The autumn leaves are about to fall. We won't mention the clocks going back yet.
And another constant at this time of the year is the staging of the Dublin City Marathon. This year's race, with Irish Life as its main sponsor, will take place on Sunday, 25 October.
Raheny's Dick Hooper won the inaugural event in 1980, when just over 2,100 runners competed, at a time when the marathon boom was emerging. Cities around the world wanted a piece of the action. Dublin, in its early years, certainly held its own.
But then came a drop-off, before the boom returned. What was initially a Monday event on the October bank holiday is now a Sunday fixture, offering the opportunity for more international runners to compete.
The Dublin Marathon is part of a series of races that is organised by the Dublin Marathon Group, the others being the Fingal 10k, Frank Duffy 10 Mile and the Dublin Half Marathon. It underlines the ever-growing appeal of running in having a series of events in a period between July and October, the culmination of which is the 26.2-mile trek around the streets of the capital.
Speaking to the media ahead of this year's renewal, CEO of Dublin Marathon Group, Seán Ó Ríain referenced "a running community that is booming at the moment" and a "historical city celebration that has been around for 45 years".
And the hope no doubt is that it will be around for many more years, with a cap on 22,500 competitors on the day itself. Ó Ríain, however, also alluded to the increasing costs in running the event.
And so from next year, the cost of entry will rise from €110 to €130, a first increase in five years. Though from 2027 the €4 ballot fee will be refunded automatically to unsuccessful applicants, while successful applicants will have it offset against the entry price.
"People are not going to be incredibly comfortable with the entry increase," Ó Ríain said.
"But when we looked at our financial sustainability piece for the next number of years, and when we look at the cost of putting on the event, cumulatively over the last five years inflation has been somewhere between 18 and 20%.
"We're seeing a significant increase in costs across infrastructure, security, medical and traffic management, and to be completely transparent you will see that in our surplus this year.
"It is less than €70,000, whereas in previous years it was quite high, and that’s a direct result of investing into a new race - the Dublin City Half Marathon - but also the spiralling costs of putting on something in the city over 42 kilometres, on an Expo (which is being held in the RDS Simmonscourt) and all the trimmings that come with that.
"We want to retain that standard. We’re very proud of what we produce as a marathon for our runners, we are a not-for-profit and what we do is put all of our money back effectively into that runner experience.
"A ballot is necessary when you've got over 47,000 people looking for an entry. We knew it would be over 30,000 for sure, but 47,000 was probably a surprise. What was important to do at that stage was start to charge that ballot fee but when you’ve got more and more unsuccessful entrants, it becomes a bigger financial commitment.
"So this year, and going forward, we’ve made that decision to refund. We feel that it’s a fair process now where we make that refund, we think that’s what the customer wants and we’re here to do it.
"Covering the ballot fee, the spiralling costs, retaining that standard, that's why we landed on the €130."
Looking ahead, Ó Ríain obviously wants the event to grow. "The commercial and economic impact on the city is massive," he adds.
But will we see even more participants at the start line going forward?
"When you talk about capacity, you must look at health and safety," the CEO remarked.
"Dublin is a Georgian city, the gates at Castleknock are only so wide. We can only close the roads for so long. We bring specialists in around crowd safety and some of those specialists from Manchester University have been over looking at things.
"We take their information and consult with the powers that be. There is an opportunity for growth, certainly in the period leading up to the 50th running of the race.
"Our ambition is to continue investing in and raising the standard of what we deliver, learning from leading international events while protecting the character, community and runner experience that make Dublin special."
Organisers have also revealed that following runner feedback, the official transfer window for this year's marathon was extended to more than two months. This longer transfer window will be in place again for 2027.
Official transfer options will also be introduced for the Fingal 10k and the Frank Duffy 10 Mile for the first time next year, creating a more consistent approach to transfers across Dublin Marathon Group events.
An official transfer process ensures the person taking part is properly registered, emergency and medical information is accurate, and results are recorded against the correct participant.
Entry fees for the three Irish Life Dublin Race Series events will also increase in 2027, with the Fingal 10k at €35, the Frank Duffy 10 Mile at €40 and the Dublin Half Marathon at €55, plus applicable fees.
