After County Hall, you hang a left at the AIB Bank and a right down the Mardyke past the Mardkye Arena and the Sonia O’ Sullivan Track, named in honour of the Legendary runner from Cobh. Sonia won a host of titles from Gold Medals at European Championships for 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters, Gold at the World Cross Country Championships for 4k and 8K, Silver at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart for 1500 meters and of course Gold at the 1995 World Championships in Gottenburg over 5,000 meters and Silver in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 for 5,000 meters. Further along the Mardyke is Fitzgerald’s Park on the left-hand side. A public park, Fitzgerald’s Park is also home to the Cork City Museum which is well worth a visit.
Sonia O’ Sullivan Track at the Mardyke
THE FINAL STRETCH
Now comes the exciting part. You’ve already banked an extra half mile compared to the old marathon route, and the finish is getting close. At the end of the Mardyke Walk, with just three quarters of a mile to go, you swing right onto Western Road and then onto Washington Street. Washington Street gives you a long, straight run in - the kind of stretch where you can hear the crowd before you can see them. The noise builds, the energy lifts, and suddenly you’re turning right at Singer’s Corner. Ahead of you, the finish line outside the City Library comes into view. Just after you cross it, look to your right. The statue there is of a very famous Cork man on a bike. Sadly, it’s not John Quigley, the AIMS measurer who painstakingly charts every inch of the course on his bicycle (and maybe it should be). Instead, it’s another legendary son of Cork - Michael Collins.
But at this point, none of that matters.
You’ve done it. You’ve run a marathon.
32 Cork City Marathon 2026
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