Ethiopian runners Abay Alemu Lesa and Zenebu Fikadu won the Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday, October 25, on a windy morning in the Irish capital. Abay won the men’s race in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 28 seconds, and Zenebu won the women’s race in 2:24:26.
Ethiopian women took all three places on the podium. Tenebeb Nega Aynalem was second in 2:25:50, and Sechele Dalasa Adunga was third in 2:27:22, according to the race organizers.
A Late Fight in the Men’s Race
Late in the race, Enock Kipkemboi of Kenya seemed to be on his way to victory, The Irish Times reported. Then he suddenly fell to the road with just under two miles left. He recovered to finish fourth in 2:12:17.
That left Abay and Ebba Tulu Chala, a Swedish runner The Irish Times described as Ethiopian-born, to fight for the title. The race was decided at the last turn, near the Pepper Canister Church, the paper said. Abay won that battle and crossed the line eight seconds ahead of Chala, who ran 2:10:36.
Sahlesilassie Nigussie of Ethiopia finished third in 2:11:25. Abebe Tilahun, another Ethiopian, was fifth in 2:12:20, according to the World Athletics results.
At 22, Abay was the youngest runner in the international men’s field, the organizers said, and his time was his best of the season. He received the Noel Carroll Cup after the race. “It was a very hard race and it was windy throughout but I pushed to the last,” he said, according to the organizers. He added that he was “very happy to win.”
Zenebu Comes Close to the Record
Zenebu’s time was a personal best by 17 seconds, the organizers said. It was also only 13 seconds slower than the women’s course record. That record is 2:24:13, set by Asmirach Nega of Ethiopia in 2024, according to BBC Sport.
The 27-year-old was racing in Ireland for the first time. “This is my first time in Ireland and I just want to thank everyone for a great day,” she said. She said she wants to return next year to defend her title and to break the course record.
The organizers list her as Zenebu Fikdau Jebesa, while the official results on the World Athletics website give her name as Zenebu Fikadu. The same results show two more Ethiopian women in the top six, with Wezam Tesfay fifth and Adawork Aberta sixth.
Video: the finish-line camera at the 2026 Irish Life Dublin Marathon, posted by TDL Event Services. The race clock shows Abay Alemu Lesa’s finish in the first 20 seconds, and Zenebu Fikadu’s finish comes at about 14 minutes and 50 seconds.
A Record Number of Runners
The storm winds of the two days before the race had calmed by the 8:45 a.m. start, The Irish Times said. Even so, the wind was still hard on parts of the course. It pushed the runners from behind on the way to the 21-mile mark and then blew into their faces for the last miles.
In spite of the weather, 19,190 of the 22,500 entries started the race. According to the paper, that is the highest number of starters in the history of the Dublin Marathon, which began in 1980.
It was a strong Sunday for Ethiopian marathon runners. In Germany on the same day, Jirata Dinki and Zeineba Yimer won the Frankfurt Marathon.
