Going The Distance
The Irish Life Dublin Marathon has a changed route this year to cause less disruption to public transport, but the event still brings an economic boost to the capital
The start and finish location of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon is to remain in the city centre on Sunday, October 27, 2024. That’s unwelcome news for bus users in the capital on the day, and the National Transport Authority had weighed in about the annual disruption. However, the economic benefit of thousands of visitors to Dublin in the offseason has prevailed.
In particular, the NTA had requested a move away from Merrion Square North, where the race had started in previous years and a reduced period during which the area would be closed to facilitate the construction of temporary facilities.
Once both of those areas of concern had been addressed, there was less talk of moving race centre to Phoenix Park. The route has been changed slightly, starting now on Leeson Street Lower and finishing on Mount Street Upper. There will be other small tweaks to ensure the classic distance of 26 miles, 385 yards is retained.
The Dublin event, first staged in 1980, is Europe’s fifth-largest city marathon. Marathons in London, Paris and Berlin attract twice as many runners but Dublin is highly regarded around the world. For marathon runners, location is a major factor in deciding to participate, according to Nike research. Convenience is important too, and this was a consideration when a few years ago the race moved from the October bank holiday Monday to Sunday, as Monday is a regular working day in most of the world.
The race attracts thousands of runners from overseas, so the tourism benefits of the race are significant.
Endurance events, marathon races, triathlons and similar events are a major driver of sports tourism and the participants tend to be joined by family members and friends to boost the value to host cities still further. Events like the All-Ireland finals, Guinness Six Nations, and one-offs like the Europa League Final also fuel movement and visitor spend but on a less per capita level than the events that draw people who are likely to stay for a longer period and travel in numbers.
That first Dublin Marathon had an entry of 2,100. The entry for the 2023 race was 22,500, down from 25,000 the previous year, and 16,540 runners made the start line, paying the €110 entry fee to participate. The gap between those who registered and those who run is being addressed this year through a later transfer window for those who might be injured or whose travel plans have changed. There is always a waitlist to get in, so the shortfall last year caused frustration among those who wanted to run but could not because the places had been blocked.
Dublin’s marathon has been attractive as a vehicle for sponsorship, with Adidas and Lifestyle Sports giving way to more broad-based consumer brands in recent years, from Golden Pages to SSE Airtricity, KBC Bank and now Irish Life.
The look and feel that the sponsors bring is an important part of the marathon and the sponsor’s lilac colour can still be seen on the thousands of t-shirts that runners wear when they are pounding the streets in preparation for other races or going again in Dublin. Last year’s sponsorship by Irish Life was the winner of the Best Sponsorship award at the European Sponsorship Awards.
There are estimated to be almost 1,000 marathon races run around the world each year, including perhaps a dozen in Ireland. If you fancy your chances, the global average time for completing the distance is a little over four and a half hours, and the absolute best of luck to you.