Preparations are in full swing for this years Irish Life Dublin Marathon which will take place on Sunday the 30th of October.
This year’s race will be the first time the race has been ran in person since 2019 as due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was forced to go virtual.
Race director Jim Aughney is looking forward to the race but believes it will be a “challenge” for the organisers as they struggle with rising costs and reduced personnel.
This year’s marathon faced a “very bleak” future according to Aughney before Irish Life came on board as new title sponsors.
“In the period before Irish Life came on board, we were very, very worried that we might not have a sponsor and that would have put a lot of things in jeopardy for the event. The event would have gone ahead but there were a lot of things that you wouldn’t be able to do that you would normally do with a good sponsor behind you,” he says.
Organisers are faced with rising costs with some quotes they have received increasing by up to 20% when compared to 2019.
“We have the entry fees from 2019 but the costs from 2022. As everybody knows the costs have risen considerably since 2019.”
It is expected than a new entry fee will be introduced in 2023.
This year’s marathon will see 25,000 hit the streets of Dublin compared to 22,500 in 2019. Some 35,000 applied to receive a place with thousands left disappointed. Aughney says after this years race the organisers will look to see if they can once again increase the field.
“We need to do the number crunching after this year and see if there is any scope and then sit down obviously with Dublin City Council and the Gardai and say these are the numbers, this is what it will look like. Can we go any higher? It’s too early to say that yet.”
Preparations are going well for the race with the organisers “looking forward” to the challenge ahead.
“We haven’t been out on the streets since 2019. I think the race series will help wake us up and get us back into race mode again… There’s been a great energy at all the meetings since January and especially since we could get back into holding physical meetings,” Aughney says.
Hopes are high that despite the number of difficulties the race faces it will be a big success.
Jim Aughney, Race Director was speaking at the launch of the Irish Life Marathon and Race Series, Runners’ Support Squad. This initiative will provide expert advice from coaching to psychology to help runners to harness the power of support to achieve their goals. Entry is open for the Irish Life Dublin Race Series; 5 Mile, Fingal 10km, Frank Duffy 10-Mile and Half Marathon at IrishLifeDublinMarathon.ie. The Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday 30th October is sold out.
