Jarlath Regan: I swore I’d never run a marathon. Now I’m in it for the long haul

I swore I’d never do it. I promised my wife I’d never do it. I puzzled over why anyone would do it. Twenty-six and a bit miles of running? Why? Because some lad in Greece ran that distance yonks ago and then dropped dead. The answer to whether you should run a marathon is contained within that simple history of its origin. Or so I thought.

Last year on Dublin Marathon day I perched myself ...