i run to keep fit and i get a buzz from doing races, i'm 52 and the longer races are great fun, especially because most people are in for the enjoyment. i have great admiration for the organisers, well done your efforts are appreciated . . !

Great organization, course and spectators. There are some hills including one at mile 8 that really caught me by surprise and took a mile to recover from.

Coming from the U.S. the participants were a little fella heavy. Come on Irish women, get out there.

My 5th marathon and the first back at home and it didn't disappoint- brilliant public and great course, especially through the Phoenix Park.
Only slight flaw was a bit of a crush through the finish line...found it hard to make that final sprint due to the number of runners around me and the bag drop was a bit too far from the end-line after 26 miles of slogging- could it be swapped and put onto Merrion Sq East instead of South next year maybe? Apart fom that, very minor comment, everything was great- I'd really reccommend it.

Major respect to the crowd and the volunteers- a universe away from the usual bemusement/annoyance you get from most of the public at some events in Europe.

This was my fifth marathon. The last was 13 years ago, so my course rating was for the way it was laid out, the organization, and just for the overall enjoyment of the run. I will be doing it again this year - 2011.

I ran Dublin again this year, and I was delighted to do so. The race is very well organized, and the support from the spectators along the way is incredible, with people of all ages out there cheering you on. The weather on the day was ideal. I would recommend this marathon, both for the event itself, and for the opportunity to visit Dublin, a wonderful city, with a rich cultural heritage and lively social life.

This was my first European race and I thought it terrific. I stayed within walking distance of the start/finish and the expo, which allowed me to leave my hotel 10 minutes before the start.

The course itself was ever-changing and virtually flat with some lovely downhill sections. The run through Phoenix Park was a highlight.

It must have taken a great deal of work to make the day so seamless for the runners. Thank you for that.

Loved it. And I had a PB!

My spouse had signed up as a water station volunteer and was presented with an Adidas jacket and ball cap for the effort. Classy.

Really well organized, with a phenomenal number of volunteers. Plenty of everything needed along the way. As a novice runner, the Dublin Marathon has really inspired me to keep up running. Great fun along the route with music, drums and, of course, the faithful supporters. Great day all around; here is to next year. I can't wait!!

My biggest marathon to date in terms of number of participants (13,000). Central start/finish made it easy to get to and from. Decent size expo with good vendors and helpful race volunteers. Well organized bag drop and start/finish area. Not sure if we enjoyed what was typical October Dublin weather, but for a 9 a.m. race start, the temperature was a cool 5 degrees C and sunny conditions, warming up to 12 degrees C (nearly perfect for me). Race route traverses a variety of inner-city areas, parks and suburban neighborhoods and, except for a few KM, the entire course was lined with spectators who continued to increase in numbers as the finish area approached. This, for me, is what made the marathon so great. The race is well embraced by the city and the encouragement and enthusiastic support received along the course and especially in the last 10 KM, when most people are digging deepest to continue on, was incredible.

A few minor criticisms:
-a few bottlenecks along the route, which slowed racers to a walk.
-a lot of half-full water bottles littered the aid station areas; maybe smaller cups could be used instead? Seemed a bit of a waste and a safety hazard.
-Runners wearing iPods/MP3 players unable to hear wheelchair participants trying to move through.

Really being nitpicky here. The race was everything I could have asked for and more. I found Dublin and Ireland a top vacation destination with warm, friendly people and lots of terrific, interesting sights with the race being a great book-end to our holiday. A truly enjoyable time. Thank you, Dublin and Ireland, for all of the memories!

Daughter and I traveled to Dublin from US to run this. Both agree that Phoenix Park was the high point - absolutely idyllic with mist rising off of the lawns and quiet, steady pace of runners moving forward. Both of us love Boston and found this one compared quite favorably - maybe the Irish just really enjoy cheering on runners! One negative note: petite women beware that you will not get a finisher's shirt in the correct size if you finish over 4:15 or so. I'm tired of getting race tees that I can use as a "nightshirt." I think they should take a cue from NFL and give women a shirt they want to wear. Also, later water stations were running low on fluids for the back half of the pack. Couldn't keep up with the runners who had to break water bottles out of shrink-wrapped packs left abandoned on tables. That adds to your time. This is a great run for the faster runner.

The organizers even ordered perfect running weather!