← All eventsIrish Life Dublin Marathon
42.195km road marathon through the Irish capital, Leeson Street start to Mount Street Upper finish, past Trinity College, Dublin Castle and Phoenix Park. ~160m, relatively flat with real second-half inclines. Cool, often wet-and-windy late-October weather. 7hr cutoff. Date approximate (October bank-holiday weekend).
One of the friendliest big-city marathons going. 42.195km on closed roads through Dublin, from a Leeson Street start past Trinity College and Phoenix Park to the finish on Mount Street Upper.
It is honest and runnable at around 160m of climbing, closer to flat than hilly. But the flat opening is a trap. Real inclines arrive in the second half, on tired legs.
A generous 7-hour cutoff and superb crowd support make it a realistic first marathon. The catch is Irish October: cool, often wet and windy, so kit and pacing matter as much as fitness.
Is Irish Life Dublin Marathon for you?
- First-time marathoners. A generous 7-hour cutoff and huge crowd support make 42km feel achievable, and walking the aid stations here is smart strategy, not failure.
- Runners who pace with discipline. The flat opening tempts you to bank time early, but the second-half rises punish anyone who spent it.
- Athletes who prepare for conditions. Late October in Dublin is cool, wet and windy, so it rewards runners who dial in kit and a stay-warm start-line plan.
- Runners built on consistent easy miles. Dublin is an aerobic test first, so months of steady volume count for more than any single fast session.
Training plan for Irish Life Dublin Marathon
A training plan for Irish Life Dublin Marathon isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- 42.195km on closed city roads, a scenic but honest tour of the capital
- A flat opening that hides real inclines through the second half, biting on tired legs
- Cool, often wet and windy Irish October weather to dress and stay warm for
- Three-plus hours of fuelling at 60-90g of carbs an hour, the top cause of DNFs if neglected
- Marathon-pace long runs: 28-35km with 15-20km at goal pace on undulating routes
- Long tempo: 40-60 minutes continuous at marathon pace
- Threshold intervals: 3-4 x 3km at threshold pace with 90 seconds recovery
- A full dress rehearsal, 28-30km at race pace with your exact race-day fuel and kit
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
