Marathon effort: Hours after the elite marathon runners finished their 26.2-mile jaunt around Georgian Dublin, the real heroes of the Dublin City Marathon continued to cross the finishing line at Merrion Square West with shortened strides and weary smiles.
For heart-transplant patient and first-time marathon runner Ernesto Antonio it was his legs rather than his heart that were causing him trouble after the race.
One of the marathon runners profiled in The Irish Times Health Supplement in the run-up to the race, Ernesto was running to promote organ donor awareness in Ireland.
He described passing the granite steps of the Mater Hospital, where he had a transplant six years ago, and "thinking about how thankful I was to be here".
Completing his 42nd marathon 70-year-old Dubliner Paddy Craddock finished the race in 3:47 shaving five minutes off his time last year.
He described conditions yesterday as very tough: "It was grand when it was raining but when it stopped it got very cold. Everyone was wringing wet and lots of people had hamstring problems."
The seasoned runner has become a bit of a marathon celebrity and some competitors decided to keep apace with Paddy to enjoy the loud cheers his appearance provoked among onlookers. Clearly unshaken by the 26.2-mile ordeal, Paddy was preparing to compete in a bowling competition last night. His secret? Training with young women, aged between 20 and 50, keeps him on his toes, he revealed.
Veteran marathon runner Mary Hickey Nolan, the only woman to complete every marathon since it started in 1980, said the bad weather yesterday made it very difficult for beginners. Mary, however, took herself by surprise completing the marathon in 3:32, one of her better times, despite injury problems.
"I would have been happy enough to finish it in under four hours, so I'm very, very pleased with my time."
Teresa Doggett, who completed her fourth marathon on a walking frame, reported a good marathon, despite the bad weather at the outset and completed the race in 7:45.
"My arms are nearly more sore than my legs from being in the one position, but it's nothing that a good rub won't sort out. Much to my mother's disappointment I'll be off again next year."
For Parisian Patrice Leguereau, the biggest challenge was at around the 17-mile mark at Orwell Road in Rathgar, when tiredness set in and there were fewer spectators around to encourage the runners. Despite this Patrice completed the race in an impressive 2:48.
Crossing the line was "absolutely fantastic", declared an elated Martin Irwin, who along with his 11 brothers and sisters set a new world record for the number of siblings to complete a marathon.
Despite a sore ankle, bad blisters and some tight calf muscles the last of the family crossed the line after a gruelling seven and a half hours.
Describing the race as "absolutely brutal" Veronica Curran of the Irwin family, said her father, who was a keen marathon runner before he died 10 years ago, "would have been so proud of us".