The Bord Gais Energy Cork City Marathon, 1st June 2009

Race Day

Race Day

Registration is at Cork City Hall on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May, from 10am–6pm.
Marathon and Team Relay begin together at 9am on Monday 1st June.

Team Relay

CHANGING Facilities:
On race day, the City Hall and the Millennium Hall will be available for changing and leaving your bag for later collection. All bags must have a label (available in the halls) with your race number clearly written on it. Please do not leave valuables in the halls.

START & FINISH Line:
The race starts at 9am on St Patrick’s Street. The start area will be zoned into your predicted time for the race – please respect these zones. The race also finishes on St Patrick’s Street.

TIMING CHIPS:
 This year we’re using a ChampionChip timing system. The chip is a small white plastic disc that you attach to your shoe lace with two plastic ties (provided). Thread one of the ties through each of the two arms of the chip and pull to fasten.

You’ll notice a series of mats stretched across the start and finish line. These cover the wires that register your chip as you pass over the mat. For the relay, the team member who will cross the finish line wears the chip on his/her shoe.

At the end of the race you must return your chip!

There will be a team of de-chippers ready to assist you, if needed. The ties should snap free when you pull the chip sharply, but they may need to be snipped by one of the de-chipping team. If you remove the chip yourself, please place it in one of the bins provided.

The Relay will also be chip timed (see Relay section for details).

WATER STATIONS:
 Thanks to Tipperary Natural Mineral Water all 12 water stations will have 250ml bottles of water. The stations are as follows:

  1. Blackpool bypass (c. 2.5 miles)
  2. Horgan’s Quay (c. 4 miles) – small station
  3. Lower Glanmire Road (c. 6 miles)
  4. South Ring Road (c. 8 miles)
  5. Ringmahon Road (c. 10 miles)
  6. Marina, Lee Rowing Club (c. 13 miles)
  7. Curragh Road (c. 15 miles)
  8. The Lough (c. 17 miles)
  9. Model Farm Road (c. 20 miles)
  10. Model Farm Road (c. 21 miles)
  11. Inchigaggin Lane/Carrigrohane Road (c. 23 miles)
  12. Carrigrohane Road, County Hall (c. 24 miles)
  13. Mardyke, approach to Mardyke Bridge (c. 25 miles)

Finish Line: water & Fair Trade bananas

COURSE TIME LIMIT & Traffic:
The course time limit is 7 hours. After 6 hours, however, the Gardaí may ask you to move onto the footpaths, but the finish line will stay in place for the full 7 hours. St Patrick’s Street will be closed to traffic for the day.

While the course is closed to traffic, there are some areas where local residents will have to access their homes. Castle Road (at c. 11 miles) and Church Hill (at c. 22 miles) are particularly affected by the race. Please be aware in both these areas that you may encounter some traffic. There will also be some traffic permitted on the course led by a Garda bike or car.

The Jack Lynch Tunnel is a critical link in the city’s traffic network. If you haven’t reached the tunnel by 11.30am, you will not be permitted through it.

HEADPHONES:
While headphones are not banned from the race, you are strongly advised not to wear them.

GETTING TO THE START LINE:
The marathon and relay begin on St Patrick’s Street at 9am, with the wheelchair marathon setting out a few minutes before that.

There will be major traffic restrictions throughout the city on Bank Holiday Monday, but the general advice is to use the city’s Ring and Link roads when possible. You can drive into the city centre, but allow plenty of time to get to your start line. Contra-flows will operate in the Jack Lynch Tunnel, on the South Ring Road to Mahon and on the South City Link. A full list of roads affected is available on the marathon website (www.corkcitymarathon.ie).

The Park & Ride service from the Black Ash centre, on the South City Link (N27), into the city centre will operate every 10 minutes from 07.30 to 19.15. The service costs €5 for the day. Participants and spectators are urged to use this facility and leave your car outside the city centre. The bus will bring you into the centre, a minute’s walk from the City Hall.

City and suburban bus services will be restricted because of the race – full details available at www.corkcitymarathon.ie.

TOILETS:
There will be portable toilets at the start area, on St Patrick’s Street, and just before each of the Relay Change-over points.

RACE DAY CHECK LIST:
Chip, Race Number(s) & Pins

  • Sunscreen
  • Water
  • Vaseline or other anti-chafing product
  • Relay wristband

The Relay

There are five relay stages, for teams of two to five individuals. Each team member completes their leg(s) before handing over their team’s wristband (you’ll find that in your race pack at registration) to their team mate at the fixed change-over points.

REGISTRATION:
At least one team member must register at City Hall on either Sat. 30th or Sun 31st May, 10am–6pm. There you’ll collect your team’s 10 race numbers. These will have your race number, prefaced by the letters A, B, C, D or E. There will be two of each letter, one to be worn on the front, the other on your back.

TIMING CHIP:
NB: the member who is going to cross the finish line MUST wear the timing chip on their shoe. He/She must also wear the race numbers with the letter ‘E’. When you cross the line, your time for the race will be electronically clocked. Your team’s official time will be gun to chip finish.

STAGES:
Team members may cover one leg each (in teams of five), or take two or more consecutive legs in whatever combination suits them. The relay legs are as follows:

  • Start (Patrick’s Street) to near Silversprings Hotel (c. 5.2 miles)
  • Silversprings to Ringmahon Road (c. 5.5 miles)
  • Ringmahon to Victoria Road (c. 3.2 miles)
  • Victoria Road to Model Farm Road (c. 5.9 miles)
  • Model Farm Road to finishing line (Patrick’s Street) (c. 6.4 miles)

GETTING TO YOUR RELAY CHANGEOVER:
 A fleet of Bus Éireann buses will operate through the day to bring you to and from the outlying relay changeover points. The buses will leave from City Hall at the following times:

Relay Changeover Point

FIRST Bus

LAST Bus

Silversprings

08.00

08.30

Ringmahon Road

09.45

11.00

Model Farm Road

10.30

13.30

The 3rd relay changeover point is on Victoria Road, a two-minute walk east of City Hall.

The Daniel Kingston Memorial Walkers should gather at City Hall to board their buses at 12.00 sharp. The walkers will set out from Model Farm Road at 12.30.

WHAT TO BRING:
Timing Chip (for the finishing team member) Race Numbers & pins

  • Wristband (in your race pack at registration)
  • Water
  • Sunscreen

Remember that the day may be hot, cold and/or wet – when you finish your stage of the relay, you might need extra clothes to keep you warm or dry. Why not give your change of clothes to the team mate that you will be handing over to? That way, when you reach your team mate at the changeover point, you can take your change of clothes from them and can take any surplus clothing that they may have been wearing while waiting for you. The team member that you’ll be handing over to could also take water and any other items that you might want at the end of your run.

MEDALS:
Each member of all finishing relay teams will receive a medal. However, the team member who crosses the finish line must go over to City Hall to collect the team’s medals. It’s a short walk to City Hall and please note that we will not be posting out any medals after the race.

The course will be the same as in 2008. A street-by-street listing is given below and you can download a copy of the list and an outline map here.

BGE Cork City Marathon 2009 Course (223KB)
Outline map of the 2009 Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon route.
2009 Course Road/Street List (413KB)