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Having taken part in the Docklands run last year (2007) I have to say I wasn’t really left with the best impression. The cost the entry was €20, which isn’t that far off the entry fee for a Marathon.

First of all we followed the instructions of the organisers and joined the “Group Warm up”, this is where lots of people stretched etc to loud music , following the lead of a Person from the event who had a microphone. We figured it might be a bit of a laugh, but discovered that they ran the “Warm Up” Session for too long and everybody including myself and my friend missed the beginning of the race!
I ran into the passing runners and joined the throng and had a good race (minus the start). At the end I was met at the finish line by people handing out generous goody bags and plenty of water. My friend (who was one of the many walking the 7k) had a very different experience. About two thirds of the way through the course, the race-people at the intersections who were supposed to be directing the participants, disappeared and my friend found herself in a group of about 40 people who were completely lost. They walked around the city looking for the course for a further 20 minutes before finally just deciding to head back. By the time they reached the finish line their group had grown even larger in size and everyone in the group was disgusted with what had happened. The “fun run” had been pitched as an event for people of all abilities from runners to walkers, but the truth was that the walkers we’re not catered for properly at all.

So why then I have to ask myself did I return and do it again this year?

In a nut shell:

I) A few different people I knew were taking part
II) There aren’t whole lot of road races in Dublin City on a Mid-week evenings!

This year we all avoided the group warm up for fear of missing the start and instead took our places in the starting crowd. There was a great turn out with what must have been about 700 – 1100 people (that’s a guess) and when the starter horn went we all began to cross the start. The main thing about the start of the Docklands run - is that because it takes place in the Docklands, the crowd ten to be quite packed in together due to the narrow streets. If you’re looking to shoot for a good time or a PB, make sure and grab a place near the front of the starter pack. The Docklands course takes you from the South Quays and up behind Ringsend, around Irishtown and then back to the quays; where you cross over the River Liffey to the north Quays (near the IFSC) and back across again towards the finish line on the south docklands.

It’s an interesting route that allows runners to enjoy closed roads and the experience of running past some of the newest and oldest buildings and areas in the City. The only main drawback is that nobody (apparently including the organisers) seems to know the actual distance of the race. Some web-sites say it’s a 7k race and some say it’s 8k? Some runners think it’s 7.5k and some of the staff though it was closer to 7.8k? No matter where you look it seemed that all you could find were conflicting answers as to how long the race is! Now i’m not trying to be funny, but knowing the distance of the race your in is ‘kinda important’, so this is something which I know we all wished had been made clear!

At the same time I can’t completely knock the Docklands run as it provides everyone with a great opportunity to see the City, and it’s really brilliant to see organisers making the effort to put another race on the calendar!

As we approached the finish line I checked my watch and was pleased to discover that I had finished in a respectable 34 minutes! One of my friends had just beat me by completing the course in 32 minutes and our 3rd friend finished in a decent 37 minutes. The big question we all wanted to know was “what was the distance?” so we could calculate our pace!

  Summary
 
Overall, the Docklands run is definitely an event worth doing if you don’t mind spending the €20 and take the whole thing with a large pinch of salt. At worst it’s a good training run with a bit of banter and a good atmosphere. At best it’s a brilliant way to see Dublins’ Docklands and start your race calendar a bit earlier!