Organisers of the Dublin Marathon have moved to ease concerns regarding a change to the registration process for the event.
On Tuesday, it was announced that entry for next year's race will be through a lottery system rather than on a first come, first served online registration basis.
Today, it was announced that those who have run in any of the previous three Dublin Marathons - 2017, 2018 or 2019 - will be guaranteed a spot in the 2020 race. 18 per cent of participants, approximately 4,000 runners, take part in consecutive Dublin Marathons.
Those eligible can guarantee their place for the 2020 event by entering within 72 hours of receiving a unique URL which will be issued at 12pm on Friday, November 1st.
In a statement, reasons for the move to the lottery system were further explained.
The KBC Dublin Marathon Race organisers can confirm that a significant factor in the move to the lottery system for the 2020 KBC Dublin Marathon in addition to the increased demand experienced over the last number of years, is to gauge the total level of interest in participation in the Dublin marathon. This is to enable the KBC Dublin Marathon Race organisers to prepare a strategic plan for the future development of the event in consultation with the event’s multiple stakeholders.
Moving to a lottery system will allow the KBC Dublin Marathon race organisers determine the overall interest levels from the amount of lottery registrations as opposed to the current system where applications cut off as soon as the 22,500 capacity is reached. Based on the experience of recent years, the KBC Dublin Marathon organisers expect total interest to exceed capacity and the lottery is seen as a fair way to determine participation where interest exceeds capacity.
As the Dublin Marathon also serves as the National Championship race, a number of places have been allocated to the Athletics Ireland membership. Applications for those places can be made from April 1st, 2020.
Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
