 3) and had a changeover time of 10.20. Had to fight my way onto a bus while being told the halves prioritised, despite a later start for them. Arrived at changeover point at 10.19 and had to sprint to meet my team-mate there. Literally just made it as he arrived but had no warm-up and struggled to get into my stride for the duration of the leg. Chaos at city hall will have to be sorted next year - earlier departure times (would rather be calmly waiting at the changover point for an hour rather than at City Hall in a mad panic), seperate buses for halves and relays perhaps?
Such a shame was it was a great event otherwise.
Did 2 legs of the relay and was amazed with so many people wearing headphones. Spent the first few miles of running looking around for a chat and eventually another guy came up to me to say that I was the first person he'd seen without headphones, so got chatting to him for a while. Had good chats with two others over the two legs but still a pity that so many are plugged into their machines rather than prepared to be social. Lovely weather and great support from the locals.
I ran the half marathon yesterday and it was great. Yea there was a 30-minute delay, it was no big deal really but the delay was due to the bus issues. Once it got going it was great. Looking forward to being involved again next year.
Organisation for the half was a joke. The message that was put out there by the organisers was not to bring your car and to use the buses provided, only to find there were insufficient buses. I was in the queue at 9:15 and got a bus at 10:01.
In the same way you tell people to line up at the correct point for their speed so as not to obstruct the faster runners(which is obviously correct) and then find there isn't a timing mat, which encourages slower people(not right but understandable) to line up at the front as when 2 minutes are gone before you even get to the start line it has a demoralising effect.
Unacceptable given €52 entry fee for a half.
Have to say it was great that the half was delayed this year. Sorry if you were standign around waiting, I know how that feels too, but the merge between the main wave of the Half and Full was perfect this year. Iy was 'Very' important this year the Marathon runners were able to get enough water. Unlike last year when the halfer were taking more than their share of the water when it mattered most to full runners. I hope that they keep the half at 11 next year but that they do sort out the busses.
Did the half, really enjoyed it but the lack of a timing mat was a pity. Big thank you to the 1.50 pacers for getting us through under the 1.50 clock time.
Support and atmosphere was great, weather was hot but when you run in Ireland it's good to have a different challenge.
Will be back again next year.
the lack of communication regarding a start on gun time rather than a chip time over the start line was very poor. i was a 1:40 pacer and had no idea of this; threw out timing at the end and i apologise for anyone so affected, but the group started 20 seconds after the gun. no point having an electronic timing system if it doesnt work like it should. at the very least they should have made this clear given that most big runs these days run a better system.
I loved it from start to finish. Did the half and was there in plenty of time and didn't mind the wait as met some lovely people. It's never going to be perfect for everyone I know but the runners got to see cork in all it's glory. I look forward 2 doing it again next year problems and all.
Everything above about the half was very disappointing. Could someone please tell me where the entry fee goes. Is this for charity?. If not most of it should be . Even the water and tonics were sponsored.
Agree with most comments on the half. suport and water was great but the que for the toilets at the start was bad..5 male and 5 female for 1,500 participants! we qued for 25 minutes.I assumed timing was activated once timing chip passed a mat so do not have accurate time. We had travelled since 630 am for the half and the 30 min delay made it a longer day!
It was a great event from start to finish - I ran the full marathon and was glad that the half started later as there was very little congestion on the road - the start time should stay at 11.00am. Plenty of water - plenty of support - and what a great city to be running in.
While running up the straight road; to the annoyance of some of the runners there was a guy in car who decided to make a u turn back towards town on the straight road.
Also on a personel note; it was great to see a few people handing out not just water, but fruit oranges to us runners. Thanks to those.
My first half marathon and I found it fantastic.
Issues: bit nervous awaiting for a bus at city hall, delay at the start, timing issue - like above. But one thing that I found most irritating was not due to organizers, but some teenagers at Model Farm Road, in suicide awareness t-shirts walking in groups, with CIGARETTES in their mouths...
Good side - AMAZING atmosphere, great support, friendly faces, joyful atmosphere - all that made me thinking of getting on some new challenges despite blisters and pain ;-)
Way too much negativity, get over it,
5th Full Cork for me, and my favourite yet. Hot weather was brilliant, don't mind it at all, loads water stops. I was never wanting, and support was great, someone even gave us Ice reams in blackrock lol And brilliant massages at end save me pain today.
Huge thanks to all,
Only Suggestion, time to get cool kick ass medals, see RocknRolla ones, get ones with Cork Crest or something. Lol
Anonymous said... "Everything above about the half was very disappointing. Could someone please tell me where the entry fee goes. Is this for charity?. If not most of it should be . Even the water and tonics were sponsored." 4/6/13 4:49 p.m.
