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.
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 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.
"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. 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.
"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. 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!"