Preview of the Cork City Marathon route

Preview... Now with the Cork City Marathon coming up next Sunday, have a look at these previews below to see what the various parts of the course are like.

This post is from 2022 when there were five relay stages. The course is the same so you should give you a good idea of what the full and half-marathon courses are like.

Previews.....
1) Marathon...HERE

2) Marathon Relay (2022)...
a) Part 1 of 5 can be seen HERE
b) Part 2 of 5 can be seen HERE
c) Part 3 of 5 can be seen HERE
d) Part 4 of 5 can be seen HERE
e) Part 5 of 5 can be seen HERE

If you are doing the half-marathon, then most of that route is covered in the description of the previous relay legs 4 and 5 above.

Route changes for the 2018 Cork City Half-Marathon

The 2018 route for the Cork City Half-Marathon is pretty much the same as last year except for the start.

In 2017, the race started on Monahan Road and took in a loop beyond the Atlantic Pond. This year, it starts on Albert Road and takes in a loop around Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

The first 3 mile are shown below...

As you can see, the start on Albert Road is reasonably close to the City Hall. The straight section for the first mile on the Monahan Road will allow the field to thin out nicely and avoid the fiasco in 2016 when the runners went the wrong way.

There's a loop in around Pairc Ui Chaoimh and a small climb out of it and up onto the Marina. From there, it joins the marathon course at about 1.5 miles.

Info for the 2017 Cork City Marathon

Post updated to show...
1) Course preview
2) Location of water and drinks stations
3) Road closures

1) Preview...
Now with the Cork City Marathon coming up next Sunday, have a look at these previews below to see what the various parts of the course are like.

Previews.....
1) Marathon...HERE

2) Marathon Relay...
a) Leg 1 of 5 can be seen HERE
b) Leg 2 of 5 can be seen HERE
c) Leg 3 of 5 can be seen HERE
d) Leg 4 of 5 can be seen HERE
e) Leg 5 of 5 can be seen HERE

If you are doing the half-marathon, then most of that route is covered in relay legs 4 and 5 above.

2) Drinks and water stations...
If you click on this link, you will see the official map showing the location of the water stations, where the toilets are and where they will be handing out sports drinks.

3) Road Closures......

Full list of road closures HERE

Additional info below on road closures...

5th leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

5th Leg of the 2012 Cork City Marathon Relay...

Course...Leg 5...So this is it...the 5th and final leg of the Cork City Marathon Relay and also the easiest at 4.5 miles. It starts at the relay changeover point at around 21.7 miles on the Model Farm Road. There is a very slight pull from here to the 22 mile mark by the County Library.

Mile 22......Carry on past the County Council Library on the left and then soon, you will begin the steep descent by the Tennis Village. Around the left bend, along the flat and onto Inchagaggin Bridge.

In previous years (2007-9), you had to run up the steep hill on the other side followed by a long drag. With the introduction of the long riverside section in Mahon in 2010, this hard section is now gone. So you turn right just after the bridge and along a flat section until you join the Straight Road. You'll see the County Hall way off in the distance but not as far as in previous years. Soon, you'll come to the 23 mile mark.........(~mile 10 in the Half-Mara). An easy mile.

Mile 23......This is an easy mile. Dead flat. The county hall starts off in the distance but you are right alongside it at the 24 mile mark.....(~mile 11 in the Half-Mara)

This is where there was substantial flooding back in late 2009 when this area was under water. On the left is the Kingsley Hotel which was very badly effected.

Mile 24..........It starts near the County Hall and proceeds to Victoria Cross. A slight pull over the bridge and then left at the traffic lights and then right onto the Mardyke....past the sports ground.....past Fitgeralds Park....and at the end, you turn left onto the public walkway and on to the distinctive pedestrian bridge.

