FIONA Everard is praying for rain this week as she puts her national cross-country senior women’s title on the line on Sunday.
The Enniskeane woman (26) prefers running in muddier conditions so will hope the heavens open ahead of the championships at Castle Irvine Estate in Enniskillen.
‘The muddier, the better!’ Everard told The Southern Star, as she counts down to the 2024 National Cross-Country Championships.
‘The mud and the hills suit me. I’ve always liked hills, and I seem to run a bit better over mud; it just suits some athletes. Certain conditions suit certain runners. The 1500m, shorter-based runners would love the dry ground so let’s see what this week brings.
‘By the sounds of it, it doesn’t sound too much like that but there are parts of the course that might get a bit marshy. I’ll be praying for rain all week!
It’s 12 months since Everard shot to prominence with her sensational performance at last year’s national cross-country – the Bandon AC athlete stunned herself and Irish athletics with her 37-second victory, jumping from national novice cross-country champion in 2022 to senior winner the following year. As well as putting Everard’s name on the map, it gave the West Cork woman the confidence she can beat the best in the country.
‘This year in general I have a lot more belief in myself,’ Everard explained, ‘but it’s a new season, and winning last year doesn’t mean too much this year. Heading into this season we wanted to start with a clean slate. Every year you need to prove yourself, and that’s the mindset I have.’
In her two cross-country races this season, Everard finished third in the Autumn Open before winning the Irish Universities Championships that were held over five kilometres – the latter was the ideal tune-up for this Sunday’s nationals that will be run over a shorter 7.5-kilometre course compared to the nine-kilometre distance Everard powered to gold over last year.
With the senior men’s and women’s races at next month’s European Cross-Country Championship in Turkey on December 8th being reduced in distance, both trimmed back to 7.5km, Athletics Ireland has followed suit for the Irish championships that also act as a trial for the Europeans.
‘I don’t mind the change too much,’ Everard said. ‘I prefer the longer distance, but because it used to be eight kilometres, the new distance is only half a kilometre shorter than that,’ she added, before explaining the selection criteria for the Europeans.
‘The first three are automatic and the next three are discretionary. The goal is to try to be in the top three and earn one of those places,’ she added, keen to have another crack off the European Cross-Country Championships after finishing 34th in Brussels last year.
The competition will be tough at nationals on Sunday – Newcastle West’s Íde Nic Dhomhnaill finished ahead of Everard at the Autumn Open, while Danielle Donegan (Tullamore AC), Fionnula Ross (Armagh AC), Tyrone sisters Eilish and Roisin Flanagan and Irish Olympian Jodie McCann are also expected to line up for the 7.5k battle.
Galway-based Everard, who is studying for a masters in biomedical science at the University of Galway, is primed for the challenge. Twelve months on from her headline-grabbing breakthrough victory, she’s ready to show she means business.
