The Irish Life Dublin Marathon will allow athletes to enter as nonbinary for the first time this year.
There will be a window provided to allow participants in this year's race to change their entry to the nonbinary category should they wish to do so. It follows consultation with members from the running community.
"We don’t know as yet how many will avail of this new category and it won’t be available until August of this year because we’re waiting for the refunds and the transfer window to finish," said race director Jim Aughney.
READ MORE: 2023 Dublin Marathon system revealed after 25,000 take to the capital's streets this year
"Then we’ll open up the database again to declare as non-binary.
"During our discussions with the clubs, particularly Dublin Frontrunners, a number of people said they hadn’t run the event in the past because non-binary wasn’t included. They said they would be delighted to run it in the event f a non-binary category being included.
"When we got that feedback from runners it was something we needed to add. We will (in future) have a category prize for it and they will be listed in the results.
"During the discussions we said we’ll see how many and what the time profile is for those (non-binary who finish) as to whether we can actually do a tape finish for them or not.
"If you have someone in 3:15 or 3:30 it’s absolutely impossible to jump out in front of runners with a finish tape. At 3:15 we have 179 people finishing per minute, there’s no way you can jump out in front of one person to hold out a tape so we explained that to them and they understand that and are not expecting that.
"We’ll sit down and consult with them when we get entries in with a view to improving on it year on year as the category grows."
Also added for this year is a new rule that will allow any woman who is unable to run in 2023 because they are pregnant or postpartum, to defer their place to one of the following three years.
There were 25,000 participants in the 2022 race but that has been reduced to 22,500 for 2023.
"A big reason for that is the infastructure on the streets," said Aughney.
"It's something we're looking at to see if we can get added into Merrion Square, which is where the real pinch point is at the finish.
"We'll crunch the numbers again after 2023 to see if there are ways we can increase the footfall, but at the moment we're very, very close to what the maximum is."
This year's event is already sold out - however, runners who have not yet been offered a place through the lottery system may benefit from the refund window as additional places may become available.
The refund will be available in the first two weeks of June.
A new transfer system will also open to runners for July, allowing existing entrants to transfer their place to another runner.
The new race levy introduced by Athletics Ireland won't be put on the participants this year, or in 2024 or 2025.
John Treacy has been chosen as the official race starter to mark the 30th anniversary of his win in the 1993 Dublin Marathon.
The Olympic silver medallist and Irish marathon record holder ran 2:14.40 on the day to claim victory.
“I am honoured to be asked to start the 2023 Irish Life Dublin Marathon," said Treacy.
"I have fond memories of that win back in ’93. I am looking forward to watching the elite race on the day.
"It is always great to see some of Ireland’s top elite marathoners race against international athletes on Irish soil and battle it out for national titles."
In 2022 that honour went to Martin Hoare (Celbridge AC) and Courtney McGuire (Clonmel AC).
The reigning national champions will be competing again in October Ireland’s premier marathon, which has recently been given Elite Label status from World Athletics.
It will again incorporate the national championships with Irish national medallists benefiting from prize funds as well as with time bonuses for exceptional Irish athlete performances on the day.
This is part of their overall Marathon Mission programme which was established in 2009 by the organisers to support performance improvements in the marathon by Irish athletes.
Financial bursaries are also provided to enable elite marathon runners to pursue optimal training plans, including altitude camps and to travel and race overseas.
This will be welcome news for athletes targeting qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Since its inauguration, over €200,000 has been provided to athletes.
Aughney added that organisers are committed to creating an event that is for everyone.
“We're very proud that we were one of the first city marathons in Europe to provide entry for assisted wheelchair users," he said.
"They are valued members of the Dublin Marathon community and they along with their support teams are the first to start the race.
"We recognise however there is still a need for ongoing improvements to be more inclusive and we have introduced several new initiatives this year.
"The first is to encourage more women to sign up to the marathon.
"To help achieve this, all the female participants in the 2023 Half Marathon will be provided with the same preferential early entry as the 2023 marathon entrants for next year’s Irish Life Dublin Marathon.
"This will provide an entry window before the lottery is opened to the public and increase the opportunity for women to secure a marathon entry place."
*While the Irish Life Dublin Marathon is sold out, there are still places available in the Irish Life Dublin Race Series which includes a 5 mile, 10km, 10 mile and half marathon distance. Entries are open on IrishLifeDublinMarathon.ie.
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