NEXT YEAR’S DUBLIN City Half Marathon will move to a ballot-entry process, organisers announced on Friday, with the race moving to a new date on Sunday 3 May – the May bank holiday weekend.

Nearly 12,000 runners took part in 2025′s inaugural race through the capital, with entries allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Following that resounding success, capacity for the 2026 edition has been capped at 12,500 participants, with 11,200 of those places made available through a week-long public ballot in January.

Race entries will cost €75, which organisers say “reflects the scale, quality and significant logistical costs involved in staging a major road race in Dublin city centre, which operates on a similar city-centre footprint and delivery scale to the Dublin Marathon”.

Ballot entries will open from 7am on Friday 16 January until midnight on Thursday 22 January, with each entry costing €4. Successful applicants will have their ballot fee deducted from their race entry fee, while unsuccessful applicants will have their fee refunded in full.

Written by Niall Kelly and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.