Mayo runner wins National title at the Dublin Marathon
25 October 2026; National champion Hugh Armstrong of Ireland during the 2026 Irish Life Dublin Marathon, as thousands of runners took to the streets of Dublin for the 45th running of the event. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***
A Mayo runner was the first Irish man over the finish line at the Dublin Marathon on Sunday.
Hugh Armstrong of Ballina AC finished with a time of 2:14:51, finishing ahead of Killian Mooney (2:15:44) and Stephen McAuley (2:16:37).
Armstrong finished eighth overall,
The 32-year-old made his marathon debut in Dublin seven years ago, finishing as the third-best Irishman.
Armstrong spoke on the honour of winning the national title and his battle with runner-up Mooney.
"It probably is the pinnacle for me. To win a national title would be up there, and the marathon title is probably one of the toughest ones to win and one of the most high-profile titles.”
“Neither of us were dropping each other with strength (Mooney), so I knew I was going to have to make a bit of a move at some stage to try and break away from him. Around 35km I made a small move, and I got those few seconds away,” said Armstrong.
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.
The overall race was won by Abay Alemu Lesa of Ethiopia, with a time of 2:10:28.
Zenebu Fikdau Jebesa of Ethiopia won the women’s title with a time of 2:24:26.
