My Marathon

Five runners recount their Dublin Marathon experience

"My grandad died from Alzheimer's so I ran for the Alzheimer's Society. I felt him with me today"

SARAH McCORMACK
(29)
Monaghan and Cardiff
4hrs36min

IT’S MY first marathon. I ran it with Noel, my boyfriend. It’s his first one too.

He said he was going to do it, and I didn’t want to let him get away with doing something I hadn’t done – so I thought, if he’s going to do it, so am I.

I’m an architect and I emigrated to Cardiff in January 2009. That’s where we live now; we’re just home for the run. I miss home and we’re looking to get back – there’s just no opportunities here.

My Grandad died from Alzheimer’s so I ran for the Alzheimer’s Society. I felt him with me today.

The training was hard. There’s been no alcohol for six weeks, but Noel is from Thurles, so when Tipp won the hurling, we fell off the wagon.

Running through the Phoenix Park today was just beautiful, the leaves were falling and the sun was shining – I thought, this is fine.

Mile 15 was the low point. My knee started playing up. We stopped to go to the loo and when we started back, it felt like it my knee was gone.

Mile 20 was bad too, but I thought, ‘Grandad went through so much, I can suck it up for another six miles.’

Me and Noel crossed the line together. I’d say to anyone, ‘Definitely do it’, but I only wanted to do it once. I’ll never do another one.

“It was definitely the crowd that brought me home”

PAUL RYAN
(40)
Ballygarvan, Cork
3hrs34mins

I LOVED to run when I was a kid so I suppose I had a grá to do the marathon at some stage. I was in a motorcycle accident when I was 17 and my right leg was amputated. I walk with a prosthetic leg. I don’t use a wheelchair, so this was all new to me. I’ve competed in the Paralympic sailing – but a marathon in a wheelchair is different.

My friend Dennis Looney got me out training this summer, and for the first few times my hands bled. I was destroyed. I thought I’d train for next year, but then a friend of mine said ‘Let’s give it a lash’. I signed up on the last day of registration.

The first eight miles were fantastic and I felt I was getting stronger, but then the hills hit. I love the sense of speed, and on the downhills, you can rest a bit. Sometimes it feels laborious, and sometimes you think ‘I could push all day’.

At 21 miles, there was the hill and I didn’t think I was going to make it to the top.

I met Dennis and he said, ‘I didn’t run around Crosshaven with you all summer for you not to make it up that f***ing hill!’

It was definitely the crowd that brought me home. I reckon my mom and dad were with me too. I’ve sailed into harbour in China with hundreds of drums beating but the support today was incredible. I’ll definitely be back.

“I’m used to taking physical pain, but this is kind of mental torture, to be honest with you”

BERNARD DUNNE
(30)
Dublin
Former boxing world champion
3hr44min

A FRIEND of mine convinced me to run the marathon with him. Then he said he wasn’t going to run the thing and I was stuck running it because I’d told people I was doing it.

I convinced another friend to do it with me. We’d been training really well – we got up to 21 miles. We said we were going to finish it together, but after 10 miles, he had to start walking because his knee was too sore – we got to 12 and he said that was enough.

I was grand at that point because I’d been taking it nice and easy with him, but I suppose once he finished, the competitor in me took over and I wanted to finish as best I could.

I hit 22 miles and all I kept trying to do was chase down the balloons – to catch the four-hour balloon and then 3.45 balloon and the 3.30 balloon. My legs hit a wall at 22 miles. The pain was absolutely amazing. What was going through my head was, ‘what am I doing here?’ I mean, I’ll take punches in the face any day of the week. But it’s completely different to boxing. You put marathon guys in a boxing ring and they would tell you it’s a different kind of pain. I’m used to taking physical pain, but this is kind of mental torture, to be honest with you.

It felt brilliant crossing the line – it was an amazing feeling. I’d love to do it again, I really would. I told the wife this morning I’d probably stay off the beer until Christmas but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ll probably slip out for a drink tonight.

“Thirteen thousand people standing in silence. It was just astonishing”

PAUL MORAN
(47)
Dublin
2hrs43mins

I’M A garda, and 156 of us ran as part of the Garda Athletic Club today. It’s my 68th marathon and my 12th Dublin City Marathon. Running has been part of my life for so long, I often wonder what will happen when I do get that injury that stops me.

We all gathered at Pearse Street station at 7am. It was like being back in Templemore. It was all the final plasters on toes, Vaseline, Deep Heat – the conference room at Pearse Street smelled like a dressing-room at Croke Park.

We all walked to the start line together. I felt proud. There was a realisation that after all the months training and e-mailing and preparing, this was the end of the road. We’ve put everything into this race.

We were called to the front. I think that trend started with the New York police force. Our own band played and the father of one of our athletes sang the national anthem. Thirteen thousand people standing in silence – it was just astonishing. There was great support when we were running – people were shouting, ‘come on Garda’. A couple of young lads were saying, ‘Ah, you wouldn’t catch me Garda!’

We have a lot of first runners and I hope everyone gets through. Tonight, we’ll probably rehydrate with a few beers. Where will we end up? Where all the guards go – Coppers!

“I just love running, it’s a recession buster. You only need a pair of shoes”

MARY NOLAN HICKEY
(58)
Arklow
3hrs49mins

I’ve done every one of the 31 Dublin City Marathons. I’ve done about 50 around the world and some ultra-marathons too. Every marathon is different – every one is a different chapter in my life.

There’s a team of about 150 of us running to raise funds for the Wicklow Hospice today. I trained some of them, so I’m hoping they’ll all survive it.

Today I ran for my best friend Ann Marie. We’ve been friends since we were three years old. She has breast cancer and is just finishing her treatment. She’s a marathon runner herself and we usually run together. She was in my mind for every mile. She said she was going to go out do a little jog at the same time that I was in the last leg of the marathon, so at 12 o’clock, I knew she was running with me.

I got into trouble at around 19 miles; my calves were seizing, and they were pretty much in spasm until the finish line. It’s a case of trying to hang in there and not give in. I managed to keep going.

I just love running, it’s good for the mind, it’s good for the body and it’s a recession buster, because you only need a pair of shoes.

This is my best time in three years, 3 hours 49 minutes, and I’m delighted.