Dublin marathon: Kenyans triumph in race around captial

Kenya’s Eliud Too has won the men’s category in this year’s Dublin marathon in a time of 2:14:48.

Esther Macheria, also from Kenya, edged out last year’s winner Maria McCambridge to claim first place in the women’s category with a time of 2:34:15.

First across the line was wheelchair participant Patrick Monaghan in a new record time.

0 of 3

Too and Monaghan are the first of more than 14,600 runners to complete the 26 mile route through the streets of Dublin as part of the city’s 35th marathon.

About 4,000 runners from 47 countries joined over 10,000 Irish entrants in the race.

The race started at 9am with runners leaving from Fitzwilliam Street Upper.

Widespread traffic diversions were in place throughout the city with rolling road closures on parts of the route.

Conditions were mild and cloudy with some patchy drizzle and highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees.

Organisers had to plot a slightly different course this year to avoid Luas roadworks in city centre, although parts of the route remained the same, including the climb up “heartbreak hill” on Roebuck Road.

The otherwise largely flat 42km (26.2 mile) route started at Fitzwilliam Street Upper and ended at Merrion Square.

Runners followed a counter-clockwise loop that took them past St Stephen’s Green, along the River Liffey and through the Phoenix Park twice.

The route dipped south across the Grand Canal, through Bushy Park and around UCD before finishing at Merrion Square.

To ease foot traffic, runners began in three separate waves starting at 9am. The race started slightly earlier for wheelchair entrants, who begin at 8:50am.

There were 10 water stations along the route.

Spectators could track runners via an athlete tracking system on the marathon’s website. The system also showed live leader-boards during the event.

Aong the participants this year was 83-year-old John Collins from Limerick who was running his 30th consecutive marathon.