DUBLIN MARATHON HISTORY: FROM ST. STEPHEN'S GREEN IN 1980 TO THE 45TH EDITION

Louis Hogan, an RTÉ Radio producer, watched the New York City Marathon while on holiday in 1979 and came home wanting a similar event for Dublin. The race he pushed for has run 44 times since 1980.

The 1980 Debut

Hogan found an ally in Noel Carroll, a former Olympian and one of the leading figures in Irish athletics. Carroll led a group that took the idea to the Business Houses Athletic Association and Dublin Corporation, and the BHAA agreed to organize it with RTÉ Radio 2 as sponsor.

The first Dublin Marathon ran on Monday, October 27, 1980, the October bank holiday. It started and finished at St. Stephen's Green, with a route through the city center, Phoenix Park, Finglas, Raheny, Clontarf, Ballsbridge and Donnybrook.

About 2,100 runners started and 1,420 finished.

Hooper and May

Dick Hooper of Raheny Shamrocks won the men's race in 2:16:14. Neil Cusack of Limerick Athletic Club finished second.

Carey May of Dublin City Harriers won the women's race in 2:42:11.

Hooper returned to win in 1985 and 1986. He remains the only runner to win the race three times.

Irish Winners in the 1980s

Cusack won in 1981 in 2:13:59. Jerry Kiernan won in 1982 in 2:13:45, a course record that stood for more than 20 years.

Mary Purcell won the women's race in 1983 and Ailish Smyth in 1984. John Griffin won the men's race in 1988 and 1989.

Moira O'Neill won in 1988 in 2:37:06, the first women's time under 2:40 in the race's history.

Growth and Change

The field grew quickly once the race was established. About 4,000 ran in 1987, and 8,700 in 1988.

That 1988 figure stood as the participation record until 2000, when 8,900 took part. By 2007 the field had reached 11,000.

John Bolger won the men's race in 1990, Tommy Hughes in 1991 and Kiernan again in 1992. John Treacy, the 1984 Olympic marathon silver medalist, won in 1993.

Christine Kennedy won the women's race in 1990 and 1991. Teresa Duffy won in 1998.

O'Sullivan in 2000

Sonia O'Sullivan won the women's race in 2000. She had won Olympic silver in the 5,000 meters in Sydney weeks earlier.

Ruth Kutol won in 2003 in 2:27:22, the first women's time under 2:30 in Dublin.

Since 2001, the marathon has been the final race of the Dublin Race Series. The series includes a 5-mile race, the Fingal 10K, the Frank Duffy 10 Mile and the Dublin Half Marathon.

The 2010s

Tatyana Aryasova won in 2010 in 2:26:13, a women's course record that lasted 14 years. Moses Kangogo Kibet of Kenya won the men's race the same year in 2:08:58.

Geoffrey Ndungu of Kenya won in 2011 in 2:08:33 and again in 2012 in 2:11:09. Helalia Johannes of Namibia won the women's race in 2011 and 2016.

Irish runners won both races in 2013. Sean Hehir won in 2:18:19 and Maria McCambridge in 2:38:51.

Nataliya Lehonkova of Ukraine won in 2015 and 2017. Othmane El Goumri of Morocco won in 2019 in 2:08:06, a men's course record at the time.

From Monday to Sunday

Until 2015, the race ran on the October bank holiday Monday. In October 2015, the organizers announced a move to the last Sunday in October to attract more runners from abroad.

The change took effect in 2016, when 19,500 runners completed the race. By 2019, registration had reached a record 22,500, with more than 5,000 entrants from outside Ireland.

The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Entries carried over to the following year.

Records Since the Return

Taoufik Allam of Morocco won in 2022 in 2:11:30, and Nigist Muluneh of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:28:32.

Kemal Husen of Ethiopia won in 2023 in 2:06:52, which remains the men's course record. Asmirach Nega of Ethiopia won in 2024 in 2:24:13 and took the women's record from Aryasova.

In 2025, Daniel Mesfin of the United States won the men's race in 2:08:51. Eebbissee Addunyaa of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:26:28.

Dublin Today

Irish Life is the title sponsor. The overall winner receives the Noel Carroll Memorial Trophy, named for the founder who helped bring the race into being.

The 2026 race on Sunday, October 25, is the 45th edition. It also serves as the Irish National Marathon Championships.