A week before the race was due to take place I developed a heavy cold and for a while I thought I might not be able to participate. I knew that as long as I didn't have a temperature I'd take part even if I had to walk most of it. However, by the time race day arrived I was feeling a whole lot better. The first half of the race went by in less than two hours but I was already beginning to sag and the rest of the race became a matter of survival. There were some lovely moments. I was amused by three signs. Where else but in Ireland would you read "Run like you're late for Mass". One attractive girl held a sign saying, "You're all Kenyans to me". Needless to say, the Kenyans cleaned up in the elite race. Another sign read, "Toenails are overrated". Any runner will know the significance of that: I now sport three black toenails on my left foot. The weather had been sunny in Dublin until race day. The first three and a half hours of my race were not too bad - just the occasional shower. But in the last hour the heavens opened. Despite that, the crowds came out and cheered us on. I do so appreciate these people - my name was on my racing bib thanks to Ama from Afrikids, which I'd used for my last marathon in Edinburgh, and the number of times I heard, "Come on, Bob" or "Fair play to you Bob" was uncountable. I ran a lot of the time next to a man wearing nothing but a pair of running shoes and a thong. He had "Good Luck" written on his buttocks. There were 15,000 of us running - from 51 different countries. Our hotel was full of Italians. It was the biggest show in town and afterwards, when I went to enjoy plenty of the black stuff, some pubs were discounting drinks for those wearing their medals. Even though I was a lot slower than last year, I know that my cold had probably cost me at least 15 minutes - I came in at 4 hours 27 minutes. But I feel a great sense of achievement and am glad that I've been able to raise more than £1300 for Afrikids so far and am hopeful for more.
