From Gold Coast 'death march' to Melbourne bronze for Bohermeen AC's Nichola
Bohermeen athlete sparkles Down Under
FERGAL LYNCH
Bohermeen AC's Nichola Sheridan continues to make a major name for herself in Australia as she claimed third place in the Melbourne marathon, just 24 seconds behind second placed Mayo native Sinead Diver who has represented Australia in the Olympics.
Sheridan's time of 2:29.13 is her first sub 2:30 marathon and speaking on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland she said it was a definite career highlight as she learned from her chastening experience in the Gold Coast marathon and was cheered on by the Irish crowd who roared her home inside the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“The Gold Coast was the main goal of the year, that was in July, just on the day I got to 30k and it was like a death march home. The wheels fell off, I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.
“I had never experienced that before in a marathon, and it was my fourth one. I was a little bit scarred and saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this again."
Sheridan admitted that the motivation for her running is as much about her mental health, but she struggled after the Gold Coast marathon and had contemplated dropping down to the half marathon in Melbourne.
“I run with my heart. I really enjoy running, more for my mental health as well.
“The night before (the Melbourne race), I said to Gary (Howard), the coach of The Run Crew, ‘do you mind if I dropped into the half?’ and he was like, ‘Oh, don’t start this’. He just said, ‘You’re going to do it, it might not be tomorrow, but you’re there.’
“So it just was like, OK, I’ll just try my best anyways. But once the whistle went, I am quite competitive. And I’m very much, I’m going to block any negative thoughts that come into my head.
“I mentioned that the Gold Coast was like a death march home. So I was waiting for that moment to hit me, but I was taken on by the crowds in Melbourne. The crowds were insane, there’s obviously lots of Irish in Melbourne, but I was just hearing my name the whole way around.
“I got to 35k, I also missed all my water bottles and was just taking whatever water I could get. I was still feeling so good and got to 40K and I knew I was on the way home and I’m just really shocked and over the moon.”
The women’s race was won by New Zealander Camille French in 2:28:25.
Sheridan, meanwhile, will target more big moments after taking a well-deserved break. Qualification for next year’s World Championships in Beijing could be a possibility and, beyond that, the 2028 Olympic Games in LA.
“I’ll be taking a week off anyway. So, I think I’ve taken about 10 steps today! I’ll be jogging by the end of the week. I’m definitely excited and confident to see where this can go,” she added.