IRONMAN Cork - Sat 13th & Sun 14th Aug 2022

The big sporting event in Cork this weekend is the IRONMAN event in Youghal. On the Saturday, there is the 70.3 event with the full IRONMAN on Sunday the 14th.

You can find the full schedule HERE

I cycled the 90km route last Wednesday and took some photos... shown below - just click on them to see them in more detail.

There was certainly a buzz about the place in Youghal with lots of signs and bunting outside peoples houses along the route. The section from Youghal to Ballymacoda and down the coast to Cloyne and East Ferry is a stunning part of the course and very scenic.

When I was going through Youghal, there was even a pod of dolphins swimming around where the swim will take place and it's a lovely spot.

The IRONMAN is Youghal hasn't had a great start with poor weather pre-covid in 2019 and then covid cancellations of course in 2020. The weather for this weekend will be superb and it should be a great event for spectators and contestants alike.

Photos below...

Updated route for the 2020 IRONMAN in Youghal announced

The 2020 IRONMAN triathlon in Youghal in East Cork is coming up on the 21st of June 2020 and promises to attract some 2,600 athletes. This is a huge sporting event for the East Cork region and it is estimated that it is worth some €8 million to the local economy.

The inaugural event in the Summer of 2019 just happened to fall on a really bad day weather wise and the swim part had to be cancelled. Considering that it is on the longest day of the year in the middle of Summer, the 2020 event will be much better.

The organisers have now announced the route for the 2020 event.

Swim... This is 3.8 kms in length and runs parallel to the beach. Obviously the weather and the direction of the wind is a big factor here.

Bike... The cycle is 180 kms in length and is made up of two loops of East Cork. They have reduced the amount of climbing in 2020 from 1900m to 1700m.

The southern part of the loop is relatively flat while most of the climbing is in the northern part. There are some really nice scenic sections in there especially after Ballymacoda and around East Ferry.

Run... The run is a full marathon of 42.2 kms and is essentially dead flat. It is made up of four loops through the town.

For more info, go to https://www.ironman.com/im-ireland

Huge demand for East Cork accommodation as Cork Ironman sells out

The very first full IRONMAN triathlon event in Ireland takes place in Youghal on 23rd June 2019 and has sold out already! Up to 2,650 athletes from across Europe, the US, Australia and elsewhere in the World are expected to take part. 62 countries will be represented with 21% coming from the USA alone.

The full IRONMAN triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run to finish off.

The race starts with a 3.8km swim from Claycastle beach in Youghal Bay. This is followed by a two-lap 180km (112-mile) bike ride taking in roads in the East Cork countryside. The course goes into Midleton and will rise to a maximum elevation of 190m above the town before turning back to Youghal.

The final event is a 42km (26.2-mile) run which consists of several laps of Youghal town.

To accommodate this number of participants, thousands of beds in the East Cork area are required. Accommodation in hotels, bed and breakfasts and guesthouses in Youghal and surrounding areas is almost sold out and organiser John Innes said the local accommodation is being offered primarily to the athletes themselves.

Householders and landlords across East Cork were invited in July to register their properties if they wish to rent accommodation for the event, which is set to become one of the biggest sporting occasions in Youghal in decades.

Anyone who wishes to become involved in offering Airbnb accommodation for the event, or clubs who wish to take part in the organisation of the event, can log onto www.youghal.ie for more details.

These are the guideline prices that you should expect to pay/receive for renting a house/apartment:
1 Bed Apartment/House     €500
2 Bed House     €600-700
3 Bed House     €700-€800
4 Bed House     €800-€900
5 Bed House +     €900 +

These are the guideline prices per Room that you should expect to pay/receive:
Single Room     €50-70
Double Room     €80-100
Triple Room     €110-12