The Flora Women's Mini Marathon does strange things to people. One year, Dubliner Ann Quinn discharged herself from hospital to do the 10km race in a wheelchair. Another year saw her getting off a flight from New York and going straight to the starting line for the race.
Rosemary Phipps ran the road race when she was seven months pregnant. On another occasion, her sister, who had just broken her toe, hobbled around the course with her.
Memories of past races were recalled yesterday when 20 women warmed up to run their 25th Dublin mini marathon.
"It just became a habit every year and I'd feel odd now if I didn't do it," said Betty Hand (72) from Blanchardstown.
"In the beginning I used to run, but now I run and jog. I mightn't be doing it as fast, but I get there."
Joan Brady (68) from Dundalk said she intended to be still running at the age of 99. "And with no sticks to support me."
She believes there is a book to be written about the Dublin race, which is the largest all-female event of its kind in the world. Some 40,834 women took part in yesterday's event, which was won by Clare athlete Marie Davenport.
"Behind every single lady, all 40,000 of us, there's a story," said Ms Brady. "They're either running because they've recovered from an illness or else they are running on behalf of someone who is ill."
Race organisers believe that the 25 mini marathons have raised more than €100 million for charity, with an estimated €10 million raised yesterday.
The organisers' advice to bring sunblock proved unnecessary as the skies opened early in the day and it rained intermittently for the afternoon. The man selling €2 plastic ponchos was doing a roaring trade.
"Is this false tan going to run off my legs?" said one panicked woman who was surveying her brown legs as she made her way up Grafton Street.
The organisers' plea that men should not enter the race had some effect, as the number of drag queens and chain-smoking nuns seemed to be smaller this year.
The men had been asked to stay away because of the pressure on numbers. However, that did not deter Dermot Browne, who cut an impressive figure as he posed outside the Shelbourne Hotel in his blonde wig and tight T-shirt. "Do I look like a slut?" he asked hopefully as he tried to remove a sweet that had melted into his long hair.
He entered as "Deirdre" in a bid to raise funds for the Missing in Ireland Support Service, which helps the families of missing people.
Squeezing his 6ft frame into the T-shirt and skirt was no problem for the Mullingar man. "Although I had a job putting on the bra. I had to get help with that," he admitted.
Joseph "Josephine" Nagle from Kilmainham also ignored the plea to stay away and was raising funds for the Special Olympics. His ensemble included an Irish dancing costume, bright green tights and an orange wig.
"They always say they don't want any men, but we don't care because once the charity wins that's the main thing," he said.
Only charitable reasons could explain why Andrew Norton dressed up in the costume of Chewbacca from Star Wars. He was raising money for the Kiserian Children's Charity, which supports an orphanage in Tanzania.
These men posed no threat to the race winner, Marie Davenport (32), who sprinted around the course in just over 33 minutes. It was the first mini marathon for the athlete, who is from Ennistymon but lives in Connecticut.
"It's always been a race I always wanted to run," she said, but the timing was never right for her to take part. "It was my first major road race in Ireland and it was really nice to come home and have a win."
It was also the first mini marathon for Rosemary Ryan from Limerick, who came second in the race.
"I would like to have won but second is satisfactory," she said.
"I'll be back. I'm looking at the list of previous winners and I'm hoping to put myself on it."
