Ethiopian runners win Dublin Marathon titles in challenging conditions

Ethiopian athletes Abay Alemu Lesa and Zenebu Fikadu Jebesa won the men and women titles at the 45th Dublin Marathon, thejournal.ie, RTÉ and the Irish Times reported. Abay Alemu Lesa won the men race in two hours and 10 minutes, according to thejournal.ie and RTÉ. The race took place in difficult weather conditions created by Storm Boelo, with heavy rain and wind along the course, independent.ie and thejournal.ie reported. [1][2][3][5]

Hugh Armstrong was the first Irish man to finish the race, placing eighth overall, according to thejournal.ie and RTÉ. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Armstrong claimed the Irish men national marathon title. Judith Storm was the first Irish woman to cross the finish line, the Irish Times reported. [2][3][5][7][11]

The event featured 19,000 participants and raised 5.6 million euros for charity, independent.ie and RTÉ reported. The Dublin Marathon is an annual 26.2 mile road race held on the last Sunday in October. The inaugural race took place in 1980. [1][3][8][10][12]

Widespread road closures across Dublin city centre were put in place for the event, RTÉ reported. The closures began at 6am on Saturday morning and remained active until 8pm on Sunday evening to allow for the race starts and finishes. [4]