John Treacy has been chosen as the official race starter for the 2023 Irish Life Dublin Marathon to mark the 30th anniversary of his win in the 1993 Dublin Marathon. The Olympic Silver medallist and Irish marathon record holder ran 2:14.40 on the day to claim victory.

Speaking at the announcement, John Treacy said: “I am honoured to be asked to start the 2023 Irish Life Dublin Marathon. I have fond memories of that win back in ’93. I am looking forward to watching the elite race on the day. It is always great to see some of Ireland’s top elite marathoners race against international athletes on Irish soil and battle it out for national titles”.

In 2022 that honour went to Martin Hoare (Celbridge AC) and Courtney McGuire (Clonmel AC). The reigning national champions plan to toe the line again on Sunday, the 29th of October, in Ireland’s premier marathon, which has recently been given Elite Label status from World Athletics.

Marathon Mission

The 2023 Irish Life Dublin Marathon will again incorporate the national championships, with Irish national medallists benefiting from prize funds and time bonuses for exceptional Irish athlete performances on the day.  This is part of their overall Marathon Mission programme, established in 2009 by the Dublin Marathon organisers to support performance improvements in the marathon by Irish athletes. Financial bursaries are also provided to enable elite marathon runners to pursue optimal training plans, including altitude camps and to travel and race overseas. This will be especially important over the coming 18 months with athletes targeting qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Since it’s inauguration, over €200,000 has been provided to athletes.

A Race for All

While at the top of the field, elite athletes and top national runners battle it out for placings and national titles, the achievement and joy for the majority are completing the 26.2 miles. Known as the ‘friendly marathon,’ the event is heralded as one of the best in Europe, given the incredible support from the thousands of volunteers who make the event possible and the spectators who line the streets of Dublin City in support.

Speaking at the launch, Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education Thomas Byrne TD said: “The Dublin Marathon represents a fantastic opportunity to promote and celebrate the value of physical activity. It is wonderful to see thousands of runners of all abilities come together to run a marathon in our capital city. I want to wish all participants the very best of luck.”

Race Director Jim Aughney commented that the Irish Life Dublin Marathon organisers are committed to creating an event that is for everyone:

“We are very proud that we were one of the first city marathons in Europe to provide entry for assisted wheelchair users. They are valued members of the Dublin Marathon community, and they, along with their support teams, are the first to start the race. We recognise, however is still a need for ongoing improvements to be more inclusive and we have introduced several new initiatives this year”:

The first is to encourage more women to sign up for the marathon. To help achieve this, all the female participants in the 2023 Half Marathon will receive the same preferential early entry as the 2023 marathon entrants for next year’s Irish Life Dublin Marathon. This will provide an entry window before the lottery is opened to the public and increase the opportunity for women to secure a marathon entry place.

Mary Hickey, the only female to have taken part in every Dublin Marathon, is encouraging those women to sign-up: “There are plenty of women who complete the half marathon and perhaps don’t have the confidence to take on the marathon distance, and I can tell you from experience you can do it”! So, sign up, and you will have a full year to prepare and build up your mileage”. This initiative is also strongly backed by National marathon champion Courtney McGuire who believes it’s a challenge women won’t regret taking on, given the sense of accomplishment to achieve what is a bucket list item for many.

Also added for this year is a new rule that will allow any woman who is unable to run in 2023 because they are pregnant or postpartum to defer their place to one of the following three years: 2024, 2025 or 2026

The Irish Life Dublin Marathon will also introduce a new category this year to allow athletes to enter as nonbinary as well as male or female. A window will be provided to allow 2023 participants to change their entry to the nonbinary category should they wish to do so. This follows consultation with members from the running community for whom this will make a positive impact and will allow runners to participate in a category that matches their identity.

Declan Bolger, CEO of Irish Life Group, said: “We are really excited to be heading into the second year of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon partnership. As a fellow South-Easterner, having grown up watching John Treacy’s Olympic and marathon successes, I am personally delighted to have him starting the race. We welcome all of these new initiatives, particularly as they further enhance the inclusiveness of an already outstanding event. We wish every runner the very best of luck as they embark on their training for the 42nd Dublin Marathon.”

Newly Introduced Transfer

The Irish Life Dublin Marathon is already sold out; however, runners who have not yet been offered a place through the lottery system may benefit from the refund window as additional places may become available. The refund will be available in the first two weeks of June.

A new transfer system will also open to runners for July, allowing existing entrants to transfer their place to another runner.

Irish Life Dublin Race Series

The highly popular Irish Life Dublin Race Series will start off with the Corkagh Park 5 Mile on Sunday, June 18^th. Speaking at the launch, national marathon champion Martin Hoare said: “The race series is a great way to prepare for the Irish Life Dublin Marathon as the four races move up in distance throughout the Summer from 5 miles through to the half marathon distance. They are also great for a one-off race experience, so pick your preferred distance and sign up!”

Entries are open on IrishLifeDublinMarathon.ie.

Irish Life Dublin Marathon Announce Olympic Duo as Coaching Team for 2022

Harnessing the Power of Support to Help Runners Achieve their Goals

Today, Irish Life and Dublin Marathon organisers announced Olympians Catherina McKiernan and Mick Clohisey as the coaching team for the 2022 Irish Life Dublin Marathon and Race Series. The Olympic duo have developed training plans for all races in the series and the marathon using their vast expertise and knowledge. They are part of the overall Runners’ Support Squad to help runners harness the power of support to achieve their goals, whether they aim to run sub 60 minutes for the 10km, complete the half marathon distance, or run sub 3 hours for the marathon.

