Cork City Marathon 01/06/2015

mush500

Didn't see another thread on this yet.

Anyone else planning on entering or have any advice/thoughts on this race?

Ecoenergy

I ran this 2 years ago and enjoyed it despite hitting about 5 walls in the last 4 miles.:D I'm planning on running it again this year even though I'll be turning 40 two days before, but hey running a marathon is a good way to celebrate.
If it's a hot day it could be a factor on the time. I'm hoping for 3.20 having ran 3.29 in DCM '14. Almost 4 weeks done now of the P&D up to 70M plan.

Cona

Have ran this the last 2 years and to be fair, its a well run event and very enjoyable. The support is fantastic particularly at the finish line on Patricks street where your hit by a wall of noise.

Few things to take note of if you are planning on running it:

Miles 19 - 21, I feel are very hard. There are some pulls here which will catch a lot of people out if they are not prepared for them especially on tired legs. The Model Farm Road at c.20 miles is the spot where most people will tell you they "hit the wall" (hate that term). So hold something to get you through this piece. Most of the negative feedback to Cork Marathon organizers is in regards to the hills and the point at which they come at you. Mile 23 to finish is dead flat.

Marathon day in Cork has a habit of turning out to be one of the hottest days of the year. Given the fact that your most of your training is going to be done in cold, miserable weather, the heat can play a major factor.

opus

Here's the post on the Cork running blog with everything you ever wanted to know included pics of almost every metre of the run!

Looking ahead to the 2014 Cork City Marathon...

kelly_bean163

Ecoenergy wrote: »

I ran this 2 years ago and enjoyed it despite hitting about 5 walls in the last 4 miles.:D I'm planning on running it again this year even though I'll be turning 40 two days before, but hey running a marathon is a good way to celebrate.
If it's a hot day it could be a factor on the time. I'm hoping for 3.20 having ran 3.29 in DCM '14. Almost 4 weeks done now of the P&D up to 70M plan.

Hey,

I'm planning on running this too, just wondering what training plan/sort of training plan are you following? as i want to run a 3.30 having done Dublin Oct 2014 in 3.42, is this even realistic do you reckon? seen as the June bank holiday could be hot and i hate hot.
Although i found it very humid in Dublin in October but i read that cork is a quicker course even with those dreaded hills.
Ive being trying to follow Matt Roberts Fast Marathon training plan, up to week 4 now and i think this is very heavy on resistance work and I'm fearful I'm not getting the speed gains just fatigue. All advice welcome

Murph_D

I will be doing this, all going well between now and then. Depending on how the training goes I would be hoping to improve on last year's 3:36 in Berlin, although I'm not expecting Cork to be as flat. Anyway, entry in, hotel booked, 3 weeks into plan. Bombs away!

Ecoenergy

kelly_bean163 wrote: »

Hey,

I'm planning on running this too, just wondering what training plan/sort of training plan are you following? as i want to run a 3.30 having done Dublin Oct 2014 in 3.42, is this even realistic do you reckon? seen as the June bank holiday could be hot and i hate hot.
Although i found it very humid in Dublin in October but i read that cork is a quicker course even with those dreaded hills.
Ive being trying to follow Matt Roberts Fast Marathon training plan, up to week 4 now and i think this is very heavy on resistance work and I'm fearful I'm not getting the speed gains just fatigue. All advice welcome

I followed the P&D up to 70 mile plan back in Oct and I too was a little concerned that it seemed to be mostly long slow runs with very little speed work. I ran a PB in the Charleville Half and got my target time in Dublin and I think this was definitely due to the increased mileage. I now think that I ran too much speed work in my previous marathons. Dublin was also the first marathon in which I didn't cramp. I think 3.30 is a very realistic target having ran 3.42 in Dublin.

RunningFree 2014

I'm currently training to attempt this as my first marathon! I've been running for over a year now and am about a month into a runners world training plan for first-timers! I'm just hoping to get around the course really and am focused on covering the distance rather than times!

kelly_bean163

Good Luck training in this horrible stormy weather.
And thanks for the P&D plan advice- advanced marathons :-D downloaded it there. Ill need to look at it a bit more but its certainly a serious runners book by the looks of things.
Just on the cork route, do they provide energy gels. What are your takes on these?I'm using high 5 ones, anything but citrus flavours and I like the zero cal fizzy tabs for salts.

viperlogic

I love the Cork marathon, it has an awful rep for being hilly which it is not. More than likely I wont be doing the full this year but rather the half. It is very well organized and the crowds are brilliant, not as many as Dublin but second best, and the finish down panna is amazing, the noise and slight fall to the line makes you feel like your are going at your 5K pace. There is amazing atmosphere in the city after the race, and don't forget the savage free burgers in the Sextant afterwards for all runners.

Highly recommend the P&D 70m plan, got me from 3:26 to 2:58 last year, but you would want a few marathons under your belt and also already doing somewhat high mileage before starting it.

mush500

Yeah I'd heard it was a hilly course too but the route I've seen doesn't look too bad. There seem to be a few short sharp elevations though.

