I ran my first marathon in Longford in August. It was very good of Longford to have a marathon the day after my birthday. I had hoped to complete my first marathon in 4 and a half hours but it was not to be. I finished the marathon in just over 5 hours. I could have finished it in my estimated time, but it was extremely hot. Also, I ran the first four or five miles at my pace and then decided I was going too slowly, so I took off. Big mistake! I ran with two men I met on the route. When I got to 15/16 miles, I was exhausted and I walked/ran the rest. I met one of the men I had linked up with earlier in the race. He had done a good few marathons and he encouraged me to keep on going. We finished it together and I thank him for his support during the run. The people along the route were excellent. Water stations were every 3 miles ,but a lot of the people had their kids or were themselves handing out water. They didn't have to give out the water, but they did, and fair play to them. I was even offered to get hosed down at a house, and since it was such a hot day, I took up the offer. I am going to do the Dublin Marathon in October, but my first marathon was in Longford and it will always have a special place in my heart. Agus sin sin a chairde.