Fundraiser’s guide to the Dublin marathon
The Dublin Marathon is a key event in the sporting calendar. It’s Ireland’s biggest marathon, held on the last Sunday of October and taking in the sights of the city as you race. Thousands of people run it every year and it’s a brilliant way to raise money for charity – whether you’re looking for a challenge or are a seasoned racer. If it sounds like something for you, lace up your trainers and start your GoFundMe today to get raising for that good cause.
1. Secure your entry to the marathon
If you fancy entering the Dublin Marathon 2023, there are a number of different ways to enter and you can choose the one that suits you.
Lottery entry
There’s the lottery entry to the Dublin Marathon. It costs €10 to enter but it doesn’t guarantee a place. Names get drawn and if you’re unsuccessful, you’ll get €7 refunded. The Dublin Marathon 2023 lottery has already been drawn, with runners finding out if they were successful in November.
Charity entry
You can apply for a place at the Dublin Marathon through a charity partner, too. By running through a charity place, you get additional support through both your training and fundraising goals. But you can still set up a GoFundMe to raise money at the same time.
Good for Age entry
A Good For Age entry works on you being able to run a marathon under a certain time for your age group. Results for marathons from the last three years can be used to apply for this.
2. Set up your fundraiser
So, you’ve entered the marathon and chosen your good cause. To maximise your fundraising time, start your GoFundMe as soon as you can. Even if you’ve secured a charity place, you can still set up an additional fundraiser to maximise your potential. There are plenty of causes to run for and it doesn’t just have to be a charity, either. When you’ve started your GoFundMe, share it with friends, colleagues, family and make sure to shout about it on social media. You can find out how to do that best with our promoting your fundraiser guide here.
You can get inspiration on who or what to fundraise for by checking out our charity page here and if you’d like to read about how to get into running and fundraising, we have a guide here.
3. Get to know the course
The Dublin Marathon course is a single lap which starts and finishes close to the city centre. It’s a fast, flat course which means if you’re a first time marathon runner it’s a good starting point – but also excellent for setting personal bests. The course finishes at Trinity College in the city.
4. Spread the word about your fundraiser
Now it’s time to really shout about the fact you’re running the Dublin Marathon 2023. Any marathon is a big undertaking and a brilliant way to raise money for a good cause – and you should be proud of promoting that. When you’ve started your GoFundMe, make sure to add a good description on why you’re running and keep updating donors on how the training is going. You can look at our blog on promoting your fundraiser here.
5. Prepare for race day
To ensure race day runs as smoothly as possible, make sure you plan in plenty of travel time well in advance or make arrangements to stay overnight as the race starts early in the morning. If you’re not already familiar with the city, be sure to check out where the start line is either virtually or in person and if you’ve got supporters coming to cheer you on, pick a spot to meet them at the end – it might be busy!
6. Update your donors on how you did
And congratulations! Once the Dublin Marathon 2023 is done, be sure to give your donors a final update on your GoFundMe on how you did, how you feel and maybe if you’re planning to run another race.