The 40th running of the KBC Dublin Marathon will take place on Sunday, 27th October with a record number of 22,500 runners set to hit the streets of Dublin. Many international elite distance runners are set to compete against Ireland’s top endurance athletes. Irish athletes will also be battling it out for national titles, as the race serves as the Athletics Ireland’s National Championships.

For many others taking part, their achievement will be crossing the line. None more so than the 13 inspirational runners who have taken part in all 39 Dublin Marathons since the race began in 1979 and are set to complete their 40th in 2019. This unique group includes Mary Nolan Hickey (Wicklow), the only woman to have finished all thirty-nine marathons. Dublin is well represented with John McElhinney, Michael Carolan, Donal de Buitleir, Dominic Gallagher, Martin Kelly, Patrick Gowan and the eldest of the group, Frank Behan who turns seventy-nine next month. Five other counties are represented; Seamus Cawley (Limerick), Seamus Dunne (Meath), Billy Harpur (Wexford), Peadar Nugent (Galway), Donal Ward (Donegal).

In the elite fields the 2018 Dublin Marathon winners Asefa Bekele and Mesera Dubiso from Ethiopia are both set to race. Bekele crossed the line in 2018 in a time 2:13:23. He will face opposition from Othmane El Goumri of Morocco who ran a personal best of 2:08:20 at the 2019 Rabat Marathon, to finish second. Shambel Jimma of Ethiopia also ran a personal best of 2.10.28 in March to win the Chongqing International Marathon.

Irish reigning National Marathon Champion, Mick Clohisey will be looking for a top overall spot and to defend his national title. The Raheny man will have to content with three previous national champions Gary O’Hanlon (2017), Sergiu Ciobanu (2009, 2010, 2019) and Sean Hehir (2013). Other key contenders will be Stephen Scullion who recently competed in the World Athletics championships and has the fastest marathon time by an Irish man this year with 2:14:34 (Houston). David Flynn placed 13th last year in a time of 2:19:04 and will be looking to improve on this placing as he currently has the second fastest half marathon time in the Irish top performances of 2019.

In the international women’s field last year’s winner Dubiso will be race favourite. Natasha Cockram of Wales who placed fourth last year has run a personal best this year of 2:34:18 set in the Houston Marathon. Also, in contention will be Caroline Jepchirchir of Kenya who finished fifth in Dublin last year and won Belfast City marathon in a time of 2:36:39. Irish Olympian Lizzie Lee who finished third overall last year and is reigning national champion will not be lining up this year but will make a return in 2020. Double National Champion (2016 & 2017) Laura Graham will go head to head with number one ranked marathon runner this year, Breege Connolly who ran 2:37:50 in April, Rotterdam. Also, in contention will be Ann Maire McGlynn who ran a personal best of 2:39:22 also in Rotterdam. Barbara Sanchez will compete in her first marathon of the year and has a personal best of 2:37:14 set in 2013. In the Wheelchair race Sam Kolek of Poland and GB’s Callum Hall will also be in contention.

Race Director Jim Aughney said: “It is with great excitement that we look to this years Dublin Marathon in the 40th running of this iconic event, known to many around the world as the ‘friendly marathon’. The Dublin Marathon organising committee are delighted to have the strong support of KBC as our sponsors who will welcome their first Dublin Marathon this weekend and the continuous and dedicated commitment from the 1,500 volunteers that ensure a smooth running of the event on the day. Wishing all runners taking part every success in their endeavours on the day, it is certainly a wonderful day to be experienced by supporters and runners alike”.

Aidan Power, Director of Customer, Brand and Marketing from KBC, said: “This year, the KBC Dublin Marathon is celebrating 40 years and we are honoured to be part of history in the making. Yes, a marathon is about running 26.2 miles, however, the Dublin marathon represents so much more than that, it is about community spirit, bringing together runners, supporters, family members, volunteers and of course, fans, every October. In 1980, 2,100 took part in the first ever Dublin Marathon, this year, a record 22,500 runners will be at the startling line. As sponsor, we are immensely proud to be associated with such a special event and we would like to wish all of those running, the very best of luck.”