A couple of the long stretches are what I will probably not look forward to like the straight road and the old railway track part near blackrock. Committed now though!

jaggiebunnet

Planning on doing it, lot of P&D plans being followed I see. did it last year, 3.45 was aiming for 3.30 but that 19 mile mark was a killer right enough.

amcgee

Hi

I did it two years ago as my first marathon and i hit the wall at mile 16 and had to lie down for 5 minutes on the monihan road and ran walked the last 10 miles. was torture. but it was torture of the self made kind. i did the training and was well prepared for it, unfortuntately i made all the novice mistakes, went out too quick, ran with the 3:30 pacers and was burnt by mile 15,
I resembled a character from the walking dead when i was running down patricks street. and crossed the line in 3:50, Swearing i would never do it again. i have run limerick since and also Dublin, limerick in 3:26 and dublin in 3:32
So i am hoping to redeem myself with doing Cork this year, although i am going to give myself another few weeks before i decide fully.

Its a great marathon, the only problem is the heat. you will end up doing most of your training in wet windy and cold and then the june bank holiday comes up and it can be hot. as it was the day i did it!
good luck

quinlivan

Definitely considering this as a Summer option. doing Tralee in 2 weeks time and Berlin in September. Wondering if I can squeeze this in the middle

kelly_bean163

jaggiebunnet wrote: »

Planning on doing it, lot of P&D plans being followed I see. did it last year, 3.45 was aiming for 3.30 but that 19 mile mark was a killer right enough.

I'm planning 3.30 too! We can do it :-), not sure how, was going to switch plans to one of the P&D 55/70mile ones but I think im too far along to switch now and prob havnt the big miles behind me which are needed before attempting any of these. Are you doing any cross training.Ive added an hour killer spin class per week instead of a steady day in the hopes it will help my speed & endurance.

jaggiebunnet

i realised yesterday after reading the posts about upto 70miles P&D that I am actually not doing enough in my Q runs - I was taking the runs from the up to 40 miles a week plan and I am averaging about 45 at the moment. Doh - and I thought Thursday night runs were hard enough !! Have a strange couple of weeks coming up so need to switch to the more mileage after that for the second half of the training.

viperlogic

Lots of great training info here...
- DCM 2014: Mentored Novices Thread
- The Sub 3 Support Thread

dintbo

Planning on doing this myself and also using P&D. I was going to do the 18 week plan, changed my mind as the P&D plans look a little repetitive for me, and did a few weeks based on ECOLII's continuity training thread. Started the 12 week plan today which gives me a buffer week in case I need it. If I don't then I'll have a mini taper for the wexford half at the end of April

paul471966

First marathon this year😁.overloaded with info from reading threads on marathons.will b happy just to get around cork😡

paul471966

I'm just hoping to get around,never ran any thing organised b4,started training mid Jan,if I'm still alive 2nd June,I'll have had a great cork marathon.

Airtel31

I've done the last two wasn't planning on this year but I couldn't let it go having being tipping away nothing major started today but looking forward to it already love the buzz of it

echancrure

Will most certainly do this.

Don't like the misleading "Marathon Power Stay" hotel deal though which sounds good at 165 euro for 2 nights for 2: http://www.doylecollection.com/hotels/the-river-lee-hotel/packages#marathon_power_stay

but then when you go and book the price quoted is per night...

Cona

The Maldron in Cork is a 2-3 minute walk from start line and finish line. I would expect that you will get a good price there.

Airtel31

We stay in an apartment in issacs with 5 of us staying we go down on the Saturday and leave on the Tuesday and its 2 mins from the start line

skittles8710

Decided to go for the half... Looking forward to getting stuck into training!! Will be more relaxing than my full stint last year gonna really soak up the atmosphere

viperlogic

Cork city center is small, any hotel is in walking distance of start line for both half and full.

funnights74

Within walking distance The Imperial, The Metropole and Near the UCC The River Lee Hotel. Your best bet is to look along the Western Road, there are plenty of good b&b's there and all within a 10 min walk of the start finish line.

Airtel31

Cork city is great for getting around in and again all the hotels and B&Bs are central enough, also has anybody noticed there is a bigger push on this year in relation to advertising it good move getting the Irish examiner involved lets hope it's successful

skittles8710

Airtel31 wrote: »

Cork city is great for getting around in and again all the hotels and B&Bs are central enough, also has anybody noticed there is a bigger push on this year in relation to advertising it good move getting the Irish examiner involved lets hope it's successful

Yeah their Facebook page is alot more active this year with the Examiner involved I've noticed. Good to see .

mush500

Yeah I'd say there was a concern for numbers in the full- hopefully the push will increase entries in it and across all the distances- the more the merrier!

Airtel31

mush500 wrote: »

Yeah I'd say there was a concern for numbers in the full- hopefully the push will increase entries in it and across all the distances- the more the merrier!

That's why in my madness with 12 weeks to go I decided to go with the full instead of the half I figured I'd get to the 17 or 18 mile mark and run walk the rest why not have to support the hometown marathon like you said the more the merrier