40th Dublin Marathon and a Meath connection
There will be plenty of Meath athletes in action at the 40th running of the Dublin City Marathon this Sunday 27th October with a record number of 22,500 runners registered for the sold-out event.
To coincide with the anniversary, Leitrim native and popular sports journalist Sean McGoldrick launched an excellent publication last week - The Dublin Marathon celebrating 40 years - which covers the history of the race.
The marathon has turned into a unique Irish sporting and cultural event since it first hit the streets in 1980 and recorded 1,421 finishers up to last year when 16,251 crossed the line.
All the statistics and various stories are recorded in McGoldrick's publication from the first winner who was Dick Hooper (2:16.14), Carey May who was the first woman (2:42.11).
Some 13 athletes have completed in the previous 39 marathons will bid for number 40 on Sunday and that includes Seamus Dunne from Meath.
The oldest runner on Sunday will be 78-year-old Frank Behan. The others include Mary Nolan-Hickey (Wicklow), the only woman to have finished all 39 marathons. John McElhinney, Michael Carolan, Donal de Buitleir, Dominic Gallagher, Martin Kelly, Patrick Gowan and the aforementioned Behan (all Dublin), Seamus Cawley (Limerick), Billy Harpur (Wexford), Peadar Nugent (Galway) and Donal Ward (Donegal).
MEATH CLUBS
Many Meath clubs will be represented with Navan AC, Trim AC, Star of the Sea AC and Meath Running Group all taking part in the big race on Sunday.
NAVAN AC
Navan AC athletes taking part include Nuala Flanagan, Conor Gleeson, Caroline Gibbons, Simon Lawlor, Joanne Rice, Sonya Reilly, Neil Cummins, Johanna O’Connor, Alan Reilly, Neil Smith, Ciaran Corcoran, Edel McSorley, Simon O’Connor, Jean Whelan, Niamh Ui Fhlionn, Lorraine Counihan, Larry Whelan, Martina Fleming, Alan Reilly, Conor Gleeson, Kathleen Geraghty, Colin Travers, Darragh Roe, Colleen McNamee, Barry Finnegan, Arlene Gorman, Jean Whelan.
STAR OF THE SEA
Star of the Sea athletes include Edel Fitzgerald, Margaret Storey, Caron Pollis, Grainne Mulholland, Fiona White, Fiona O’Byrne Rosemary Hutcheson, Gerry McKiernan, Grainne Kiernan, Fiona Kenna, Declan McGrath, Susan Vickers, Leona Duffy, Sandra Mullen, Hilary Dowdall, Josie Fagan, Pauline Maloney, Karen Carroll, Samantha Coughlan, Jenny Kilgannon, Louise Maloney, Sharon Farrell, Caroline Morris, and Karen Lavelle.
TRIM AC
For Sunday’s 40th DUBLIN MARATHON there will be road closures in effect around the route.
The race will start at Fitzwilliam Street Upper, 8:45am and the finish will be in Merrion Square North up to 5pm.
The race will start in waves as follows: 8.40am - wheelchair entrants; 8,45am -first wave; 9.05am - second wave; 9.25am - third wave; 9.45am - final wave.