SSE Airtricity, Ireland’s largest provider of wind power, has officially launched the 2015 Dublin Marathon and Race Series at the Mansion House, Dublin, where the Race Director Jim Aughney also shared details of the route this year.
Over 19,000 people took part in the SSE Airtricity Dublin Race Series last year, and over 14,600 runners, joggers and walkers entered the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon.
The 2015 marathon route will follow the same course as the previous marathon in 2014 where changes had to be made due to the Luas works in Dublin City Centre. The route will start on Fitzwilliam Square and end at Merrion Square as per recent years, but it will run along St. Stephens Green towards Meath Street, Lord Edward Street and Parliament Street, taking in City Hall and Dublin Castle – two well-known Dublin landmarks – before entering the quays and moving towards the Phoenix Park. Last year’s race finish from Mount Street Lower towards Merrion Square proved a success with the runners and spectators so it remains the same for 2015.
Last year, Kenyan Eluid Too was a surprise winner of the overall title with a time of 2:14:47 while defending champion Maria McCambridge lost out by four seconds to Esther Wanjiru Macharia of Kenya who crossed the line in a great time of 2:34:15.
“As the leading marathon in Ireland, we are continuing to improve the standard of marathon running in this country while also increasing participation rates. This year, the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon is one of two major events announced as part of the new initiative to attract members of the diaspora to participate, with numerous networking events being organised in the lead up to our races”, said Jim Aughney. “Additionally, we are also delighted to welcome Asics on board for the next two years. It is a great boost for the event and we are grateful for their support.”
The SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon was also announced as the winner of the Best International Event at the Running Awards in London last month where they were up against tough competition from the Boston Marathon and the TCS New York City Marathon.
“This is a fantastic achievement for the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon but one thing that definitely helped us to win this year is the amount of people that continue to come out to support us on the day. They really do help to make our marathon what it is today”, said Jim Aughney.
Speaking at today’s launch, Yvonne Burke, Head of Domestic Energy at SSE Airtricity commented: “After two extremely successful years, full of records, excitement and awards, we’re thrilled to be back as sponsor for our third annual SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon. With almost 35,000 participants competing in last year’s Marathon and Race Series, it’s clear that there is a real passion for running nationwide and at SSE Airtricty we’re proud to be making a difference in this great sporting movement.”
The 36th running of the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon takes places in Dublin on Monday 26th October 2015 while the first event in the SSE Airtricity Dublin Race Series, the Irish Runner 5 Mile, is on Saturday 27th June. For the Race Series events, the route will stay the same as last year with the addition of a bike park at all of the races.
For more information or to register for any of the events, visit the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon website at www.
SSE Airtricity Dublin Races Series events:
Sat 27th June – Irish Runner 5 Mile, Phoenix Park
Sun 19th July – Fingal 10km, Swords
Sat 22nd Aug – Frank Duffy 10 mile, Phoenix Park
Sat 19th Sep – Half Marathon, Phoenix Park
SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon
Mon 26th Oct – SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon, Fitzwilliam Square start line