Irish Life Dublin Marathon

We're delighted to welcome Sports Direct as the Official Retail Partner and our first Premium Partner in an exciting new four-year partnership! 🎉

Together, we're committed to supporting runners at every stage of their journey and enhancing the race day experience across the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, Irish Life Dublin Race Series, and the Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon.

Sports Direct will also become our Official Pacing Team Partner, helping thousands of participants achieve their goals on race day.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Dublin Marathon Group is proud to partner with brands that share our passion for growing Ireland's running community.

Here's to the next four years! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💙

Check out the route for the Irish Life Fingal 10k 🧭

Will you be joining us in Swords on Sunday 12th July? 🎉🏃🏻

Taking part in the Irish Life Fingal 10k? Your race packs are on route and will be with you in the coming days 📩

The official refund window for the 2026 Irish Life Dublin Marathon will be available from 1st - 12th July via your Eventmaster account 🏃🏻

Places made available via the refund window will be resold on a first-come, first-served basis from 12pm on Wednesday 15th July 🎉

🚨Please note that Good for Age and any places purchased in the resale are non-transferable.

For more information visit 👉🏻www.irishlifedublinmarathon.ie

Every Bib Has a Story ❤️

Meet Craig Kenny, who is taking on the Irish Life Dublin Marathon this October in support of St James’s Hospital Foundation 🏃‍♂️💙

💬 “I’m running the marathon this year to give back. I went through surgery and four rounds of intense chemotherapy in St James’s Hospital, and I’m happy to say that today I’m fully cancer-free.”

Craig discovered running after his cancer battle and has already completed two half marathons on his road to Dublin.

💬 “I picked up running after treatment, and now I’m in a position to give back to the place that saved my life.”

💬 “From the doctors and nurses to the porters, everyone in the hospital was amazing throughout my cancer journey. I’ll always be grateful for the care and support they gave me.”

With training going well, Craig recently ran an impressive 1:30:20 at the Life Style Sports Fastlane Half Marathon and has his sights set on a 3:30 marathon finish this October.

💬 “I’m looking forward to crossing that finish line for the place that saved my life and countless others.”

✨ Best of luck with the rest of your training, Craig — we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way to the finish 🇮🇪💙

Less than 300 entries left! ⏳

The Irish Life Frank Duffy 10 Mile is filling fast. Register now and join thousands of runners on the start line 🏃🏻🎉

Visit 👉🏻 www.irishlifedublinmarathon.ie

Every Bib Has a Story ❤️

Meet two brothers taking on their first-ever Irish Life Dublin Marathon this October — running side by side in support of family, gratitude, and hope 🫶🏼

💬 “We decided to run the Dublin Marathon together because our dad used to run marathons when he was younger. After everything our family has been through — losing our uncle in 2022 and our dad suffering a heart attack last January — we wanted to take on something meaningful while he’s still here to see it.”

💬 “We’ve also experienced first-hand the incredible care of St James’s Hospital Foundation. From our uncle’s long health battle, to the support for our dad, and even the life-saving care for our nephew during a difficult time — the staff went above and beyond in every situation.”

💬 “Choosing St James’s as a charity was an easy decision. The doctors, nurses, paramedics, receptionists, and everyone involved showed us what true care and compassion looks like. We’ll always be grateful.”

💬 “I was lucky to get a ballot entry, and my brother decided to run for charity after not getting one initially. Since January 2025, we’ve trained and raced together — nearly 15 distance medals so far. This will be our biggest challenge yet, but also our most meaningful.”

💬 “Training hasn’t been easy, but we’re so excited for race day. The atmosphere, the crowds, and crossing that finish line together — it’s something we’ll never forget.”

💬 “We’ve set a €2,000 fundraising target and are currently at €655. Every bit of support means so much to us as we continue this journey.”

✨ Best of luck to both of you — we can’t wait to see you take on the streets of Dublin together 🇮🇪🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

📣 The Dublin Marathon Group has extended the 2026 official transfer window, giving more runners who missed out in the ballot a chance to secure a place through the transfer system.

The transfer period has been extended from just over one month in 2025 to more than two months for 2026, offering greater flexibility for participants.

📅 Available from 22 July to 23 September via your Eventmaster account 🎉

As part of our continued commitment to supporting runners throughout their marathon journey, we are delighted to announce Emmett Dunleavy as the Official Dublin Marathon Group Coach.

He will provide expert coaching guidance, training content and practical advice to support participants of all experience levels 🏃🏻

💬 Dunleavy said: “Taking on a marathon is a huge personal challenge, whether you’re aiming to complete your first race or chasing a new personal best. I’m looking forward to supporting participants throughout their training journey with practical advice, guidance and encouragement in the lead-up to race day.”

Built on miles. Carried by stories. Powered by people ❤️ Today marks the launch of the 45th running of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, taking place on 25th October.

For the 45th running of the event, Dublin Marathon Group reflects on over four decades of proud running heritage, while also looking toward an exciting next chapter on the road to the 50th Anniversary in 2031.

Elite athletes, charity runners, and some of the marathon’s most iconic participants gathered today with representatives from Irish Life and Dublin Marathon Group to celebrate this incredible milestone. From the 1,300 runners who started the journey in 1980, to the tens of thousands who will line up in 2026, the milestone is an opportunity to recognise the the miles, stories, and people that make the race special 🥰

Today also saw the launch of the campaign, which invites the running community to share the personal journeys & inspiring stories that carry them across the finish line.

Can’t wait to see you in October ! 🏃‍♀️