Just a very quick stab at the some of the expenses. Anyone who has been involved in organising a race will identity with these..... and think of all the ones I've forgotten:
Pins - Might seem trivial but a box of pins will set you back up maybe €15 for 1000-1440
Numbers/Timing Chips
Medals
T-Shirts
Goodie Bags
Bananas/Gels/Water/Bars/Sports Drinks (Afaik, there were not sponsored this year – open to correction)
Portaloos
Buses
Traffic management - the crowd that put out the cones, warning signs etc
Course signage
Traffic signage
Advertising
AAI Race Permits
AIMS membership
Pacers expenses
Barriers
Public address
Stewarding
Bibs/jackets etc for stewards
Lunch packs for stewards (some of these people are out for up to 10 hours on the day!!!)
Medical services
First aid services
Hi John,
I ran my first half marathon. It was a great experience. Any event of this size always has few issues but those are understandable.
Does the marathon provide official photographs. I am unable to any photo in which I am present. My bib number is 3584.
Great event. Well organised and very appreciated the work that goes into it. People are entitled to their opinions but with the amount of people entered this year everything cant go as smoothly as people would like. Looking forward to next year.
John, glad that you clarified the costs, very disappointed to see the negatiivity in some of the comments, although to be fair there are a lot of positive comments. Cork IS the friendly marathon, yes some organisation issues but like the water last year I have no doubt these will be sorted next year. Many people forget that this even relies heavily on volunteers to run and hats off to everyone who gave their time, not just yesterday but in the months leading up to it. I thought the Youth Relay element was a great addition, fantastic to see the younger runners/walkers out there with the more seasoned "veterans". Looking forward to 2014, might help if some of the large companies that operate throughout the county came on board and gave something back as a main sponsor.
Anybody know who was taking photos at the finish line ? Think they got a good at about 3:54 hours one of several generations crossing the line and I want to try and get a copy.
As always Cork is my favourite marathon with great atmosphere, challenging course, and unlike Dublin, without losing sight of the fact that the effort is a family effort. ie children can run in with you and you don't feel completely cut off from them as you do in Merrion Square in Dublin. Thanks to everybody yet again. See ye next year.
Ger
I was just wondering if anyone knew the time difference between the 2:30 pacers gun and chip times for the half marathon?
The pacers did a great job in getting us around the course and I am really grateful to them. However, because of the lack of a timing mat the only time I have is over 2:30 despite starting with the pacers and finishing just ahead of them.
I really enjoyed the race but would really love to know what my chip time should be
Great day out in Cork.
You'll always get issues, yeah bus debacle and no start mat for the half was a pity, but we're runners we just have to deal with what comes our way on the day. Hopefully the organisers will iron out those few blips for next year.
I would also suggest that the orgnisers clamp down on headphone wearers, one of these people are definitely going to cause an avoidable accident some day, they are running around totally oblivious to what's going on around them, for instance, near the Lough, the bike mounted Garda who was leading Gerry Forde (wheelchair athlete) was telling us ruuners to stay left, in order to clear a path for Gerry, but there were two seperate runners who were clearly blocking the wheelchair athletes racing line, and they couldn't hear the Garda calling for them to clear a path, inconsiderate I would think. I was also speaking to another volunteer who was trying to clear a good racing line for the leaders in the half marathon, same story, great difficulty in getting the attention of headphone wearers. Cork City Marathon should just introduce a ban on headphone wearers, if someone decides to go against the ban, pull them out of the race on Patricks Street, no official finish time.
I did my first half marathon this year yes there was a delay but I didn't mind this. the atmosphere on the day was fantastic the support from people really helped. I was a pity about the timing chips not working for the half marathon but other than that I had an unforgetable experience. Looking forward to beating my time next year.
Did my first half and as someone else said i came in before the 2 hr pacer as that was my target yet i was 2.01.15 , my strap for my phone fell apart so i gave my phone to a friend who i passed by the church thinking i was being timed! so disappointed, and again as everyone else has said the people of cork were unbelievable! i also think the monday is a disaster as it takes your whole weekend... A lot more support would be there also if not held on a b/h as most people leave the city..again thanks so much to all the people who helped on the day and answer why the mat was not there is the least they can do!
