Cork City Marathon

The Cork City Marathon is Ireland's second-largest marathon, first run in 1982 and now one of the country's most popular road races. Held in early June, the event brings together the full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and family fun runs in a single race weekend through Cork's historic streets. For 2026 the race carried the title sponsorship of Analog Devices, the semiconductor company with a major manufacturing base in Cork, and drew a record turnout of roughly 12,300 finishers across all distances. Following that record demand, organisers announced that entries for the 2027 edition -- Sunday, June 6, 2027 -- will for the first time be allocated by public ballot rather than first-come, first-served registration. The AIMS- and World Athletics-certified course is flat and fast, gaining only about 94 meters over its 42.2 km loop, and is a recognised Boston Marathon qualifier. Runners start and finish on St Patrick's Street in the heart of Cork city centre (the Half Marathon starts separately on Monahan Road), looping past the English Market, the quays of the River Lee, University College Cork, and the hillside streets below Shandon's landmark bell tower before returning to the finish beneath St Patrick's Street's shopfronts. Race weekend has a strong community feel, with thousands of Cork locals lining the route and a busy race expo at packet pickup. The 2027 ballot opened June 15, 2026 and closed June 30, 2026, with a EUR 5 administration fee: unsuccessful applicants are refunded in full, and successful applicants have the fee deducted from their final entry cost, which has not yet been published.