Vision impairment first for Dublin Marathon

Following representations from Vision Sports Ireland, we are delighted to announce that the 2018 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon will include two prizes for blind/vision impaired runners. The first male and female blind/vision impaired finishers will each receive a prize of €750.

This is the first time in its 38 year history that this famous Marathon has kindly provided prizes for our top blind/vision impaired athletes. We wish to sincerely thanks Race Director Jim Aughney and his team for their support.

The SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon is also an International Paralympic Committee (IPC) approved event. Therefore, the marathon provides a pathway to qualification for major IPC events,

HOW TO QUALIFY TO COMPETE FOR DUBLIN CITY MARATHON PRIZES

To qualify to compete for prizes participants must fulfil the following criteria:

1. Have a visual eyesight classification under criteria as laid out by the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) in categories B1 OR B2 OR B3.

1. B1: Visual acuity lower than LogMAR 2.6.
2. B2: Visual acuity ranging from LogMAR 1.5 to 2.6 (inclusive)
   and/or visual field constricted to a diameter of less than 10 degrees.
3. B3: Visual acuity ranging from LogMAR 1.4 to 1.0 (inclusive) and/or visual field constricted to a diameter of less than 40 degrees.

(SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon 2018 prizes will be awarded based on best overall results by male and female runners from any of the above classification categories)

2. Be a current full member of Vision Sports Ireland OR hold a 2018 IPC Licence as well as being nationally or internationally classified.
3. Guide runners must be current valid full members of Vision Sports Ireland OR hold a valid IPC Licence. The blind/vision impaired runner may be accompanied by up to two guides, one at a time, with strict adherence to rules as laid down in the IPC World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations 2018-2019.
4. Runners seeking Marathon qualification times for IPC major championships must hold a 2018 IPC Licence and hold valid IPC international eyesight classifications. Accompanying guide/s must hold a 2018 IPC Licence.
5. All blind/vision impaired runners and guides seeking to compete for prizes must start from the designated area at the required time as directed by SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon officials.
6. To register for the 2018 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon prizes for blind/vision impaired runners, the participant must successfully complete the official Entry Form. Then email office@dublinmarathon.ie using subject line “blind/vi runner” to confirm your interest in competing for prizes for blind/vision impaired runners. You must also indicate in your email any guide runner details.
7. All applications to compete for prizes will be validated by Vision Sports Ireland, the national governing body (NGB) for sport for vision impaired people in Ireland.

Please note: athletes who require national classification for Paralympic related events should have the classification request form completed by their ophthalmologist and sent to the Paralympics Ireland classification coordinator at classification@paralympics.ie by 17 September 2018. The form can be found on http://www.paralympics.ie/downloads.