David Gillick has claimed that marathon lovers will run elsewhere if the Dublin edition is taken out of the city.
The former European and Worlds sprint medallist was thrilled to finish his second Dublin marathon in just under three hours, a fortnight ago.
"I had no focus, I was doing the local 5ks park run or 10k and then just said, 'f*** it, I'll do the marathon," the 40-year-old said.
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"Last year I ended up with a time of 3:16. I walked up Clonskeagh Road, I had cramp on the N11, it was horrific. But I finished it.
"I loved the process of it and said, 'right, this year I’m going to invest a bit of time into it, train properly and target a sub three hour marathon'. And that’s what I did, a 2:58:59.
"The bug is there. I want to do more."
But Gillick was alarmed to hear that pressure is being put on organisers by city council and transport chiefs to take the finish away from Merrion Square in 2024 because of the impact on public transport services.
Gillick, who plans to participate again next year, is against such a move.
"It’s a city marathon," said the Federation of Irish Sport ambassador. "You get to run all around the landmarks, around the different areas and communities.
"You’re passing places that as a Dub myself (you would know), going through Terenure where my mum and my grandmother grew up, going past the church that my grandparents both had their funerals in and running past the Coombe hospital where all my kids were born.
"Stuff like that, for me as a Dub, is fantastic. It would be a shame to take all of that out of the city.
"Then you have the communities and the people on the street. You’re going through Castleknock and it's five or six people deep. In your head you’re looking forward to those great places.
"I'd hate to see it where you’re kind of going out for loads of miles and then you just swing back into it.
"It's the Dublin City Marathon. It would be quite disappointing if they ended up changing that."
Gillick is relatively new to the endurance running community but, from his conversations with seasoned marathon runners, they take all of the above into account in their planning.
He said: "They do look at the atmosphere, at the various routes, elevation - all this stuff.
"A lot of people do target Dublin because of everything it brings to it. They were like, 'you’re going to love this, there’s never a dull moment of the route'.
"I’d hate it to be out the N7 or something like that, and then swing back in. It would bore the pants off me."
Pointing out that there were almost 17,000 people on the starting line on October 29, Gillick is surprised that Dublin City Council haven't sought to embrace the marathon as is done in other capital cities.
"That’s a lot of people coming into a city centre, particularly in the current climate," he said.
"They’re coming from all over, staying in the city. They’re spending money, going to the restaurants, the pubs post-run. There’s obviously a value in that to the economy.
"If you start moving things around, making it on the outskirts of the city or out and back, you’re just taking away from it all.
"Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, those big European cities, they’ve all embraced it and made something of it. That’s the way they should do it, and look at how they can best support that in terms of public transport.
"It's trying to get all the stakeholders working together to make it the best possible experience for everybody.
"I did a 10k in central London this year and it was fantastic - crowds on the street, you’re around all the big landmarks. It works.
"Look at how many road races that are taking place annually in the centre of London, including the London marathon.
"If a city like that can embrace it, make it attractive and make it work, then Dublin should look at it that way as well."
*The Federation of Irish Sport has announced the launch of the 2023 Volunteers in Sports Awards to recognise the unsung heroes who breathe life into sports in every corner of the country. Supported by the National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships these dedicated volunteers are the backbone of sporting communities, and it's time to celebrate their unwavering commitment.
Nominations for the awards are now open, and you can submit your entries at the dedicated awards website, www.volunteersinsport.ie. Under the banner of #DedicatedToTheDedicated, these awards are more than just a ceremony; they are a celebration of the remarkable individuals who pour their hearts into sports in every county across Ireland.
The 2023 awards will culminate in a spectacular in-person awards ceremony, scheduled to take place on Thursday 29th February 2024.
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