FAQs
FAQs
Event Details
The race will take place on Sunday 3rd May 2026.
The race will start at 8:30 am.
The entry fee is €75, plus platform and payment transaction fees.
When entering the ballot, a €4 ballot fee is charged. If you are successful, the €4 ballot fee will be deducted from the total entry fee, leaving a remaining balance of €71, plus platform and payment transaction fees, to confirm your place.
If you are not a member of Athletics Ireland, a €2 one-day license fee will also apply.
The 13.1-mile race will start in the heart of Dublin City on O’Connell Street.
The 13.1-mile race will start in the heart of Dublin City on O’Connell Street. The course will take runners out of the north of the city and will finish back in the city centre. The exact route map will be published closer to race day.
It will be open for 3 hours and 30 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Yes, the race is open to walkers.
No, walkers must start in allocated waves.
Yes, this service is included in the overall entry fee.
There is €13,500 available for the top five finishers in both Womens and Mens categories. Additionally, prize funds are available for wheelchair, Visually Impaired, Non Binary and Master categories.
Course Information
The course will be marked in KM
Yes, we’ll have pacers running on the day. They will run at a steady effort throughout and aim to finish a few seconds under each time band. To be paced by them during the race, just turn up at the start, look for the runners wearing large balloons, and stand behind the corresponding time. Pacers will be allocated to each wave.
Yes, we’ll have tail walkers to support our 3.30-hour participants.
On the back of your race/bib number please put any important medical information and a contact number in case of emergencies.
There will be cups available at the hydration stations, as part of our overall effort to reduce plastic usage.
There will be cups available at the hydration stations, as part of our overall effort to reduce plastic usage.
You are permitted to wear a hydration pack.
Registration & Entry
Yes, of course; please contact office@dublinmarathon.ie
Yes, you can select one at registration here.
There is no qualification time required to run.
General Entries for the 2026 race were allocated through a public ballot, which has now closed. Due to very high demand, all places for the 2026 race have now been filled.
Following the inaugural event in 2025, organisers moved to a ballot entry system after feedback from runners that the previous first-come, first-served registration process was not the fairest way to allocate places. The ballot gives all interested runners an equal opportunity to apply for a place, regardless of when they attempt to register.
The ballot was open for seven days on the Eventmaster website, after which applicants were selected at random using a digital draw and notified of their outcome by email.
Charity Places: There are still places available through our charity partner realbuzz, which you can apply for.
Transfer Places: There will be a transfer window from transfer window from Thursday 2nd April to Wednesday 8th April. Entrants who opt for this will be charged €10 to cover the administration of the refund.
There is no refund option for the Dublin City Half Marathon.
The transfer window for the 2026 Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon is now closed. Please note that selling or attempting to swap race numbers outside of the transfer window will result in the number being cancelled. Any participant found to have sold, transferred, or otherwise misused their race number will be disqualified, along with the transferee, from this and all future competitions organised by Marathon Event Management DAC (MEM DAC). These competitions currently include the Dublin Marathon, the Dublin Race Series (Fingal 10km, Frank Duffy 10 Mile, and the Dublin Half Marathon), as well as the newly introduced Dublin City Half Marathon. See more information on transfers at our transfer page here.
No, there is no option to defer until the following year. We will offer a pregnancy deferral; the race entrant must submit a pregnancy deferral request no later than 14 days before race day to office@dublinmarathon.ie.
You must be fit and well to run a half marathon. Severe exertion during or soon after any fever is extremely dangerous. If you find yourself in this situation you must withdraw – even if this is the first time you are running the event.
Wave & start Information
You will be assigned a wave start based on your previous or estimated time.
Participants were contacted by email after April 13th with their wave allocation details. All runners will have been allocated either Wave 1 (Orange), Wave 2 (Green), or Wave 3 (Blue).
No, you cannot move up a wave. You can move down a wave.
Yes, you can move down a wave.
Other Questions
Yes via our Race App
Yes, but your race number must also be visible.
Yes, Finisherpix will cover the event. You can either purchase your photo package in advance or search their website for your pictures 48-72 hours after the event with your name or bib number.
iTab is an insert for the back of your medal that can be ordered during registration. It is a metal insert for the back of your finishers medal, which will be engraved with your finishing time and posted to you a few weeks after the event.
No, we don’t. However, we will be able to accept wheelchairs, subject to approval from our team