17,200 runners secure places in the 2026 Dublin Marathon ballot

In recent years, approximately 70% of entries to the Dublin Marathon were claimed by runners who had completed it in previous years. In a big change this year, they changed the ballot to give first timers a better chance of entering.

The results of the 2026 ballot were released this week. The key points are...

1) There were 47,000+ applications which far exceeds the available 22,500 places available.

2) 17,200 places were given out in the ballot which obviously means a lot of disappointed people.

3) The remaining 5000 or so entries will be allocated through charity, Good for Age, elites, sponsors, partners and community programmes.

4) Refund and transfer windows will release more places in 2026. The refund window will be open from Wednesday, July 1st, to Sunday, July 12th, 2026. The transfer window for the Irish Life Dublin Marathon will open on Wednesday, July 22nd, and close on Sunday, August 30th.

More info about Good for Age entries in this previous post.