Misery, as the phrase goes, loves company.
And today, that well-worn saying will be pushed to its limit as more than 20,000 people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds take to the capital's streets for the annual Irish Life Dublin Marathon.
Running - if you'll excuse the pun - since 1980, including two 'virtual' runs during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the 42.2km grueling trek begins just before 9am at Merrion Square in the city centre, before meandering through the Phoenix Park, Chapelizod, Clonskeagh, Donnybrook and Ballsbridge on its way back to the finish line.
But while participants are taking their first steps onto the course this morning, in reality their journey began far longer ago - with each runner having an individual reason for choosing to endure hours of rain-induced torture as they race through town today.
Among those taking part is Claire Davis, a 42-year-old mother of seven-year-old Fiachra and five-year-old Sinead, who took up running in 2019 and is tackling the distance for the first time.
Like countless others, running became a mainstay in Claire's life during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
She initially considered training for a marathon during those difficult two years, before a difficult 28km training run in 2021 put paid to those plans, with Claire asking her husband - "long suffering", she jokes - Cian to drive out to take her home.
But after turning up to cheer on her friend Carole in the first post-Covid Dublin marathon last year, Claire is now ready to lace up her runners and get to the starting line, with a sub five-hour marathon time her goal and renewed confidence in her mind.
"I went in to see my friend taking part last year," she said.
"I was at mile 25 of 26 miles, so very near the finish line, and I got to see a lot of people celebrating, the emotions of it all, so I thought I'll try it again. So, basically, Carole is to blame" she jokes.
Claire - who is originally from Ballyhea in Co Clare and returned from England in 2019 with her family - now lives in Lusk in north county Dublin, and has another reason for taking part in this year's marathon.
In 2019, Claire was diagnosed with a "remitting" form of multiple sclerosis "right in the middle of a couch to 5km" training programme.
She has since raised more than €1,000 for Multiple Sclerosis Ireland as part of her marathon training, and says the help the group has given her and her family in recent years means she is keen to give back.
"Multiple Sclerosis Ireland were so supportive when we moved back, they were so helpful. So if I can get to this stage, I want to give something back to them," she said.
She added: "The same with my local running club Lusk Athletics, they've been so great with the training for everyone and we've all achieved so much.
"I've told myself that even if I get a relapse on the course on Sunday, or even if something physical happens, I know mentally and psychologically I can do it [complete a marathon].
"For me, I'll either win at this, and for me winning is completing it, or I'll learn from it," she says.
It's a personal achievement approach the vast majority of people taking part in the marathon will agree on, including those who have multiple marathons under their belt.
That cohort includes Dominic Gallagher, who is one of just 11 people to have participated in every Dublin marathon since the first instalment of the annual race in 1980.
Road closures as 20,000 to tackle Dublin Marathon
Now aged 70 and complete with an artificial hip he received in 2016, Dominic - who is a life-long hiker with the Irish Ramblers Club - now walks the marathon course and will be aiming to finish in a time of seven hours.
His record though is admittedly a little quicker, finishing the 1982 instalment aged 27 in two hours and 36 minutes - the fastest he has completed any of his 53 marathons across Dublin, London, Boston, Derry, Galway, Castlebar, Letterkenny and Belfast over the past 43 years.
"Well, I was single then!" Dominic jokes when asked how he managed such a strong time, before explaining the so-called "Dublin marathon originals" are a tight group who will always turn up rain, hail or shine.
"There's a few of us who've been in every Dublin marathon, Peadar Nugent is the oldest at 80 and Martin Kelly is the youngest at 62, and then there's Mary Nolan Hickey as well," he said.
He added: "We've done every Dublin marathon. I suppose it's luck that we've never gotten sick or injured or anything beforehand."
Originally from Moylough in Co Galway and now living in Drumcondra in Dublin city, Dominic says the first Dublin marathon was a very different experience to now, with the event in 1980 starting late. "The organiser said he forgot the clock went forward," he jokes - and a water-logged course meaning the route had to be changed.
"It was held on the bank holiday Monday, and the day before there was torrential rain. It was a bit haphazard, but once I'd done it, I started meeting a good few people who said they were disappointed they hadn't given it a try," he says.
Dominic says it's important for people taking part in marathons past and present to share information and advice, saying his worst experience - or, depending on your mindset, best lesson - was in Boston "when I went out too fast, and wow did I pay for it!"
It's advice he also shares with his family, including his son Brian who has taken part in two Dublin marathons and daughter Roisin who has competed in the Paris marathon – memories Dominic is proud to share.
His favourite memory though is reserved for the 1988 Dublin marathon to mark the city's millennium anniversary - and an equally special moment for Dominic and his wife Una too.
"We'd just gotten married the month before, so we ran it together, in four hours and 11 minutes, that one was particularly nice," he says.
Runners, it turns out, do in fact love company.
But lets not forget that misery loves company too - a line first uttered in the 16th century play 'Dr Faustus', about a man prepared to do a deal with the devil in exchange for having his all-consuming dreams fulfilled.
Muttering highly questionable Faustian pacts under your breath in the grim hope of it somehow all working out?
Sounds about right, as the marathon sets off today.
Some key facts about the Dublin marathon:
- It will begin at 8.45am on Sunday morning
- The 42.2km course will remain open for seven hours, with participants starting in four different waves between 8.45am and 9.45am
- Dublin is the largest marathon in Ireland, and the fourth largest in Europe
- While the first Dublin marathon took place in 1980, this year is the 42nd time the event has been held, as Covid-19 restrictions meant the 2020 and 2021 instalments involved participants running the distance themselves and logging their times on a virtual app
The participants:
- Last year's fastest male runner was Taoufik Allam of Morocco in a time of 2:11:30, and fastest female runner was Nigist Muluneh of Ethiopia in a time of 2:28:32
- 22,500 people have registered to take part this year - They include 11 people who have participated in every Dublin marathon. They are Wicklow's Mary Hickey Nolan, the only woman to have completed every Dublin marathon; Galway's Peadar Nugent; Donegal's Donal Ward; Limerick's Seamus Cawley; Meath's Seamus Dunne; and Dubliner's Dominic Gallagher, Martin Kelly, Donal de Buitléir, Mick Carolan, Patrick Gowen and Mick Carolan
- 2,100 people took part in the first Dublin marathon, of which only 2% were women. That percentage is set to increase to 33% in this weekend's marathon
- While people coming from across the globe to take part, the most represented Irish counties are Dublin (29.3%), Kildare (8.9%), Meath (7.1%), Cork (5.4%) and Wicklow (4.4%)
The supporters:
- More than 2,000 volunteers will assist at this year's Dublin Marathon
- On average, 300,000 spectators are predicted to cheer on those taking part at different stages of the event
- The Dublin marathon raises an estimated €9m every year for charities, and is worth up to €26m per year to the economy
