This race is one of four in the SSE Airtricity Race Series that culminates with the Dublin Marathon in late October. There is a 10K in July, as well as a half marathon in September, all building up to the marathon. The first three races all take place in Phoenix Park, which is about 2 miles from Dublin City Center. With a perimeter of about 6 miles, it is one of the largest walled parks in Europe (think Central Park, NYC).

Parking/Access: It is best to not drive to this race if it can be avoided. Parking is very limited inside the park. Public transport or cycling to the race is highly recommended. A large area to park bicycles is provided near the start/finish line. A large shuttle bus collected runners on Parkgate St near the Frank Sherwin bridge, which is about 200 meters from the Heuston stop of the red line Luas. Driving in from Co. Wicklow, I parked my car at the Red Cow Luas station and rode the train into town. The shuttle bus dropped us about 1K from start/finish area and took us back after the race.

Course/Aid Stations: This race took place on the car paths throughout the park. There were a few long hills but nothing too substantial. There were some speed humps to watch out for and the path was quite crowded for the first 2 miles as runners found their paces. The park provides a very scenic views and takes you through the Dublin Zoo. Aid stations with water only were available every 3 miles. They were completely stocked and volunteers were enthusiastic. A local radio station provided music around each aid station which was very fun!

SWAG: While there were no medals with this race, the finisher's swag bag more than made up for that! Upon crossing the finish line, you pass through the corral with tshirt sizes on the signs. You choose the size you want and a volunteer hands you a bag containing a tech shirt, a warm beanie, and snacks for days! It was a very wet and cold day so the dry shirt and beanie were AMAZING and every runner began to look the same as we all put them on straight away! Both garments were of decent quality as well so very much appreciated.

Race Management: This was a very well organized event and it was apparent that race management had the runners in mind for each detail. There were plenty of toilets for the 5,000+ runners and a marquee was erected to cover baggage drop.

BAG DROP: The ONLY part of this event that needs some improvement was the bag drop area AFTER the race. To be fair, most of the volunteers in this area were adolescent kids who were doing the best they could to get bags to cold, wet, tired runners. And if the weather had not been so bad, runners probably could have gotten to their own bags quicker and easier. But on this day, it took me an HOUR to retrieve my bag of warm clothes, which was extremely frustrating. Hopefully this will be smoother next year.

Overall: I highly recommend this race, whether you are a resident of Ireland or just visiting. So much fun!