Dublin gave up nothing easily on Sunday. Abay Alemu Lesa and Zenebu Fikdau Jebesa crossed the finish line on Mount Street Upper as champions of the 45th Irish Life Dublin Marathon, but neither the men’s nor women’s course record survived the morning. The capital’s rolling roads — through Phoenix Park, Inchicore and Clonskeagh before the long drag back into the city — had their say, as they almost always do.
Alemu Lesa, who carried a 2:06:50 personal best into the race and had already won on Irish roads at the Belfast Marathon in May, crossed in 2:10:29. That is nearly four minutes slower than his best, though the margin of victory tells a different story. Ebba Chala, the double Stockholm Marathon champion running under the Swedish flag, gave chase all the way and finished just 7.52 seconds back in 2:10:37. In any other year, that would be a winning time. On Sunday on the streets of Dublin, it was enough for second.
How the 2026 Dublin Marathon Men’s Race Unfolded
The pre-race billing centred heavily on the pace of the men’s field — three international starters held personal bests faster than Kemal Husen’s course record of 2:06:52. None of them came close on the day. Ashenafi Moges, who led the field on paper at 2:06:12, did not feature at the front of the final standings. Alemu Lesa and Chala ran their own race, building enough of a gap that the outcome was settled well before the finish.
Sahlesilassie Nigussie completed the podium in 2:11:25 for Ethiopia, running his second competitive marathon of 2026 after clocking 2:09:32 in Linz back in April. Kenya’s Enock Kipkemboi came home fourth in 2:12:17, with compatriot Tilahun Sine Abebe — the 2024 Venice Marathon winner — rounding out the top five in 2:12:20.
| Place | Name | Nationality | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abay Alemu Lesa | Ethiopia | 2:10:29 | — |
| 2 | Ebba Chala | Sweden | 2:10:37 | +0:07 |
| 3 | Sahlesilassie Nigussie | Ethiopia | 2:11:25 | +0:56 |
| 4 | Enock Kipkemboi | Kenya | 2:12:17 | +1:48 |
| 5 | Tilahun Sine Abebe | Ethiopia | 2:12:20 | +1:51 |
Zenebu Jebesa Sets a Personal Best to Win the Women’s Race
The women’s race produced the morning’s sharpest performance. Zenebu Fikdau Jebesa, the 26-year-old Ethiopian who came into Dublin with a 2:24:43 personal best set in Barcelona three years ago, crossed in 2:24:26 — a new personal record and just 13 seconds outside Asmarech Nega’s course record. It was closer to history than it looked at first glance.
Jebesa, who won the Nice Cannes Marathon in 2022 and also has a world-class half marathon pedigree with a 1:06:57 to her name, ran a composed and confident race. The pre-race favourite Askale Alemayehu Adula — who brought a 2:22:56 personal best to Dublin and was considered capable of threatening the course record — did not feature in the top five. Kenya’s Risper Chebet, another sub-2:24 runner on paper, finished fourth in 2:27:37.
Tenebeb Nega Aynalem took second for Ethiopia in 2:25:50, well clear of a competitive group behind. Sechele Dalasa Adugna completed an Ethiopian podium sweep in 2:27:22, with Wezam Hareifoyo Tesfay fifth in 2:28:19.
| Place | Name | Nationality | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zenebu Fikdau Jebesa | Ethiopia | 2:24:26 | — |
| 2 | Tenebeb Nega Aynalem | Ethiopia | 2:25:50 | +1:24 |
| 3 | Sechele Dalasa Adugna | Ethiopia | 2:27:22 | +2:56 |
| 4 | Risper Chebet | Kenya | 2:27:37 | +3:11 |
| 5 | Wezam Hareifoyo Tesfay | Ethiopia | 2:28:19 | +3:53 |
What the 2026 Dublin Marathon Results Tell Us
Dublin is a legitimate World Athletics Label race with a legitimately demanding course. The numbers from Sunday confirm what experienced runners already know about this route: personal bests don’t come automatically here, and on certain autumn mornings — when the legs and the roads don’t cooperate — even the best in the field run well within themselves. The 22,500 starters who ground through Phoenix Park and back into the city centre will understand that entirely.
The Ethiopian dominance across both fields was complete. Four of the top five in the women’s race were Ethiopian. Three of the top five men ran for Ethiopia, with Chala’s second place the one exception. It is a pattern that Dublin’s history reflects and that the 2026 field reinforced emphatically.
For runners planning their own Dublin race, our full Irish Life Dublin Marathon guide covers the course, pacing strategy, logistics and everything you need to race smart through the capital.