Dublin Half Marathon 2026 | Dublin Marathon Race Series 2026

Introduction

I needed to get 32 km. In the last few weeks of August into early September I like every other parent in Ireland had caught the early winter vomiting bug, the common cold and possible some form of COVID-19 back to back. Marathons though especially the Dublin Marathon are unforgiving. I have in the past not reached 32km(+) during marathon training and marathon day becomes torture. Don’t get me wrong my body fooled me. I was fine up to a certain point 18 maybe 19 miles then I ran out of endurance and fuel and the final miles became a battle. Getting to 32 km in training in 2023 and 2024 extended my endurance a bit more. Those Dublin marathons were hard but my legs didn’t feel sapped and I hit a personal best in 2024. I had volunteered at last years Dublin Marathon (2025) and Dick Hooper had advised everyone that day to “Be Tough” . I remember thinking well I’d better train tough again for next year. For the race in this blog I had been under the weather needed but now wa the time to reach 32km on my long runs expand my aerobic capacity and my ability to suffer. I took off from my home in Artane at 7.30am and ran the 11km to Phoenix Park arriving with 15 minutes to the gun for the Dublin Half Marathon 2026. All I had to do was get time on my feet, gels spaced, mental game run in and if it didn’t work I had a month to fix it or carry the problem for a marathon.

Race

My race plan was simple get there with 15 minutes to the starting gun, stay at an easy pace, reach ~32km and finish the half Marathon Race without falling apart. I completed all…by which I mean I prepared for each of the below for the previous six months;

  • Endurance (I have been edging forward to this 32 km distance for months)

  • Gels spaced (Nutrition strategy researched and adapted to where my body is now not risne and repeat previous plan

  • Mental Game run in (memorise iphone note by heart)

This is not an exhaustive list. For example I left out strength and flexibility training which I do. As mentioned earlier marathons are unforgiving you have to find a way to implement a multi pronged strategy over months. The marathon is the easy part if the preparation is diligent.

Course

Dublin Marathon Race Series 2026 | Dublin Half Marathon 2026

Long run into Dublin half Marathon

Long run into Dublin half Marathon

Long Run into Dublin Half Marathon 2026

I don’t like Phoenix park races. I really think it’s me at this point. I’ve run all manner of course permutations over there and never come away with a feeling of exhilaration so strong I’m race scrolling on social media for the next Phoenix Park Race. This view is of course completely unfair to the Dublin organisers who ran superb event.

The double backs on Acres road and North road really stung me psychologically. There was something about seeing people so far ahead of me that bothered me. On reflection I put it down to I was tiring and getting crankye especially on North road when I was dying to finish.

The journey through Chapelizod made sense if you are running the Dublin Marathon in October you will see that again plus the hundreds lining the streets driving you on. I would keep that in future.

Conclusion

I had someone ask what do we do now with a month to go to Dublin. My answer was Wolfe Tone level motivation “Kitchen sink time”. Now is the time to throw everything at it. Don’t wait for the marathon to be forgiving, it won’t be, go and attack the thing that might be hard for you on race day. You have built a large powerful aerobic engine take out for a run and make sure it works. I ran 32 km including a half marathon it’s not the distance that will kill me on Dublin marathon day it will be the pace. That I can race with.

Andrew Burns