In between the marathon split times that Ann-Marie McGlynn had inscribed in black marker on to her left hand were some other key words of encouragement.
‘Today is my day’, and also just a name, ‘Noel Carroll’.
Turns out Sunday was her day of days, McGlynn finishing fifth-best woman in the Dublin Marathon, and the best of the Irish, with that the prize of the national title she’d come so close to winning in her previous two attempts.
At age 43, and a mother of boys aged 13 and 11, McGlynn had realised this might also present one of her last chances. Determined to make it count, she made sure to lead that Irish challenge throughout, finishing in 2:34.13, almost three minutes ahead of the next Irish woman.
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Even with defending Irish champion Courtney McGuire out injured, McGlynn – runner-up last year and in 2019 – still had to close out the deal, those words inscribed on to her hand unquestionably helping that cause.
A sort of early running prodigy in her native Tullamore, McGlynn (née Larkin) won her first underage title at age 13, before starting in UCD at age 18. Just two months after that, her coach at UCD, Dublin Marathon co-founder Noel Carroll, died suddenly at age 56.
Later, in 2008, she won an Irish indoor title over 800m, returning to the marathon after the birth of her two children. She missed the Tokyo Olympic marathon time by four seconds, running 2:29:34 in early 2021, this victory making up for a large part of all that.
“I’m getting over the other side of the hill now, I have to take every day when I get it,” she said.
“I had on my hand ‘today is my day’ and I believed it all the way round, believed it this week. I know Courtney dropped out, was in, then dropped out, but that changed nothing for me. I had to run it, I had to finish. I had a job to do, regardless of who else was on my shoulder.
“I knew I had a job to do regardless of who was in the race. Myself and Emmet [Dunleavy, coach] had a plan and it never changed, from 14 weeks ago.”
Now living in Strabane in Co Tyrone, and running for Letterkenny AC, it wasn’t all smooth running: “You can only beat who is there on the day, but still, it’s 26 miles, I had to cross that finish line. When the live stream was on me, I fell apart a bit, got a bit anxious. I knew people were watching and your legs are tired, that’s normal. When it went away, I relaxed a bit, I was ready to embrace it.
“In 2019, I thought I had it, last year I thought was my chance. But I knew I was strong, at the same time, with two miles to go, I know my calves were starting to go ‘oh …’, and I just needed to get home.”
Knowing, too, that the course passed UCD at 21 miles, and the memories that would again conjure, she made sure to have Carroll’s name at hand too: “When I ran past Clonskeagh, and UCD, and I went there, I pumped a fist up to Noel Carroll, because he was my coach for a couple of months. I was praying to them all, bring me home.
“So this is for everyone who has helped my along the way. I’ll celebrate it last, but I will celebrate it anyway.”
Including later with the family, including sons Lexie and Alfie. It was the near loss of Alfie in 2012, just a few weeks after his birth, which helped inspire her return to competitive running.
“This is my office, so I don’t bring them, because they’re mummy-mad, and I have to take that time away from them, to concentrate on this. They understand now, so they were at home, watching the live stream, and they’ll be happy.”
The outright women’s winner was Sorome Negash from Ethiopia, in complete control throughout, finishing in 2:26:22, ahead of Kenyan Joan Kipyatich, who took second in 2:27:04
Gladys Ganiel from North Belfast Harriers, a lecturer at Queen’s University, won national silver in 2:37:08, a new over-45 women’s national record, while civil servant Sorcha Loughnane, representing Donore Harriers, claimed bronze in 2:45:31.
2023 Irish Life Dublin Marathon
Men: 1 K Husen (Ethiopia) 2:06:52, 2 G Kusuro (Uganda) 2:10:45, 3 S Scullion (Clonliffe Harriers AC) 2:11:51.
Women: 1 S Negash (Ethiopia) 2:26:22, 2 J Kipyatich (Kenya) 2:27:04, 3 G Abdurkadir (Ethiopia) 2:27:49
Irish Marathon Championship
Men: 1 S Scullion (Clonliffe Harriers AC) 2:11:51, 2 R Creech (Leevale AC) 2:14:08, 3 R Forsyth (Newcastle & District AC) 2:14:43
Women: 1 A-M McGlynn (Letterkenny AC) 2:34:13, 2 G Ganiel (North Belfast Harriers) 2:37:08, 3 S Loughnane (Donore Harriers AC) 2:45:31