Kevin I have to say as a guy who has completed 5 cork marathons you deserve great respect but honestly I think the same respect must be allocated to those who ran the half, as I did. Both the delay and lack of a mat for correct chip timing was a real let down. I've been running for years but chose to run halves and other length races besides full marathons so to suggest people should get over it is I feel disrespectful. Had there been no mat at the start of the marathon in Patrick st I reckon there just might have been one or two more headlines. All runners deserve the same respect as they are all operating to the best of their ability so you as an experienced runner should surely get that above all people. It's an amazing day out with incredible support from the public to St. John's to all the stewards etc and for all those reasons I hope they address those afore mentioned issues. Well done on your fifth Cork Marathon, respect.
thats because there were no problems with the full, think back kevin to your first half and how much it meant to you..to come in at 2.01 knowing you did it before that is bound to be upsetting, well done on the full!
Delighted to say that was our family. Four sisters and our brother. And the band and baby was indeed passed! baby s daddy did the half marathon too. great day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We Will be back, baby and all!.
It was very congested along the narrow path between the Mardyke and North Mall. There was a convergence of knackered marathon runners some of whom (understandably) were walking in a very disoriented way, eager relay runners doing a fast 4 and a bit miles on a flat/downhill last lag, and everything in between. I found myself trying to weave around walkers/v slow runners in completing my half. Perhaps if the route to Patrick's Bridge avoided the narrow path and continued straight from the Mardyke to Dyke Parade towards the Mercy Hospital.
Well said Shane. This Era it'll be grand attitude we seem to possess in Cork is no solace to those half marathon runners who were bitterly disappointed yesterday. Get it right Cork. The issues were simple ones and should have been avoided, but they had a big impact in a lot of runners, and whether they are half or full or relay they all paid their money and should get value for same. And John Dublin put on a fantastic half marathon every September for €20 with a great t-shirt and goody bag, pacers and all the other listed costs quoted aswell. Ken (Cork)
My first full marathon and I must say was a great experience-everything was perfect-bar the heat which severely affected me but that was hardly the organisers fault!Again,over all the half marathons and 10milers etc Ive done, this was the best organised event I have ran in and the support from people around the city was superb!
One thing I cant understand is some of the comments on here-of course there were issues with mats and buses which will have to ironed out for next year.
My point with all this is that the Cork City Marathon is a great event-I supported my brother in it last year and it was that day that motivated me to take up running which I did 2 weeks after and have signed up for Dublin and cannot wait to do Cork already next year-I am by no means experienced but as long as the race goes ahead, the route is safe, there is enough water if you need it and the day overall is enjoyable, then it is deemed a success to me. The organisers have probably already started planning next years event-the amount of effort put in has been tremendous and has to be acknowledged as people rarely do. I can only imagine the amount of hard work gone into yesterday and annoys me to see the example of petty complaints made like the ones above that are completely out of the organisers control. Yes the bus and mat issues have to be sorted for next year, other than that, the event was a huge success and again great credit and thanks has to be given to the organisers.
Finally, congrats to all who competed in the Full, Half & Relay yesterday!!
Great day.Of course everything cant be perfect but as long as problems are sorted,like the improvement on water,hats off to Cork.We had 3 generations running;my mother and myself doing full and my son did the half,what a way to spend a day!Brilliant.
People are suggesting marathon route change. Why? Its a fab route. Couldnt ask for better. As for the Carrigrohane straight? Its the easiest part of the marathon. So why change it. Its mind over matter, people look at the long stretch ahead instead of thinking positive and look forward to the nice
easy flat straight heading for home!
Re. 2:30 pacer times
I was one of the pacers. Gun time was 2:31:57 but my watch time was 2:29:36 (I think this was roughly the same for both watches) if you were behind us at the start and finished ahead you got the sub 2:30 time.
Did my first relay ever and i parked at silver springs, bus came from town at 8.20 but driver said he wasnt leaving for an hour. My friend and i had to start walking but we thumbed a lift and a very nice man dropped us into town. Was most disappointed with bus service. We were trying to conserve our energy so didnt need this bus hassle at all.
Does anyone know exactly what time the gun went off at the half marathon start line? I might be able to work out from runkeeper on phone the difference between gun and actual start.
A Fantastic Marathon Well done Cork Dont pay heed to negative comments it was extremely well run and so well supported all along the route. The half will be sorted next year. I have been running for years but events like this which cater for all distances ages etc is the most positive thing a city can offer its people. So many more people have ditched the couch for the roads !
Keep up good work.
Also looking for who has finishing line pics ??
Don't know about to many others but I was totally caught out and not prepared for the weather - the heat was just unreal!
Its a big event to organise and I think they did a good job (I did the full). Spoke to a few who did a half and expressed same as other posters. Last yr they screwed up with the water, they listened and they fixed it this year - plenty of water - and badly needed because of the heat.
