Sunday 7 February 2027 - Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
Cork half
Marathon
Twenty-one kilometres of flat tarmac and greenway along the Marina and the banks of the River Lee.
Early season, chip timed, and built for a personal best.
Entries open September 2026. Wait list members get the early bird price first.
Official charity partner Cliona's Foundation — helping Irish families with the cost of caring for a seriously sick child
A big-city half in the Rebel City
Cork has the roads, the river and the crowd for a proper city half marathon. From 2027 it has the race too.
Timed for the season ahead
Early February puts you race fit before spring. It works as a sharpener for a spring marathon, an honest test of winter training, or the first hard effort of your 2027 calendar.
Flat, and genuinely so
The route runs the Marina Greenway to Blackrock village and back along the Lee. Barely a rise on it — the elevation profile below is the whole story.
Tee and medal posted to you
Every entry includes the event T-shirt and a finisher's medal. Your race pack arrives in the post before race day, so there's nothing to collect unless you want to.
THE COURSE
One loop of the city's flattest running ground, starting and finishing at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Tarmac roads and the Marina Greenway throughout, fully marshalled and closed to traffic where it matters.
- Start and finish
- Water and toilets
Total elevation gain across the full distance is under 20 metres. Route indicative and subject to final approval by Cork City Council and An Garda Síochána; the certified measured route is published when entries open.
- 0kmGun start on the Marina outside Páirc Uí Chaoimh
- 5kmMarina Greenway under the trees — water and toilets
- 10kmBlackrock village and the castle waterfront — water and toilets
- 15kmBack along the river towards the city quays — water and toilets
- 20kmFinal water station, one kilometre to run
- 21.1kmFinish, medal and bag drop at Páirc Uí Chaoimh
What your entry gets you
One price, nothing bolted on afterwards.
- Finisher's medal for every runner
- Exclusive event T-shirt Design released closer to race day
- Professional chip timing with instant results
- Water at 5km, 10km, 15km and 20km
- Toilets at every water station
- Fully marshalled course with medical support throughout
- Bag drop at the Páirc Uí Chaoimh finish
- Race pack posted to your door Postage is extra in your entry
- Finish line with a crowd on it
About your race pack
Number, chip and T-shirt go in the post and land before race weekend. Pin the number on at home and go straight to the start.
If your pack hasn't arrived by the Thursday before the race, email us and we'll have a replacement waiting for you at collection.
Prefer to collect? Collection is open Saturday and again on race morning — details in the race weekend section below.
Cliona's is the official charity partner of the RunCork Half Marathon. Every euro raised on race day goes to Irish families caring for a seriously sick child.
When a child is seriously ill, the medical care is only part of it. The costs that break families are the ones nobody budgets for: fuel and parking for hospital runs, accommodation near the ward, childcare for siblings at home, and the wage lost by the parent who stops working to be there.
Cliona's Foundation steps in with a direct financial grant, with no means test and no waiting on the State. Since 2007 they have helped more than 1,500 families across Ireland, including many here in Cork.
You don't have to fundraise to run. But if you'd like your 21.1km to be worth something to a family in the middle of the worst year of their lives, Cliona's will send you everything you need.
We run for Cliona's Foundation
- 1,500+
- Families supported across Ireland since the foundation began in 2007
- No means test
- Grants go directly to the family, for the non-medical costs of caring
- Triple Locked
- Signed up to the Charities Institute Ireland standards for governance, fundraising and reporting
Race weekend
Everything runs from Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Parking on site is plentiful, and the venue is a twenty-minute walk from the city centre.
- Saturday 6 February, 11:00am – 1:00pm Race pack collection Optional. Only needed if your posted pack didn't arrive or you entered late.
- Sunday 7 February, 7:00am – 8:30am Collection and bag drop open Last chance to collect. Bag drop stays open until the gun.
- Sunday 7 February, 8:45am Runners into the start pens Pens are by predicted finish time, printed on your number.
- Sunday 7 February, 9:00am Half marathon starts Chip time starts as you cross the mat, so there's no rush at the back.
- From 10:00am Finish line, medal, results Medal handed to you as you finish. Chip results go live as you cross.
getting there
- Free parking on site at Páirc Uí Chaoimh Arrive before 8:15am on race morning
- Kent Station is a 25 minute walk or short taxi Direct trains from Dublin, Limerick and Mallow
- City centre buses stop on Monahan Road
- Bike parking beside the bag drop
Who can enter
The half marathon is open to runners aged 18 or over on race day. All paces are welcome — the course stays open and marshalled for everyone.
Places are capped at 3,500 and are non-transferable between events once entries close.
3,500 places. Wait list first.
Entries open in September 2026. Everyone on the wait list gets the early bird price and a head start before entries go public.
QUESTIONS
How much does it cost?
Entry pricing is confirmed when entries open in September 2026. Wait list members get the early bird rate, which is the lowest price the race will be offered at.
Is there a shorter distance?
Not in 2027. The half marathon is the only distance on the day, so the whole event and every marshal is focused on one race.
Is the course certified?
The route is measured and certified before entries open, and the finish times are chip timed by Race Timing Ireland. The published route is subject to final sign-off by Cork City Council and An Garda Síochána.
Is there a cut-off time?
Roads and water stations stay open for a 3 hour 30 minute finish. Runners still out after that are welcome to continue on the footpath with the support vehicle.
Can I transfer my entry to someone else?
Transfers between runners are open until two weeks before race day through your JustRace account. After that, numbers are fixed for timing and safety reasons.
Can I run with headphones, or a buggy?
Headphones are allowed at low volume — you need to hear marshals and traffic management. Buggies, dogs and unregistered pacers aren't permitted on the course.
Do I have to fundraise for Cliona's?
No. Fundraising is entirely optional and your entry stands on its own. If you do want to raise money, Cliona's Foundation will send you a fundraising pack and set you up with an online page — start at clionas.ie/fundraising or call them on 061 331 333.
Where do spectators go?
The Marina and Blackrock village are the best spots, and both are walkable from the start. The finish area at Páirc Uí Chaoimh is open to everyone.