Records at Cork City Marathon 2012

Cork City Marathon 2012 break records

Cork City, Monday 4 June 2012: Freddy Keron has won the sixth annual Cork City Marathon today in a time of 2:22:11 beating the official Cork City Marathon record by over three minutes.  The Kenyan athlete, a first time competitor in Cork, is the first overseas winner of the Cork City Marathon.

It was one of the closest races in recent years and saw defending champion Sergui Ciobanu finishing in second place, running a personal best time of 2:22:55 – over two minutes faster than his winning time last year.  Huw Lobb was third in a time of 2:28:37.

The first Corkman home was Cillian O’Leary who finished fourth in his first ever marathon. Cillian finished in a time of 2:29:52. Completing the top five was Brian Leahy in a time of 2:33:14.

In the women’s marathon, Clonmel athlete Angela McCann successfully defended her title, finishing comfortably in a time of 2:53:02. The mother of three shaved almost half a minute off the winning time she set in last year’s race. Anne Curley of Donore Harriers finished in second place in a time of 2:54:35. Next home was Mary O’Leary in a time of 2:59:46, followed closely by Ann Marie Holland (2:59:54). Helen Leonard completed the top five in a time of 3:00:52.

The first relay team to cross the line was the West Waterford relay team who recorded a finish time of 2:21:30. The team was made up of Raivis Zakis, Sandis Bralitis, Philip Harty and Brian Murphy. The Garda AC won the inaugural Inter-Services Championships Team Relay, finishing in a time of 2:30:25.

The half marathon title went to Gary O’Hanlon of Clonliffe Harriers who finished in a time of 1:09:15. It was neck-and-neck in the battle for second place, with John Meade eventually pipping Paul Buckley by a mere second, finishing in a time of 1:12:37 from Paul’s 1:12:38.

The first woman home in the half marathon was defending champion Lizzie Lee who finished in a time of 1:20:34.

Jerry Forde completed the wheelchair marathon in a time of 4:12:35.

The Cork City Marathon kicked off on St Patrick’s Street at 9am this morning with up to 8,000 athletes competing in the full marathon, half marathon and team relay. The half marathon began on Skehard Road at 11am. Weather conditions were ideal for athletes, not to mention the thousands of spectators who lined the marathon route to cheer on this year’s participants.

The ‘marathon for everyone’ saw individuals of all levels participate – from first timers to professional athletes, with athletes running either the full marathon, half marathon or the relay event as part of a team of up to five people. Athletes travelled from as far afield as Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Puerto Rico and Hong Kong, while 27 counties from across Ireland were represented on the day.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Terry Shannon, was on hand to offer words of encouragement to all those taking part. “The Cork City Marathon is one of the biggest occasions in Cork’s sporting and cultural calendar. Each year the marathon grows in strength and this year is no different. It really is a fantastic occasion that not only promotes Cork City as a vibrant and exciting place to visit, but also provides a welcome boost to the local economy by attracting visitors from near and far. I’m really looking forward to the day ahead, and can’t wait to see first hand the great support that the people of Cork are sure to deliver in their thousands.”

The Lord Mayor ran in the team relay with a group of his fellow councillors, John Buttimer, Mick Nugent, Emmet O’Halloran and Laura McGonigle. Also taking on the marathon challenge was RTÉ broadcaster Jacqui Hurley who ran as part of a special relay team in memory of her brother Sean Hurley who died tragically last year. Taking part in the Cork City Marathon was part of a bucket list created by Sean before he passed away. The team crossed the line in 4:34:14.

Olympic athlete and local boy Rob Heffernan was another crowd favourite. Rob received a wonderful reception from supporters as he made his way around the course, with all wishing him well as he makes his final preparations for this summer’s Olympic Games.

UK athlete Steve Edwards is another step closer to becoming the first person in the world to run 500 official marathon races in under three hours and 30 minutes, having posted a time of 3:10:53 in today’s race. The 49-year-old athlete who represents Bourton Roadrunners in Gloucestershire has already successfully run 471 inside three hours 30 minutes out of a staggering total of 547 completed marathons to date.

Finally, 30 years after competing in the first ever Cork City Marathon in 1982, Tom Corkery (50) returned to Cork in an attempt to match his original time of three hours and 49 minutes. Tom eventually crossed the line in a time of 3:59:54 – just 10 minutes off his target time.

Cork City Marathon: Results

Men’s marathon:

1. Freddy Keron, Kenya, 2:22:12
2. Sergui Ciobanu, 2:22:54
3. Huw Lobb, 2:28:38
4. Cillian O’Leary, 2:29:52
5. Brian Leahy, 2:33:14

Women’s marathon:

1. Angela McCann, 2:53:02
2. Anne Curley, 2:54:35
3. Mary O’Leary, 2:59:46
4. Ann Marie Holland, 2:59:54
5. Helen Leonard, 3:00:52

Team relay:

1. West Waterford, 2:21:30
2. Leevale, 2:21:42
3. Mahers Sports, 2:22:40
4. Garda AC, 2:30:25
5. CIT, 2:36:55

Half marathon:

1. Gary O’Hanlon, 1:09:15
2. John Meade, 1:12:37
3. Paul Buckley, 1:12:38
4. Karl Walsh, 1:12:41
5. Sho Tanuka, 1:13:57