Start times, road closures, weather and more - all you need to know for Dublin Marathon 2024

The 43rd running of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon is all set for less than two days away, as thousands prepare to descend on the major running event in the Irish capital.

Runners, walkers, supporters, volunteers and even Colin Farrell have all been eagerly anticipating the major running event, as the 26.2 mile event will take place across Dublin city this Sunday, October 27th.

The route is set to follow the same 26.2-mile route as recent years, with two major changes: the start line, and the finish line.

Known as the ‘friendly marathon,’ the event is heralded as one of the best in Europe, given the incredible support from the thousands of volunteers who make the event possible and the spectators who line the streets of Dublin City in support.

Like every other year, all marathon journeys are about reaching your destination: the finish! Here’s everything else you need to know:

When/where does the Marathon start?

The Dublin Marathon start line has moved this year to Leeson Street Lower, where runners will begin shortly before entering on to St Stephen’s Green.

This event will have five start times, starting with the wheelchair participants at 8:40 am.

The following start times will be in allocated waves, which participants chose in the applications for the Marathon.

Wave 1 will begin at 8:45 am, followed by wave 2 at 9:05 am, wave 3 at 9:25 am and wave 4 at 9:45 am.

What is the race route?

The race route is pictured below - 

The only major changes to the course are the start and finish locations, which will start on Leeson Street Lower and finish on Mount Street Upper.

Will there be an area to store my baggage?

There are four Baggage Areas located in Merrion Square North. Participants should allow enough time to walk to the start zones - approximately 15 minutes for Green and Blue numbers, and 20 minutes for Purple numbers.

The Orange baggage area is open from 7.15am to 8am, the Green area from 7.35am to 8.20am, the Blue area from 7.55am to 8.40am, and the Purple area from 8.05am to 9am.

For the start of the race, most of the toilets will be located in each of the wave zones. A smaller number will also be found in the Start/Finish area next to the Baggage Area.

On the course, toilets will be provided next to the feed stations at approximately 3, 5, 7, 91⁄2, 111⁄2, 13, 16, 19, 21 and 24 miles.

Will there be timed pacers for the event?

Dublin provides several different sets of pacers on the day, and if you’re confident and feeling safe in your target finish time, this is definitely a good idea.

The pacers run at a steady effort throughout, aiming to finish a few seconds under each time band. Pacers are allocated to each wave as follows: Wave 1- 3:00, 3:10, 3:20; Wave 2 – 3:30, 3:40, 3:50; Wave 3 – 4:00, 4:10, 4:20; Wave 4 – 4:30, 4:40, 4:50, 5:00.

What will the weather be like?

Many of the athletes competing in Dublin Marathon will hopefully avoid the rain, as Met Éireann have predicted that some outbreaks of rain may move over Dublin, but not until the afternoon and evening.

Temperatures on Sunday will range from 11 to 14 degrees, and there may be some moderate winds.

Where will road closures be taking place?

Some public transport will be affected during the course of the Marathon, and commuters are advised to check for disruptions on Sunday.

There will be a temporary partial closure on the Luas Red Line, with no services operating between Heuston Station and Connolly Station from 08.45am to 10.45am to facilitate the Dublin City Marathon. Red Line services will run between Tallaght / Saggart and Heuston only during this time.

There will be a number of diversions in place for Dublin Bus from Friday, October 25 until 6pm on Monday, October 28. Those diversions can be found HERE.

For motorists, a number of temporary road closures will be in effect for the race. the full list of roads affected can be found HERE.

Best of luck to everyone involved!

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