Cork is the largest half-marathon in Ireland for the first half of 2024...

The 2024 Cork City Half-Marathon was the largest half-marathon in Ireland for the first six months of the year.

The chart above shows the half-marathons with over 1000 finishers and Cork is in first place with 3500. The Great Limerick Run Half-Marathon is just behind with 3277 finishers. 

The only other half-marathons in Munster that broke the 1000 mark are the Waterford Viking Half-Marathon with 1224 finishers and the Run Killarney Half-Marathon with 1151 finishers.

There were at least 53 half-marathons in Ireland for the first half of 2024 and the distribution is shown above. As can be seen, most have reasonably small numbers with 30 of the 53 with fewer than 300 finishers. 15 of those had less than 120 finishers which would have meant a lot of big gaps between the runners.

Cork V Limerick... I thought it was a little surprising how relatively close the Limerick numbers were to Cork considering that the population for Cork City is over twice that of Limerick city.

The chart above shows the numbers for the Cork and Limerick half-marathons since 2013.

From 2013 to 2015, the numbers for both events were pretty similar despite the difference in population. After 2016, Cork began to pull away as the number of finishers grew.

It was only in 2024 that Limerick has begun to close the gap again.

The second half of 2024... One of the most important and biggest running events in Ireland is of course the Dublin marathon and many people use a half-marathon race as part of the build up to it.

There are plenty more big half-marathons coming down the line and it'll be interesting to see how Cork and Limerick fare by comparison by the end of the year.

Some stats for the 2015 Cork City Marathon...

Now that the 2015 Cork City Marathon is over and the dust is beginning to settle, it's time to have a look at some of the stats for the event.

First off, the overall numbers in each event....

Marathon.....There were 1129 finishers in the full marathon which is up 3.7% on last year. That's down on earlier years but there are more marathons to choose from now.

Half-Marathon...The Half numbers were up 17% this year compared to 2014. Some people mentioned congestion at the start of the half this year so perhaps the increased numbers have something to do with it? It's hard to imagine it growing by similar amounts again and for there not to be even more congestion. Either they cap the numbers or do something like starting in waves which might be easier said than done.

Overall, there were probably around 6000 people taking part across the three events....(based on the assumption that an average relay team might have 4 people).

Relay......The relay team numbers were up 4% this year. As you can see from the graph above, the big drop in relay numbers back in 2011 was a result of the half-marathon being introduced.

Gender Balance......In the full marathon, 21.9% of the finishers were women while it was 43.9% in the Half-Marathon. The most notable thing is probably just how consistent it is from year to year.

Just for comparison, the figure for the 2014 Dublin marathon was 30.3% while in the USA, the average marathon there in 2014 had 43% women running.

Marathon Finishing Times....The chart below shows the average finish time in the full marathon. The average man finished around 3:50 while the average woman finished around 4:10. It's interesting to compare this to the stats for the average male and female finisher in the USA who are about 30 minutes slower.

* The chart above was compiled by taking the number of finishers in 10 minutes blocks...e.g. gross times from 3:20:00 to 3:29:59. This would have the result of pushing the graph slightly to the left. However, the net times would have been faster anyway than gross times so it probably ends up being reasonably accurate.

Half-Marathon Finishing Times.....The chart below shows the times for men and women in the Cork City Half-Marathon. The average man is about 1:45 while the average woman is about 2:00-2:05.

Again, comparing this to the USA, the average finish time in Cork for both genders is about 18 minutes faster than the US.

* The chart above was compiled by taking the number of finishers in 5 minutes blocks...e.g. gross times from 1:45:00 to 1:49:59. This would have the result of pushing the graph slightly to the left. However, the net times would have been faster anyway than gross times so it probably ends up being reasonably accurate.

Relay Finishing Times....These are the times for the relay teams in the Cork City Marathon. The average team completed the 26.2 mile course in about 4 hours.

Conclusions.......Based on the above stats, it would seem as if the marathon and the relay event are pretty stable and unlikely to grow much more. The Half-Marathon however looks as if it may continue to grow. The big question however is how to allow the numbers to grow and not cause even more congestion at the start?

