Twenty six miles and 385 yards of sheer endurance.
The SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon takes place on October 26th.
One of the big events of the sporting calendar, runners will pour in from all over the world to compete in our race of endurance.
Of course, Dublin is our favourite marathon, but we take the opportunity to have a look at some of the other great city marathons from around the world.
New York City Marathon
What could be better than heading to one of the greatest cities in the world to compete in this iconic marathon. This is the biggest marathon in the world with over 50,000 people running in 2013.
The race takes you through the five boroughs of New York City. It’s a tough one to get selected for though due to its enormous popularity.
The applications are entered into a lottery system and lady luck will decide whether you get to compete. The race takes place at the beginning of November every year.
Athens Classic Marathon
Greece is the home of the marathon. Legend has it a messenger in Ancient Greece, ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks’ victory over the Persians.
The distance covered is supposed to be the official marathon distance of 26 miles and 385 yards. Another one held in November, this is a blessing as we’d imagine running in the summer heat of Athens would be too much for anyone.
The course itself begins in the town of Marathon before finishing in the stadium where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, the Panathenaic Stadium (pic above).
Berlin Marathon
Berlin is one of the coolest places on the planet and we love the idea of doing a marathon here. It’s the one marathon in which the fast men target.
Noted for being a flat course, Berlin has been host to no fewer than NINE marathon world records since 1977.
So, if any of you fancy having a crack at the record, Berlin is the place to try it. You get to start and finish at the awesome Brandenburg Gate.
Paris Marathon
One of the most picturesque marathons to run in as you pass some of the most iconic landmarks Paris has to offer along the course.
It’s held in the Spring too so you will get to see Paris at its most pretty. You start at the Champs-Élysées, pass landmarks such as Place de la Bastille, the Eiffel Tower, Bois de Boulogne and finally finishing at Avenue Foch.
Boston Marathon
Grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons for the atrocity in 2013, but it’s still held in high regard by the marathon runners of the world.
Held in April, the beautiful city of Boston is the backdrop to a fantastic course. Crowds of half a million regularly show up to cheer on the runners making it one of the biggest sporting events in the New England sporting calendar.
You can get more information about the Dublin SSE Airtricity marathon and find entry forms here.
Our team’s training schedules will be posted weekly on the SSE Airtricity website so be sure to follow their progress and replicate their training plans.
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