The 25 mile mark is here......A flat and easy mile. (The 12 mile mark for the Half-Marathon is on the other side of the bridge on the walkway)

Mile 25......Now you are onto a public walkway. Across the new Mardyke bridge and then a sharp right onto the riverside walkway. Here things can get a bit congested. Runners running 3 or 4 abreast can completely block your path. The whole area is wooded so it makes a change from the open roads. After a few hundred metres, you're back out on the North Mall and the wide public road again. Along the North Mall until you get to the junction with Shandon Bridge.

Be careful here. The should be a Garda and /or stewards here stopping traffic to let the runners cross. Just be warned....it's a dangerous junction. Now, onto Popes Quay with the Marathon runners re-tracing their steps of their 2nd mile.

On past St.Mary's church and down the quays to the 26 mile mark. A flat easy mile although a bit narrow in places.

Grand Finale...Starting on the 26 mile mark, you now have 352 metres to go to the finish....

This is the sight that everyone wants to see.....Patrick's Bridge.....the last bridge....with Patrick's Street with the finish line on the other side. It's about here that you begin to hear the noise coming from the finish.  You cross over the bridge and onto Patrick's Street with the crowds on both sides. It's about here that the Half-Marathon runners will pass their 13 mile mark. Up the main street and the finish is just around a slight bend.

That's it, all done. For Marathon runners, you've just completed 26.22 miles and a full marathon. Well done!!

That's it. All 5 stages. All 26.2 miles of the Cork City Marathon. If you've read through all 5 previews, you'll probably feel tired already ;o)

 Now, it's time to run it.

4th leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

This is the 4th stage of 5 and is 5.2 miles in length. Of the five, it is one of the hardest legs even though it isn't the longest. For Marathon runners, this stage starts at roughly 16.5 miles on Victoria Road.

Course...Leg 4.....Mile 16.5......Just after the Relay changeover point on Victoria Road, it's left onto the quays, past Carey's Tools and left again onto Albert Street. Now the road really opens out as you go past the next 2 bends, past Brownlows and onto the South Link Road. From here, there is a slight climb up to the next junction as shown below.

After running on the flat for so long, this will test the Marathon runners to see if they can maintain the pace. You hit the 17 mile mark around here....(Approx mile 4 for the Half-Mara runners). An easy mile with plenty of commotion in the middle!

Mile 17......Then it flattens out as you run out the link road. Again, there is another railway connection here as you are running along the route of the old Cork to Bandon railway line. Soon, you'll see the 2nd overhead bridge. So, it's under it and then take a left for a very steep short climb. A steep part of the course but it's only 50 metres or so long. Then left, over the bridge, through the next junction and a short steep downhill section to Turners Cross. Left at the junction here and onto the Curragh Road. Out along here is the 18 mile mark. An easy enough mile but that short sharp climb can be difficult on tired legs.

Mile 18......Now, the road is pretty flat as you head for the Kinsale Road and pass the turn off for Ballyphehane. Just after this is another water station. As well as offering plain water, they may have sports drinks here as well. If you are doing the relay, you don't need to take them. If you are doing the full marathon, you should consider taking one as the glucose from the drink will help you to conserve your bodies own supply. Note that sometimes Sports drinks don't agree with everyone, especially when they are running. The glucose will also take a while to get into your system.....perhaps 2 to 3 miles later.
On to the junction by Woodies, right onto the Tramore Road and past the back of the Musgrave Park rugby grounds. A  slight downhill and then a long flat secton. Right at the next turn off and a slight pull uphill......keep straight ahead until you hit the 19 mile mark at the distinctive red brick church in Ballyphehane.....(Mile 6 for the Half-Mara runners)

A reasonable mile but some small little pulls in it.

Mile 19.........Left at the church and the road goes slightly downhill towards the Lough. Now onto Hartlands Avenue and there is a slight uphill section from here until the next set of traffic lights and the 20 mile mark. A reasonable mile but the uphill section at the end is a bit tough on tired legs.

Mile 20.........After the left at the traffic lights, the next half mile or so is downhill. It starts pretty gradual until there is a steeper downhill section at the end near the junction near Clashduv road. Almost immediately after the junction (...shown below), the road climbs again past St.Finbarr's Cemetary.

