The Dublin Marathon 2021 in Ireland has been canceled for the second year in a row, organizers confirmed in a statement today, July 7.

The race, which typically sees thousands of runners of all abilities traverse 26.2 miles across Dublin, was scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 24.

It's with a heavy heart that we are cancelling the 2021 KBC Dublin Marathon. We know this is incredibly disappointing news but we have a duty of care to everyone involved in our event. On behalf of the team, we'd like to thank you for your continued support #RunYourTown pic.twitter.com/lQcGdwC5PZ

— KBC Dublin Marathon (@dublinmarathon) July 7, 2021

Organizers had initially planned to announce their final decision regarding the race on June 25, but that announcement was postponed as discussions continued with stakeholders.

Jim Aughney, Race Director, said today: “It is with great regret that we are canceling the KBC Dublin Marathon for the second year in a row. 

“Despite vigorous evaluations, there are still too many unknowns to be confident that we could provide a safe event given the pure scale of the marathon. We have a duty of care to the runners, volunteers, suppliers, and supporters. This will be extremely disappointing news for all runners entered. We want to thank them for their continued support.”

He added: “We have come to a critical point in our event planning when a final decision needed to be made. We took into consideration the recent updates on modelling around Covid-19 and the immense challenges of creating a controlled, safe environment for the KBC Dublin Marathon which has a footprint of 26.2 miles with 25,000 runners and 200,000 supporters who line the streets to cheer them on.”

All entries for the 2021 KBC Dublin Marathon will be valid for the 2022 race. For those who do not wish to avail of this, a full refund option will be available.  The refund window will open on Wednesday 7th of July and will close at midnight on Saturday 31st July. The refund will be available on “Manage My Bookings” via Event Master. For help, see this video.

Runners can still enter and take part in the KBC Virtual Dublin Marathon over the October Bank Holiday weekend; Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th, and Monday the 25th.