Next yr they'll have the buses etc sorted for sure.
I'll add to some other comments that its because of having a major event like this in Cork is what keeps me going and gets me out on the road training. So long may it last - keep it going!!!
Oh - did I mention the weather! ; )
Did the half, mighty support . A pity about the buses and the delayed start. Just back from the Boston marathon and they certainly know how to line buses up !!! :)
Think carlsberg add , instead of taxis it was buses as there would be no opportunity for a bus to come back and collect again.
Anyway well done to all but where did all the finishine photography go ?
According to my Garmin 205, the Half Marathon actual start was 10:58:22.
Hi, my first marathon and I enjoyed it all.
Thank you Cork City - council, organisers, all the lovely residents who cheered us on, encouraged us, and gave us sweets and oranges and all those wonderful volunteers. At City Hall, on the route, brushing up and collecting the water bottles. Thousands giving us their time for a good, safe and interesting run. Thank you to the volunteers.
My achievement was sweeter for having done it in my 50s. I am 60 today and decided last New Year's Eve to go for it. That medal was round my neck until today. Running in a Relay, Half Marathon or your first or 100+ Marathon gives you lots of high vibes and joy. I smiled around the course and still feel great. I did it. Highlights were the church bells half way round, and the estuary and river runs, Mardyke area, and the crowds.
I missed the bus and HM start delays and sympathies to those affected.
My issues were why do we have to collect our number and an oversized bag (I left there) only on the Sat and Sun? Can the race number be posted or collected during the week - posted for 4Euros(?) extra it's cheaper than the 20Euros bus ride I made on Saturday.
The mile and km markers for marathoners were staggered and not always consistent or clear - on poles and on the road. Water stations didn't know the distance left to run. But lovely lot of water and Lucozade stations and the children handing out stuff were great too.
The 100m to the finish arch nearly threw me - I hadn't finished! I then sprinted that last bit to get inside 5.30. The commentator really cheered the crowd to get us there. Thank you. I was a very happy girl.
Thank you to the 5.00 pacers - you were great.
Cork - well done all round. I'm feeling good about 2014. SW.
Re Half marathon start time:
I started my Garmin about 1 second after the start as I was about 3 rows from the front.
It has the start time as 10:58:23. I've just compared the current time on it to http://www.timeanddate.com/ and the time is accurate to the second.
-Feargal
Delighted to read the above post from the baby's family. As ye know, a marathon comprises thousands of individual stories. I've always brought home a story from my marathons(5 full, 6 half & 2 relays so far), to fuel my motivation for the next. The baby exchange at Mahon is my abiding memory of Cork 2013. I met the baby on the bus from Mahon to city hall. It's such an uplifting story. Well done to the family, who obviously look for solutions, not for problems. The true spirit of Cork!
5/6/13 12.08am. that's the baby story by the way
original baby comment:
4/6/13 9.26am
family reply: 5/6/13 12.08am
Thanks very much for the times. It's great to be able to estimate chip time accurately using them as I had no watch on the day
Also thanks again for all your support on the day. I really appreciated it
I was at the rear of the half marathon start and all of the late comers seemed to have been there by 10:45 yet we were still made to hang around for a further 15 minutes for no obvious reason.
Apart from that a great day and everything else seemed to run smoothly.
Anonymous said...
............ And John Dublin put on a fantastic half marathon every September for €20 with a great t-shirt and goody bag, pacers and all the other listed costs quoted aswell. Ken (Cork) 5/6/13 12:41 a.m.
Ken, I won't disagree with you on that one. I was very surprised at the entry cost for this year's Dublin HM - it's, aficr, a big drop on previous year's entry, though the overall cost of entering all 5 races has gone up considerably. It's worth noting that the Rock'N'Roll HM, which incorporates the national HM Championship is €49 to enter.
A particular aspect of Dublin races is that they incur several unavoidable but *VERY SIGNIFICANT* costs that do not apply to races anywhere else in the country
Finally for all the people who have expressed disappointment with some aspect or other: In organising a race, you are a always goinbg to make mistakes - you hope they are not going to be big ones - and you will ensure that you won't make the same ones next year......but *Guaranteed* there *Will* be other ones next time. "Anyone who never made a mistake never made anything". I've no doubt that this year's problems will be addressed ....but new ones will emerge!
