The youngster will not be competing in today's race.

More than 22,000 athletes will take to the streets of Dublin for today's marathon, but defending female champion Ava Crean will not be one of them.

Crean was just 19 years old when she claimed sixth place in last year's race, becoming the first Irish woman to cross the finish line ahead of two-time national champion Anne-Marie McGlynn.

"It's definitely been life-changing," said the Limerick athlete this month. "I don't even know if it has sunk in yet, to be honest."

However, Crean suffered an injury flare-up at the end of February and, speaking at the launch of the 2026 Irish Life Dublin Marathon earlier this month, she revealed that a hip bone injury will keep her out of competitive running until at least November, when she hopes to return in a half marathon.

She also has her sights set on the Valencia Marathon before Christmas or, should her rehabilitation extend beyond that, the Seville event in February.

Stemming from a growth plate issue in her hip, Crean is relieved that the problem is a stress injury rather than a fracture. An initial MRI scan revealed nothing of concern, but after returning to running and cross training, her condition worsened considerably.

A follow-up MRI scan uncovered a bone marrow oedema in the iliac crest — the top ridge of the hip bone.

Crean is due to meet with Dr Ronan Kearney of the Blackrock Clinic to discuss the nature of the injury and how long her rehab and recovery will take. "There had been a misunderstanding," she said.

"No-one really knows what caused it, maybe overuse.

"It's definitely been really hard, the hardest couple of months, not knowing what it is is kind of the most frustrating part."