For Mary Nolan Hickey it's the change of seasons that is the stark reminder of what lies in store.
With the last of the summer days slipping into the rear-view mirror, the 71-year-old braces herself for her annual challenge on the October Bank Holiday weekend.
"When I see the leaves falling off the trees, it sends a shiver down my spine. Oh my God, it’s marathon time again," she tells RTÉ Sport.
The 71-year-old has laced up the runners for every single Irish Life Dublin marathon, and was one of just 40 women that took to the streets of the capital for the inaugural race in 1980.
The only female in a group of 11 that have competed all 42 marathons (2020 and 2021 were run as virtual races), the Wicklow woman is pragmatic over the future of the record.
"It’s not funny, but I say to people 'We are not dropping out, we are dropping dead."
Last year was touch-and-go. Two bouts of Covid on top of an Achilles injury - she was receiving treatment right up to the day itself - hampered her preparation to the extent that she wasn't sure she’d make it to the finish on Merrion Street.
The plan was to run to Phoenix Park, and from around five or six miles, to fall into a walk/jog pattern.
On the day however, a combination of her own resolve and the support en route, saw her exceed her own expectations.
"I didn't walk until halfway… and I only walked for parts with an incline," she says.
The injuries have become more of a challenge to overcome, the days of slogging it out and racking up the miles part of the past. Training now is primarily to keep things ticking over.
There is a familiarity with the calendar. After the exploits in Dublin, all running is shelved until after Christmas, but once the New Year comes around, the first early tentative steps are taken.
A parkrun here and there, getting back out with her informal group around Arklow, a motley crew that includes runners, walkers, mountain runners, adventure runners and swimmers. Early summer sees a more concentrated effort.
This year’s preparation hit a bump last month at the Ratoath half-marathon. As she closed in on the final few hundred metres, she tripped up with the finish line in sight.
"I literally cut the knees, chin and elbows off myself. It was such a shock."
Training was paused, but there was still time to ease herself back into a training routine.
An experienced runner by the time the Dublin Marathon was launched in 1980, Nolan Hickey was an enthusiastic sign-up for the inaugural event. The following year she took part in the first London marathon, while she also has Boston on her CV. Trail running and ultra-marathons were also thrown into the mix for good measure.
"Right from the get-go I was competitively running the marathon," she says. "For the last four or five years, it has been just about getting the job done, and I don’t really take any notice of time anymore."
The clock may be irrelevant now, but there’s no doubting her pedigree. With sub-three hours safely in the bag, she has always to the fore in her age categories. Aged 50 she crossed the line under 3:30, 10 years later she was comfortably under four hours (3:51.58).
Perhaps the greatest feat of all was completing the course in 1989 while six and a half months pregnant. She wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless they truly know their body but, inspired by the crowd, and the generosity of people who opened their doors to let her use the toilet, she made it in "around six hours". 10-pound baby Calvin arrived in the New Year.
The competitive element has always been part of her make-up.
When the Wicklow Way Ultra was started in 1996, it was only natural that she would test herself on the mountain terrain.
Few eyebrows were raised when she was the first female across the line, finishing second the following year and backing it up 12 months later with a third-place finish.
"I said to myself this is only going one way, and I’m not doing it anymore," she says, but she would fail to keep that promise. The urge to see what she could still do proved too strong.
"I decided that when I turned 60, I wanted to see if I could still do it. Really I was just hoping to stay within the time limits."
She duly navigated her way around, and the women’s over-60 course record remains in her possession.
Her resilience has been tested over the years, often in close proximity to the marathon.
A month before the 1984 edition, her 27-year-old brother died of cancer. In August 1997 she was hit with the devastating death of her 20-year-old son. Stewart had overcome addiction issues and was in recovery when he choked in his sleep.
Up until five years ago, her ex-husband Tony was also a member of the exclusive 'ever-present’ group for the Dublin marathon.
A brain tumour diagnosis was another crippling blow to her family, but in 2017 he expressed the desire to do the marathon one last time. Mary, along with a small team from Arklow, pushed him around the course. He died the following June.
"I find running therapeutic, even after the losses of my son and my poor husband," she says.
"I dedicate it to the people I have lost. When I’m running, I think of the people who didn’t get a chance, or haven’t had a chance for longevity in their lives."
Another motivating factor is the fact she will be running for Wicklow Hospice, "a marvellous place for people at any stage of life looking for respite."
"A marathon is hardship no matter how fast or slow you run it"
The thought of a big dessert and coffee afterwards, exchanging war stories with friends and fellow competitors, keeps her mind occupied from mile marker to mile marker.
With more than 300,000 spectators expected to cheer on the runners, will she have support along the way?
"Oh God no. I always reckon you are on your own in the marathon, you’ve got to get yourself around. It doesn’t matter who is around to cheer you on. I don’t have anyone out there on the course.
"There are enough drinks on the course. Use the people around you, the supporters, try and be positive and if someone is in trouble, try to help them along."
One of the perks of being among the exclusive Dublin marathon club is getting out at the tail of Wave 1, the first batch of runners to start on Sunday morning.
While most in that group will be battling the clock as much as themselves, Nolan-Hickey will be in her Sli Cualainn top, remembering those no longer with her, retracing her well-trodden route around the capital.
Pace is now an irrelevance.
"A marathon is hardship no matter how fast or slow you run it," she says.
"You are out for the same course on the same day. The only difference between the first two and last two across the line is time and money.
"The crowd and atmosphere in Dublin really helps to get you around when you’re not in form, but the minute the marathon is over, I’m not thinking about next year.
"You have to take it one at a time. My body is telling me, cop on to yourself now Mary."
The 10 others who have competed in every Dublin marathon are: Martin Kelly, Peadar Nugent, Donal Ward, Seamus Cawley, Seamus Dunne, Donal de Buitléir, John McElhinney, Patrick Gowen, Dominic Gallagher and Mick Carolan.
