Adidas Dublin Marathon

Today, once the worst pain is hopefully gone, and our knees are bending again we can write few words about last Monday’s experience!

Before start

Eleven thousand people, a couple of comedians, few leprechauns, Blues Brothers and Donald Duck took to the streets of the city on Monday to be part of the 28th Adidas Dublin Marathon, and among them us. It may sound a bit mad – who, in their right mind, would want to rise early on Bank Holiday and run 26 miles through streets of Dublin? In realty we run Dublin Marathon for the same reasons other climb a mountain – because it’s there! The goal was simply to get to the top, to cross the finish line.

Start

Of course there is, within every city marathon, another event altogether, for competitors and athletes. But this is strictly minority affair of the concern to no more than 10%. The real hart of this spectacle were thousands of participants, all shapes and makes of ordinary people, running for as many different reasons, as there are participants.

The General Post Office
Dublin O'Connell Street

This year’s race started on Baggot Street, at 9am – 15 minutes before the start – the street was completely filled with marathon runners. We were somewhere at the end so we’ve started five minutes after the official start! The first few miles were nice and easy, everyone was in a good mood! It was more of a sightseeing trip around Dublin tourist attractions than anything else, running up O’Connell Street by The General Post Office, the focal point of the Easter Rising of 1916. We hit Phoenix Park around the four mile mark, and we got onto Chesterfield Avenue – over a mile long, straight and slightly uphill part of the course. The fact you can see so far ahead makes you fill less comfortable - but it was nothing comparing to the pure torture of a long, steady climb of the Crumlin Road!

Nearly there...

We saw, especially after the half way mark, parts of Dublin, we’ve never been to. It got really though on the last six miles, and only around the Trinity College, with the support of crowds on both sides of the street legs become a bit lighter, and the last 195 meters were pure pleasure! And in the end one great purpose of the marathon is to prepare you for one of the best pints of Guinness of your life!

Comedians Ed Byrne and Tommy Tiernan completed the course, with Ed coming first. We finished somewhere between them – we bit you Tommy!

Ireland top list for friendliness

According to Lonely Planet travel guide, Ireland is now the friendliest nation on planet!
“Centuries of turmoil, conquest and famine – and subsequent immigration – have certainly taken their toll on the Irish; it’s left them with a delicious dark sense of humor and a welcoming attitude towards strangers” claims the guide.
That famous ability of the Irish to find the craic (fun times with convivial company ;-) ) in bum or bust times – means you’re always in for a treat.”
And it isn’t just the lack of food or abundance of invaders, that according to the book, has made Irish so happy – the sorting out of that unfortunate business up north has boosted Irish moods to an all-time high.
“These days, after the end of “Troubles”, a cautious optimism reigns supreme, infecting the land once again with the sense that anything’s possible” it adds.
The tip-driven smiles of the Americans have landed the US in second place, though residents of few nations may not agree.
“Blamed for the coming of World War III, the Anti-Christ, Bon Jovi, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, rampant street crime, and noise pollution through overloud talking, Americans just take it all in their stride” says the guide, claiming Americans will do anything to make you feel welcome.
Poverty stricken Malawi was third on the list (they can’t afford not to be) while Scotland, Turkey, Samoa, Thailand, Fiji, Indonesia and Vietnam made up the rest.
Needless to say Ireland also made it into the top ten on the Best Brews Bluelist – cheers for that, Guinness!