She's no runaway bride

Normally if you see a bride tearing down the road in a wedding dress, you would think things had gone terribly wrong.

But not this Sunday.

Gemma O’Brien may have been dressed in white but she  was participating in the You Go Girl Relay in Dockyard.

Miss O’Brien’s date for the altar is July 27 in Ireland, but she and her two friends Bonnie Mills and Jayne Stevens took part in the relay race.

Gemma joked she did the race “so I could fit into my actual wedding dress so it was a good idea to run. I lost at least 20 pounds of water weight.”

While Gemma took off from the start line in front of the Clocktower Mall, her two friends could relax and have a bit of a laugh, before they too had to join her on the course.

“Even though I went out last night, they made me do the long run. Then they pushed the pace on the last lap saying ‘Come on you’ll be fine’.”

Bonnie said: “I suggested she wear the veil and me and Jayne dress up as bridesmaids.

She suggested that Stephen Dunkley, who was the only male entrant allowed in the race “to be the best man. That would have been funny.

“It was great fun and we’d do it again next year, but someone else has to get married.”

Jayne said: “Because we dressed up, everyone was super supportive and cheered you on. This was different – it was nice."

A photo gallery of the Race is available on the Will Run for Wine story.