RTE website Friday, 4 April 2008 13:40 Sonia O’Sullivan has dismissed suggestions she is planning to enter this summer’s Olympic marathon, despite competing over the distance later this month. The 38-year-old former Olympic 5,000 metres silver medalist has entered the Boston Marathon on 21 April but insists she no longer intends challenging for major honours.
‘I am definitely finished with starting on elite women start lines,’ said O’Sullivan, who will run amongst the pack at Sunday’s Great Ireland Run in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
‘I am not planning to chase an Olympic qualifying mark.
‘I really don’t know what I can run. I did run two hours 42minutes in New York in 2006 with little preparation.
‘My goal is to run under three hours and I have Paddy Power the Irish bookmaker backing me, who will pay €1,000 euros for every minute under three hours, to be donated to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.’
O’Sullivan believes she is in good condition after a winter spell in Australia training with a group coached by partner Nic Bideau, which includes Commonwealth 5,000m silver medalist ‘Buster’ Mottram and former world cross country champion Benita Johnson.
‘When I first started back training this year, my goal was to be fit enough to keep up with the athletes on their easy runs and long runs,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘I surpassed this and so had to set another goal, which is the Boston marathon, the oldest marathon in the world.’
Despite winding down her competitive career, O’Sullivan plans to continue her involvement in meetings like the GIR, which she helped establish five years ago.
She said: ‘It is a fun run, and I will be running for Cork, trying to win the Ronnie Delaney Cup, so I will be trying hard.
‘I would be happy if I ran around 35 minutes, as this would be better than last year when I was trying to mix it with the elite.
‘It will be a bit like when I ran with Buster in the Great North Run, running with the masses, having fun, but still running at a decent level.’
O’Sullivan, who lives in West London, added: ‘After Boston, I hope to take part in lots of local events with my club, Thames Hare and Hounds.
‘I will also spend some time in Flagstaff with Craig Mottram and Benita Johnson and others from our training group, as they prepare for the Olympics.’
While O’Sullivan will be encouraging her Cork team-mates on Sunday, this year’s Great Ireland Run will see a tough battle between Johnson, Commonwealth 5,000m silver medalist Jo Pavey and Hungary’s Aniko Kalovics, who is capable of springing a surprise.
Current form suggests they have the edge over defending champion Victoria Mitchell of Australia but all will be wary of Kenyan Doris Changeywo, fourth in last weekend’s World Cross race.
Kenyan Abraham Chebii defends his men’s crown and he can expect a tough encounter with former compatriot Abdullah Ahmad Hassan – now representing Qatar – and European cross country champion Sergiy Lebid.
Eritrean Yared Asmeron, fourth in last summer’s World Championships marathon, and Martin Dent from Australia will also be contenders.
I think the biggest hint that she wasn’t trying to get the qualification to Beijing was by running a marathon that’s not on the list of courses you can qualify on!