Record numbers for 36th SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon
SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon is delighted to announce thatdue to popular demand they will be moving their 2016 Marathon to Sunday 30th October ahead of the Bank Holiday Monday.
Jim Aughney, SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon Race Director said: “We are also delighted to announce that for the first time in the history of the Dublin Marathon, we have decided to move the event in 2016 to the Sunday before the October Bank Holiday Monday in order to continue to attract international runners to Dublin. This year, we have over 2,000 participants coming from the UK and Northern Ireland but we would like to see this figure double for the Marathon in 2016. By moving the race to Sunday, we are hoping to encourage runners to spend the full weekend in Dublin which will allow them to enjoy other activities and sights that the city has to offer before they return home after the race. Registration for the 2016 event will open in early November with information available via our website.”
This year a record number of 15,216 participants (almost 4,500 people representing 62 different nationalities and 10,800 Irish) will take to the starting line on Monday 26th October for the 36th SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon.
In addition to this, a record number of club athletes will also be taking part with a total of 3,853 registered. Among the clubs with huge entries are Clonliffe Harriers with 42 runners, Clonmel with 52, Crusaders with 61 and the Marathon Club Ireland with 94 entries.
Among those runners, joggers and walkers will be elite runners challenging for the overall or national titles, wheelchair athletes, people aiming to improve on personal bests and first time participants just hoping to make it around the course; but all sharing one common goal, to be part of the Dublin Marathon 26.2 club.
Reigning champion Esther Macharia from Kenya is back defending her title this year with Grace Momany of Kenya and Abebech Bekele of Ethiopia expected to be the main contenders for the first woman home overall. With Maria McCambridge not competing this year, the Women’s AAI National Championship looks set to be contested between Offaly’s Pauline Curley, International mountain runner Sarah Mulligan and Michelle McGee who recently won the Longford Half Marathon in 1:18:29.
The 2014 winner Eliud Too of Kenya is also back competing this year and is aiming to retain his title and beat his time of 2:14:47. Daniel Tanui and Peter Somba also from Kenya are the most likely to cause him trouble on the course along with Sean Hehir who is aiming to pick up an Olympic qualifying time after missing out at the Berlin Marathon earlier this year. Gary O’Hanlon, Barry Minnock and Eoin O’Callaghan will also be challenging Sean Hehir for the Men’s AAI National Championship title which was won by Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harrier AC) last year.
There is also expected to be one of the closest wheelchair races the marathon has ever seen, with last year’s champion Patrick Monahan set to have a tight race against Richie Powell. They are expected to complete the race in just over 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Race Director Aughney said “We are thrilled to welcome back our reigning champions this year for what will be another exciting race. Our elite field is very important in terms of how Dublin is positioned against other leading European and World Marathons and our ability to do this is all due to the support from our sponsors SSE Airtricity. The Dublin Race Series has been extremely successful this year with over 23,000 participants taking part in the four events and the support has been incredible throughout. We hope that our famous supporters will be out again lining the streets of Dublin and encouraging our runners across the 26.2 mile course.”
Ronan Brady, Head of Marketing and Digital at SSE Airtricity, said “We’re really proud to play our part in making a difference for running in Ireland through our continued sponsorship of the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon and Race Series. With a record number of over 15,000 participating in this year’s Marathon, and almost 40,000 taking part across the Marathon and Race Series this year, it’s clear there is a real passion for running nationwide.
“We’re particularly pleased this year to have been able to support the members of our SSE Airtricity Team Dublin Marathon. These eight inspirational men and women have helped lead and encourage runners across the nation to conquer 26.2 miles this October with their own personal stories of training achievement which they have shared with followers across a range of media platforms every week. We are looking forward to cheering on each team member and all of this year’s 15,216 runners as they take on the 2015 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon.”
This year the marathon route will be similar to 2014 with one or two changes. The route will start on Fitzwilliam Square as normal, but it will run along Patrick Street and down to the quays where it will take in Blackhall place and Aughrim Street before entering the Phoenix Park. After leaving the park, the runners will enter Fingal, the first time the race will pass through all the councils in Dublin. The remainder of the course is similar to other years but will finish from the other direction, coming straight in from Merrion Road onto Northumberland Road and up Mount Street to the finish line.
Of course, the Marathon is not just about the elite field. The majority of the 15,216 participants taking part this year will be running for a myriad of personal reasons, from personal bests and personal feats to supporting charities and in memory of or to honour people who meant a lot to them.
One of the 15,216 runners is Kieran McCarthy, who will be taking on an incredible challenge on behalf of two charities – TLC4CF and Clare Crusaders – both of which provide much needed support to his daughter Aoibheann aged 7 who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis a few years ago. Kieran will begin his challenge on the 25th October when he cycles from Dublin to Shannon before returning home and taking part in a 10km swim in his local swimming pool. His journey doesn’t end there. Kieran will then cycle back up to Dublin on Sunday night where he will line up at the start line with the 15,216 participants to compete in the 26.2 mile race.
Kieran’s wife, Sinead said “Aoibheann inspires us every day because she gets on with everything and doesn’t let anything faze her. Kieran knows that he can’t take the disease away but by doing this challenge he wants to show her that nothing is insurmountable and you just have to keep fighting.”
Friends and families of runners will also be able to monitor their progress this year via the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon live tracker – which can be accessed via the website or Facebook page.
The 2015 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon gets underway from Fitzwilliam Street Upper at 8.55am (Wheelchair) and 9am (main field) on Monday 26th October and 26.2 miles later, the runners will eventually see the welcome sight of the finish line in Merrion Square North.
For full course details and information on road closures check out
www.sseairtricitydublinmarathon.ie or www.facebook.com/dublinmarathon
2015 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon in Numbers