Ryan will start favourite to win mini marathon
It will be a first appearance in the Cork showpiece for the woman who has figured in practically all of the major races in the country at some stage in a career that appeared to be in jeopardy last year when she missed a whole season through injury.
“It was a problem with my hip which I ignored for too long,” Ryan admitted. “But it was all pretty frustrating.”
She finally decided it was time to stop and went through a long period of recuperation - missing both the cross-country and track seasons.
“In fact the last time I ran for Ireland was when we won the bronze medals at the world cross-country championships in Leopardstown.”
After winning the national inter-counties title and then the national cross-country title in a thrilling contest with Ann Keenan-Buckley near Clones she appeared to have the world at her feet. While she came out of that race with an injury she quickly put it behind her and then she based herself in London where she trained with the KIM athletes.
“We had a great group to train with and I got in some very good sessions with Sonia (O’Sullivan),” she recalled. “But I had the problem with my hip which I tended to ignore. I did not look after it and gradually it got worse and in June 2002 I had to stop running.”
She returned home in January and eased her way back into full training with the half marathon on her mind. She went to Davon, near St Moritz, where she trained at altitude with Cork’s Martin McCarthy and Claire Gibbons amongst others.
“I was delighted with the way that went and I think I would have to go back again. But I think you would need to be involved with a group.”
She reaped the rewards of that effort, however, when she returned to win the national half marathon championship in Dungarvan with Gibbons second. “It was my first serious attempt at a half marathon,” Ryan said. “I ran before in Killenauls but only did it as a long run.”
As a result of that she will represent Ireland in the world half marathon championship in three weeks although a marathon debut is not high on her list of priorities.
“It is probably somewhere there at the back of my mind but not just yet. Right now I am looking forward to the cross-country season. A lot of people are getting ready for that - Ann Keenan-Buckley and Catherina McKiernan and I understand Sonia O’Sullivan is also interested in running the European championships.
“If they are all there then we will have a medal- winning team for Edinburgh.
“Really we should have won medals in this event a long time ago. Hopefully this year we will pull it off,” she said.
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