The joys of organising races! LOL
First marathon –full distance. Overall it was very well organised. I was happy with the route, the organisation and the water stations. The atmosphere was very good and the support from the public was excellent. A few issues:
The half marathon came out on to the main body of marathon runners (3.30-4.30 runners) at about 14-17 miles. I found it very demoralising to be overtaken by several hundred runners in the middle of the race. I was also physically pushed out of the way by one group of Halfs - bad form. Perhaps the half routes could be staggered better to avoid the full marathon or set off at a different time.
There was a lot of walkers from the straight road onwards (wearing taxi tee-shirts) they were up to 5 across and very difficult to overtake. I had to zig zag so much around them that I probably ran 27.4 miles!
Signs for the mileage was very inconsistent, so I had difficulty in pacing myself (I missed my official pacer at the start line). Don’t talk to me about the “100 metre to go” sign!
It was very overcrowded at the finish line, there was a lot of people (especially relay runners) just hanging around in the finish area like lost sheep, people should be moved on.
Overall excellent day.
There will be mistakes made, of course, noone is denying that - but organisers need to have feedback given to them too. They can't improve things if people feel that they can't comment on the good AND the bad bits.
This was my first ever race, I did leg 4 of the relay. Things I loved: fantastic support, even at the very late stage that I came through. Still plenty of water left for me, although being such small fry many were busy clearing up and I had to stop to get it myself at one point.
Things that could improve: a better map of the course on the website- no context, no relay changeovers marked, no landmarks. I had to look to other sources for the details, and was still surprised by one part of the route on the day.
In response to the 2:30 pacer:
Thanks very much for the times. It's great to be able to estimate chip time accurately using them as I had no watch on the day
Also thanks again for all your support on the day. I really appreciated it
my first half marathon and i really enjoyed it. i taught the course itself was brilliant and so flat,and there was a great supply of water which is so important on a warm day like it was.
i was lucky in that i was one of the first ppl that got on the bus to the start line from city hall but was overwhelmed by the hundreds if not thousands of ppl waiting on buses! no wonder there was a delay!
it was a brilliant day overall and it is great that there are events like this to do. and please dont change the date! monday bank holiday is prefect.
next year it would be great to have a mat at the start and maybe have a rule of stay on the left side unless your overtaking someone! and ppl please dont walk/run in a line across the road! how do you expect someone to overtake you. happened me at least three times towards the last two miles - rude if anything!
will be back next year to try get under the 1hr 40mins!
Hi John
i was one of the pacers for the 2:15 group from what i can remember it was 1 mim 13 before we crossed the line. hope this helps
Trevor
Another aspect of the delay of the half marathon was that there was no announcement at the finish line of the delayed. My partner was was expecting me to finish at about 12.30 and was worried when I didn't turn up until after one. With the heat on the day she was worried I was in trouble and on a ventilator somewhere!Overall enjoyed the day but not the delay.
Another aspect of the delay of the half marathon was that there was no announcement at the finish line of the delayed. My partner was was expecting me to finish at about 12.30 and was worried when I didn't turn up until after one. With the heat on the day she was worried I was in trouble and on a ventilator somewhere!Overall enjoyed the day but not the delay.
99th comment-- CCM is always a must whatever race you do in it, fantastic event. Who's going for de 100th comment on ccm, come on, lets be having ya. j
It was a pity about the delay and no timing mat for the half marathon, otherwise it was a fairly good day. Hopefully all these issues will be dealt with next year. Donal
Ok, here it is the 100th comment. Started the half marathon with the expectation/hope of a 2 hour finish, but due to a mix of things, i.e. the delayed start whereby my breakfast was long gone before the start and the heat, I knew at four miles when I waved the 2 hr pacers good bye that that was not going to happen. However in spite of this, I really enjoyed the run, the supporters, water stations, sponges etc and the joy of the finish line. Well done to all, many thanks.
Hi John,
I just wanted to say thank you to you and the other pacer Brian on Marathon day. I wanted to thank Brian for giving me hydration help and advice at the half way mark, without which, I would have suffered in the finish.
Will you please pass this message onto Brian. He will remember me because I ran with him pacing in Dublin in October. Regards, Helen Roche
after a week of recollection and a rough measurement the start of HALF could at Crab Lane on the Blackrock Road,runners could make their own way out there, no marathon runners coming thru start as is at present and no course confusion at the Castle car park, yes a few half people did turn up the walk.
,
Is there any photos of the finishing line? Can't find any very disappointing.
Hi there, now that was fun! Great city, great people, thank you very much. With Cork being my 9th int. full marathon I think I can somewhat compare and say that this one holds easily to all international standards and the beautiful course (ignoring perhaps the tunnel/motorway miles) + after party surely was much more fun than last year @Dublin! All the best, grtz from the Netherlands
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