Letterkenny AC athlete 'over the moon' with Dublin marathon success
Stephen McAuley of Letterkenny AC landed in third place in the national section
Letterkenny AC’s Stephen McAuley admitted he was “over the moon” to claim third place in the national section of the 2026 Irish Life Dublin Marathon, crossing the line in 2:16:37.
McAuley was behind national winner Hugh Armstrong (Ballina AC), who won in 2:14:52 ahead of runner-up Killian Mooney (Dundrum South Dublin AC)’s 2:15:44.
It was a successful event for McAuley, who also led the charge as Letterkenny AC clinched the Men’s National Marathon Championship team gold, with Michael Fox, Jamie Westerman, and Mark McPaul following him home.
The milestone 45th edition of the event saw a record number of finishers, surpassing the 18,500 recorded last year, while hundreds of thousands of supporters came out in force through windy conditions, bringing the streets of the capital to life.
Having narrowly missed out on the national podium at the 2025 Irish Life Dublin Marathon, the 32-year-old was thrilled with the performance, especially given the tough conditions.
“I'm over the moon with that, to run 2:16 on that course and get the third Irishman; I'm literally over the moon with that. My personal best was 2:15.26 when I ran Valencia last year on a flat course, so to come to Dublin and run just a minute slower in those conditions, I'm over the moon with that,” said McAuley.
Finishing 10th overall, McAuley’s performance is even more impressive considering his recent introduction to running and the fact that he is self-coached.
"I've never had a coach, and I actually started running four and a half years ago. So to come here and to be the third Irishman and 10th overall, I'm so happy,” he said.
The Ballycastle native was part of a four-man battle alongside Armstrong, Mooney and Jake O’Regan for large parts of the race.
“It was me, Hugh, Jake and Killian for a lot of it, but Hugh and Killian made a move then. They’re fantastic runners and so strong. Then it was me and Jake for a while, and then I looked back and it was just me for about half of the race. I was just trying to get home and make sure I didn't get caught, and tried to bridge the gap between Hugh and Killian as much as I possibly could,” he said.
McAuley crossed the line with almost a minute-long improvement from his time of 2:17:30 at the 2025 Irish Life Dublin Marathon.
"It shows my fitness is definitely going in the right direction. I'm heading in the right direction, anyway," he said.
Elsewhere across the elite fields, Judith Storm (City of Derry Spartans) continued her strong form and won the women’s national race in her second Irish Life Dublin Marathon, finishing with a personal best of 2:35:46. Dublin debutant Sorcha Nic Dhomhnaill was second in a personal best of 2:35:58, and Meghan Ryan (Dundrum South Dublin AC) ran a first national podium finish in 2:40:47.
Abay Alemu Lesa won the men’s elite race in 2:10:28, marking a season’s best for the youngest competitor in the international field (22). Zenebu Fikdau Jebesa (Ethiopia) took the overall honours in the women’s race, finishing with a 17-second personal best of 2:24:26.