Key Race Day Information

Road Closures: Road closures will be in effect within the city during this event. The KBC Marathon will start at Fitzwilliam Street Upper on Sunday October 27th at 8:45am and finish in Merrion Square North up to 5pm.
For more information see: http://kbcdublinmarathon.ie/traffic-information/

Social Media: To keep up to date with all the action follow on https://twitter.com/dublinmarathon
and https://www.facebook.com/dublinmarathon

Live Streaming: The KBC Dublin Marathon will be live streamed via the KBC Dublin Marathon YouTube Page. Fans will be able to watch every moment of the action live from 8:30am-4:30pm. The commentary team for the day will also be made up of some well-known names from the world of Irish Athletics including Ian O’Riordan, Frank Greally, Susan Walsh, Fintan Reilly, Liam Moggan and Feidhlim Kelly so make sure you tune into all the action via http://bit.ly/2yERGfX

Waves: The race starts in waves as follows: 08:40 Wheelchair entrants 08:45: 1st wave, 09:05: 2nd wave, 09:25: 3rd wave, 09:45: Final wave

Pacers: Pacers will be running for the following times: Wave 1: 3:00, 3:10, 3:20 Wave 2: 3:30, 3:40 & 3:50, Wave 3: 4:00, 4:10 & 4:20, Wave 4: 4:30, 4:40, 4:50 & 5:00

Live Tracker: Runners tracker link https://track.rtrt.me/e/TDL-DUBLINM-2019

For further information contact:
KBC Dublin Marathon Team
Sophie Eustace (085 7176183) sophie.eustace@ogilvy.com
Sinéad Galvin (087 6266816) Sinead@galvinsportsmanagement.ie

Notes
Previous Winners http://kbcdublinmarathon.ie/previous-winners/
Elite List 2019 http://kbcdublinmarathon.ie/elite-athlete-list-2019/
Traffic Information http://kbcdublinmarathon.ie/traffic-information/
KBC Dublin Marathon will take place on Sunday, 27th October and is Sold Out
Get involved in the Dublin Marathon and Dublin Race Series on social media through the hashtags #KBCDublinMarathon, #KBCDublinRaceSeries and #RunThisTown.
KBC wants to include anyone who’s life is touched by the marathon through its social media campaign #RunThisTown. So, you could be a runner who’s been training really hard, a family member who’s spent all week making signs, or a fan who turns up every year to support complete strangers, just tell KBC your story or share an image on social media using the #RunThisTown, and KBC will make sure the whole city hears about it.
The Irish national marathon championship has been part of the Dublin Marathon since 2009
About KBC Ireland

KBC Bank Ireland employs over 1,300 people in Ireland and has retail banking hubs in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Kildare, Waterford, Wicklow and Kilkenny, where employees play a positive and active role in the communities where they live and work

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ireland, part of Enterprise Holdings, the world’s largest car rental company, has once again been named as the Official Car Partner of the KBC Dublin Marathon for the sixth consecutive year as the iconic event celebrates its 40^th year.

The KBC Dublin Marathon is the fifth largest city marathon in Europe and is considered one of the leading marathons on a global scale, showcasing Dublin at its very best to an international audience.

A team of Enterprise Rent-A-Car employees will assist event organisers by providing a total of 40 vehicles for use during the marathon on Sunday 27^th October. These include 12 hybrid lead pace cars to guide the runners around the 26-mile course, as well as six safety vehicles to transfer any casualties to the Medical Team facility, six stationary timing vehicles and 16 logistics vans.

The Enterprise team is also participating in a voluntary capacity with staff member, David Hudson, entering his 22^nd year as a member of the Dublin Marathon Committee and joining the 1,485 stewards overseeing the event.

“We are extremely proud to be involved with the KBC Dublin Marathon again this year as the event celebrates its 40^th anniversary.  For this iconic year, our involvement once again goes beyond the provision of vehicles and personnel as a number of our staff and business partners are running the marathon itself.” said George O’Connor, Managing Director, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ireland.

