Cork City Marathon 2026: New Routes Revealed
Cork City Marathon 2026 routes revealed, with Start and Finish moving from Patrick Street to Grand Parade for the first time since 2007.
The routes for the 2026 Cork City Marathon, which takes place on Sunday 31 May, have been revealed, with organisers announcing the biggest changes to the event since the Start and Finish lines were established on Patrick Street in 2007.
The most notable change sees both lines move to Grand Parade, close to the City Library, where all three races will now finish. The marathon route will head down Patrick Street and across North Gate Bridge before rejoining the 2025 course at Christy Ring Bridge.
In the Ballyphehane area, the course turns south at Pearse Road, taking in Botanic Road, Tory Top Road, Mount Pleasant Road, Mount Pleasant Avenue, and Friar's Walk before rejoining the previous route.
The final adjustment comes at the city end of Mardyke Walk, where the Cumann na mBan Walk section has been removed. Runners will instead turn right onto Western Road and Washington Street, finishing on Grand Parade.
The half-marathon follows the same course as the marathon from the two-mile mark, with a minor 90-metre addition to its start. The 10k route is largely unchanged from 2025, starting at the Marlboro Street junction on South Mall, heading west onto Grand Parade and left onto Washington Street, with the finish line also on Grand Parade.
Course measurement was completed last weekend, with distance markers and kilometre splits to be painted over the coming weeks. The course data will be submitted to AIMS for ratification by John Quigley, a World Athletics Grade A Measurer who has certified the Cork course since 2007, in what will be his final measurement of the event.