Madam, – I read your Editorial on the Dublin marathon (October 26th) with interest, especially your final comment about the city not taking the marathon to heart, but I tend to disagree. In 30 years of competing in various types of events I have never experienced crowd support like it.
Almost no point on the route was without supporters and they were packed solid in places, many offering sweets, orange pieces and drinks. The final two miles were like running down a corridor, and on Nassau Street they had pressed so close together you felt that if you wobbled you would cannon off them like a snooker ball. It was quite emotional if you weren’t facing exhaustion and concentrating hard on forcing your legs to keep going. Who could walk with that audience! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I had to write this on Monday evening even though my legs are screaming to be in bed and I can barely keep my eyes open after running my first marathon in Dublin. I cannot congratulate the organisers of the marathon enough: they were outstanding from beginning to end. On Monday, as I was driven home via part of the route, I was amazed at how the streets, which only hours before were cluttered with empty bottles, were by then spotless.
How proud of my city I am. In every corner, on every stretch of the route, crowds of people cheered us on. I was given jelly babies by a tiny child who squealed with delight at my acceptance. High fives were common from many young people and each time I put my head down, asking myself “why did you decide to do this?”, someone shouted out to keep going. I want to thank all of the thousands of people who got me to the finishing line; there is no way I could have done it without them. In these times, when a lot of what we are hearing is negative, it is only right to celebrate what is by far one of the most positive events in this country. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Having returned from England and being used to the BBC’s coverage of the London marathon in April – a great and inspiring family programme – I turned on the TV to watch the Dublin marathon. I was dismayed to find that it was not being covered by RTÉ. What am I paying my licence fee for, if part of the RTÉ budget cannot cover a few cameras to cover the Dublin marathon live? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I have run marathons in numerous great cites. On Monday, I ran the Dublin marathon for the first time.
A marathon gives you the opportunity to see and to feel a city. Twenty-six miles is a long way and so inevitably the course brings you through all parts – it’s not possible for a city to showcase just the better bits. The locals support in their own inimitable way – New Yorkers worship the effort, while Berliners respect it.
On Monday, Dublin looked truly beautiful – the kind of place anybody would love to call home. And the Dubliners were there in their tens of thousands, all sorts of them, and they were magnificent! – Yours, etc,