A highly competitive field of international and Irish elite athletes is set to line up this Sunday, 25th October, bringing world-class road racing to the capital for the 45th Irish Life Dublin Marathon. The line-up features recent marathon winners, seasoned championship performers, debut marathoners, and emerging talents, with a total prize pot of €120,000 on offer. Three men and two women in the international field hold personal bests faster than Dublin’s respective course records, setting the scene for competitive racing through the capital.
International Men
Sweden’s Ebba Tulu Chala arrives with one of the strongest recent marathon records in the field. His 2:08:48 in Seville in February was three seconds faster than last year’s Dublin winning time, and he followed that performance with his second Swedish national marathon title in Stockholm in May. The Ethiopian-born athlete holds a personal best of 2:07:38, set in 2025.
Ethiopia’s Abay Alemu Lesa brings both speed and proven winning ability. His 2:06:50 personal best, set in 2024, is two seconds inside Kemal Husen’s Dublin course record of 2:06:52. The 22-year-old won the Belfast City Marathon in May, winning by just one second in a close finish. Fellow Ethiopian Tilahun Sime Abebe, the 2024 Venice Marathon winner, is another contender. He ran 2:09:15 in Enschede in April and holds a personal best of 2:07:50 from 2025. Other contenders include Ethiopia’s Ashenafi Moges (2:06:12) and Mitku Tafa (2:07:40), Morocco’s Mohcin Outalha (2:06:49) and Kenya’s Enock Kipkemboi (2:09:32).
International Women
Ethiopia’s Askale Alemayehu Adula heads the international women’s field with the fastest personal best, having run 2:22:56 in Dubai earlier this year. That performance is more than a minute inside Asmarech Nega’s Dublin course record of 2:24:13, set in 2024. Kenya’s Risper Chebet is the other entrant with a career best inside the course record, having run 2:23:45 in 2021.
Ethiopia’s Asmare Beyene Assefa, a former Munich Marathon winner and runner-up in Riyadh in 2025, adds depth with a personal best of 2:28:22. Fellow Ethiopian Zenebu Fikdau Jebesa, a previous Nice-Cannes Marathon winner, is another contender with a best of 2:24:43.
Irish Men
Hiko Tonosa of Dundrum South Dublin AC returns to the course where he set a then Irish marathon record of 2:09:42 in 2024, finishing third overall and claiming the national title. While that national record has since been broken, his time remains the fastest by an Irish athlete on the Dublin course. The leading Irish finisher at this year’s Antrim Coast Half Marathon in 62:07, Tonosa will face a strong domestic challenge including his clubmate Killian Mooney.
He will also be targeting a strong performance after setting a marathon personal best of 2:17:46 in Barcelona in March. Winner of the inaugural Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon in 2025, Mooney finished fourth at this year’s national half marathon championships.
Hugh Armstrong of Ballina AC ran 2:13:55 to finish fifth in Düsseldorf in April, and impressed at the Great North Run, placing 13th overall in 63:37. A former national bronze medallist in Dublin, the Mayo athlete combines his training with work as an accountant and life as a new father. “I am excited to race in Dublin and compete in the national championships,” said Armstrong. “I am hoping to continue the good year for Mayo and success for Providence College athletes at Dublin after David McGlynn’s win there last year.”
William Maunsell of Clonmel AC has national podium experience, having finished third in 2024 in a personal best of 2:14:23. He is coached by fellow entrant Sean Tobin, winner of this year’s Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon in a course record of 63:11, who will be looking to secure his first national marathon podium place.
Stephen McAuley of Letterkenny AC is another athlete to watch. Having begun running in late 2021 and completed his first marathon in 3:19, he improved to 2:15:26 in Valencia in 2025. Fourth in last year’s national championships, the self-coached athlete has since won the Cork City Marathon and Irish National 10 Mile Championship.
Jake O’Regan of St John’s AC arrives following a prolific season that includes a marathon personal best of 2:17:30 in Seville and a course-record victory in Limerick. David Mansfield, John Travers and Jamie Fallon further strengthen the Irish field.
For West Waterford AC’s David McCarthy, this year marks a change of role. Having paced the elite women towards the course record in 2024, he returns to race the event himself. Now a full-time coach, he will also have more than 40 athletes he coaches taking part. “This year, I’m looking forward to taking the shackles off a little and seeing what I can do over the distance,” said McCarthy. "Having already covered the course in 2:24, anything quicker would be a nice starting point, but it’s very much a step into the unknown for me.”
Irish Women
Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill of West Limerick AC makes her Irish Life Dublin Marathon debut following an impressive season on the roads. The 36-year-old won the Dublin City Council Dublin City Half Marathon in May in a course record of 71:25, having run a 10km personal best of 32:20 in Valencia in January. She also claimed victories in Dunshaughlin and Dunboyne and finished second at the Women’s Mini Marathon. Returning to the marathon distance with a personal best of 2:38:19, Nic Dhomhnaill will look to bring a strong performance on Dublin’s streets.
Dundrum South Dublin AC’s Meghan Ryan returns after finishing fourth among the Irish women on her Dublin debut last year. The former national five-mile and ten-mile champion won the Irish Life Dublin Half Marathon in September and will aim to build on her 2025 marathon performance.
Judith Storm of City of Derry Spartans brings a compelling record of improvement. After running 2:47:07 on her Dublin debut last year, she lowered her best to 2:39:09 in Belfast and won the Belfast Half Marathon this September in 1:14:14. A mother of four, including triplets, Storm took up running after moving to Derry in 2022 and now has ambitions of challenging for the national title.
“It would be an absolute dream of mine to go a step further and be crowned national champion of Ireland,” said Storm. “I want to show women, especially mums, that they don’t have to put themselves last, and that it’s never too late to start something new.”
Nichola Sheridan (Bohermeen AC) has withdrawn, having not recovered sufficiently to race following her outstanding third-place finish at the Melbourne Marathon in a personal best of 2:29:13 just two weeks ago and her return journey from Australia.
Wheelchair Race and Live Coverage
The wheelchair field includes multiple Dublin Marathon winner and Irish wheelchair marathon record holder Patrick Monahan, alongside experienced Irish competitor Gerry Forde.
The first marathon wave starts at 08:45 on Sunday, 25 October. Live coverage begins on TG4 at 08:00, with global viewing available through TG4 Player.
Image: Sportsfile