JP Denker, Head of Insurance and Replacement Division at Enterprise Rent-A-Car stated: “We are delighted to have a number of Enterprise staff members taking part in this year’s 40^th marathon in Dublin. It’s a brilliant event that is hugely beneficial to Dublin and we are proud to fly the flag for Enterprise Rent-A-Car”.

At the announcement, Jim Aughney, Race Director, KBC Dublin Marathon said: “It’s great to have Enterprise Rent-A-Car on board for the sixth year in a row. We are delighted they will be with us to celebrate our 40^th anniversary and the biggest number of registered runners since we started.  It is through the sustained commitment of loyal partners like Enterprise that we have been able to build the KBC Dublin Marathon to what it is today.  We thank George and his team again for their support in ensuring the delivery of a world class event.”

Established in 1980, with a field of just 2,100 runners, the Dublin Marathon has grown year on year to become one of the key international city marathon events as it plays host to some of the biggest names in marathon running. For this year’s 40^th anniversary event, the KBC Dublin Marathon will see the number of participants rise to 22,500 runners, the highest number since the inaugural event back in 1980.

Irish owned firm confirms deal to support Dublin Race Series and the KBC Dublin Marathon
Pictured with Mary Hickey Nolan are Jim Aughney, race organiser, KBC Bank Dublin Marathon, Mike Sutton, Director, Ishka Irish Spring Water.
Guaranteed Irish producer, Ishka Irish Spring Water, has been announced as the Official Water Partner of both the KBC Dublin Marathon and the Dublin Race Series.
The KBC Dublin Marathon takes place this year on Sunday October 27th, and among those taking to the starting line once again is Mary Hickey Nolan. Mary has the proud distinction of being the only woman to have taken part every year to date and was on hand to announce Ishka Irish Spring Water as the event’s Official Water Partner.

Guaranteed Irish producer, Ishka Irish Spring Water, has been announced as the Official Water Partner of both the KBC Dublin Marathon and the Dublin Race Series.

• Drink an estimated 77,000 litres of Ishka water

• Requiring 308,000 bottles of Ishka Irish spring water

• Ishka water will be distributed by a team of 380 volunteers

Every bottle used during the course of the race will be collected  and fully recycled.

Speakers; Ben Doyle, head physiotherapist at Platinum Pilates and founder Milena Jaksic will be offering advice and tips to stay injury free while running.

When: 19^th September in the KBC Hub on College Green. Refreshments served at 6pm and talk is 6.30 to7.30pm.

RSVP:  This is a free event you just need to register at collegegreenhub@kbc.ie

Breege Connolly secured her second win of the KBC Race Series today, crossing the line in the Frank Duffy 10 Mile at the Phoenix Park in 58:30. The City of Derry Spartans athlete also won the South Dublin 10k in July. Second place, Gemma Rankin of Scotland was over a minute behind with 59:55 with Star of Luane AC’s Niamh Clifford third with 1:02.21.  Connolly said after the race: “I am delighted with the win.  I would have liked to have gone quicker, but I found the second half of the course very hard going. I started a training block three weeks ago working towards running the Dublin Marathon in October, so I hope to get fitter and stronger each week.”

In the men’s field, Yared Derese crossed the line in 49.06, the fastest winning time in seven years. The Carrick Aces AC man has been in good form of late having also recently won the National Half Marathon. Derese said: “I am pleased and excited to have secured another win.  My decision today was to break away from the field early as I know Mick is a strong guy, and I think this tactic worked for me.”  Mick Clohisey of Raheny AC finished second in 49.36. Swansea’s Josh Griffith third in 50.11.

Over 5,200 runners lined up in the Phoenix Park in warm, humid conditions to take on the classic 10 Mile distance.  Next in the series is the KBC Dublin Half Marathon will take place on Saturday 21 September. The sold-out 2019 Dublin Marathon, which is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with KBC, has a record entry of 22,500 will take place on Sunday 27 October.