Coaching Team

Irish Marathon record holder and former London Marathon winner Catherina McKiernan said, “I am delighted to be part of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon and Race Series team to help runners realise their race goals. We all run on support, from emotional encouragement to advice and guidance, especially when taking on the  challenge of training for a marathon”

Jim Aughney, Race Director, added, “It is a fantastic resource for runners who have signed up to participate in the Irish Life Dublin Marathon and Race Series to tap into the wealth of knowledge that both Mick and Catherina can provide. They will offer guidance and tips for runners of all abilities as they take on the journey to train for races ranging in distances from 5 miles to 26.2 miles.”

Runner’s Support Squad

The Irish Life Dublin Marathon and Race Series, Runners’ Support Squad will also provide advice from a panel of experts along the journey, including a nutritionist, psychologist, and physiotherapist.

Declan Bolger, CEO of Irish Life, said: “We are acutely aware of the importance of a runner’s support network. We believe that this support in the lead up to the Irish Life Dublin Race Series and Marathon will make all the difference to the 45,000 runners who will toe the line in what are the largest participating sporting events held in Ireland. We aim to positively impact their experience by supporting and empowering them with access to expert advice.”

Research has shown that support from coaches, teammates, family, friends, and runner’s support team members such as physiotherapists and psychologists, positively affects an athlete’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioural state.

Research on Social Support

Jessie Barr, Performance Sports Psychologist and one of the runners’ support squad, said, “Social support is broadly reported to be an essential factor for an athlete’s success regardless of ability. It creates a perception of being cared for by others and having a reliable network to turn to when needed. If you are taking on a significant personal challenge having the right support structure in place can increase your chance of success.”

While inherently an individual sport, having that sense of someone having your back and supporting your journey can be beneficial and vital to running success. Olympic marathon athlete Mick Clohisey said, “For me, the support of my clubmates makes such a difference. Working with others pushes us out of our comfort zone, creates accountability and exposes vulnerability. We can help each other along the way. And let’s not forget the support from those we live with, dealing with time spent on long runs and our frustration when training isn’t going to plan.”

One-to-One Coaching

There is also an exciting opportunity for two runners who have secured a place in the sold-out Irish Life Dublin Marathon to win one-to-one coaching and mentoring from either Catherina or Mick. To be in with a chance to win, all runners need to do is share why they have signed up to race the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, whether that be to raise funds for a cause close to their heart or a personal journey to prove something to themselves. Entries can be made at IrishLifeDublinMarathon.ie.

Race Series

Entry for the Irish Life Dublin Race Series is open on IrishLifeDublinMarathon.ie. There are bundle offers in place for the four races in the series: 5 Mile in Tallaght (19th June), Fingal 10km (17th July), Frank Duffy 10-Mile (20th August) and the Half Marathon (17th September). The Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday 30th October is sold out.

Mentoring Coach Programme  

• To be in with a chance to win one-to-one Coaching with Olympians Catherina McKiernan and Mick Clohisey, all runners need to do is share the reasons why they have signed up to run the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, whether that be to raise funds for a cause close to your heart, or on a personal journey to prove something to yourself.
• Entries can be made on irishlifedublinmarathon.ie and winners will be selected by a panel of judges. Entries are open on Tuesday 10th May and close on Monday 7th June. Winners will be announced on Tuesday 21st June, and they will be contacted to let them know which coach they will work with as they prepare for the marathon.
• The Prize
• A goal-setting session with one of the coaches
• A training programme developed by one of the coaches to help you achieve your goal
• A monthly catch-up call with their coach
• A one-to-one training session with one of the coaches

On behalf of the team, we’re delighted to welcome Irish Life on board as the new title sponsor of the Dublin Marathon & Race Series 2022-2025 – exciting times ahead!

This sponsorship will take us into a new era, and we would like to thank Irish Life for committing their support for three years to the Dublin Marathon and Race Series. Through this partnership, we can reach new targets through a shared vision of helping people to live more physically active and healthy lives. We have ambitious plans and I look forward to working with Irish Life to continue to provide the best and most welcoming racing experience in Ireland for the running community, to inspire, encourage and support them to be active and to set new goals and achieve them.

In attendance at the announcement of Irish Life as new sponsorship of the Dublin Marathon and Race Series, are, from left, Jim Aughney, Race Director of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon, Olympians Lizzie Lee and Mick Clohisey; and Declan Bolger, Chief Executive Officer, Irish Life. This sponsorship of the Dublin Marathon marks a major stride for Irish Life in strongly reinforcing the business core value of helping people live healthier lives and build better futures. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

We are delighted to announce that a limited number of places will be made available for the 2022 Dublin Marathon via a lottery system. An application can be made for these places on the Dublin Marathon website from Thursday 6th January until midnight on Thursday 13th January. Please note that only one entry per person will be accepted.

A fee of €15 per lottery entry will apply; € 12 will be refunded if not successful with a €3 administration charge.  If successful, the lottery entry fee will be redeemable against the entry fee of €110*.

Registrants will learn their entry status by email / SMS on Monday, 17th January. They will have until midnight on Friday 21st January to redeem the offer.

Any places not redeemed will be offered in round two of the lottery from Tuesday 1st February, with offers needing to be redeemed by midnight Monday 7th February 2022.

*The Dublin Marathon is a not-for-profit organisation with entry fees, funding the management, development and promotion of the Dublin Marathon.  The entry fee covers the escalating costs of event management from insurance, soaring prices of products and materials, and anticipated additional safety measures needed due to Covid-19.

The full refund option, for the transfer of 2020 entries,  will close at midnight on Saturday 31st July. The refund will be available on “Manage My Bookings” via Event Master, See https://youtu.be/ssyiTkup-uw.