The ever popular Dublin Marathon made a welcome return on the Bank holiday weekend, with over 15,000 runners, including 12 members of Boyne AC, pounding the streets of our capital city.
The two year postponement made the day just that bit more special for runners and spectators alike, and the event itself once again lived up to its reputation as “The Friendly Marathon”.
Months of hard training and hours of long runs finally came to fruition for 12 of Boyne ACs senior members, with some making their marathon debut, and for others, yet another marathon to add to their tally.
A glorious sunny morning made for perfect running conditions, and with spectators lining every inch of the route, the support and camaraderie was amazing.
Super speedy Timi Oluwabowalae, in his marathon debut, was glad to see training partner Mark Dowling pull alongside him with 10k to go.
The two worked together to make that final push for home, maintaining a steady pace as they cruised along the Dublin streets, and in fact, getting that bit quicker in the last kilometre or two, with both crossing the finish line in an amazing 3 hours and 35 minutes, a PB by over 10 minutes for both.
The first lady home for the club, Rachel Williams proved that her hard work over recent months was worth it, as she ran a super quick time of 3.48, setting herself a new pb in the process.
Louise Fagan ran a controlled race to put her training over recent months to good use, finishing in a super time of 3.53, setting a new pb, and still smiling as she crossed the finish line!
Also making his marathon debut, Rob Fitzgerald worked hard to break that elusive sub 4 hour mark, crossing the line in 3.57, a great achievement over such a tough distance, and there is plenty more to come from this determined runner.
Rebecca Carolan, no stranger to the 42.2k distance, completed her 12th marathon in 4.03, and is already signed up for 2023.
Newest club member Keith Smyth, also making his marathon debut, ran a super time of 4.07, making it look easy as he breezed across the finish line.Maria Riordan, was delighted with her time of 4.25, not a pb for this speedy lady, but smiles all round all the same.
Clubmate Ola Raji found the going tough at times, but dug deep to keep the pace, not easy in such a long race, but the agony didn’t last too long, and she was her usual smiley self again as she crossed the finish line in 4.33.
Colin O’Condun was another to set a new pb, as he ran a great race to finish in a time of 4.41, over 11 minutes faster than his previous Dublin marathon.
Jean Marie Nawn knocked an amazing 24 minutes off her previous best time as she finished in a super 4.42, and was still beaming with pride a week later!
Training partner Eimear Rickard battled through a hip injury to complete her 26.2 miles in a great time of 4.58, full of emotion as she saw her family along the finish straight, giving her that final push she needed to get across the line.
With great support from club members along the route and family members at various points along the course, all 12 are full of appreciation for everyone who came to support them, and to their fellow clubmates for their support and companionship over recent months in all their training sessions.
