This was my first marathon in Europe. The course winds through the city's broad, narrow, old and new roads so one gets a good tour of it. I liked that the HM had a later start so they did not interfered with the 42K runners. I found there was little water and electrolyte drinks available compared to big races, but sufficient I guess. Still I'd suggest you bring your own gels. Cork is a charming small city. It is well communicated to the rest of the republic by frequent buses and trains and most hotels are within easy walking distance to the race start and finish. It has lots of places to eat and have a drink. I had a great time at the race and around Ireland.

This is my 4th time running the Cork City Marathon and it has gone from strength to strength since the first staging of the race in 2007 after a hiatus of over 20years. The course is fairly flat, especially for the last 5 miles, so its a great race to try to get a PB with. Aid stations are on average every 2 miles and alot of the locals on the route are on hand with sweets and fruit. Given that there is also a half marathon and a relay race on the same morning, the course, the amount of runners never thins out so you're never stuck for someone to talk to. The support along the course can't be faulted either. Its not to the extent of the New York or Berlin marathons, but there are certainly alot more spectators on the route than you would get in your average Irish marathon. The only caveat is the Irish Weather, which the organisers have zero control over. You could be running in a drought or a deluge! So pay close attention to the local forecast right up to the night before and prepare accordingly. All in all, a brilliantly organised marathon which i would recommend without hesitation. Full marks to Gina and all her team!

The cons: 2 of the first 3 water stops had no water when I got there (on a 5:00 pace) and one volunteer was surly. None of the advertised energy-drink stops had any drinks left. Only refreshments at the end were water and bananas. That's poor planning.
The pros: cheerful, helpful, charming people; lovely countryside and interesting cityscape; not too hilly; and surprisingly sunny weather for race day. Spectators along the way shouted 'well done' and 'brilliant.' My daughter ran the half marathon and transit to the start was well organized.
Overall, Cork is a delightful place to visit, especially if you have Irish roots.

This is a great small race that you need to run. The city is nice, the race is organized the way a race should be organized, the course was nice, the crowd support is great for a small race.

Being from the US, I had no idea what to expect at a European marathon. I was impressed with every aspect of the race.

First, the registration took less than 5 minutes including parking. The expo was small, but had everything that you could need. Like the rest of Ireland, everyone was very nice and made you feel welcome.

The course was very nice with a variety of scenery and the hills weren't too bad, and helped break up the monotony of a flat course. (I live in Atlanta, which has a lot of hills, so I am used to running small hills.) The course flowed well, there was only one sharp turn in the Blackpool area that made me lose my stride.

It was well marked and there was a water stop about every 2 miles. I loved the small water bottles provided - it allowed me to take my gels and water without walking.

I was skeptical of the late (9:00 a.m.) start, but it was actually more relaxing than getting up early and going 100 miles per hour to get ready for the race.

The crowd support was great for a small marathon, especially towards the end.

We stayed at the River Lee Hotel. It was a nice, modern European hotel, which was an easy 1km walk to the start/finish line. Check-out was at 13:00, and you could extend that for 15 Euro per hour.

All in all, it was a great race experience, which I would recommend.

I enjoyed the race, even though we had the worst weather I have run in for a marathon in a long time. I was not bothered by the rain; it was the wind as well against the river that made it hard. The spectators did help, though, cheering you on when you were struggling with cramps. Still, an enjoyable event, and thank you to all of the organizers and spectators as well.

Nice medal and tech t-shirt in Cork colors. Changes on the course have improved the race, and I would now classify it as a good course for a fast time. Very good support, even with the very wet and windy weather. thanks to everyone who helped out with the marathon. Only one gripe: only water and bananas available at the finish.

I have run this marathon 3 times and this was by far the best. The weather was extremely wet but there was great support along the route. The changes made to the course were very good and removed some of the long, straight run at the end with a beautiful mile and a half by the water's edge. As it turned out, this proved to be very difficult on the day as we had to run into driving wind and rain. The marshals and crowd should be commended for staying out there and supporting everyone. Very friendly runners as well, with everyone looking out for each other with words of encouragement along the way. Relay runners actually add to the occasion, I think, as they increase the numbers on the road. Different-colored numbers (which were placed on the fronts and backs) helped us to identify them quickly. Not the big numbers of a London or even a Dublin, but an excellent race. Plenty of water stops with 250ml sport-cap bottles. Finisher's medal was nice. New running top for full marathon was very nice - a big improvement on last year's cotton top. Will be back again next year. Well done to everyone involved.

I must fill in my comment about this marathon. I admit that I was suspicious about running a marathon in Ireland. I was worried about the weather conditions (the wind - not the temperatures). As we all know, the temperature was hot, but no complaints about that, as I am used to it. The week before I came, it was 31 degrees in Belgium. I was amazed how well organized this marathon was. There were plenty of water stations, the crowd was magnificent, and the weather was to my advantage. The course was hard after 15 miles, and the Carrigrohane Straight was murderous, with the wind blowing in our faces, but I enjoyed this marathon. I will introduce it to my runners' club, and maybe we will come back with a few runners. I am certain that I will participate next year.

A few questions, though. Why don't they place mats to see your time every 10K? In the big marathons, they place mats every 5K. I was also a little bit disappointed about the t-shirt, as it was cotton. Tech shirts are better. Maybe these two tips can help them to make the event bigger, if that is their purpose.

Best regards,
Bart

This was a home marathon for me; and it's really good, but the last 6 miles are really tough. The t-shirts were very poor this year, and some bananas or anything other than plain water was needed in the extreme heat. Ok, there was two Lucozade stops, but I always fancy some bit of fruit or something more substantial. Also, the relay runners were passing the marathon runners at faster paces and I found it very hard to keep a steady pace, because the relay runners made me feel like I was going backwards when I wasn't. There are plenty of 4-mile races, so why do they not run those and leave the marathon to the marathon runners? This marathon was very tough in the heat (25 C), and I don't think I will be doing another summer marathon. I have never seen runners collapsing in such numbers before- e ven some of the relay runners were overcome with exhaustion.

This is a really good marathon, and I have no complaints except for last 6 miles - one really sharp hill at this stage of the race doesn't help anyone. Then there's a stretch of road at 23 miles-plus over a mile long - that's an absolute heart-breaker.

I hope the committee run this themselves - there's no need to make a marathon course nearly impossible near the end. Please change the course at the end or you will lose many supporters.