8000 kids hit the ground running for Marathonkids 2025

The Marathonkids Ireland 2025 programme was launched today at Morton Stadium in Santry, with more than 8,000 primary school students from 150 schools across Fingal, Dublin City, Louth, and the Gaeltacht regions set to take part in this year's initiative.

In Fingal, over 3,500 pupils from more than 30 schools in Fingal will join the 8-week programme, which encourages 5th and 6th class students to build healthy lifestyle habits through running, physical activity, and wellbeing education.

Marathonkids isn’t about racing, as students gradually build up to completing the full marathon distance of 42.2km through weekly runs, while also learning about topics such as healthy eating, hydration, rest, and positive mindset.

Mayor of Fingal, Tom O’Leary, said: “Marathonkids has been a fantastic participation programme for over 10 years. It gives children the opportunity to take part in the lifelong physical activity of running with the bonus of getting to run on the track here at DCU Morton Stadium.”

The initiative is very much about every child achieving the marathon distance together, learning as they go, and finishing with a celebratory final mile at Morton Stadium in early November.

Director of Services for Environment, Climate Action, Active Travel and Sport, David Storey, commented: “We’re delighted to support this great initiative and its mission to get kids moving, motivated, and excited about running. By helping children experience the fun of running while developing healthy habits, we’re investing in stronger, healthier communities for the future."

Marathonkids looks to make running fun and achievable for all, not just sporty kids. It was introduced in Ireland in 2015 with a pilot supported by Fingal County Council and the Dublin Marathon. Over a decade on it is now recognised as one of Ireland’s largest participation programmes for children and embedding itself as an annual fixture in the school calendar.

Seán Ó Riain, CEO of Dublin Marathon, added: "We’re proud to partner with Marathonkids again this year. The programme introduces thousands of children to running while also promoting health and wellbeing in a fun, achievable way. It’s a vital part of our community work and an investment in the future of sport in Ireland."

Morton Stadium has been a landmark in world athletics since the 1950s. It gained international fame in 1958 when Australian great Herb Elliott—who went on to win Olympic gold in the 1500 metres at the 1960 Rome Games—set a world mile record during the Morton Mile, named in honour of Irish Olympian Billy Morton. That race, which became known as the “Dream Mile”, was historic: for the first time, five men in the same race ran under four minutes, becoming a significant moment in athletics history.