Clontarf Half Marathon

The Clontarf Half Marathon is a coastal road race organised by Bear Races along Dublin Bay in the Clontarf suburb of Dublin, run twice a year: a Summer edition in early July and an Autumn/Winter edition in mid-November, with the Joe Duffy Group (through its BMW dealership) as title sponsor. Both editions start and finish at EastPoint Business Park and follow the same professionally measured, certified out-and-back course along Clontarf Promenade, crossing the causeway to Bull Island before turning back, with wide-open views of Dublin Bay and Howth Head along the way. Organisers market it as Ireland's flattest half marathon, and the course gains no more than about 90 meters over its full distance, making it a popular choice for runners chasing a personal best. Race-day logistics are well established after years of running the event: parking is available in the EastPoint multi-storey car park, bag drop opens roughly 90 minutes before the 10:00 start, and seven separate wave starts are seeded behind pacers targeting finish times from 1:30 to 2:10. Water stations are spaced along the route at roughly the 4, 8.5, 14 and 17.5 kilometer marks, and the finish features chip timing, refreshments and a photowall. Both editions have a history of selling out, so organisers recommend entering well ahead of race day. The next edition is the Autumn/Winter race on Saturday, November 14, 2026; the Summer 2026 edition was held on July 4 and has already taken place. Finishers in the November edition receive a race number and finisher's medal (the Summer edition additionally includes a t-shirt), and registrants also receive a 15% discount at Life Style Sports. The minimum entry age is 18, in line with Athletics Ireland guidelines, and the course carries a 3 hour 30 minute cutoff.