KBC Dublin Marathon, today, unveiled the 2019 finishers medal.

This year, to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the event, the medal is a nod back to the first finishers plaque in 1980 with both being bronze in colour and featuring Dublin’s oldest pedestrian crossing the Ha’penny bridge.

Two runners who have being at the forefront of the marathon since 1980 were present today for the medal reveal—Arklow athlete Mary Nolan Hickey has run 39 of the 40 marathons and is the only female to have finished all 39. Frank Behan, at 80 is the most senior athlete to have finished 39 marathons and both athletes plan to run this year’s 40^th anniversary marathon.

Jim Aughney, Race Director of the KBC Dublin Marathon, said: “We are delighted with the medal design this year as it commemorates the original plaque that was used in 1980. The material used also reverts back to the bronze image that finishers received in the inaugural event. I think it will be much valued and become a collector’s item with all the finishers."

Aidan Power, Director of Customer, Brand and Marketing from KBC, said: “The Dublin Marathon has enjoyed huge success and developed into one of the best race experiences in the world for competitors and supporters alike. This year’s medal is a nod back to the first finishers plaque in 1980 and it’s fantastic to be able to celebrate the medal unveiling with two of the runners who have being part of the marathon since day one.”

“Being part of the 40th celebrations in our first year as a sponsor is really special for KBC and this year we not only want to celebrate the runners but also the thousands of individuals who make the marathon possible such as the hardcore supporters, family members, volunteers and fans—that’s why we have launched #RunThisTown social media campaign.”

The KBC Dublin Marathon, is now the 4^th largest in the EU and over 1,500 volunteers and 300,000 supporters are behind the event each year. To celebrate the 40^th anniversary, KBC wants to include anyone who’s life is touched by the marathon through its social media campaign #RunThisTown. So, you could be a runner who’s been training really hard, a family member who’s spent all week making signs, or a fan who turns up every year to support complete strangers, just tell KBC your story or share an image on social media using the #RunThisTown, and KBC will make sure the whole city hears about it.
 
Last year over €9 million was raised by marathon runners for charity. To mark the 40^th anniversary Everydayhero, the official fundraising partner of the KBC Dublin Marathon, are offering runners a chance to kick start their fundraising with a €40 donation to 40 selected marathon participants through the EveryDayHero fundraising platform .

In February, the KBC Dublin Marathon announced the marathon entry has been increased from 20,000 to a record number of 22,500 following an agreement with key authorities. This follows a sell-out of the 20,000 entries in December 2018, 10 months before the event on Sunday 27th October 2019. The additional entries will go on sale on July 1^st.