Comments...???

Race notice...Cork Half-Marathon, Blarney - Sun 8th Sept 2013

This is a race notice for the John Buckley Sports Cork Half-Marathon coming up on Sunday, the 8th of Sept 2013 at 11am. This race starts and finishes in Blarney just to the west of Cork City. Last year in 2012, the hill up around Grenagh was removed and it resulted in a much faster course overall.

The race is organised by St.Finbarrs AC, one of the main running clubs in Cork City and this is their flagship event of the year. There will also be pacers available for those trying for 1:30, 1:45 and 2 hours. As with most big races, they will be using chip timing.

The race also incorporates the Cork County and Munster Half-Marathon Championships.


The race sponsor is John Buckley Sports, one of the main sports shops in Cork for running shoes and other running related gear.

Entries.......
The Half-Marathon costs €20 to enter before Sunday, the 1st of September. You can enter by the following means...

Online (€21.40)..........You can enter online HERE

By Post........You will find an entry form HERE in PDF format.

Make cheques payable to St.Finbarrs AC. Post the entries to John Buckley Sports, Mulgrave Road, Cork.

Direct.......Probably the easiest and cheapest option if you are in the city is just to call into John Buckley Sports, fill out a form and enter.

You can find John Buckley Sports across the river from the Cork Opera House and his opening hours are Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5.30pm – late opening Friday until 7.00 – closed Sundays.

They also have a website at http://www.johnbuckleysports.com/

20% Off Voucher.........Note also that all runners that enter will get a 20% off voucher for the John Buckley Sports store. If you use the voucher to buy something like a good pair of running shoes which could easily cost €100, then essentially you will have entered the race for free. Obviously, the more you spend, the more you save.

Late entries.........If for some reason you miss the early closing date, you can also enter on the day of the race......cost €25.

Preview........A full preview of the course with map, directions and photos can be seen HERE

Results of the John Buckley Sports Cork Half-Marathon -- Sun 9th Sept 2012

This year's Cork Half-Marathon was a great success with a record crowd of 501 runners taking part, a rise of 13% on last year's figure of 442 which is no mean feat when you consider the number of Half-Marathons on at this time of year. In terms of the weather, it was a mixed bag. Pre-race, it looked as if it was going wet and misty. Ten minutes later, we were sweltering in the sunshine. Overall though, things could have been a lot worse and though there was a bit of a headwind on the way back, the course was slightly downhill at that stage.

This year of course marked a new departure in that the course was changed with the hilly loop up around Grenagh being removed. Even despite this, it is still a challenging course. Looking at an ordnance survey map, the course goes from about 35 metres above sea level at the bridge in the town to about 100m asl at the old cheese plant. That's a rise of some 65 metres or about 210 feet. To put that in context, if you were standing on Patrick's Street in Cork City and looking at the top of Patrick's Hill then that rise is only about 55 metres. So the course is the equivalent of going up a hill 10 metres higher than Patrick's Hill except that it is stretched out over roughly 6 miles.

There were times on the way out where it seemed as if the course was flat but in reality, it was slightly uphill. Other than the small hill near Waterloo church, it's hard to actually pinpoint what the tough parts of the course were but it's the gradual incline that makes this course still a challenge.

As for the out and back section, I thought this worked pretty well. I know some people had concerns that the road was too narrow to accommodate all of the runners going out and back. In reality, it seemed to work just fine. The advantage of an out and back race is that you get to watch the race as well. You can see who is ahead and who is behind and what the gaps might be. Coming at that stage of the race it tends to be a distraction which might be no bad thing for anyone struggling up to that point.

As Half-Marathon courses go, it certainly isn't the fastest but it is a lot faster than what it used to be. Anyone that sets a personal best time on the new course surely has the added satisfaction of knowing that it wasn't easily won. For me at least, I'd give the new course the thumb's up.

What did you think of it? Better? Worse?........and the event overall? It's only by getting feedback on a race that the organisers can see what went right or wrong and hope to improve it.

