Cork County Council announce details of new Carrigaline to Ringaskiddy Walk/Cycle route - Sep 2026

4th Sep 2026 -  Cork County Council has just announced details of a new Walk/Cycle route connecting the town of Carrigaline to the port of Ringaskiddy. An approximate map of the route is shown above in green.

A lot of the proposed route runs alongside the new M28 motorway which is currently under construction. This means that a lot of the new walk/cycle route is already under development and it's not running through a lot of private property.

Some key points...

1) Distance - The total distance of the route is about 5kms.

2) Heron's Wood - The western section will be a branch off the greenway which is due for development in Heron's Wood (The section already built is in yellow above). This is part of the Greenway which will go to Cork City via Monkstown and Passage West. The red dot on the map shows the road crossing.

3) Fernhill - The next section will go through the old Fernhill golf course and comes out on An Bothar Siochain road (Cogan's Lane). This road was used in the past for the Carrigaline 5-mile road race but it will become a cul-de-sac once the M28 is built.

Route through the old Fernhill golf course

The route then continues east towards Shanbally and runs alongside the M28 motorway. This unbroken section of the route is about 2.2kms in length.

4) Shanbally - To the south of Shanbally, there is a road crossing (red dot on map).

After crossing here, the route continues east for about 200m before turning left and through a tunnel under the M28. From here, it runs alongside a new roundabout and continues east but this time on the northern side of the M28. This unbroken section is about 1.6kms in length.

5) Barnhely - There will be another junction crossing on the road that goes from Coolmore Cross to the port of Rungaskiddy. On the eastern side, there will be a new spur down to the port with the main route continuing east to the south of new road.

Strava... A lot of people record their exercise activities on the Strava App, especially cyclists and runners. Let's have a look at the 'heat map' for the last week.

Walking...Walking is by far the most popular exercise, dwarfing both running and cycling. Even though the vast majority of walkers don't record their exercises on Strava, enough do so we can get a rough idea of the popular walking routes.

The problem with a lot of the roads around Carrigaline is that they are 'rat runs' during the day for cars. It's actually the same with a lot of built areas. There are islands of exercise activity in towns and villages and they end where the footpaths stop.

At the moment, there is no safe walking route from Carrigaline to Ringaskiddy so the new route will make a huge difference.

Running... Again, there is a distinct lack of runners using the roads between Ringaskiddy and Carrigaline. It's not hard to imagine that sometime in the future, people will be running from Carrigaline on the new route to the park in Haulbowline and back again.

There are a number of road races in this area as well such as the Carrigaline 5m, the 25km Great Railway Run and some Cork BHAA races. Will they start using parts of the new walk/cycle route?

Cycling... Cyclists cover a lot more distance than the runners and walkers so the map shows a lot more activity. The main benefits of the new route here are that it's safer for cyclists and it will take some cyclists off the other busy roads so motorists benefit.

Active Travel Route... While the new route will obviously be used for exercise, it's also likely to be a busy active travel route. The simple fact is that Carrigaline is a major population centre with over 18,000 people and Ringaskiddy is a major industrial area with many people working there.

Total number of trips from Carrigaline as per the 2022 Census

Considering the distance from Carrigaline to Ringskiddy, it's not hard to imagine say someone in the future on an e-Bike doing 20kph covering the distance in about 20-25 minutes and actually be faster than travelling to work by car at peak hours.

More Info... You can find a full report and drawings HERE

You can follow the link there and submit your own thoughts on the project. If you're in favour of this project then leave a message of support.

A look at the new course for the Carrigaline 5-mile...

The 2026 Carrigaline 5-mile road race is coming up on Sunday 14th of February 2026... see this previous post.

In this post, we'll look at the new course for the 2026 race. The old and new courses are shown below...

The traditional route was one large loop whereas the new route is shaped like a spoon with a loop at the eastern end.

If you look at the map of the old course, you can see that it started and finished in a residential area which brought its own set of problems in terms of stewarding and traffic. The new course is more on the edge of the town and is less likely to cause disruption to local residents or motorists.

Doing a rough check, the number of junctions that need to have race stewards has reduced from 9 down to 5 which should make things easier. It's also good to get away from the roundabout and traffic islands in Shanbally where the road is narrow and can be busy with traffic coming from Ringaskiddy.

The section of road on the new course from 2.3 to 3.1 miles is a nice quiet country road and hardly any cars use it so it's ideal for a road race. 

