Cork City Marathon
The Lowdown
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.
Race Day
Weather Forecast
Elevation
Terrain Profile
Relatively flat course
Participants
Field Size
Large field
Crowd Rating
Spectator Support
Excellent spectator turnout
Boston Qualifier
This race is a certified Boston Marathon qualifying event. Achieve your qualifying standard here on a verified course.
St Patrick's Street -- race start/finish, Cork's main shopping thoroughfare.
The English Market -- historic covered food market in the city centre.
River Lee quays -- the marathon route follows the river through the city.
University College Cork (UCC) -- historic college campus on the route.
Shandon (St Anne's Church) -- landmark bell tower overlooking the city on the north side.
Cork City Hall -- riverside civic building near the route.
Other distances available during the event weekend:
St Patrick's Street, Cork City Centre, Cork, Ireland
IE
Average rate for 3-star accommodations near the start line
Eligibility
- Minimum age 18 for the Marathon (estimate, consistent with AIMS/Boston-qualifier races of this type; not separately confirmed on an official FAQ page).
Required Documents
- Photo ID for race-day bib collection (estimate, standard practice for AIMS-certified Irish road races; not separately confirmed on an official FAQ page).
Entry Methods
- Public Ballot
- Charity Entry
Cancellation & Refund Policy
No confirmed refund/transfer policy found for the 2027 ballot-entry event; based on comparable AIMS-certified Irish city marathons (e.g. Dublin), a limited refund window with an administration fee and a one-time bib transfer window are typical, but this has not been verified on an official source and should be treated as an estimate pending confirmation.
First run in 1982; the event has grown to include a Half Marathon, 10K, relay, and kids races alongside the Marathon.
Analog Devices became title sponsor in the mid-2020s; the sponsorship has changed hands before (the race has also been known simply as the Cork City Marathon), so the record uses the sponsor-neutral common name per house style.
A new start/finish line layout was introduced for the 2026 edition.
2026 was the event's biggest edition to date, with about 12,300 finishers across the Marathon (~3,000), Half Marathon (~5,000), and 10K (~4,300).
Entries for 2027 are allocated by public ballot for the first time, following record demand in 2026 -- the ballot ran June 15-30, 2026, with results and the 2027 entry fee not yet announced as of this record's creation.
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