Fun Running in Dublin

Last weekend, I did the BUPA Great Ireland Run in Dublin's Phoenix Park. Ireland's largest road race had 7,500 runners in it. That's almost 1/2 the size of the Capitol 10000 in Austin, but was still impressive for Europe. And while it didn't have the same spirit as the 10K in Austin (then again, what race does), the Great Ireland Run of Dublin had its own unique flavor. Eamonn Coughlan was there. Back in the day, he was known as The Chairman of the Boards.

The vast majority of the participants wore the gray T-shirts sent to us by the registration. The back of each shirt had the flag of the Irish county from which the participant came. There was an inter-county competition to see which county could have the fastest average time of the participants from that county. Of the people who didn't wear the official t-shirts, a lot of them wore the t-shirts promoting the charity they were representing.

Public Service Announcement

If you're planning to enter a road race and walk or jog with a group of friends, please be sure to work your way to the FRONT of the pack before the start. That way, EVERYONE else in the race will have to dodge you as they're actually running the race. Also, be sure to walk side by side, so that you form a wider wall for people to run around. And act really indignant when someone accidentally bumps into you as they veer out of control trying to avoid your obstruction. Doing this will make you feel very important and will enhance the enjoyment of everyone involved. Thank you.

When I got to the start, the clock read 11:42. When I finished, it read 52:35. I thought that meant I had run under 41 minutes. It certainly didn't feel that fast, but as it turned out, my official time was 48:11. Not as good as the 45:00 I ran in Austin last year, but respectable for an old man.