Results......
The mens race was won by Michael Herlihy of North Cork AC in a time of 1:10:44. Michael also won the race in 2011.

The womens race was won by Emma Murphy of the host club St.Finbarr's AC in 1:22:12.

Pos    Name    Club/City/Country    Cat    Gun Time    Chip Time
1 Michael Herlihy    North Cork AC     MO    1:10:44    1:10:43
2 Sandis Bralitis    West Waterford AC     MO    1:12:46    1:12:45
3 Railis Zakis    West Waterford AC     MO    1:12:55    1:12:55
4 John Meade    St. Finbarr's AC     MO    1:13:35    1:13:35
5 Cathal O'Connell    St Finbarr's AC     M45    1:14:38    1:14:38
1 Emma Murphy    St Finbarr's AC     F35    1:22:12    1:22:08
2 Angela McCann    Clonmel AC     F40    1:23:22    1:23:20
3 Ann Marie Holland    Eagle AC     F35    1:25:38    1:25:34
4 Mary Sweeney    St Finbarrs AC     F50    1:28:25    1:28:25
5 Geraldine O'Shea    St Finbarr's AC     F40    1:28:34    1:28:27

Updated Sun 9th Sept @21:20
The full results can now be seen HERE

Photos.......
1) Joe Murphy has a slideshow of photos HERE
2) Doug Minihane as per usual has loads of pics!
Set 1; (Blarney Road sign); Start and Race Leaders to 2 Hr Pacers at 5/6 Miles approx....HERE
Set 2; (Garda Bike); 500 Yds From Finish - Race Leaders to 1:45 Pacers...HERE
Set 3; (Race Sign); 500 Yds From Finish - 1:45 Pacers Onward....HERE

Race Sponsor.......For those of you that did the race, you fill find a 20% off discount voucher for  John Buckley Sports in the goodie bag you got at the finish line. This is one of the main sports shops in Cork for running shoes and other running related gear.

You can find John Buckley Sports across the river from the Cork Opera House and his opening hours are Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5.30pm – late opening Friday until 7.00 – closed Sundays.

They also have a website at http://www.johnbuckleysports.com/

Race notice...Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney - Sun 9th Sep 2012

This is a race notice for the Cork Half-Marathon coming up on Sunday, the 9th of Sept 2012 at 11am. This race starts and finishes in Blarney just to the west of Cork City. This year however the course has been modified and the hilly section near Grenagh has been removed. As a result, it promises to be a much faster course.

The race is organised by St.Finbarrs AC, one of the main running clubs in Cork City and this is their flagship event of the year. There will also be pacers available for those trying for 1:30, 1:45 and 2 hours. As with most big races, they will be using chip timing (bib).

The race also incorporates the Cork County and Munster Half-Marathon Championships.


The race sponsor is John Buckley Sports, one of the main sports shops in Cork for running shoes and other running related gear.

Entries.......
The Half-Marathon costs €20 to enter before Saturday, the 1st of September. You can enter by the following means...

Online (€20.90)..........You can enter online HERE

By Post........You will find an entry form HERE in PDF format.

Make cheques payable to St.Finbarrs AC. Post the entries to John Buckley Sports, Mulgrave Road, Cork.

Direct.......Probably the easiest and cheapest option if you are in the city is just to call into John Buckley Sports, fill out a form and enter.

You can find John Buckley Sports across the river from the Cork Opera House and his opening hours are Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5.30pm – late opening Friday until 7.00 – closed Sundays.

They also have a website at http://www.johnbuckleysports.com/

20% Off Voucher.........Note also that all runners that enter will get a 20% off voucher for the John Buckley Sports store. If you use the voucher to buy something like a good pair of running shoes which could easily cost €100, then essentially you will have entered the race for free. Obviously, the more you spend, the more you save.

Late entries.........If for some reason you miss the early closing date, you can also enter on the day of the race......cost €25.

 Full race preview and more details closer to the race date.

