My Life with Mary Nolan Hickey: I've completed more Dublin marathons than any other woman in Ireland

Mary Nolan Hickey is an Irish athlete from Arklow, County Wicklow, known for being the only woman to have completed every Dublin Marathon since its inception in 1980.

Back in the day you weren’t allowed to do anything when you were pregnant, never mind run a marathon.

So you can imagine the girl at the registration desk’s surprise when she spotted the bump underneath my coat. I was a little more than six months gone with my youngest son Calvin, who is now 36, at the Dublin Marathon. Noticing her shock, I placed a finger to my lips as if to say sshh! Luckily, my secret was safe and she handed over my registration number without a fuss. In reality, you can do a lot of things while pregnant. I got through the marathon without any trouble that year. Just like in any other race you find a way to navigate the obstacles. Of course, there were no Portaloos back then so I had to knock on a few doors along the way.