It's a fair climb and will certainly slow you down. Then it's right into Liam Lynch park and there is a short steep climb as seen below as you exit by Bishopstown Credit Union onto the Wilton Road.

Right here and a gradual downhill section to the 21 mile mark.......(~Mile 8 for the Half-Mara). Not an easy mile, plenty of extra effort required.

 Mile 20......Left at Dennehy's Cross  by the church and onto Model Farm Road. Now, there is a gradual uphill section for about 600 metres......

Nothing steep but enough to make you work that bit harder. Coming where it does in the Marathon, this is possibly the hardest hill in the entire route.

After the 2nd set of traffic lights, the road falls rapidly and then flattens out as you approach the final Relay changeover point. The 21 mile mark is about 500 metres beyond it.....(~mile 9 in the Half-Mara).

So, that's the 4th leg. It was 5.3 miles in length and it probably is the hardest leg. Loads of small pulls which will have an impact on tired legs. Expect to lose time here.

3rd leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

3rd Leg of the 2012 Cork City Marathon Relay...

The 3rd leg starts at the Relay changeover point in Ringmahon and as in previous years, you head towards Blackrock castle. Just before the castle however note that the course splits!

Marathon and Relay runners turn off right into a car park and on to a walkway. If you reach this point by say 11:05am........(~4:46 hour Marathon pace) then you're fine. If you are running at 5 hour pace or slower then you may get caught up in the Half-Marathon runners when they start at 11:00am. Note that they will be going straight ahead. Make sure you know which way to go. More info on the Half-Marathon in an earlier post.

The walkway follows the waters edge for about 2 kms and you have a great view out over the inner harbour. For those of you not familiar with it, it may seem a bit narrow but the Marathon and Relay runners will be well spaced out at this stage so it shouldn't be a problem.

This is a really nice part of the Marathon route and is very popular with runners in Cork. Towards the end of it, you'll notice a very large radio mast which is no longer in use. The Half-Marathon mark is very close to this point. Just after that, the walkway ends in a slight ramp as you run up onto another pathway which heads back in towards the city. First of all, theres a little matter of a bridge to cross over.

This is the narrowest part of the course and without doubt, the steepest. It is however pretty short and very soon you'll be running down the other side and onto a dead straight walkway.

Pretty soon, you'll begin to see clues as to the origin of this walkway with a series of bridges. It was in fact an old railway line that went from Cork City to Rochestown, Passage, Monkstown, Carrigaline and Crosshaven.

After a while, you come to what was the old railway station in Blackrock until you reach the end of the walkway and you turn right on to the Marina.

Note......There is where the Half-Marathon route and Marathon route join again and it stays the same until the finish line.

From here, you run along a tree lined route all  of the ways to the changeover point just after the end of the Centre Park Road.

Overall, one of the longest relay sections at roughly 5.8 miles but also one of the flattest. Most of it is on walkways and quiet roads and is also probably the nicest section of the whole Marathon route.

2nd leg of the Relay in the 2012 Cork City Marathon

This is the 2nd stage of 5 and is 5.5 miles in length. Of the 5, it is probably one of the two toughest Relay legs. For Marathon runners, this stage starts just after the 5 mile mark at about 5.3 miles between the skew bridge and Silversprings hotel on the Lower Glanmire road. For Relay runners, the mile markers for this stage will be for the Marathon. Since you are starting at 5.3 miles, the 6, 7 and 8 mile markers will be 0.7, 1.7, 2.7 miles and so on.

Course...Leg 2 of the Relay / Mile 6 of the Marathon......It starts just before the skew bridge with a slight pull over the bridge, down the other side and then join the new Relay runners. Past the Silversprings Hotel and you head East towards the tunnel on the right hand side of the road. About half way along the road between the Hotel and the Dunkettle roundabout, you'll come to the 6 mile mark. Another pretty easy and flat mile. Near the 6 mile mark, there should be a water station with bottles of water.

