DKANE 03/06/2018REPRO FREE Volunteers at the medal desk Phoebe O’Keeffe at the finish line of the Irish Examiner 2018 Cork City Marathon. Over 8,500 individuals took to the streets of Cork this morning. Now in its 12th year, numbers across all race categories; Full, Half, Team Relay and all-important Youth Challenge, were up again this year, setting a new participation record for this momentous race. This new record included a sold out Half Marathon with 3,000 competitors taking to the new starting line on Albert Road. This year Real Time Race Tracking allows family, friends and loved ones to follow the footsteps of participants as they make their way around the 2018 race route. This app can be downloaded from the App Store – RTRT.me. For updates on 2018 Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon results for the in the Marathon, Half Marathon, Team Relay, and Youth Challenge, please visit www.corkcitymarathon.ie. For images and video footage from the race day or to share your Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon race day story check out Facebook and Instagramcorkcitymarathon or Twitter @TheCorkMarathon #MoreThanAMarathonPic Darragh Kane
With the June bank holiday weekend fast approaching, so too is one of the biggest events of the year in Ireland’s athletic calendar, the 2019 Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon. This hotly-anticipated event will see thousands of people, with varying fitness levels, take to the streets of Cork City to participate in the Marathon, Half Marathon, Team Relay and Youth Challenge. This iconic Rebel County race takes place on the Sunday of the June bank holiday, this year falling on the 2nd June.
With over 8,500 participants last year, 2019 is shaping up to break record numbers once again across the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, Team Relay and Youth Challenge, proving yet again that the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon has firmly secured its place on the Irish sporting calendar as one of the must-attend events of the year. This year as a result in a last-minute surge in Team Relay entries, organisers have decided to extend the postal registration deadline allowing people to register a team until this Friday 24th May.[1] The Team Relay category, with teams of between two and five members, is a fantastic way for individuals, who may not be fit enough this year to take part in the Half or Full Marathon, to get involved in this momentous event. Over the years, the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon has become more than a marathon, recognised for its inclusivity, with the Team Relay a shining example of this.
Another way for people to get involved in the Marathon, without having to lace up their runners, is by becoming a volunteer, and assist organisers with the smooth running of this large event. The Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon, which started in 2007, has a superb team of loyal volunteers who return each year to look after race participants. Every year, however, new volunteers are needed and become a vital part of this event. Without the generosity of the public, donating their time, the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon would not be possible. Cork City Council would be extremely grateful for extra help stewarding on the course, being part of a water-station team, entertaining the athletes, or assisting at City Hall on race day.
The areas in particular need of volunteers this year are at water stations on the Old Blackrock-Passage Railway Line, Inchigaggin Lane, the Kingsley Hotel and on the Mardyke, but assistance in the changing rooms at City Hall and at Registration (on Saturday 1st June) is also welcomed. If you have experience stewarding road events, the organisers would be very grateful of your help out on the course to guide and encourage over 8,500 participants on their heroic journey around the city. Musicians who’d be willing to entertain the runners and supporters around the course are also very welcome! While volunteers need to be over 18, younger helpers are welcome at water stations so long as they’re supervised. There may be people who initially wanted to participate in the Marathon and perhaps due to injury they now cannot; volunteering is a very worthwhile way to still be involved in all the action.
Now in its 13th year, the Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon is an internationally recognised marathon welcoming participants from home and abroad, with certification from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). This marathon is a qualifying race for other marathons, such as the Boston City Marathon. The Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon is a not-for-profit event, organised by City Council in partnership with Athletics Ireland, Cork Business Houses Athletics Association (BHAA), An Garda Síochána, Cork Education & Training Board, Voluntary First Aid & Medical bodies such as St John Ambulance, Irish Red Cross, Order of Malta, Cork Fire Services and Civil Defence as well as local groups and communities.
For further information on how you can become a volunteer, or indeed to register a relay team visit the website www.corkcitymarathon.ie. For helpful training tips or to share your Irish Examiner Cork City Marathon journey follow them on Facebook and Instagram\corkcitymarathon or on Twitter @TheCorkMarathon #MoreThanAMarathon
Photography By: Darragh Kane
