More than 10,000 runners today made history in Dublin by completing a 10km fun run under the city.
Competitors called for the one-off Dublin Port Tunnel race to be made an annual event on the athletic calendar.
The tunnel has been under construction for more than five years and is expected to carry 98 per cent of the heavy goods vehicles from Dublin Port direct to the national roads network when it officially opens later this month.
The electric atmosphere brightened up Dublin's grey skies as runners made their way from the start line to the north tunnel entrance. People from all walks of life took part in the once in a lifetime event, from trained athletes to pensioners, mothers pushing children in buggies, and even one visually impaired man whose guide dog left his paw mark on the occasion.
Despite having 16 jet fans for the tunnel's ventilation system, runners stuck in the middle of the pack felt the heat, removing layers of clothing and Santa hats as they travelled through the course.
An ambulance also had to take one man from the tunnel who complained of stomach pains during the event.
As the last of the entrants disappeared down one side of the 4.5km tunnel to a depth of 20 metres, the leaders began to emerge from the opposite bore. They then turned around and ran through the tunnel again, before completing the short dash in daylight to the finish line to make up the 10km.
More than 3,000 women and almost 7,000 men had registered for the run, but many more unofficially took part on the landmark occasion. Participants from Canada, USA, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, and all over Europe travelled to be part of the historic affair.
The wheelchair competitors were first across the blustery finish line in under 30 minutes. Marcus Causton, from USA but now living in Dublin, was closely followed by Patrice Dockery and Gareth Culliton, both from Dublin. "It was a really good road and great conditions," said Marcus, 28, who was left paraplegic from a rock climbing two years ago.
"It was awesome," added 35-year-old Patrice. "At one stage going down hill I did a maximum speed of 43km per hour, then coming back up hill I was on 9km per hour so it was hard work. "It's been a great day and a once in a lifetime race."
Runner Robert Connolly crossed the finish line in 30.22, followed by Martin Conroy on 30.57 and Alan O'Shea at 31.06.
"It was a very fast and competitive race right from the beginning," said Robert, of Dundrum SD Athletic Club. "Everybody was going pretty hard but was a good even surface.
"Most of the light down there was coming from the lead car and traffic signs, but you can certainly tell there's light a the end of the tunnel. As you go through it you can see the sky in the distance. "It was definitely an unusual running experience." Sinead Jennings scooped the woman's race on 36.34, with Barbara Sanchez on 36.53 and Helena Crossan with 38.11.