In this catch-up, we meet husband and wife Stephen and Michelle Dawson. Both regularly compete in cross-country and road races – and have added the Triathlon to their sporting endeavours. Michelle was the popular winner of the Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield in December 2012. Ultra-marathon man Stephen had a focus on ‘Boston’ prior to the Covid-19 restrictions
The sociable couple are backbone members of Donore Harriers. They are incredibly supportive when new members join the ranks offering hearty welcomes and advice – and they are always present in the organization of club events, carrying out tasks such as course-marking, marshalling, hospitality, and the manning of water stations
STANDARD QUESTIONS
PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH?
MICHELLE?Tallaght 1982
STEPHEN? Rathcoole 1982
WHERE DID YOU ATTEND COLLEGE?
MICHELLE? DITCathal Brugha Street
STEPHEN? DITCathal Brugha Street
MICHELLE, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH? I studied Culinary Arts at DIT and after a year of travelling in Australia I made a career change to ELT. Since moving to English Language I’ve completed my DELTA (Masters) in teaching English. I’ve been the Director Studies at Kaplan for the last 5 years
IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU BOTH JOIN DONORE HARRIERS: 2011
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? We both got into running the year before our wedding. Auntie Joan recommended Donore Harriers to us as it is a very welcoming club and only down the road from us. We’d no idea what a running club really entailed however – we both thought the session was over after the warm-up!
WERE EITHER OF YOU WITH ANOTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No
DID EITHER OF YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORTS? Basketball and badminton – Michelle
STEPHEN, WHO WERE/ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES?
Ruby Walsh was a couple of years ahead of me at school so when he found success it was good to see someone (else!) from Rathcoole doing so well in sport
AND THE SAME QUESTION FOR YOU MICHELLE? Gwen Jorgensen – World and Olympic Triathlon world champ – an amazing athlete who had to put a huge amount of work into improving her swimming and bike to compete at such an amazing level
SOCIAL QUESTIONS
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
MICHELLE? The Lost Man – Jane Harper
STEPHEN? A Dance with Dragons – George R Martin (slowly working through the Game of Thrones books as a lockdown project!)
WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU BOTH ATTENDED? New Order at Trinity
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS TO WATCH TOGETHER?
1. Star Wars (Episodes 2-9)
2. The Dark Knight
3. Pulp Fiction
FAVOURITE COUNTRY THAT YOU VISITED TOGETHER? We love to travel – hard to pick a favourite – Bali, Spain (Estepona/ Barcelona) and Florida Keys
FAVOURITE KIND OF RESTAURANT TO GO FOR A DINNER OUT? Modern Irish using local produce – favourites include – Variety Jones, Bastible and Lilliput Evenings
MICHELLE, WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/ SPORT? Reading, podcasts and cooking
IF DISERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
1. MICHELLE – Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen
2. STEPHEN – Pixies by Debaser
3. MICHELLE & STEPHEN – LCD Soundsystem by All My Friends
ATHLETICS QUESTIONS
WHO ARE YOUR COACHES? Willie Smith – a wonderful man and an excellent coach
STEPHEN, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? In 2013 I took part in the Connemara Ultra (39 miles) – I really enjoyed the race and finished in the top 20
WHAT ARE BEST TIMES (PBs)?
MICHELLE?Marathon 3.57.26/ 10km – 50.12
STEPHEN? Marathon 3.00.29 / 1/2 Marathon 1.22.23
MICHELLE, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Pyramid on the Polo Grounds – a good distraction for the mind (also known as torture!)
STEPHEN, DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? Any session that Willie decides that there will be a sting in the tail of 100 on/ 100 off – just when you think it’s finished!
MICHELLE, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF RUNNING WITH DONORE HARRIERS? The chat either during a long run or before and after a good session. Also, marathon training – working with a group and feeling the improvement over the months leading up to the race
STEPHEN, WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN (pre-covid)?
I was training for the Boston Marathon, so my typical week was –
Monday / Wednesday – 10km recovery runs
Tuesday – Willie’s session
Thursday – Tempo / fartlek run
Friday – rest
Saturday – Willie’s session – usually hills
Sunday – 20-22 miles
MICHELLE, WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS?Some focus on strength and conditioning training for injury prevention
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
STEPHEN, CROSS-COUNTRY OR ROAD RACING? Road racing
MICHELLE, YOU WON THE WATERHOUSE BYRNE BAIRD SHIELD RACE IN DECEMBER 2012, TELL US ABOUT THAT DAY?One of my proudest moments! The race itself was horrific and for the last two laps I wanted to drop out as I could feel the rest of the field chasing me down. Jim Mc(Namara) had different ideas and pushed me on with words of encouragement
STEPHEN OR MICHELLE, DID YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH ANY LONG-TERM INJURY THAT INVOLVED REHAB, MAYBE TELL US ABOUT THAT? Michelle – 2 stress fractures over 10 years of running – both required a few months off running
YOU HAVE BOTH COMPETED IN THE TRIATHLON, A GROWING SPORT IN IRELAND, HOW WAS THAT EXPERIENCE? AND WILL YOU CONTINUE IN THAT EVENT? Stephen competed in duathlon and did a couple of 50km cycles – he’s not a fan of the swim (yet!).
I took up triathlon after my first stress fracture, starting in the pool and then the bike. I joined Pulse Tri Club for a couple of years and did some Sprint, Olympic and one 1/2 Ironman – the 1/2 was a fantastic experience and someday I would love to do the full distance
FINALLY, IF YOU HAD TO CONVINCE A FRIEND TO JOIN DONORE HARRIERS WHAT POSITIVE THINGS WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT THE CLUB? The people are fantastic, and you will make lifelong friends. The coaching is excellent too! Willie is always just a text away for advice