Mile 7......Carry on to the roundabout, through it and now there is a gradual climb up the slip road before it flattens out and then falls towards the tunnel entrance. The 7 mile mark is near here. A reasonable mile although you will have encountered your first real pull and effort. Overall, the first 7 miles of the Marathon are pretty flat and easy. Things get 'interesting' from here on.

Mile 8........... Round the corner and down into the Jack Lynch tunnel under the River Lee. Now is not a good time to start thinking about the few hundred metric tons of water above your head and start looking for leaks ;o)

Two things here.....

 1) The tunnel slowly curves away to the left. You SHOULD follow the racing line..i.e. stay on the left and take the shortest possible route. For example, in the photo above, you should stick as close to the traffic cones as possible. Every year, people are stuck to the right wall taking the long option. The course is measured over the shortest possible route. There are no medals for running longer than you have to.
 2) The mile starts with a long downhill but as soon as you hit the middle, you have to start the long climb out again. It's not steep but it is long. See the photo below....this is the pull coming back out of the tunnel.

Mile 9............The first half mile along the South Ring Road is flat and easy. Then you take the right up the steep slip road for Mahon Point.

This is the steepest section so far in the race. Then it flattens out and falls slowly towards the entrance to Mahon Point and the 9 mile mark. So, a reasonable mile with a steep climb in the middle.

Mile 10......Starts near Mahon Point but soon you have to begin climbing. See below.......this is the slight downhill to Mahon Point followed by the climb on the other side all the ways to the CSO office. Nothing serious but uphill all the same.

Then right around the corner by the CSO office and on to the Skehard Road. Along this section, you come to the next water station. Then the road falls slowly downhill and take the next right into a housing estate and the 10 mile mark. A reasonable mile with a moderate pull initially.

Mile 11........Out of the estate....then left....a flat section and then left again on to Ringmahon Road. This section is dead flat and you will pass the start point for the Half-Marathon (11:00am start). Just ahead, you'll see the mass of runners eagerly waiting at the 2nd Relay changeover point at about 10.8 miles (..or 5.5 miles for Relay runners doing only the 2nd leg).

For Marathon runners and Relay runners just starting, it's right at the next junction and head towards Blackrock Castle. The 11 mile mark is about 500 metres after the Relay changeover point. A flat and easy mile.

So that's the 2nd leg. It was roughly 5.5 miles in lenght and there were plenty of sections where you had to put in a bit of extra effort. While it has the novelty of running through the Jack Lynch tunnel, it is still one of the harder relay legs when you consider the amount of climbing from the centre of the tunnel to the high point near the CSO office.

Looking ahead to the 2012 Cork City Half-Marathon

This will be the second year that a Half-Marathon event has been included in the Cork City Marathon. Last year, they had an entry limit of 1,000 runners. This year, they have increased the numbers to about 1,800. This will obviously impact on the start line and the initial stages of the race.
While the full Marathon and Relay event will start at 9am on Patrick's Street in the centre of Cork City, the Half-Marathon will start about 6 kms to the east in Mahon at 11:00am. This is 30 minutes earlier than the 11:30am start of last year.

The map above shows the route of the Half-Marathon. From mile 2 onwards, it joins the Marathon route so we'll have a look at those sections in later posts.

From the City Hall, there will be a free bus service taking relay and Half-Marathon runners to the CSO office in Mahon. See map below...(Half in Pink, Full in Green)

From here, it is a short walk to the holding area which is likely to be at the end of the Skehard Road. This will keep the Marathon route free until the runners are moved out to the start of the Half which is just around the corner.

Now, this is roughly the 10.5 mile mark in the Marathon so considering that the Half starts 2 hours later, anyone doing on average 11.3 min/mile or faster should have passed....(5 hour Marathon).

This is the start of the Half-Marathon.....nice wide road. Except...they will have to partition part of the road to leave the Marathon and Relay runners pass. With the increased numbers this year for the Half, it may well be fairly congested at the start and for the first few hundred metres.........especially when it has to pass through the relay changeover point a few hundred metres later.

