‘Marian saves me €100,000 a year’

Rob Heffernan estimates his wife Marian’s work in managing all aspects of his race preparation and lifestyle saves him €100,000 a year.

And the 36-year-old world champion also believes more Irish athletes would benefit from a similar support structure.

“I’ve made that environment for myself. Having Marian full-time is a massive, massive commitment. Every day she has to do my drinks, my video work, go over my planning with me and then do all my food. That probably saves me 100 grand a year. If everyone had that lifestyle you’d definitely have better results.”

The couple were speaking at the launch of GloHealth, which pioneers tailored health cover, and Marian revealed that following the arrival of a new baby Reagan in January there is a lot more planning involved.

“He didn’t get the bill yet, obviously! But it’s not like work for me. I’m just really interested in what he’s doing, and would be involved anyway.

“It’s what he is. I remember for weeks after Moscow [World Championships] we just couldn’t wait to get back into this, the routine. Rob will ask me can I go somewhere, and if I say no it’s no, if I say yes it’s yes. We just cut out the grey area. We’re clinical like that. We have our arguments, but nothing to break us.”

Heffernan says the new arrival and readjusted family life has actually intensified his approach.

“People were saying, ‘Oh after he wins a medal he’s going to relax and when the baby comes along he’ll have no routine’. It worked the opposite for me. I’ve been better and more relaxed.

“It was that kind of ‘No, I’m going to be focused on this’. And I was more focused and more regimented. I’d come home from training at lunchtime, Marian would have a few hours to herself and I’d go to sleep with the baby and then go back training in the afternoon. Everything else was cut out. It definitely settled us.”

Heffernan, who finished 23rd in the 20km in China last week, has no intention of easing off on his severe training despite finding it tough being away from his family.

“The gas thing is when I came back from China last week, the common man on the street doesn’t know anything about China and I was depressed, I was genuinely depressed at the start of the week. I was so down.

“I could stop the sport now and hold all the records. I’ve done very well and have that security net. But I don’t want to rest on it either. It’s too much work to be doing unless I was going to challenge for another medal.

“Even being away from the baby, from Marian and the kids [Cathal and Meghan], it’s hard. It’s nice to have that security net, but, you have to have a new goal, whether business or sport, you can’t just sit back and get fat.”