Results of the John Buckley Sports Cork Half-Marathon...Sun 11th Sept 2011

John Buckley of John Buckley Sports presenting the winners trophy to Michael Herlihy of North Cork AC. Also pictured are Marion Lyons and Ken Devine of the hosting club...St.Finbarr's AC.

A total of 442 runners turned out for the Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney this year. In terms of the weather, there was a touch of  the 'rub of the green' about it as the storm resulting from Hurricane Katia rolled across Ireland just a few hours later. As you can see from the photo above, there was plenty of sunshine for the race so conditions were a lot better than they could have been.

The winner of the mens race was Michael Herlihy of North Cork AC in a time of 1:10:09. Colin Merritt of Carrig na Bhfear finished 2nd in 1:11:43 with Donal O'Callaghan of An Riocht AC finishing 3rd in 1:14:40. In fact, the Kerry club based in Castleisland accounted for 4 of the top 10 finishers.

In the womens race, the 2011 Cork City Marathon winner Angela McCann from Clonmel AC made the trip back to Cork to win the Half-Marathon in Blarney in 1:23:10. Maria Carey of Ennis Track AC ran a great race to finish in 2nd place in 1:23:46, just 36 seconds behind Angela. In 3rd place, Tracey Roche from Dooneen AC in Limerick ran 1:24:57.

Discount voucher...Anyone who ran this race will have got a 20% discount voucher from John Buckley Sports. Please note that there is no time restriction on this voucher, it can be used at any date in the future.
You can find John Buckley Sports across the river from the Cork Opera House and his opening hours are Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5.30pm – late opening Friday until 7.00 – closed Sundays.

They also have a website at http://www.johnbuckleysports.com/

John Buckley Sports

Results.......the results of the John Buckley Sports Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney are HERE

Team Prizes......
Male...An Riocht AC – 18 points, Clonmel  47 points, St Finbarr’s AC 85 points
Female.......St Finbarr’s AC 12 points, Ennis Track Club 16 points

Photos....
1) Doug Minihane has a large gallery of over 400 photos HERE
2) John Quigley of Eagle AC took a number of photos at different sections on the course.....
........a slideshow of 30 photos at the start......HERE
........photos at 2.25 miles HERE
........195 photos at 5.5 miles HERE
........17 photos at 9.5 miles HERE
........and a large gallery of 335 photos at the finish line HERE
3) A short slideshow near the 1 mile mark HERE
4) A large gallery of 147 photos at the 13 mile mark HERE
5) Sheldon Kirkwood has a large gallery of 259 photos out around Waterloo HERE

13 miles done, 150 metres to go...these 3 runners from Kerry

are gearing up to see who finishes 6th, 7th and 8th

Anne Marie O'Brien, Fiona Kelleher and Carmel Linehan approach the finish

Preview of the John Buckley Sports Cork Half-Marathon - Sun 11th Sept 2011

This is the next big race on the calendar, the John Buckley Sports Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney on Sunday the 11th of September at 11am. At this stage, those of you who have pre-entered should have got your timing chips and numbers through the post by now. If you didn't pre-enter, you can still enter for €25 on the morning of the race before 10:30 am.

Details...Entry on the Day – runners will be asked to fill in an entry slip (Name, M/F, Club, DOB, Age Category & Mobile number (it's intended to text all runners their chip time after the race) – there will be lots of entry slips and pens. Runners then hand this slip into the desk with their entry fee (€25)...they will then be handed their race number and race chip which are pre-packed.

Sponsor.....The Cork Half-Marathon is being sponsored by John Buckley Sports and one of the main features of the race is that everyone gets a 20% discount voucher for that sports store. Obviously if you plan your purchases right, the 20% discount may easily exceed the cost of entry into the race itself. Details on the store location and opening times in this earlier post.

Hat.........all entrants get a hat! If you believe some of the stories floating about in the media about a harsh winter ahead, this could be just the thing ;o)
Pacers.....There will be pacers for 1h 30, 1h 45 and 2 hours. They will be wearing bright orange tops supplied by John Buckley Sports and should have some balloons as well. They will run the course at an even pace with the aim to finish just ahead of target.

