Meet Cork City Marathon Pacers – Sub 4.45 Hour Pacing Group 2022

Sub 4.45 Hour Pacing Group 2022:

Name: Mark Kells

It’s an honour to have been asked to pace for the 4th year and my 11th running the Cork City Marathon. Partnered with Paul Hogan for another pacing and he’s a great one for a chat. Cork will be my 96th marathon so close to the 100th when l can retire…

I have been running for over 30 years and have always enjoyed the longer distance winning from county to national level. I love travelling to marathons, the buzz from the start line to after crossing the finish line and all the in-between and meeting up with old friends and making new ones the marathon has it all. Nothing beats watching someone finish their first marathon or getting their personal best. If anyone has any questions don’t hesitate to ask l will assist all l can with helping you achieve your 4:45 goal and it will be an awesome journey through the streets of the rebel county. See you out there on the day.

Name: Paul Hogan

I’m delighted to be back pacing Cork again, it’s the 5th year I’ve had the pleasure of being asked to pace it. 

I’ve run 130+ Marathons with a few ultras thrown in. I’ve paced over 40 of those marathons. 

My marathon journey started back in 2009 in Dublin when I ran my first one. Like an idiot, I thought it would be a great way to impress my then-girlfriend (now wife, mission accomplished on that one). It’s a day I won’t ever forget. Physically and mentally I was broken, I promised myself I’d never ever run again and I meant it! 

I discovered there’s something about the marathon distance that keeps on pulling me back, even now it keeps pulling me in. 

At the start I was just trying to cover the distance, but this changed to see how fast I cover it. I knew after a while I was good for the distance and put myself forward to pace. This opened a whole new experience for me. I absolutely love the buzz of pacing and the people I meet along the way. 

Anyone here hoping for 4:45 can expect plenty of crack and when we are near the last few miles and the pressure is on, I’ll be asking plenty of questions about why we run, who are we running for and what to do when the “beast” comes knocking on your door. 

I’ll finish this story from around mile 19 to the finish line so tag along if you want to hear the rest of it…..