'We are definitely getting there' - Fiona Everard believes Ireland's women running is improving
ON THE UP: Danielle Donegan and Fiona Everard compete in the senior women's 7500m during the National Cross Country Championships. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.
At this weekend’s European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal, the medal hopes for Ireland will rest chiefly with the men – the growing strength in their ranks clear to see in recent years.
Of the 10 medals Ireland won at the Euro Cross in the past five years, nine have come on the men’s side – the sole women’s medal being the senior team bronze in 2022.
While stars like Sarah Healy and Fionnuala McCormack – who are both absent this weekend – have previously shone bright in this realm, the lack of depth in their slipstream hasn’t gone unnoticed.
In an column last month, Sonia O’Sullivan wrote that: “Irish women have been nowhere near 15 minutes (for 5000m) in over 20 years, and this is something that urgently needs addressing if we are to be able to compete on the international stage,” adding that it’s been “many years since we have had any real depth in the long-distance events for Irish women.”
However, national cross country champion Fiona Everard believes there are signs of progress.
“I think we are definitely getting there,” she says. “I think there are a lot of us that are improving. Athletics Ireland are doing a lot. We are being sent on altitude camps and (Endurance Lead) Mark Keneally has done a lot. We have so much support if we need it.
“There are a lot of us coming on and we are seeing the benefits, but I think it does just take a while. With running, you need to build years on years to see that improvement.”
Everard, 27, will lead the Irish senior women’s team on Sunday after claiming the national title in mud-bath conditions in Derry last month, regaining the title she first won two years ago.
That year, she went on to finish 34th at the Euro Cross while last year, on a dry course in Turkiye, she was 72nd. She hopes Sunday will mark a step forward for Irish women’s distance running.
“I’d like to think we can get there, especially as a team,” she says. “When I was younger, looking at the European teams and especially the senior women’s team, they were always so strong and producing great results. It would be nice to think we could make an impact and get back to that.”
Having finished her studies in Galway, Everard relocated home to Enniskeane, Co Cork this year and she’s been a full-time athlete in recent months, adding that it’ll be “back to reality” in January as she begins the job hunt.
“It was never going to be long-term but I’ve seen over the last few months – it is a really big help,” she says. “You’re definitely recovering better and putting a lot more time into it.”
She’s coached remotely by Matt Lockett and on Saturdays she makes the drive to Cork City to join Donie Walsh’s troops at Leevale AC for a session.
Among them is Niamh Allen, who finished a terrific 10th at the Euro Cross last year. Everard admits that she’s nowhere near Allen in training but with the conditions proving to her liking at nationals last month, she came home 15 seconds ahead of her to take gold.
After an injury-hit spring, Everard has had a “smooth enough run” since and the feeling of victory at nationals proved very different to 2023. Then it came as a euphoric shock. This year it was “definitely more relief.”
She’s not setting a specific place goal for Sunday’s race against Europe’s best, but producing her best on the day is what matters most.
“The last two years I’ve been kind of disappointed with how I’ve gotten on,” she says.
“Mainly I just want to put in a good performance so it does justice to the training I’ve done. If I can do that and give it my all in that respect, then I should be happy with it.”
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