Some 40,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers took part in this year's Dublin Women's Mini-Marathon. The 10-kilometre road race was won by Pauline Curley from the Tullamore Harriers, Co Offaly, in a time of 35 minutes and four seconds.
She was followed by Niamh O'Sullivan, Kerry, then Orla O'Mahony and Niamh Devlin, Dublin.
The visually impaired section was won by Mary Fahy, Dublin, and the wheelchair race winner was Patrice Dockrey, Swords, Co Dublin, in a time of 29 minutes and 14 seconds.
There were no records broken on the course this year but organisers hoped they would break the record for fundraising at the event. Since it began in 1983, the mini-marathon has raised €85 million for various charities and spokeswoman for the 24th event, Catherine MacNeill, said there was a good chance they would reach €100 million this year.
Most of the participants had an early start, travelling from all over the country to help raise funds for their favourite charity.
By 2pm they were massing on the starting line at Fitzwilliam Square, their colour-coded numbers dividing them into runners, joggers and walkers.
A 65-strong group from Galway city, the Mother Hens, led by Maureen Cox were raising funds to bring sick children to Lourdes with the Irish Pilgrimage Trust. Audrey Morgan and 14 friends were running for Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder contracted by her 3½-year-old son. They travelled from Dundalk on a minibus.
"It's not about the competition, it's a big day out for us," she said.
At three o'clock the mini-marathon began and a cheer like a Mexican wave rippled backwards from the starting line, through the runners and the joggers over the cowboy hats, the halos, the blonde wigs and the nuns' habits to the walkers at the back, who would take up to 40 minutes to cross the starting line.
And then the crowd began to move, tightly packed together at first and thinning out as the quickest sped away.
Cheeky Girls David Stafford from Ratoath and Barry Evans, Donaghmede, shimmied down Fitzwilliam Square in silver tops, red wigs and fringe skirts. They were out for the craic with their families and had also managed to raise €2,000 for Crumlin Children's Hospital in memory of David's brother, Colin.
Tatiana Guedes, Stepaside, originally from Brazil, was attempting what seemed like the impossible with friends from Rashani Ballet School in Dublin. In a gypsy skirt and a T-shirt tied at her midriff, she had pledged to complete the course with a basket balanced on her head to raise money for Plan Ireland.
"It's not attached," she said lifting it for a moment. "I hope it doesn't get too windy."
At the finishing line on St Stephen's Green, the Order of Malta and some of the 1,800 volunteers provided medals, water and, for some, a pair of strong arms.
Around the corner students from the Institute of Physical Therapy were kept busy. With 70 tables and about 100 volunteers they loosened tight hamstrings and calves, treating over 1,000 women.
A man on the sideline waved at the women who had completed the course. "It just shows you, there's people out there who don't care about anything, but there's an awful lot of people who do," he said.