This is a major change from last year when those running past were heading for a 6:15 Marathon...in other words, the bulk of the Marathon and Relay runners had passed through and the relay changeover would have been pretty deserted. This year, there should be a lot more runners present.

After passing the relay changeover, the course turns right and heads towards Blackrock Castle.

Just before the Castle, the course splits. The Full Marathon and Relay runners turn off right onto the walkway and runs alongside the river. The Half-Marathon runners stay on the road and run up a short hill past the Castle.

If you are a relay or Marathon runner and you run past Blackrock Castle then you are on the wrong course!

From what I understand, the split will be well signposted. This however is the one area where the earlier Half-Marathon start may cause problems. There will be a lot more Marathon and Relay runners this year at the split once the Half-Marathon field arrives. Will some runners go the wrong way??? If you were to watch the Half-Marathon race just around the corner from Blackrock, would you see a trickle of runners with different colour race bib's coming through? Some people want an even earlier Half-Marathon start but this would mean that it is even more packed where the course splits and increases the chance that runners end up going the wrong way.

For the Half-Marathon runners, once they pass Blackrock Castle they run downhill slightly before tackling this short climb which is about 300 metres long. After that, it's down into Blackrock village, right onto the Marina.....

....and then dead flat for the next mile.

Near the 2 mile mark in the Half-Marathon, the two courses merge again. The Marathon and Relay runners will appear from the left at what is near the 15 mile mark for them.

Assuming that both the Full and Half start on time, then this is the relative pace for both groups...
a) For Half-Marathon runners doing 6 mins/mile pace (~1:19 Half)....the Marathon runners will be doing an average of 8:48 per mile. The 3:45 and faster pace groups are ahead with their concentration of runners although the groups will have thinned out a lot in the later stages.
b) For Half runners doing 7 mins/mile pace (~1:32 Half)...the Marathon runners are doing an average 8:56 per mile).
c) For Half runners doing 8 mins/mile pace (~1:45 Half)...the Marathon runners are doing an average 9:04 per mile).
d) For Half runners doing 9 mins/mile pace (~1:58 Half)...the Marathon runners are doing an average 9:12 per mile). At this stage, it will feel like everyone is running at the same pace.
e) For Half runners doing 10 mins/mile pace (~2:11 Half)...the Marathon runners are doing an average 9:20 per mile).

Obviously, the road now after the races merge may feel pretty packed. At around 3.5 miles, the next Relay changeover should be interesting ;o)

After that, it really just a case for the faster Half-Marathon runners (say those aiming for 1:45 or less) to work their way through the Marathon and Relay field.

The one potential choke point is of course the Mardyke Walk. This comes at the 12 mile mark while it's roughly 25 miles for the Marathon runners. This is the relative pace of the two groups...
Half..............................Full
6 min/mile (1:19).........7:41 per mile (3h21m Marathon)
7 min/mile (1:32).........8:09 per mile (3h34m Marathon)
8 min/mile (1:45).........8:38 per mile (3h46m Marathon)
9 min/mile (1:58).........9:07 per mile (3h59m Marathon)

Overall.........that's a quick guide to what the Half-Marathon might be like. If you are running 1:45 or less, it may feel like that you'll be running through a field of slower Marathon and Relay runners for most of the race. For those running 2 hours or more, it may seem as if everyone is running at the same pace and you won't really know who is running what unless you look at the colour of their race number.

Will it be better than last year? Will there be too many runners at the choke points? Will the Relay runners be able to find their team members with all of those Half-Marathon runners passing through?

Comments..??

Preview of the Bandon 10k - Sat 12th May 2012

The Bandon Half-Marathon and 10k is coming up next Saturday, the 12th of May. Online entries for both races close at 10pm this evening, Thursday the 10th of May. To enter, visit the race website.

The 10k race starts at 10:15am, 45 minutes after the Half-Marathon. Registration and number collection on Friday (11th May) in the rugby club from 5pm-9pm or before the race from 7:00am-9:00am.

Bonus for Course records...As an added incentive, the race committee is offering bonus prizes if someone breaks the course record in the 10k. Chris Harrington, Leevale (34.08), Nollaig Hunter, Leevale (40:16).

