Eoin O’Callaghan claims top spot out of 8,570 participants at the SSE Airtricity Dublin Half Marathon

Eoin O’Callaghan took the honours in this year’s SSE Airtricity Dublin Half Marathon in an incredible time of 01:08:21. David Mansfield finished the race in second place in a time of 01:09:54 and he was followed closely by Barry Minnock in a time of 01:10:08. Over 8,570 runners, joggers and walkers took part in the event with nearly all of the participants being welcomed across the finish line by perfect conditions.

Speaking after the race Eoin O’Callaghan said “I’m absolutely delighted with the win today. I woke up this morning and I wasn’t feeling the best so I decided to take the first half of the race a lot slower and then I picked up the pace then at the half way mark which definitely paid off in the end. The Dublin Race Series has been fantastic this year and has been great preparation for the 26.2 miles for both a beginner and an experienced runner. It’ll be a tough four weeks of training ahead but I’m really looking forward to the full marathon in October.”

In the women’s race, Karen Alexander crossed the finish line first with a time of 01:22:44. She was followed by Aíne O’Reilly (01:23:00) in second place and Tara Kennedy Monks in third (01:25:36)

Winner of the women’s race, Karen Alexander said, “I’m surprised at how well today went for me. I came with the intention of finishing in the top five but to be honest it was a last minute decision to enter this race as I only signed up last week. I think I definitely set off too fast but after the 5km mark I pulled it back and took things a little easier so I felt good at the end. I’ve been battling a hamstring injury for the last twelve month so I have not been able to compete in some of the races throughout the summer months but I’m over the moon with the win today.”

In the wheelchair race, Patrick Monahan was also first over the finish line in an incredible time of 00:53:56.

Team Dublin Marathon which consists of five men and five women also took part in the event in preparation for the 26.2 miles later this year. Between now and race day in October each team member will be following their own individualised training programmes and weekly training schedules from two of the best marathon runners in the country, Gary Crossan and Maria McCambridge.

The Half Marathon is always an important fixture in the Dublin calendar as it marks the end to the SSE Airtricity Race Series and brings us close to the main event, the 2015 Dublin Marathon on the 26^th October. This year’s Race Series has been very successful with some new course records and an increase in the number of participants at the four events.

The next event in the Dublin calendar will be the 2015 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon which will take place on the 26th October, with the closing date for applications being the 1st October. Organisers are reminding interested runners to sign up early to avoid disappointment.

For more information or to register for any of the events, visit the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon website at www.sseairtricitydublinmarathon.ie and stay in touch on Facebook/DublinMarathon or @dublinmarathon

SSE Airtricity Dublin Half Marathon Results:

Men’s Top 3

Eoin O’Callaghan 01:08:21

David Mansfield 01:09:54

Barry Minnock 01:10:08

Women’s Top 3

Karen Alexander 01:22:44

Aine O’Reilly 01:23:00

Tara Kennedy Monks 1:25:36