On the map for the new course, I've shown the route of the new M26 motorway which is under construction. On the old course at about the 3.8-mile mark, the M26 will eventually cut this road in two resulting in a cul-de-sac.

You can see that the new course is completely to the south of the M26 which means it should hopefully be used for the foreseeable future.

In terms of which course is harder or easier then they're both about the same, there's not much in it really.

The start for the new course is about the same distance from the race HQ in the community hall. The new finish line is a bit further away than the old one but not by much.

One issue with any type of out and back course is if the front of the race will meet the back of the field. I had a quick look at this and the tail runners should have passed Coolmore Cross at about 1.5 miles by the time the front runners reach it which is about 3.5 miles for them.

In conclusion... The route of the new M26 motorway is going to cause problems with a number of road races in this area and the Carrigaline race is no exception. As time goes on, it's getting harder and harder to get permission for suitable race routes near populated areas. 

This new route looks like a good solution and should mean that there is a 5-mile road race in Carrigaline for years to come.

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.

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.

Route for the 2014 Dublin City Marathon...

The route for this years Dublin City Marathon seems to have changed again from previous years. Have a look at the video below....



Additional info from Brian Healy...The course is pretty similar to that run over the last few years. The major change is at the start and finish. The start will be familiar to those that have run the race recently the change being that it will not travel down O'Connell Street due to Luas work but head up towards Christchurch and then head down the Quays towards Heuston Station before entering the Phoenix Park.The finish is completely new,with the race not heading up towards Trinity College but taking a left at Shelbourne Road and heading up Haddington Road before finishing at Merrion Square North. Anyone doing the race should familiarize themselves with these areas particularly with the meeting point locations if they intend to meet anyone after the race as one way systems will operate for runners and spectators. The organisers are advising anyone that wishes to collect a race number for someone else that they must have a letter giving them permission to do so. You will also require photo id to collect your own number. On the day you will be allowed join a later wave start but not an earlier one. The organisers say that only offical vehicles and bikes will be allowed on the course and my information is that this will be strictly enforced.

Route of Olympic Torch in Dublin on 6th June 2012

On the 6th of June 2012, the Olympic torch will do a short tour around the streets of Dublin. Starting at Croke Park around 9:15am, it will follow the approximate route as shown above until it reaches the Mansion House.

For a closer look, a map of the approximate route can be seen HERE

Update on times...
Torchbearer    Road Name    Approx Time
Cillian Kirwan    Howth    8am
Henry Shefflin    Croke Park Jones Rd Entrance to Fitzgibbon St    9.35am
Brian Brunton    Fitzgibbon Street to Mountjoy Square North    9.40am
Robbie Lyons    Mountjoy Sq. Nth to Junction Hill St/ Denmark St    9.43
Aaron Fallon    Junc. Denmark St/Hill St to Garden Of Remb.    9.46
Michael Carruth    Garden of Rememberance to Cathal Bruagh Street    9.50
John Grimes    Cathal Bruagh Street to GPO O’Connell Street    9.54am
Edward Grimes    Cathal Bruagh Street to GPO O’Connell Street    9.54am
Aine Holden    GPO O Connell Street – Marlborough Street    9.58
Shane Horgan    Marlborough Street to CHQ Building Custom House Quay    10.01
Anne Ebbs    CHQ Building Custom House Quay to Common Street    10.04
Lee Kinsella    Custom Hse, Quay/ Commons St to Mayor St    10.07
Olivia  O’Toole    Mayor Street to Seville Place    10.10
Lauren Lawless    Seville Place to Guild St before junc Mayor St    10.13
Bernard Brogan    Guild St before junc. Mayor St to S. Beckett Bridge    10.16
Paul McGrath    Samuel Beckett Bridge to  Grand Canal Theatre    10.19
Mark Pollock    Grand Canal Theatre to Clarence Place/Macken St    10.22
Gareth Myhal    Clarence Place/Macken St to Junc Lr Grand Canal St    10.25
Aine Costello    Junc Lr Grand Canal St to Hogan Place/Holles St Junc    10.28
Joan Freeman    Holles Street /Hogan Place Junc to Merrion Square East    10.31
Irial Finan    Merrion Sq East to Junc Baggot St Lr/Lr Fitzwilliam St    10.33
Anthony Sutherland    Baggot Street Lr Junc to Upper Fitzwilliam St    10.37
John Collins    Fitzwilliam Street Upper to Leeson Street Bridge    10.40
Edward Byrne    Leeson Street Bridge to Dartmount Walk/ Canal Road    10.43
Niamh Reid-Burke    D.M Walk / Canal Road – Canal Road After Ranelagh Rd Junc.    10.47
Alva Nolan    Canal Rd to Grove Rd East after Rathmines Rd Junc    10.50
Gillian Garrett    Grove Rd East to Grove Road Middle    10.53
Ger Keelan    Grove Road Mid. To Junc. Harold Cr. Rd / Clansbrassil St    10.56
Mubarak Habib    Clanbrassil Street Upr. To South Circular Rd Junc    10.59
Denis Hickie    Sth Circular Rd to Lr Clanbrassil St/ Donavan Lane Junc    11.02
Karl Flood    Lr clan. St/Donavan Lane to New St South/ Fumbally Lane    11.05
Gary O’Brien    New St Sth / Fumbally Lane to Patrick St / Bull Alley St Junc    11.08
Mark Kenneally    Patrick St /Bull Alley St to Christchurch Pl (Jury’s Hotel)    11.11
Pamela Lacken    Christchurch Place (Jury’s) to Parliament St Junction    11.14
Kenneth Egan    Parliament Street Junct to- Dame Street /Trinity St Junc    11.17
John Treacy    Dame Street/ Trinity St Junc – Nassau Street/ Dawson St    11.20
Natalya Coyle    Nassau St /Dawson St Junc /Nassau St / Kildare St Junc.    11.23
Ruby Walsh    Nassau St /Kilare St Junc / Clare St Merrion Sq West Junc    11.26
Ronald Delany    Merrion Square West Junc to Government Buildings    11.29
Bridget Taylor    Government Buildings  via Ely Place to St Stephens Green    11.37
Sonia O’Sullivan    St. Stephens Green    11.40

