A rainbow of positivity and goodwill swept the streets of Dublin None
Clare athlete Barbara Cleary is the winner of the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon – with her time of 34.07minutes.Dublin’s Maria McCambridge came second , with her time of 34.29 minutes.
While Catherina McKiernan crossed the line in third place – with a time of 34.38 minutes.
A rainbow of positivity and goodwill swept the streets of the capital today with the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon.
Some 40,000 women donned the t-shirts to support their favourite good cause to take part in the world’s biggest women-only race.
Thousands also took to the streets of Cork for the city’s marathon there.
A sprinkling of rain had participants scurrying anxiously for cover – but just minutes later, the sun had reemerged along with the smiles.
Due to the works taking place on the Luas, the marathon kicked off from Baggot Street Lower and not the usual point at Merrion Square.
The Mini Marathon is the most important event in the charity calendar.
Last year the event raised €12m for over700 charities and it is on track to deliver similar amounts this year.
Conchita lookalike Donal O’Sullivan from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford donned a lurex cat suit to raise vital funds for cancer research in the memory of his uncle, Andy Monaghan, who passed away in February from liver cancer.
Andy had been given six weeks to live eight years previous and Donal’s sister, Josephine O’Sullivan credited the work of the oncology ward in Wexford hospital for keeping him alive.
Running the mini marathon together, along with friend Lisa Anglin, they had raised €1,700 so far.
Running for the Irish Cancer Society, Sinead Gaffney from Kildare said it was her fourth year to take part in the Mini Marathon – but this time she was taking friend Emily Hurst, from Edenderry, Co Offaly, along for "moral support."
"We set a target back in January that we would run it in one hour and 20 minutes – but we’ve done no training so we might do it in an hour and a half," said Sinead.
"It’s a good day for it and hopefully it won’t rain," she added.
Taken from the Irish Independent.