Cathal Dennehy: Allen finds calm in cross-country after whirlwind year of motherhood

Niamh Allen of Leevale AC, Cork, was speaking to media ahead of the 123.ie National Cross Country Championships which take place at the Templemore Sports Complex in Derry on Sunday November 23rd. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Amid the beautiful, but exhausting, chaos of motherhood, running has been her constant – a way for Niamh Allen to keep some normality when all was suddenly changed last year. It’s just under 15 months since the Leevale athlete gave birth to her daughter, Lily, and since then running has had to be demoted in her list of priorities – which isn’t to say it doesn’t matter. If anything, the past year has shown Allen its true value.

“My experience becoming a new mum, I found it overwhelming and not knowing where I was going, what I was doing,” she says. “And I found running was a bit of a safety net for me because it was going well. It's been an absolute crutch this whole time, throughout pregnancy and new motherhood.”