Dublin Marathon analysis shows club runners produce significantly faster finishing times

Club-affiliated runners produced significantly faster times in last month’s Irish Life Dublin Marathon, with male club runners finishing with a median time almost half an hour faster than their non-club counterparts.While median finishing times across all runners had been getting faster since the pandemic, this year’s overall median finishing time slowed down by two minutes, from 3:59 to 4:01, mainly due to the windy conditions in Dublin on Sunday, October 25th, in the wake of Storm Boelo.These are among the findings from the 2026 event results, carried out by data analyst Peter Staunton, which also shows the gender split between runners remains unchanged in recent years, with 68 per cent male, and 32 per cent female.Despite reports of some runners already being disqualified for wearing race numbers not registered as their own, a spokesperson for the Dublin Marathon said any such cases are still under review and that “results are subject to change”.READ MOREOf the 22,500 registered entries, 19,190 were announced as starting the event, with Staunton’s analysis carried out on the 18,950 finishers listed by TDL Event Services, the official timing partner for the Dublin Marathon. This also surpassed last year’s record of 18,519 finishers.Of those finishers, 3,758 (20 per cent) specified a club affiliation, which is up from 15 per cent in the post-Covid years since 2022. For those club-affiliated runners, the median finishing time was 3:45, versus 4:06 for non-club runners, with the male club runners finishing in a median time of 3:30, versus the 3:57 for their non-club counterparts.Women were more likely than men to be club runners (23 per cent specified a club in 2026, versus 18 per cent of men), with female club runners finishing in a median time of 4:05, versus 4:26 for their non-club counterparts.Competitors during the 2026 Irish Life Dublin Marathon, as 19,190 runners, the most ever in the marathon’s history, took to the streets of Dublin. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/The Irish Times “Competitive runners are more likely to be in a club, and clubs also provide a lot of advice and support,” said Staunton, a member of Blackrock AC in Dublin. “So I wasn’t too surprised to see they have faster times. “But among my own peer group of club runners, we found it interesting that women marathon runners are more likely to be in a club [23 per cent] versus men [18 per cent]. Possibly because of the greater social affinity and safety of running with a group.”[ Dublin marathon: Family rivalry, lengthy friendships and a group of lads ready to go ‘wild’Opens in new window ]Younger runners were less likely to have a club, with only nine per cent of under-35s specifying a club in 2026, versus 25 per cent of over-35s.“That lower rate of club membership for under-35s also sounds like an opportunity for athletics clubs to recruit younger members. It’s also possible that many younger runners run with friends or informal running groups, with lots of these springing up these days, rather than joining an official club,” Staunton said. “There has been a perception that athletics clubs are for more serious runners, but many are also welcoming to fitness runners who are less competitive.” Since the pandemic, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of younger runners completing the marathon; the under-35 age category has doubled from 16 per cent of runners in 2022, to 33 per cent in 2026. [ I’m part of the squeezed middle. A €325 weekly artist’s payment would be life-changingOpens in new window ]The ballot entry for next year’s Dublin Marathon will open at 9am next Thursday (November 12th) and closes at midnight the following Tuesday (November 17th). As with this year, entries are capped at 22,500 runners, with 17,200 places available through the ballot.The €4 ballot entry fee (plus platform and payment processing) will be automatically refunded to unsuccessful applicants or offset against the €130 entry fee for successful applicants. Applicants will be notified of their ballot result on Wednesday, November 25th or Thursday, November 26th.