Marathon kicks off with impressive competition

The 27th Dublin City Marathon is underway.

The 26-mile course starts at Fitzwilliam Square East and concludes at Merrion Square West

The elite ladies started off at 8.45am. Last year's winner Alina Ivanova is competing to defend her title.

The men's starting time is 9.10am. Last year's winner Aleksey Sokolov from Russia will face tough competition as the winners of both the 2004 and the 2005 race compete.