O’Sullivan harbours no Olympic marathon dream
Launching the Cork summer showpiece at City Hall yesterday, O’Sullivan admitted she still gets asked about her possible participation and the idea had even crossed her mind but she ruled it out a long time ago.
“I ran one of those Bushy Park time trials in London at the weekend and there was an Irish fellow out there and he said ‘do you have any thought of running the marathon in the Olympics?’ and I said I’d love to do it, but I would be absolutely dreaming. I have got to the point where I have to be realistic,” she said.
“I know it’s definitely possible but the effort and the time, it would be too much — away from my family and all that — and there is so much going on in my life at the moment and I wouldn’t get anything out of it compared to what I did before.
“I would just be doing it for fun and doing it to take part — I know that’s what the Olympics is all about — but I’ve been there and I’ve done it and it’s time for somebody else to do it now.
“I’m just going to be there helping out and trying to inspire people. I can do a lot more by sharing my experiences with the young athletes than if I go out there and drag myself around the streets of London.
“I would hope that I can share my experience with the members of the team and that they will learn something from that experience.”
Facing into a pre-Olympic year when everyone will be striving for qualification for London 2012, she is ready for a busy time.
“Being the Chef (de Mission) means there will be a lot of things to think about and there will be a lot of people to meet and a lot of things to deal with,” she said.
“I will meet up with some of the boxers and competitors from sports like judo, etc, and a few of the people I would not normally come across next weekend in Dublin. Then we have a conference later in the week with the Performance Directors to answer any questions they might have.”
But she will find time to keep fit and train for the Bord Gáis Energy Cork City Marathon, because she feels it is a very special event.
“I’ve done the relay and I’ve got over the half marathon but I haven’t seen the back half of the course yet,” she said. “I’ll see if I can get out to the ‘back nine’ next year.
“I would definitely like to run another marathon but the problem is that you get competitive and you want to get involved and that’s were you become undone.
“I would have to really plan it properly and really listen when somebody says ‘this is the pace and you are going to stick with it’ and not get involved in going crazy.
“The problem for athletes like myself who are used to running shorter distances is that you can actually go with the pace and much faster for a long way but not for the whole race. When I was in Boston a few years ago I was flying for the first half and then I could not go after that.
“The marathon for me is like climbing Mount Everest. People think you can run and you should have no problem with that. But it’s actually something I would have to think about before deciding to do it. You don’t want to finish in bits. You want to come down Patrick Street looking good.
“The half marathon is another challenge for the people who have done the relay event and want to do something by themselves. The marathon is a big step up so the half marathon is ideal.”
O’Sullivan came into athletics at the height of the running boom of the 80’s and she is delighted that running has again captured the masses.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I was in London at the weekend and you just wouldn’t believe the numbers of people who were out running.
“It is the same all over Ireland and I would expect another record turnout for the Cork marathon.”
Heading into its fifth year, next year’s programme on June 6 will include a half marathon for the first time while the marathon itself, now with a certified IAAF time, will provide elite athletes with an opportunity to post qualifying standards for all the major events up to and including the Olympic Games.
