Sir, - D.K. Henderson (November 9th) asks, in relation to the Dublin marathon: "Is there not medical evidence that jogging on tarmac does untold damage to bodies, by jarring leg bones, bouncing eyes in their sockets, hammering brain against skull?" The answer is no, there is not.
As a veteran of 19 marathons (suffering nothing more serious than the odd blister) and hundreds of other road races I can assure him that he doesn't need to worry so much on behalf of us runners.
Like golfers trying to explain the appeal of hitting a ball into a hole, it's difficult to explain the enjoyment we get from running around the roads, but definitely part of the pleasure is in knowing how much it annoys people like D.K.H. - Yours, etc.,
Gerard Mullane, Cappercullen, Murroe, Co Limerick.