To highlight the diversity of Donore Harriers we catch up with Suzie Henley-Willis. Suzie is progressing her own running in Willie Smith’s group and is also a mentor and administrator for the club’s Little Athletics programme. The Little Athletics programme introduces children aged between 8 and 10 to athletics in a fun and engaging environment. It focuses on the use of games to develop fitness whilst enhancing coordination and balance – all fundamental to longer-term physical athletic development. Suzie explains how she got ‘enlisted’ into coaching the Little Athletics group and how much she is enjoying the experience. Suzie is one of those people who brings a ray of sunshine to athletics. Leonie Newman described her contribution: “Suzie is just brilliant at supporting the kids and is a great asset to the club”. Then, of course, Suzie has become a regular competitor in club colours. Post the 2021 covid-lockdown she competed in a Dublin Graded 5,000m, the Dublin Novice XC, the Clondalkin Half-Marathon, the Tallaght/Dublin Novice 5km, the National Novice XC, the Captain’s Run, and the Waterhouse-Byrne-Baird Shield 10-mile handicap race. This year she has already competed in the Dublin Masters XC championships, the Raheny 5-mile, and the Bohermeen Half-Marathon. Looking forward, Suzie hopes to compete in the Stockholm and Dublin marathons this year. Suzie is a wonderful contributor to the club, and we wish her all the best in her athletics pursuits.
STANDARD QUESTIONS
PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? I was born in November 1980 in Dublin and am a proud Ballyfermot girl although now live in Palmerstown with my husband Ken and four children, Lauren, Max, Eli, and Lyza
WHERE WERE YOU EDUCATED? I went to Primary School in Chapelizod N.S. No. 1 as it was once called. Then onto Caritas College in Ballyfermot and onto Inchicore College of Further Education to study Computer Applications
WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN CAREER PATH? I started working in a Betting Office part-time at the age of 18 before quickly moving up to managing shops from the age of 20. I continued working in the Betting Industry for a further 21 years for various companies
IN WHAT YEAR DID YOU JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? I became a member of Donore Harriers in 2019 as I started to coach the Little Athletics section but only recently started to train as an athlete in Willie’s (Smith) coached group in May 2021. My only regret was not following up what Maurice Ahern had encouraged me to do for years in joining the club as we had spent many a time discussing my passion for running but hey better late than never
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? It was a follow on really. Lauren my daughter has been a member of Donore Harriers since 2006
WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANY OTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? I started off running in primary school where I spent many a lunch break doing a short lap from the school to the swing gate of Phoenix Park up to the gate opposite Donore Harriers – and using our side lane in the school yard as our ‘sprint track’.
I competed in schools’ competitions at Santry and Belfield though I wouldn’t be shouting from the rooftops on my success… but I always participated. I did very little competition in Caritas College and the last race I remember competing in was a cross country in 1997 at the Curragh Army Camp for the Leinster Schools
DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORT? I did a small bit of GAA in school but running was always where my heart was
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENT? The 4 x 100 relays, because it can be so unpredictable and brings the best out of each athlete on the team
WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? I coach in the Little Athletics section and also look after all the administration for that group. Please note that the admin role is open for applicants! More recently I have become an athlete and am finding my feet at competing again
WHO WERE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Mr Quill, the former principal at Chapelizod primary school, who got me into athletics from an early age. However, I never forgave him for having us run around in Kerry-coloured jerseys.
SOCIAL QUESTIONS
WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED? Christy Moore
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS?
1. Ocean’s Eleven
2. Taken
3. SING 2
FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED? AND WHY? We tend to travel to Florida every other year with the kids and hit all the parks. It is my favourite time on holiday as we maximise our time be it at the water parks or on the roller coasters for about 12 hours every day of the holiday
WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Being a builder’s daughter and having spent 7 years doing woodwork in Kylemore College in the evenings its safe to say I am passionate about DIY. I have been known to be quite handy around the house fixing anything from door hinges to washing machine carbon brushes. I enjoy upcycling old furniture too, be it painting or upholstery. I’m a crafty one!
IF DESERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 3 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
1. Labri Sifree – Something Inside So Strong
2. Lionel Richie – Stuck on You
3. Rod Stewart – Maggie May
ATHLETICS QUESTIONS
WHO IS YOUR COACH? Willie Smith is my coach. I admire the dedication and hard work he puts into each athlete and takes the time to talk to each one of us, from the elite down to the beginners like myself. With the sound advice and knowledge, he has passed onto me in the last 10 months has given me a great start to my goals
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? I really wanted to do a marathon before I hit the 40 mark and I set a goal to break the 4hr mark which I did on my first attempt back in 2019. Part of my reason for joining Donore was to try and improve on that time. Since joining I have really got into the team camaraderie with Willie’s group and have been known to enter any type of race to try and improve
WHAT ARE YOUR BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)?
5km – 23:00
5-Mile – 38:15
10km – 50:00
10-Mile – 85:20
Half-Marathon – 1:48.58
Marathon – 3:59:24
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? I love the Magazine trails in the Phoenix Park we do on a Saturday. The undulating hills makes it a fun session with the team
DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU DID? The first session I ever did with Willie’s group on the Polo Grounds was the toughest. I turned up and Willie asked what my fitness was like, and I had thought it was OK as I was doing 25 miles a week and in one gear only. Little did I know that my OK and Willie’s OK were not the same thing!
