A city-to-suburbs marathon with Phoenix Park early and more testing running around Milltown, Clonskeagh and Roebuck later. The late profile matters more than an easy-feeling start.
01 Know what you are taking on
What is the race like?
The course, section by section
Open a section for the terrain and a practical pacing cue.
The city-centre openingSt Stephen’s Green · St Patrick’s Cathedral · Christchurch
Downhill opening, then a climb and another descent.
How to approach it Let breathing settle before assessing pace. Do not spend the first few streets weaving or trying to turn the opening downhill into a time advantage you must defend later.
The park and CastleknockDublin Zoo · Chesterfield Avenue · Castleknock
Open park roads, a climb and a descent towards Chapelizod.
How to approach it Stay relaxed when the road opens. Treat the Castleknock climb as a reason to shorten the stride, then regain rhythm gradually instead of racing back downhill.
Neighbourhood rhythmKilmainham Gaol · Dolphin’s Barn · Crumlin Road · Terenure
Undulating roads give way to more manageable stretches.
How to approach it Use this section to check food, drinking and effort. A comfortable patch is a good time to execute the plan, rather than a signal that your original target was too cautious.
The late climbingMilltown Road · Clonskeagh Road · Roebuck Road
The substantial late climb includes the well-known Roebuck challenge.
How to approach it Accept slower uphill splits. Keep arms compact and avoid leaning from the waist. Your aim is to arrive over the crest able to run, not to preserve a flat-road number at any cost.
The run homeNutley Lane · Merrion Road · RDS · Pepper Canister Church
Descending sections and the final city approach.
How to approach it Rebuild pace after the hills in stages. Keep following the official line and run to the actual finish; cheering spectators do not always mean the last turn has arrived.
Official maps & course details
- Start and finish
- Leeson Street Lower to Mount Street Upper, near Pepper Canister Church.
- Early route
- St Stephen’s Green, the Liberties and Christchurch lead across the Liffey into Phoenix Park.
- Middle route
- Castleknock and Chapelizod precede Inchicore, Crumlin and Terenure.
- Late climbing
- Milltown is followed by a roughly 3 km climb along Clonskeagh and Roebuck Roads.
- Run home
- Fosters Avenue, Stillorgan Road and Nutley Lane lead to Merrion Road and Mount Street.
Use the official map for the full route. The route overview helps you prepare; use the official map or GPX for full navigation details.
02 Choose your approach
Find your race strategy.
Choose your goal. These are our pacing suggestions, based on the published course, rather than organiser instructions.
My first finish
Keep the opening through the city and Phoenix Park comfortable.
Follow your fuel routine through the longer suburban miles.
Take the late rises by effort, then reset for the remaining roads towards the finish.
A PB or time goal
Avoid banking time in the early park running.
Allow the late hills to change pace without chasing the lost seconds immediately.
Reassess after the rises and make the final increase only if you can hold it.
If the weather or your pace changes
Decide your clothing from the race forecast and your actual wave, not Dublin’s general autumn reputation. A damp or windy park section may feel different from a sheltered street; hold effort rather than chasing pace into the wind. On wet turns, shorten the step and keep changes of direction gradual. Do not add unfamiliar layers, food or fluid volumes because of a last-minute forecast. If conditions are substantially harder than your training experience, revise the time target before the opening downhill makes overconfidence easy.
03 Know what is on the course
Drinks, fuel & toilets.
- Drinks
- Lucozade Sport at miles 9.5, 13, 19 and 22; water uses bottles or cups by station.
- Gels
- High5 gels at miles 16 and 22.
- Hydration vests
- Allowed, subject to inspection at start access.
2026 station information
- Water format
- 250 ml water bottles at stations 1, 3 and 7; cups at stations 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. Use the course map to locate those numbered stations.
- Gel stations
- HIGH5 energy gels at miles 16 and 22. Carry the fuel you need before and between these points.
Toilet locations: a confirmed location list is not available here. Check the official course or runner map before race day; a drinks table does not automatically mean there is a toilet beside it.
Turn the station list into your plan
Mark the stops you expect to use and the fuel you will carry. If you use a gel that needs water, pair it with a published water point. Practise the products and cup or bottle format before race day; you do not have to try every item offered.
04 Before the start
Your race morning.
Times are local to the event. Work back from your own wave, allowing for the walk, toilets and bag drop.
Race number
Bib collection
RDS Simmonscourt, 23–24 October; bring your emailed e-ticket. Saturday collection ends at 18:00.
Collection identity
Collect your number in person with photo ID.
Before your wave
Baggage
Merrion Square North; only the clear bag issued at the expo is accepted.
The start
Start waves
Wheelchairs 08:40; runners 08:45, 09:05, 09:25 and 09:45.
Start & finish access
- Course support
- Seven hours from the last starter; later participants move to the footpath.
Pacers & course cut-offs
- Pacers
- Balloon-carrying pacers support each wave; tail walkers support later finishers.
Kit rules & accessibility
- Wave changes
- You may move to a slower wave, but cannot move forward.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchairs and assisted chairs require organiser approval; handbikes are excluded.
- Course access
- Prams, pets, unofficial vehicles and accompanying non-participants are excluded.
- Sensory support
- Accessibility officers assist at baggage areas; Phoenix Park includes a sensory-friendly zone.
Your allocated wave, event emails and final runner instructions take priority. Read the guide for your distance before travelling.
05 Make the day work together
Supporters & getting around.
Plan your support
For a later cheer, the 2026 organiser guide lists Milltown opposite the Dropping Well Pub around mile 19 and Roebuck Road around mile 21.5. Choose one as your main base, then plan a closure-aware journey to a reunion beyond the finish exit.
The places below are viewing ideas from the linked route or spectator guide. Use your edition’s access map for barriers, permitted crossings and any crew restrictions.
Milltown, opposite the Dropping Well Pub
A published 2026 supporter zone around mile 19, before the later Clonskeagh and Roebuck climbing.
Roebuck Road
A published 2026 supporter zone around mile 21.5, where a cheer can help before the final city approach.
2026
Official spectator or route informationMake the cheer easy to find
Agree a named point, the side of the road and your likely arrival window. Share your bib number for official tracking. Pick a separate reunion beyond the finish exit and a backup if the phone signal is poor.
Getting there and getting home
- Clock change
- Clocks go back one hour at 02:00 on race morning.
06 Before you book
Entry, fees & time limits.
2026 entries are sold out; the official transfer and refund windows have closed.
Check official entry optionsTransfers, refunds & deferrals
- Entry changes
- The transfer window ended 23 September; standard deferral is excluded, with a pregnancy/postpartum exception.
This guide covers the 25 October 2026 edition.
See the entry details for the 2027 Dublin Marathon ↗07 Make your training relevant
Practise for this course.
One thing to rehearse
Practise a rolling long run with a climb later on, plus steady running afterwards. Rehearse the drinks and fuel you intend to use.
08 Put your plan together
Useful before race day.
Plan your pre-run fuel
Explore meals and snacks around the time you have before running.
Explore the fuel plannerMake race fuel feel familiar
Understand how to practise taking carbohydrate during longer runs.
Read the guideArrive ready, not worn out
Understand what changes in the final weeks before a marathon.
Read the guideA plan that fits your life.
Running, strength or both, with feedback and adjustments as your training develops.
Official race information
Use the organiser’s information for current entry terms, the published route and your final runner instructions. Course resources show their edition where it is known. Pacing and training suggestions are The Runner’s Journal’s guidance and should fit your experience, health and conditions.