Irish Life Dublin Marathon 2027

Sunday, 24 October 2027 · Dublin, Ireland

In the RunningChecked 27 October 2026Read the sources

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Collecting your number 2026 details

The expo is at the RDS Simmonscourt on Friday 23 October from 12:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday 24 October from 9:00 to 18:00, according to the expo page. One answer in the FAQ gives Saturday as 11:00 to 18:00, so check your e-ticket email if you plan an early Saturday visit. The expo is free.

You must show your e-ticket at the expo to get your number, and have a form of identification ready (a passport, driving licence or social welfare card). The organiser asks you to collect your own number. The pack holds your kit bag, number, baggage tag, chip and pins. The cut-off for collection is 18:00 on Saturday, and the organiser lists no race-day collection.

Parking is available at the expo for €10, though the organiser encourages public transport. The FAQ says the RDS is served by Dublin Bus and the DART.

Getting to Dublin 2026 details

From Dublin Airport, Aircoach routes 700 and 700X run to the city centre, from outside Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Aircoach says the trip takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, and coaches leave up to every 15 minutes, day and night. Stops include Kildare Street and Leeson Street Lower, by the start. Tickets begin at 6 euros one way when booked online.

The expo is at the RDS Simmonscourt, which the organiser's FAQ says is served by Dublin Bus and the DART. Parking there costs €10. The wave entry points are Merrion Square East and Fitzwilliam Street Lower for the orange and green waves, and Mount Street Lower, Herbert Street or Herbert Place and Baggot Street for the blue and purple waves. The organiser asks you to arrive in your wave between 8:00 and 8:30.

Transport for Ireland's 2026 notice says the marathon starts on Sunday 25 October, with road diversions from 3:00 to 21:00. Luas Red Line trains do not run between Heuston and Connolly from about 8:45 to 10:45, and the Green Line runs as normal. Dublin Bus diverts routes from Friday 23 October until 18:00 on Monday 26 October. Dublinbikes closes five stations near Merrion Square from 14:00 on Friday to 10:00 on Monday. Transport for Ireland says to allow extra time and use its trip planner. The organiser's own travel page still shows the 2025 DART and commuter train changes, so do not rely on it for 2026. The organiser has not published the 2026 train changes there. We'll add them here when they do.

Where to stay in Dublin

The start on Leeson Street Lower and the finish on Mount Street Upper are both in central Dublin. A room in the city shortens the trip to your wave before the 8:00 to 8:30 arrival time. If you stay further out, work out your trip in advance. The organiser says nothing about transport on race morning, so check the final instructions.

Race morning 2026 details

The race starts on Leeson Street Lower, with the wheelchair start at 8:40. The waves start at 8:45, 9:05, 9:25 and 9:45, but the organiser says start times are subject to change. Your wave is based on the estimated time you gave at entry, and the organiser emailed the allocations on 2 October. Your number is coloured for your wave. You can drop down a wave without telling the organiser, but you cannot move up one.

Arrive at your wave between 8:00 and 8:30. The organiser's entry points are these.

- Orange and green waves enter via Merrion Square East and Fitzwilliam Street Lower. - The blue wave enters via Mount Street Lower, Herbert Street and Baggot Street. - The purple wave enters via Mount Street Lower, Herbert Place and Baggot Street.

Fancy dress is allowed and is searched at the main entry points. Hydration packs are allowed but are subject to a detailed search at the start zone. Only the clear plastic bag from registration is allowed into the baggage area.

Sports Direct pacers carry large balloons and stand behind the matching time. Wave 1 has 3:00, 3:10 and 3:20. Wave 2 has 3:30, 3:40 and 3:50. Wave 3 has 4:00, 4:10 and 4:20. Wave 4 has 4:30, 4:40, 4:50 and 5:00.

The course 2026 details

The course starts downhill from Leeson Street through St Stephen's Green, then runs through the Liberties past St Patrick's Cathedral. The first incline is on Patrick Street towards Christchurch, followed by a downhill to the Liffey and the Northside. The first hydration station is around Aughrim Street.

Phoenix Park begins at 6 km, past Dublin Zoo and along Chesterfield Avenue. The route exits near Castleknock and re-enters at Knockmaroon Gate, then descends towards Chapelizod and Inchicore. After Kilmainham Gaol it reaches Dolphin's Barn and the Crumlin Road, which marks the halfway point.

The last 10 km have descents and climbs. There is an incline on Milltown Road and then a climb of about 3 km along Clonskeagh and Roebuck Roads. Around 35 km the organiser's "Irish Heartbreak Hill" is followed by a downhill. The route then follows Stillorgan Road, crosses a flyover and turns onto Nutley Lane at RTÉ at 38 km. It runs along Merrion Road past the RDS to the finish by the Pepper Canister Church. The organiser publishes a route profile and a 2026 course map but no total climb figure.

The course is open for seven hours from when the last person crosses the start line. After that, participants are asked to move to the footpath so the roads can reopen. The organiser's entry terms say official timing and scoring ends at 16:55. Tailwalkers support runners near the cut-off.

Some water stations have 250 ml bottles of Ishka water and others have cups. Lucozade Sport is served in cups. High5 gels are supplied at two stations, and the organiser asks you not to drop wrappers.

Weather in Dublin in October

These are the last five completed race days at Leeson Street Lower, at 8:00 and at 13:00. The 8:00 hour holds the wheelchair start at 8:40 and the first wave at 8:45. The race was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, so the five days run back to 2019. They are model estimates for the start area, not readings from a weather station.

The 2022 morning was the windiest at 27 km/h at the start, and also the warmest at 12.6 °C. The 2019 morning was the coldest at 3.6 °C.

Afterwards 2026 details

The finish is on Mount Street Upper. Friends and family cannot enter the course or cross the line with you, so agree a meeting point outside the finish before the race.

The organiser's live tracker is on its official app. Photos from Finisherpix can be searched by name or number 48 to 72 hours after the race. If you ordered an iTab for your medal, it is engraved with your time and posted to you a few weeks later.

Other race weekends

Close by, and with guides of their own, are TCS London Marathon and Manchester Marathon.

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Sources

Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 27 October 2026.

If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.