WHAT WAS A TYPICAL WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN IN YOUR HEYDAY? For around 15 years all I ever did was a few days of 3 or 4 miles at the same pace each week until I started training for the marathon in 2019
DO YOU HAVE A FUNNY OR UNUSUAL STORY RELATED TO ATHLETICS/THE CLUB? We landed down to Tullamore for a Juvenile track and field event, and we entered the venue via the scenic route – i.e., under the leylandii trees. A steward was quick to advise us of the entrance fee… much to the embarrassment of some of our current club members… who shall remain anonymous
WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIME?
1. Katie Taylor
2. Rachel Blackmore
3. Sonia O’Sullivan
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
ARE ANY OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS OF DONORE HARRIERS? Yes – Lauren runs with the Sprint Group Coached by Paul and Emily and has been a member for over 15 years. Max and Eli my two sons are part of the Little Athletics section. I managed to con my husband into volunteering this year to help with all the competition entries. My youngest daughter Lyza will be due to start soon also. It is a whole family thing!
HOW DID YOU GET INTO COACHING/TEAM LEADER? In 2019, I was out on a run passing the club and popped down to see Lauren training and bumped into Leonie (Newman) and asked her about Max joining the club as he had just turned eight. I told her I would give a dig out when he started and by the time I jogged the 1-mile home, I had been added to a WhatsApp group for Little Athletics Leaders. I quickly jumped on an AI Course for Little Athletics Leaders and suddenly found myself knees deep in the club. I feel like I owe the club for time that was given to Lauren over the past 15 years and am happy to spend any spare time I have as payback, although I am enjoying it all very much
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES OF COACHING YOUNG ATHLETES? Trying to keep such a mixed age group of kids (8-10 Years old) focussed and concentrating during the session is certainly a challenge. Also, trying to get a warmup and a full session done in the short 35 minutes timeslot can be difficult. We sometimes need to deal with varying behavioural issues which can impact the quality of the sessions
WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE ATHLETICS COMPETITION STRUCTURE FOR YOUNG ATHLETES? I think if there were different levels of competition for individual events in T&F for young athletes i.e., beginner / novice / intermediate. I often wonder would there be more interest from the less competitive athlete or the “new to athletics” athlete to take part
THERE IS A WAITING LIST FOR YOUNG PERSONS TO JOIN THE CLUB, YET THE CLUB STRUGGLES TO FIELD TEAMS AT CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS. THIS BRINGS THE DEBATE THAT YOUNG ATHLETES SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO TRIALS BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO JOIN. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THIS ISSUE? I think finding out if the child is interested in athletics or just joining for the social end of things would be a great advantage up front. Therefore, I think there should be some sort of structure in place. Having just come out of the Dublin Indoors myself and Michael McCarthy who coaches Little Athletics with me discussed how disheartening it can be as a coach of 46 athletes and yet struggled to make at least one team of the same age within our group for the relays. I doubt the local Soccer or GAA club has a training facility where the athlete doesn’t play matches so why should we as a sports club be any different!
I think its very important to encourage athletes from a young age to take part in sport and to take pride in representing the club. It should not be about training as a fitness path without competition, although I do think making new friends and enjoying being there is very important but should be the BONUS factor
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED AS A COACH/LEADER? Watching the children compete at events is the most satisfying part for me as a coach. It makes it all worthwhile to see the athlete’s confidence grow and showcase all the hard work they put in at training and knowing that you played a part in their improvement journey is definitely very rewarding. It also helps with pointing out what area/areas the athlete may need to work on for next time
DO YOU HAVE ANY COACHING PHILOSOPHIES, PARTICULARLY FOR YOUNG ATHLETES? FUN! For example, if I ask the group to run three laps of the track, I hear 30+ kids moan. If I ask them to run three laps and I will time them they moan a little. If I ask them to run three laps, add two dice in there and call it Track Bingo it’s the best thing ever. At the end of it all, with the fun factor it’s a win win situation they get the job done and enjoy it too
SOME VERY GOOD COACHES STARTED OUT BY MENTORING YOUNG ATHLETES AND MOVED UP THE AGE GROUPS, HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR OWN PROGRESSION PATH AS A COACH? Having completed two Athletics Ireland courses the next step for me is to progress to the Level 1 which I am eager to get started on. I’d like to grow my knowledge a lot more on the T&F stuff
YOU RECENTLY COMPETED IN THE WATERHOUSE BYRNE BAIRD SHIELD 10-MILE HANDICAP RACE. HOW WAS THAT EVENT FOR YOU? I loved every minute of it. The Waterhouse Byrne Baird Shield along with the other club related races are great ways to come together as a team in a mainly individual sport and celebrate together. We have great support along the route and the fact it was over the Christmas period made it that much special. I don’t think I took the smile off my face for the whole 10 miles. It’s definitely my favourite race to complete since joining Willie’s group. It’s in the calendar for 2022 for sure and will be dragging my run buddy Louise Kelly by the ponytail this time if she dares try to bail
IS THE MARATHON AN EVENT THAT YOU WILL TARGET AGAIN IN THE FUTURE? Having completed the Dublin Marathon in 2019, this year I am planning on taking on the challenge of two marathons. One in June in Stockholm and then the Dublin Marathon in October.
