Dublin Marathon

I was signed up for this marathon as well as Virginia Beach in 2020, but Covid came along so they both became 2022 runs. My 16th marathon, and I have to say it was probably my favorite. Dublin is a great international city to visit, great restaurants and fun things to do, and it felt like the whole city came out for the run. The best supported run crowd wise that I've ever been in. It felt like there was someone cheering for me every step of the way, and it really made a difference the last mile when people were calling out my name. Solid expo, good logistics for the race, and 4 well spaces out corrals with ample port-o-pottys. The course had some hills including M 20-22, but nothing too dramatic. The weather was perfect (mid 50s). There is a lottery to get in, but I think that they take into account where runners are coming from (international helps) and also consider where you might finish (I was at 4:35) to balance out the field. Post race was basically a pub crawl. The race is always run before a bank holiday so everyone was off the next day, and it is also run on the sunday that the clocks are turned back, which helped a little. The only thing I struggled a little with is being a little foggy at the start from jet lag (I landed in IR thursday morning). I've run London and Liverpool as comparisons, both great events but this one was superior. If you are thinking international for next year, sign up for the lottery now (I think they notify runners by the end of January).