§staticmap(1481,5,450,250)Hello, on October 31 2011, you’ll be organizing the National Lottery Dublin Marathon. Can you tell us where it is located?
The marathon starts and finishes in beautiful Georgian Dublin city Centre. The start is Filtzwilliam Square and the finish is in Merrion square.
How old is the race and why was it created in the first place?
This is the 32nd running of the event. It was started back on 1980 when people from Dublin city council and a new local radio station were in New York and saw the New York marathon. They though it would be a great idea to try bring an event like that to Dublin.
The course is largely flat and is a single lap. Coming out of the Phoenix Park at 8 miles there is a slight climb and again at about 19.5 miles but the run in after 20 miles is very good.
The event produces a faster second half that the first so it is a very good route for first time marathon runners.
How many runners do you expect on Monday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
We expect an entry of over 13,500 and have a very good elite field this year. We hope to break the two course records held by Moses Kangogo Kibet (Kenya) in 2:08:58
And the ladies record held by Tatiana Aryasova (Russia) in 2:26:13.
We have a breakfast run on the Sunday morning free to international competitors. It is just a 4K fun event.
We organise a race series in the run up to Dublin, a 5 Mile in July, a 10 mile in August and a half marathon in September.
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
Conditions for marathon running are ideal. The Irish climate is influenced by the prevailing light south westerly winds of the Gulf Stream. The average temperatures for October are around 12° - 14° C (53° – 57° F).
Have you planned festivities around the marathon?
Not really this year.
Temple Bar area of Dublin is a very good and lively place to be post the event with many fine restaurants and live music to dance the aces and pains away.
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the National Lottery Dublin Marathon?
Dublin has become known as the friendly marathon and every finisher will receive a beautifully engraved marathon medal and a special commemorative t-shirt. Race certificates detailing chip and finish times will be available from our website.
At the National Lottery Dublin Marathon we pride ourselves on the quality of our Finisher’s Medal.
Interview with Jim Aughney, Race Director for the National Lottery Dublin Marathon.