More than 35,000 competitors took part in the Women's Mini-Marathon in Dublin yesterday, raising millions of euro for charities.
City traffic came to a standstill for several hours as girls and women of all ages and fitness levels took part in the popular annual event, the biggest all-women sporting event in the world.
The race may have been won by Ms Pauline Curley (33) from Tullamore, Co Offaly, but there were medals for every competitor who crossed the finishing line at St Stephen's Green.
A lively atmosphere prevailed throughout the event, and race officials turned a blind eye to male competitors who dressed in drag, all in a good cause.
Among these was Sebastian Blanchard (26) from Lyons who wore a knee-length navy and white dress belonging to a friend's mother and a jet black wig. "I usually wear high heels when I train, but I didn't bring them today," he said, glancing at his grubby trainers.
Mr Blanchard, who works in London but formerly worked in Ireland, finished in just over 51 minutes, his efforts raising money for a charity for the homeless based in Bray, Co Dublin.
The 10km (6.2-mile) race started at Fitzwilliam Square, bringing bank holiday traffic to a standstill for several hours. The sun came out and the rain stayed at bay as competitors made their way through south Dublin suburbs to a balloon-strewn finishing line outside University Church on St Stephen's Green.
First aid attendants and physical therapists were on hand in tents along the perimeter of the Green to tend to sore and injured limbs with ice packs and massages. Mr Aidan O'Brien from the Dundrum unit of the Order of Malta said 40 people were treated for a variety of sprains, strains and bruises.
"One person had an asthma attack, and a couple of people got caught out with the heat at the start of the race and by the time they got here they just collapsed, but there was nothing very serious," he said.
Mr Tom O'Shea, from the race's organising committee, said an estimated €5 million was raised by this year's event for causes such as children's and women's charities, hospitals and hospices. "Every charity you could think of benefits from it. Many charities use it now as one of their main sources of fund-raising," he said. The organisers had a simple rule: "Everybody is competing for themselves and everybody who crosses the line is a winner."
Two pensioners who were delighted with their efforts on behalf of the Cork-based Irish Guide Dogs charity were Ms Rose Cleary and Ms Patsy Sloan from Celbridge, Co Kildare.
The women walked the course in about two hours, wearing green and orange tinsel wigs. "It wasn't too bad. We got there and got back," said Ms Cleary, a veteran of five mini-marathons.
Ms Curley won the event in 34.20 minutes. Ms Geraldine Hendricken from Carlow came second in 35.20 minutes. In third place was Ms Annette Kealy from Dublin with a time of 35.54 minutes.
The wheelchair event was won by Ms Patrice Dockery from Dublin in 29.39 minutes. Ms Dockery, a past winner of the category, is due to take part in the International Paralympic Committee Athletes World Championship in France next month. The winner of the visually impaired category was Ms Dorothy Scanlon, who completed the event in 59.13 minutes.
Past winners of the race, now in its 20th year, have included Ms Catriona McKiernan, who in 1999 became the first athlete to win the event three years in succession. The Olympic medallist, Ms Sonia O'Sullivan, is also a previous winner. The event attracted some 9,000 competitors when it began in 1983 but now regularly draws up to 40,000 entrants.