Adam Behrendt, 2023
The Run to the Pub has always held a special place in my heart. It was the first race I ran when I moved to Bozeman in 2010. It was the first race I ran, pushing my children in the stroller. I spent quite a few years volunteering, from timing, to hauling gear bags, to setting up start and finish lines. It has become a spring staple for us year after year. To have the good fortune to win the trip to Dublin, just added to the joy that Run to the Pub already brings.
After learning of the late registration option due to withdrawals, I was able register in June for the Dublin Marathon. My partner and I decided that this was going to be the first serious trip that we would take without our children. We agreed to pack in as much as possible during this trip.
The first several days of our trip we spent in Dublin where we ran though Phoenix Park, wondered the city and visited some museums, and visited the Guinness factory. Throughout the duration of this trip, I continued to feel validation in the fact that Guinness in Ireland, and specifically Dublin, is the greatest beer on the planet. After several days we then took a ferry to Wales where we took the train to Wrexham. Being lifelong soccer fans and watching the show Welcome to Wrexham, we couldn’t miss this opportunity to be so close and miss the chance to see a game. It was a great game with Wrexham winning with a volley in the 89th minute.
When we left Wrexham, we traveled back to Ireland where we met up with some friends from Bozeman and proceeded to navigate the stress of driving on the left side of the road, at night, while its raining, as we made our way to Doolin to see the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands. The Cliffs of Moher rise out of the ocean over 500 feet with a beautiful trail running along the top from one end to the other. The Aran Islands are several islands that are home to an abundance of Irish history and heritage. We visited the smallest island, Inisheer, where we rented bikes and rode around looking at the hundreds of miles of hand-built rock walls, a lighthouse, a shipwreck, took down a strava segment, and made sure to have a Guinness at all three pubs.
When we left Doolin, we traveled back to Dublin to visit the marathon expo and prepare for the race in two days. The day before the race, during a shakeout run, I was able to witness the elite runners of the race, doing their shakeout run near the start and finish area. I was hoping that was a good omen since the entire 10 days before the race I had been running, walking, eating an abundance of chips (French fries), and drinking Guinness. We also visited Trinity College to take a look at the Book of Kells, which is the world’s oldest illuminated manuscript. It was amazing to witness something written 1200 years ago and still so well preserved.
Race morning finally arrived. The race weather had constantly shifted between rain all day, to less rain, to no rain, to just rain during the race, and so on. Warming up in the morning, my legs already seemed flat and tired but that wasn’t a surprise since I had done nothing to preserve them. The rain drizzled on an off as runners filtered into the corrals. As we got closer to the starting time, the shedding of warmup gear had begun to be tossed outside the barriers, where it would be collected and donated to charity. The runners were treated to a beautiful rendition of the Irish National Anthem before we were to be sent off. As the gun goes off, you slowly begin to move forward along with several thousand other runners, as you can feel the collective energy of a massive group of people, all with the same goal of reaching the finish line.
Everyone moves forward, trying to navigate other runners, spectators, volunteers, traffic signs, barriers, and so on, in an effort to find the pace that is right for them. One mile in, the rain begins to fall more heavily while runners are just shaking off the opening nerves that comes with beginning to undertake something that is out of their comfort zone. Like other city marathons, Dublin is a great opportunity to get a foot wide tour of a city that you can’t get from a tour guide or a guide book. As the race progressed and runners continue to spread out, I found comfort in hearing the same phrases throughout the race. My personal favorite being, “Well done lad, well done”. The rain continued on and off but never getting to the point of being cold or even classified as a downpour. We moved though downtown, Phoenix Park, residential areas, Universities, as well as other numerous parks. With a few miles to go, you try to find others around you that you think are suffering as much as you are. You begin to work together, hoping that your collective will has what it takes to get you there without completely blowing up. It’s a constant internal dialogue of, if I keep on this pace I will be done sooner, but if I slow down, I won’t feel like absolute garbage as I do right now.
There is something special though about reaching the final mile of a large race and feeling the excitement of a city that is proud to welcome you, and show you the happiness in their community. After crossing the finish line, the great relief you feel that you accomplished something you worked for is hard describe. You are so relieved to be done, but also sad that this whole experience is coming to an end. Ireland is a special place with wonderful and welcoming people that I will forever be grateful that Run to the Pub allowed me to experience. Following the race, I celebrated the only way I knew how. With a fresh pint of Guinness….and the Smirnoff Ice my friends and partner iced me with….Jerks.