Dublin Marathon Pioneer Arklow’s Mary Nolan Hickey To Present Cup That Bears Her Name

Mary Nolan Hickey, who ran the first Dublin Marathon in 1980, will present the cup to the women’s elite winner on Sunday

A Wicklow woman who ran the very first Dublin Marathon in 1980 and was honoured by race organisers with a perpetual trophy in her name last year will present the trophy to the winner of the women's elite race on Sunday

Mary Nolan Hickey from Arklow, a pioneer of women’s distance running who began her career in 1968, completed 44 Dublin marathons, including one while pregnant.

The Mary Nolan Hickey Perpetual Cup will be awarded to the winner of the Women’s Elite race on Sunday, and Mary will present it herself.

Speaking to East Coast FM News, Mary said she was surprised and honoured to still feel part of the marathon after 44 years. “It’s much nicer day in Dublin when you’re just hanging around waiting to give someone a trophy and not out there battling the roads,” she said.

A decision made on the roads

Mary ran her last Dublin Marathon in 2024. She said injuries had started to play a big part and her times were slipping, and the decision to stop hit her “like a bolt out of the blue”. Few believed her at first. “They kept saying, actually Mary, you’ve been saying that for the last 20 years,” she said.

A few weeks before the 2025 race, she told race director Jim Aughney at the marathon media day that she wouldn’t be on the start line. She had enjoyed every marathon, she said, but didn’t want to drag around the back, barely able to make the cut-off.

Organisers invited her to present a trophy to the leading woman home last year. That trophy has now become a perpetual cup named in her honour.

Mary joked that she asked Jim whether she could get a special entry price if she wanted to return, as the handful of runners who have completed every Dublin Marathon used to get free entry.

“He said yeah Mary, I can organise that, but you’ll have to run faster than the first lady because we need you to present the trophy,” she said. “I said oh well, that’s me definitely finished.”

She described herself as “just a Joe Soap marathon runner”, though she broke three hours and finished fourth woman in her time. “I’m absolutely almost overwhelmed by the honour of it,” she said.

“Unparalleled” crowd support

Mary said she found the full marathon easier than shorter races, because runners have to calm down and build into it. She praised the crowds in Dublin, which she called unparalleled, and said spectators along the route literally try to pick runners up when they’re down.

On the forecast for Sunday, she said the weather will add to the challenge but she doesn’t expect it to be that bad.

Wicklow’s running tradition

More than 700 runners from County Wicklow are expected to take part this year, many raising money for charity.

Mary, who has trained runners for the marathon since 1981, said the county has a strong tradition in distance running. She pointed to Olympian Fionnuala McCormack, who has competed at four or five Games, and to Wicklow’s success in ultra running.

Advice for first-timers

Mary had a message for anyone heading to their first marathon start line. Wear something warm that you can discard, and a cheap pair of gloves, as it will be chilly and there may be some debris on the road. Start easy and don’t burn the battery too early.

“It is going to be a tough day,” she said, “but it’s going to be such an amazing feeling when you get to the finish line.”