DESTINATION DUBLIN

by Dick Conley

For the last three years, 1997 through 1999, my brother Jerry and I have made our October marathon pilgrimage to Hartford, Connecticut. While Hartford is a great race, this year we expanded our horizons and chose Dublin, Ireland as our fall destination. We also corralled fourteen other serious and somewhat serious marathoners to make this sojourn with us. Our plan called for landing in Dublin on October 28, running the race on Monday, October 30, and then heading to western Ireland for the balance of the week to see the sights.

Although having traveled to Ireland on two prior occasions, I had not yet visited Dublin, staying in the more rural and scenic west. The race would be an efficient way to view the city at large. The two days prior to the race provided leisure time for checking out Dublin landmarks. City Center Dublin is very appealing, both in scale and aesthetics, with much to see and do. We stayed just a few blocks east of City Center on the north side of the Liffey River, which dissects the city. Important sites, all within walking distance, included the Famine Memorial, Trinity College, the General Post Office and the National Museum, among others. Combined, these sites provided lots of information on the country’s culture and history. The Temple Bar section, across from our hotel on the south side of the Liffey River, is one of the oldest sections of the city and has numerous restaurants, pubs and shops. We were able to find a terrific Italian Restaurant for our pre-race final carbo load on Sunday night.

This was the twentieth running of the Dublin Marathon and about 8000 people had registered. There were a fair number of US entrants, many of whom were running for various charities. The day before the race, on Sunday morning, there was a 5-K Fun/Breakfast Run, which included a tee-shirt trading session. The run and breakfast, which included coffee, yogurt and rolls, were great. The tee-shirt trading session provided a perfect venue for meeting other runners, as well as an opportunity to test your negotiating skills in making various trades.

Ominous weather reports the night before the race, along with lingering jet lag, did not contribute to a restful sleep. Forecasts for marathon morning predicted gale winds up to 50 miles per hour, with rain and sleet. The best one could do was put your mind in a positive frame and hope the weatherman was wrong. Morning did bring the wind and rain, but we did our best to ignore it and commenced to the start. Our journey through Dublin began with the sounding of the 8:30am gun.

The marathon course was circular, starting in City Center and making its way out in a 26-mile loop within the city-limits, finishing back at the start. The course was relatively flat, with a few easy hills early. Water stops were every three miles, which seemed sparse, but your ration at each stop included a full 20 ounce bottle, which was more than sufficient. The weather was an annoyance and caused (or forced) many to proceed conservatively in the early miles. The toughest miles were 13 through 20, where you were going directly into the wind, which found most looking for larger bodies to draft behind. Spectators who braved the elements were very encouraging. The typical shout throughout the race was “good work lad” or “lass”! Gloriously, the sun appeared in the last three miles and the winds were at your back, which made for an easier finish. A Scottish entrant, Simon Pride, finished first in 2:19. He attributed his winning performance to training in similar weather conditions in northern Scotland. Sonia O’Sullivan, Ireland’s Silver Medallist in the Olympic 5000-meter race this year, was the first woman in 2:35. Not bad for her first marathon!

Our group survived and even faired well in the race. Byrne Decker, a member of our group from Portland, Me., finished 12th overall (first American) with a 2:28. The balance of the group ran between 2:40 and 4:15, all near projected finishing times. My own 3:18 was a few minutes off projection, but within an acceptable margin of error. Despite the display by Mother Nature, which was apparently her nastiest in race history, everyone had a brilliant time and would recommend this marathon, in an interesting and friendly city, as one to do.

 

Dick Conley, 11/7/00