Organisers of the Dublin Marathon have announced that participants from the 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions of the race will be assured of a place next year.
They’ve made the decision after becoming “aware of the concern caused by the changes to the entry process” following their announcement of a switch to a lottery system for the 2020 edition.
Anyone who took part in one of the last three marathons will receive a special code at noon tomorrow and have up to 72 hours to confirm their place for 2020.
Race organisers said a significant factor in the move to the lottery system “in addition to the increased demand experienced over the last number of years, is to gauge the total level of interest in participation in the Dublin marathon”.
There will be a registration fee of €15 per lottery entry which will be fully refundable if the applicant is not successful and fully redeemable against entry fee if the applicant is successful.
Under the current system, applications cut off as soon as the 22,500 capacity is reached.
A number of places in the marathon have also been allocated to the Athletics Ireland membership as the race also serves as the Athletics Ireland National Marathon Championships.
About 18% of participants, amounting to approximately 4,000 runners, partake in the Dublin Marathon in consecutive years.