Picture of Emil Zatopek running in the 5000 m in the 1952 Olympics

"Men, today we die a little."

Emil Zatopek at the start of the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Marathon

Many people have interpreted Zatopek's words in 1952 to be some sort of macho statement about the pain and suffering which would inevitably be involved in the race to come. To speak them he had stood ahead of his fellow competitors at the starting line and had spoken back to them before eventually running away from the field to win his third gold medal of that games. I've always liked that quote because I'd like to believe he was speaking about something more important and more mundane. I believe he had in mind the fact that each day we get a chance to take on a challenge, to change ourselves and to make a difference in our lives. When the day is over our remaining span become that bit shorter and we have to live forever with what we have done during those twenty-four hours. When a runner takes on the marathon distance as Zatopek and his fellow runners did that day in 1952 they change their lives in a special way. Nobody is ever quite the same after having tested themselves physically and pshchologically against twenty six miles of road and almost exclusively the changes are positive.

Next Monday nine Athenry AC runners accept this challenge at the Dublin City Marathon. They are;

Alan Burke

Bridget Anne Walsh

Martin Keane

Michael Rooney

Mick Rice

Owen Curran

Paul McNamara

Peter Delmer

Ray O'Connor

We wish them luck.