Brief outline......Basically, the Half-Marathon starts and finishes in the town of Blarney which is about 10 kms to the north-west of Cork City. The course is in the shape of a spoon......a large section is re-used with a loop at the northern end. In terms of elevation, it is a vey gradual uphill to about 5 miles......then a tough uphill section about a mile long followed by a rapid descent........and then a gradual downhill for the last 6 miles.

Getting there.....From the N20 Cork to Mallow/Limerick road, take the well signposted turnoff for Blarney. See purple dots....as you drive towards Blarney, take the first left and then right. There will be parking at the race HQ which is Blarney GAA Club....

Additional car parking will be available on the morning of the race at Scoil Mhuire gan Smal...the secondary school on the Hedge Road which is just 200 metres away.

Course........The start line is literally just around the corner from the GAA club. The first 500 metres or so are dead straight........

....so there is space to pass people and get your position here. At the next junction, you turn left.....uphill slightly....past the garage......and after about 200 metres, over the small bridge and then right towards Waterloo......

The thing here is that you are basically running on a road which is right alongside a river so it's a very gradual uphill. After about 1 km, you pass the finish line on the right and you continue up the valley.....

It's more or less like this up to the 3.5 mile mark......very gradual climb in a wooded valley. Soon, the Waterloo Inn comes into view........

......and you take the right here over the small bridge and then up a short hill about 200 metres long...the first real hill in the race so far. After that it eases off again and back to a gradual easy climb as you carry on along a tree covered road until you reach a road junction near the 4.6 mile mark...

All the while, you will have been running alongside the main N20 road which runs parallel to this small road and climbing slowly all the way. In fact, you will have gained about 50 metres in altitude from the start (30m) to the road junction at 4.6 miles (80m).

Left at this junction and about 150 metres later at another junction near the 4.7 mile mark, you start the roughly 4 mile loop and this is where things start getting tough. You stay left and the road gets steeper. Past the 5 mile mark and keep climbing. It eases a bit, you veer off right at the next junction and then start climbing again until it flattens out around the 6 mile mark just as you approach the village of Grenagh. In that last 1.3 miles, you will have gone from 80 metres to over 160 metres in altitude....by far, the toughest section of the race.

 Then it's through the village and take a sharp right. Here, the road drops rapidly as you lose 50 metres of altitude over the next half mile until you are near the 7 mile mark. From here, it is more or less flat or slightly downhill until you reach the road junction again near the 9 mile mark and the end of the loop.

Start of the loop ~4.7 miles on the way out and ~9 miles on the way back

This is one section where runners will pass each other....the slower runners heading towards the 4.7 mile mark as the faster runners return from the 9 mile mark. For the last 4.1 miles, you are basically retracing your footsteps. It is mostly slightly downhill as far as the finish just before Blarney and if you have anything left, you can make up a lot of places here. 

Grenagh - Top of the long climb ~6.5 miles

Start of the downhill in Grenagh

Overall.......a reasonably hilly course with a tough 1.3 mile section near the middle. It's certainly not the fastest of Half-Marathon courses but the big turnout is a help over those hilly sections. If you keep something in reserve for the climb up to Grenagh then you may find the last 6 miles of the race very fast. On the 'must do' list for a lot of Cork runners.

Update on the Cork Half-Marathon....

Just a quick update on the next big race locally.......The Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney sponsored by John Buckley Sports. This starts at 11am next Sunday, the 11th of September and the entry fee is €25. Please note that you can enter on the morning of the race.

The race also incorporates the Cork and Munster Half-Marathon championships. Every Munster club runner will automatically be entered into the Munster Championships and every Cork club runner will automatically be entered in the Cork Championships. Note that this just covers these competitions......you must still enter the race yourself!

Next Friday, I'll do a full preview on the Half-Marathon course here.

Pacers for the Cork Half-Marathon...

With the Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney coming up on Sunday the 11th of September, it's time to look at a new feature for this years race...pacers.

The use of pacers for races is a relatively new feature. It started with some of the bigger Marathons and now a number of the Half-Marathons use them. So how do they work? Basically, sets of experienced runners will run at an even steady pace for the duration of the race with the objective to break a certain time.

