Yesterday, I went in to watch the Dublin City Marathon for the first time. I never had any interest until this year. My brother flew in from NY to run the race.
The day was pleasant and I enjoyed watching the runners (for 90 minutes, anyway). I would do it again, but probably not if it was raining.
What surprised me most was the total lack of interest in the event. There were so few people there. I was standing across the street from RTE on Nutley Lane and the "crowd" was sparse to say the least. A couple dozen people near the intersection, but almost nobody further down the road.
After the race my brother told me that where I was was a lot more crowded than other sections of the race. He said there were long stretches where there wasn't a soul on the road watching and clapping, something that actually lifts the mass of runners apparently.
On Sunday afternoon, we were in Dublin walking around. There were a lot of people in town for the Marathon. Runners and family and/or friends seemed to be everywhere. I'm sure the traders were happy to have the extra custom, but from what I heard on the radio afterwards and what my brother told me about the crowd, maybe Dubliners would rather not have the Marathon?
I'm sure if for anyone who lives inside the course it's probably pretty aggravating if they want to venture down the country for the day. Traffic was definitely blocked up.
I suppose I don't really care one way or another. I enjoyed it and would go again, but if it vanished I would hardly be worked up about it. Still, I wonder if it brings in sufficient revenues in tourist money (must bring in an extra 5,000 customers for the city's hotels during an off-peak time of year) to warrant all the traffis snarl-ups, etc. I see no reason to block off roads so that a few thousand people can "challenge themselves" or whatever.