Route of the 2011 Dublin City Marathon...

On the 31st of October, a record 14,000 plus runners will descend on Dublin for what is the National Marathon. With that many people doing the one event, it really is a special event.

Here is a 7 minute video clip showing the updated route of the 2011 Dublin City Marathon....


You can find a map of the route HERE

5th Leg of the 2011 Cork City Marathon

5th Leg of the 2011 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.....Patricks Bridge.....the last bridge....with Patricks 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 Patricks 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. Keep an eye out for the stewards as you approach as they may seperate the Marathon and Relay runners into different finishing areas.

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 2011 Cork City Marathon Relay...

This is the 4th stage of 5 and is 5.2 miles in lenght. Of the 5, 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 ground. 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 lenght 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 2011 Cork City Marathon....

3rd Leg of the 2011 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 11:35am........(~5 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 11:30am. 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 2011 Cork City Marathon Relay...

This is the 2nd stage of 5 and is 5.5 miles in lenght. 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 & 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 (11:30am 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 start of the Cork City Half-Marathon...

This will be the first time that a Half-Marathon event has been included in the Cork City Marathon. With a limit this year of 1,000 runners, it was sold out back in April. 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 11:30am.

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 2.5 hours later, anyone doing on average 14.2 min/mile or faster should have passed....(6h 14m Marathon).

This is the start of the Half-Marathon.....nice wide road. With less than 1,000 runners present, there shouldn't be any major delay in getting over the line at the start.
You then run down the road a few hundred metres, through what should be by then a pretty deserted Relay Changeover point, then take a right head towards Blackrock Castle.

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

From what I understand, the split will be well signposted. Needless to say, you can imagine what it might be like if the Half started say an hour earlier......this road would be full of runners trying to decide which route to take.......and you can be sure that some would 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. You will rejoin the Marathon route around the 2 mile mark.

Acknowledgement......with thanks to John Quigley of Eagle AC who was involved in the accurate measuring of the course and provided background information for this post.

2nd leg of the Cork City Marathon Relay

This is the 2nd stage of 5 and is 5.5 miles in lenght. 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 & 8 mile markers will be 0.7, 1.7, 2.7 miles and so on.

Course...Leg 2
Mile 6.
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 Dunketle 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. If you are doing the Marathon, you need to be thinking about taking on water at this stage. If you are a Relay runner and you need water at this stage, you must be in a bad state!

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. 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 soon 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.

If you would like to examine this leg in more detail, I have put it up on the MapMyRun website. Just use the MAP view and the +/- buttons to zoon in and out.