For the Cork Half-Marathon, they will have pacers for 1h 30m (90 mins), 1h 45m (105 mins) and 2 hours (120 mins).

There will be 2 pacers per time band and they will be wearing bright orange gear supplied by the race sponsor, John Buckley Sports, the same colour as used by the organising club St.Finbarr's AC. Due to the nature of the course......which is roughly uphill for the 1st half and downhill for the 2nd half......they are likely to adjust the pace slightly to allow for the hills.

John Buckley Sports

Please note that the closing date for cheap entries is next Saturday, the 3rd of September. The cheapest way to enter is by calling into the race sponsor John Buckley Sports in Cork City, filling out the entry form there and paying the cheaper entry fee of €20 (€25 after Saturday).

Note that anyone running this race will get a 20% discount voucher for John Buckley Sports. This is not restriced to just one item but to everything at the time of purchase. So the more you spend, the more you save. Considering that a new pair of good running shoes may be ~€100, then the discount could easily cover the cost of entry for the race.

Full details on how to enter with other race details can be seen in this earlier post.

Launch of the 2011 Cork Half-Marathon...

John Buckley of John Buckley Sports, presents Ken Devine, race director, with sponsorship for the upcoming Cork Half Marathon at the recent launch of the race promoted by St Finbarr’s AC. Included (left to right) are Dan Kennedy (chairman), Marian Lyons (president), Ken Devine (race director), John Buckley (race sponsor), Trevor O’Neill (race committee) and Paul Gallagher (men’s captain)

Press release from St.Finbarrs AC.....

John Buckley Sports

The increasing growth in interest in running is apparent as you drive around the city day or night, and was confirmed by the numerous entries for the recently completed Cork City Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay.
 St. Finbarr’s Athletics Club, which recently celebrated their 60th anniversary and are one of the largest athletics clubs in the City, recently announced their plans for the upcoming John Buckley Sports-sponsored Cork Half Marathon which will take place in Blarney on Sunday, September 11, at 11am.

Race H.Q. will be the Blarney GAA clubhouse and the course will follow the traditional route along quiet county roads from Blarney to Grenagh and back again. The race also incorporates the Cork County and Munster Half Marathon Championships. The course is suitable for runners of all abilities and would be an ideal challenge for runners who recently completed legs of the marathon relay and are participating in the shorter local road races. This year’s race will also feature highly visible race pacers who will be there to help pace and encourage runners to achieve their target times and should make for an enjoyable half marathon experience for all.

You can enter this race online, by post or directly by calling into John Buckley Sports across the river from the Opera House. More details on how to enter can be seen in this earlier post.

Cork Half-Marathon, Blarney - Sun 11th Sept 2011

This is a race notice for the Cork Half-Marathon coming up on Sunday, the 11th of Sept 2011 at 11am. This race starts and finishes in Blarney just to the west of Cork City and uses the usual looped circuit to Grenagh village and back.

The race is organised by St.Finbarrs AC, one of the main running clubs in Cork City and this is their flagship event of the year. One of the additional features this year is the inclusion of pacers for those trying for 1:30, 1:45 and 2 hours. As with most big races, they will be using chip timing and finish times will be texted to all competitors after the race.
The race also incorporates the Cork County and Munster Half-Marathon Championships.

The race sponsor is John Buckley Sports, one of the main sports shops in Cork for running shoes and other running related gear.

Entries.......
The Half-Marathon costs €20 to enter before Saturday, the 3rd of September. You can enter by the following means...

Online..........You can enter online HERE

By Post........You will find an entry form HERE in PDF format. Make cheques payable to St.Finbarrs AC. Post the entries to John Buckley Sports, Mulgrave Road, Cork.

Direct.......Probably the easiest option if you are in the city. Just call into the John Buckley Sports store, fill out a form there and then and enter.

You can find John Buckley Sports across the river from the Cork Opera House and his opening hours are Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5.30pm – late opening Friday until 7.00 – closed Sundays.

