Saluting the heroes of the Dublin marathon
AROUND 20,000 people woke up on Monday morning this week a bit on the groggy side, their limbs stiffer and sorer than usual and probably dying for a drink of water. But they will have woken up with the satisfaction that they had successfully completed the KBC Dublin Marathon the previous day. For some it was their first, for 13 amazing participants it incredibly was their 40th Dublin marathon, having completed every edition of the race since the inaugural marathon back in 1979.
But no matter what their circumstances, evey one of the race participants woke up with an enormous sense of pride, and rightly so.
It doesn’t matter if they completed a personal best, sub three hour race, or trotted home towards the back of the field, to complete a marathon is an amazing achievement and should be celebrated at every given opportunity.
Running is the purest form of exercise and to see so many people the length and breath of the country taking part not just in marathons, but in charity 5k and 10k fun runs, club races, or half marathons is a joy to behold.
One of the few positives to come out of Ireland’s crippling recession and austerity years was a massive uptake in running. Dwindling disposable income meant that people didn’t have the spare cash to keep up gym or golf club memberships. Others, unfortunatley, found themselves with a lot of time on their hands thanks to unemployment.
Out of such grim cicrumstances, thousands found their tribe by simply hitting the roads for a run.
The physical health benefits of regular running are a no brainer, provided you train in a sensible manner and you respect your body’s limitations.
The mental benefits to a healthy running lifestyle are less clear cut. The lazy conclusion to make would be more running equals a happier, healthier mind. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work that way and professional sport it littered with ultra healthy competitors across a broad range of disciplines who suffer from chronic mental health.
But leading a healthier lifestyle that incorporates regular running gives you such a better chance of achieving and maintaining positive mental health.
Anyone who has been lucky enough to take part in a charity run will know that the day is filled with positive energy. The joy and sense of achievement people get from reaching a personal goal through a run is a beauty to hold. It is a pure high – no night on the beer in the pub could ever come close to it.
But running is so much more than a form of exercise, it is a form of mindfulness, a form of therapy, it is a form of escapism, it is simple ‘me time’, it is a quick and easy way to clear the head and blow off the cobwebs. And like that old advertising slogan for cornflakes, it is surprisingly good any time of the day.
For anyone who is thinking of getting off the sofa this winter to try running for the first time, I implore you, go do it. It will be the best decision you ever make. And for any casual runner who may have flirted with 10k and 10 mile or even half marathon distances, but never quite managed to take on a marathon, please don’t go through life without giving it a shot. There will always be an excuse – work will always be busy, your family life, no matter what age the kids are, will be hectic, you will always wrongly think that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day.
You have one shot in life, make the most of it. Be a hero, just like the 20,000-plus heroes who lined the streets of Dublin on Sunday.