First off, we'll have a look at where everything is and then the 10k course.

Race HQ is at the local Rugby Club which is just to the west of the town. If you are coming from Cork then just follow the signs for the N71 to Clonakilty. As you are leaving the town and it starts to become more rural, the Rubgy club is on the right, straight across the road from a Kia dealership....see pic.

The distance from the club grounds to the start of the Half-Marathon is about 600m. The 10k start is 800m to 1km away depending on which route you take. The short cut in the middle is through a car park of a pub....

So on to the 10k course...

The 10k route is basically a shortened version of the Half-Marathon in that it doesn't go as far west of the town. The race starts roughly in this area...

...before going out to join the main road and then heading west....

The road from here to the 1 mile mark is almost dead straight and there is plenty of space to pass people out as the field begins to thin. At about 0.6 miles, the road kinks very slightly to the right...

...and there is a small climb here. Looking at the OS Map, it's something like 10 metres over a distance of about 500 metres so I don't know if it would have any real impact. The 1 mile mark is along this section of road...overall, should be a fast mile.

From here, the road continues straight and then turns slightly again. Nothing really changes until you hit the turn off right at about 1.7 miles...

...and then it's onto nicer and quieter country roads. After a short stretch, you come to the 2 mile mark near here...

....another fast mile even if there was a slight uphill gradient. From here, the course changes in that the inclines get a little bit steeper. From the 2 mile mark, the road climbs slightly until you hit a crossroads around the 2.2 mile mark....

This is a significant point for both the 10k and Half-Marathon in that you will be running on this next section of road twice. As you can see from the picture above, on the way out you will be staying to the left and on the way back, you will be turning off left. It's likely that along section, the faster 10k runners coming back will see the slower runners still coming out.

As the road flattens out again, you come to the 2.5 mile mark...

Here, you turn off left and it's a sharp but short climb. The road eases off again before you have to tackle another slight hill again on a long straight section. From the top of the hill, it's down rapidly to the next crossroads...

Here, the 10k and Half-Marathon routes diverge. The Half-Marathon will continue straight ahead while the 10k runners will turn right....

Just after the crossroads, you hit the 3 mile mark along this downhill section of road. Probably not as fast a mile as the first two.

After the 3 mile mark, the road rapidly descends to the next junction...right...

...and then it's a case of an uphill climb again. Soon, you rejoin the piece of road where you turned off at 2.5 miles and then it's back to the crossroads. On the way out, it was at 2.2 miles, now it's 3.8.

Up to now, the hills have been reasonably short or small. Now after turning off left onto a quiet road, you face the toughest part of the course....

The ascent is roughly 25m over the next 900m or so.  Not long after the start of the hill, you pass the 4 mile mark. Probably the slowest mile so far.

After a long climb, you hit the top of the hill around 4.8 miles with a golf course on both sides of the road...

After this, the road drops rapidly as you pass the 5 mile mark. Considering how long the hill was, it must be the slowest mile of the race.

You continue the rapid descent as you lose about 40m in altitude over the next 500m and you end up next to the River Bandon. Here, the road flattens out before the last sting in the tail...another short climb. After this last testing section, you enter the outskirts of the town around the 5.5 mile mark...

The road now stretches straight ahead and as you approach the 6 mile mark, it drops downhill...

...allowing for a very fast finish.

Overall...probably not the fastest of 10k races. If you set a PB on this course then it's certainly one to be proud of. Nice countryside route to the west of the town.

It's 1.5 miles from the finish line back to the Rugby grounds which would make for a nice warm down or else, you can take the shuttle bus that's provided.

After the race, there will be full refreshments (BBQ) before the prize giving.

It's worth pointing out that Bandon AC are using this race and the Half-Marathon to help raise funds for a proper running track for the area. Having a decent track in Cork City is all very well but it's just too far for a lot of people in West Cork. It is hoped that a new track like this in Bandon will give a much needed boost to athletics in the region in the years to come.