They also have a website at http://www.johnbuckleysports.com/

20% Off Voucher.........Note also that all runners that enter will get a 20% off voucher for the John Buckley Sports store. If you use the voucher to buy something like a good pair of running shoes which could easily cost €100, then essentially you will have entered the race for free. Obviously, the more you spend, the more you save.
Late entries.........If for some reason you miss the early closing date, you can also enter on the day of the race......cost €25.

Race Souvenir...This year, all entrants will be getting a hat.......just the trick for those long winter runs ;o)

 Full race preview and more details closer to the race date.

Results of the Cork Half-Marathon - Sun 12th Sept 2010

The 2010 Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney attracted a total of 610 runners which is up roughly 10% up on last years figure of 551. It looks like the weather was a bit kinder this year as well .

The full results can be seen HERE

Photos............
A small selection of 55 photos of some of the faster runners finishing are available on the St.Finbarr's AC website

Did you take part? What did you think? Leave a comment by clicking on the Comment link below

Preview of the Cork Half-Marathon - Sunday 12th Sept 2010 (11am)

The big event this weekend of course is the Cork Half-Marathon in Blarney on Sunday the 12th of Sept and this year yet again, the race is sponsored by John Buckley Sports.


If you have not entered yet, you can still enter on the day at the GAA grounds in Blarney for €25. Last year, this race attracted a large turnout of 551 runners and it seems likely that it will attract a similar number this year.

Directions / Start / Finish..........This race is run over the quiet roads to the North of Blarney, about 10 kms to 15 kms to the North West of Cork City. The easiest way to get there is from the N20 Cork to Limerick/Mallow road. Just take the slip road for Blarney. As you drive alongside the walkway, take the first left and then the next right after that. See map above. Entries will be taken at the GAA grounds.
(Update....Additional car parking will be available on the morning of the race at Scoil Mhuire gan Smal  the secondary school on the Hedge Road. This is just 200 metres from the race HQ at Blarney GAA complex.)


The start of the race is very close to the GAA grounds. The finish is about 800 metres away on the other side of Blarney.

Course....The course is made up of 3 seperate sections....1) the road North from Blarney, 2) the loop and 3) the road back to Blarney.

1) From the GAA grounds, you run through part of Blarney and then North towards Waterloo. After about 800 metres, you should pass the finish line of the race. You carry on for another 1.5 miles with the woods and the river on your right. At the next road junction, you cross right over the bridge and carry on along a tree covered road until you reach a road junction near the 4.7 mile mark. All the while, you will have been running alongside the main N20 road which runs parallel to this small road and climbing slowly all the way. In fact, you will have gained about 50 metres in altitude from the start (30m) to the road junction at 4.7 miles (80m).

2) This is where the loop starts and where things start getting tough. At the junction at 4.7 miles, you stay left and the road gets steeper. Past the 5 mile mark and keep climbing. It eases a bit, you veer off right at the next junction and then start climbing again until it flattens out around the 6 mile mark just as you approach the village of Grenagh. In that last 1.3 miles, you wil have gone from 80 metres to over 160 metres in altitude....by far, the toughest section of the race.
Then it's through the village and take a sharp right. Here, the road drops rapidly as you lose 50 metres of altitude over the next half mile until you are near the 7 mile mark. From here, it is more or less flat or slightly downhill until you reach the road junction again near the 9 mile mark and the end of the loop.

3) This is one section where runners will pass each other....the slower runners heading towards the 4.7 mile mark as the faster runners return from the 9 mile mark. For the last 4.1 miles, you are basically retracing your footsteps. It is mostly flat or slightly downhill as far as the finish just before Blarney.  

Overall.......a reasonably hilly course with a tough 1.3 mile section near the middle. It's certainly not the fastest of Half-Marathon courses but the big turnout is a help over those hilly sections. If you keep something in reserve for the climb up to Grenagh then you may find the last 6 miles of the race very fast. On the 'must do' list for a lot of Cork runners.

If you want to have a closer look at the course, I have put it up on the MapMyRun website.