The reactions of the runners differed dramatically as they crossed the finish line: some whooped and punched the air, some fell to the ground in sweaty exhaustion, others merely smiled to themselves at their accomplishment.
But one thing the 40,000- plus women who took part in yesterday’s Dublin Flora mini-marathon all shared was the sense of achievement and goodwill that pervaded the capital.
Under a cloud-covered sky (the cooler-than-anticipated weather was welcomed by those taking part), a stream of (mostly) women passed under the yellow gates that marked the start of their personal mini-marathon.
The runners and joggers crossed the start line at 2pm, but it took almost 45 minutes for the many thousands of walkers, who make up almost three-quarters of those taking part in the event, to begin walking the course, due to the large numbers taking part.
Indeed the crowds were so large that, by the time the last walker had crossed the starting line the winner had already completed the circuit.
Winner Barbara Cleary, from the Donore Harriers club, who crossed the line in 34 minutes and seven seconds, said the victory was “terrific”. “It was a great feeling coming down the home stretch in the end,” she said, adding that the support from onlookers all along the course had been amazing.
But this was certainly an event where the taking part was just as important as winning: more than 700 charities will benefit from some €12 million in funds raised by yesterday’s event.
From midday, the participants gathered in uniformed groups, big and small, supporting a myriad of charities: the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, St Luke’s Hospital, the Jack and Jill Foundation, Pieta House, Barnardos, the Irish Heart Foundation, Dóchas, Our Lady’s Hospice, the Rape Crisis Centre . . . the sheer volume of good causes appeared as unending as the feeling of goodwill among those supporting them.
Superstar
Maureen Armstrong, who is 89 and from Tipperary, is a mini-marathon superstar, having taken part in her 20th marathon yesterday for the Irish Cancer Society.
She estimates she has raised thousands for the charity over the years.
“Every family is hit with cancer, every home . . . so I hope to God it will do somebody some good, what money I have raised so far,” she said, adding she expected to raise €600 in this year’s event.
For some taking part, the event was deeply personal. Louise Keeley was out in support of the Irish Premature Babies charity in memory of her nephew Justin, who died last January 19th.
“It’s a charity very close to our hearts,” she said. “His mother and father are here, his aunties, his uncles, his grandmother, friends,” she said, adding that by raising money, the family hoped to help other families like them. The group has raised over €1,000 to date.
Emma O’Leary from Clonee in Dublin was taking part for the A Little Lifetime Foundation, in memory of her daughter Zara, who was stillborn in 2010.
O’Leary, who walked the course in her first year, ran it yesterday in under an hour.
“This is the nicest race to do of any of them because you always get such support – it’s all women and there’s such camaraderie,” she said.
Interlopers
Of course, as happens every year, there was a deep-rooted suspicion that there were some interlopers in the crowd: “Joanna” (John) Segrave told
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in a suspiciously deep voice “she” was raising money for Help Little Friends Walk to provide therapy for children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus to take part in a physiotherapy programme in Limerick.
Kathleen Tierney from Stradone, Co Cavan, who was participating with her friend Geraldine Rahill, walked the circuit in support of Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, where her daughter Lorna received a kidney transplant four years ago.
“It’s just a big thank you to everybody at the hospital for the way we as a family have been able to live a normal life because of it . . . and I suppose all of the thousands of people who are here have similar reasons for taking part . . . every one of them has their own story.”