The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
O’Sullivan at home on the road or in water
THE adrenaline fuelled goal of exciting new adventures and sporting challenges was high on the list of life long ambitions which have been fulfilled by a teak tough Currans woman. Suzanne O’Sullivan is equally at home whether scaling the 5,895 metres dizzy heights of Kilimanjaro, splashing along the cold and dark waters of Tralee Bay with her friends in the Tralee Triathlon Club, or skipping across the muddy fields of Killorglin as a member of the Riocht Athletic Club cross-country team.
An ultra talented athlete, O’Sullivan has represented Ireland at the highest leve, competing with distinction at the 2017 World Triathlon championships in Rotterdam and the 2018 European Triathlon championships in Glasgow.
Like all fairy-tales her introduction to sport came by chance and a little good luck.
“In 1976 as a young, enthusiastic and adventurous girl I came across a copy of The Kerryman newspaper which at the time was running a competition for a fabulous bicycle. The competition was an ‘X marks the spot’ test of judgement and luck, asking the reader to place an x where they thought the football was in a football themed photograph. To my surprise I won the bike and what followed were hours, days and months of sheer bliss on the roads near my home. I was smitten with cycling and vowed to take this discipline up as my preferred sport at some stage in the future,” Suzanne said.
She joined her local club, Currow Cycling Club, which was a touring club taking part in charity and fun events. As a member of the Currow club she got the opportunity to take part in a number of competitive races, including Time Trials and league events. She also represented Currow at the 2014 National Hill Climb championships in Cork where she surprised many in the cycling world by finishing second in the senior race.
To enable her compete on the competitive scene, she joined Tralee Bicycle Club where her competitive edge and phenomenal talent quickly propelled her as a cyclist with a bright future.
From 2016 to 2019 she was the Kerry Female County champion in the specialist field of Time Trialling. As there was no specific Ladies Road championship she had to compete in the men’s A4 category at the championships.
In 2017 a she was a silver medallist in the Munster Time Trial championship defeating some of the top bike women in the province.
“Moving to Tralee Bicycle Club changed my entire outlook on cycling, it brought a new and exciting dimension to the sport. At the time Peter White was organising Time Trials and League events which I found challenging and at the same time manageable and enjoyable.”
O’Sullivan also juggled cycling with athletics representing her club, An Riocht, in cross country and road races. She was a regular medal winner with the team at Kerry championship event.
While running with Riocht AC in 2006, she won a competition with the Irish Runner Magazine which saw her travel to Cyprus and compete in a four day international running event.
In 2009 her adventuress nature saw her climb Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest free standing mountain in the world 5,895 metres above sea level. This was a sponsored event where she raised funds for the Red Cross.
“While cycling is a tough sport it is also one that has taught me a lot about life and our attitudes to sport. For me, a key element in sport is participation and in particular the participation of women in sport, and especially cycling. There are so many anomalies between men’s and women’s cycling. For a record to stand in a women’s race there has to be a minimum of eight competitors. This can be very off putting. Last year the National Hill Climb championships were held in Castleisland. Only a handful of women took part, so no official record was posted by the winner. Mass racing is difficult for women as they are usually put into the A4 men’s class. This makes it far more difficult to come out with a positive result. All this needs to change if we are to encourage more women into this great sport and develop it into an all inclusive recreational activity.”
With her cycling and running background, Suzanne found a new niche in sport when she joined Tralee Triathlon Club in 2009.
“One of the things that attracted me to triathlons was the fact it embraced all age categories and gender. You compete in you own age section with athletes of your own age and ability whether you were 30, 40, 50 or 60 years of age or older. With this ethos competitors stay in the sport longer than other sports and just move up age categories as they hit specific birthdays. Sport should be all about participation and getting people fit and active irrespective of their age or ability. You may not have the same speed as a 20 year old but you must still cover the same route, course and challenges they cover. ”
As a superb and gifted organiser, Suzanne was soon busy organising events for members of the Tralee Triathlon Club including a very popular monthly league over a 20 km route.
Suzanne competed in her first triathlon in 2006, competing nationally from 2009 in the Triathlon Ireland national series, concentrating on the Sprint / Olympic distance. She also competed in several half Ironman events.
“In 2016, through the NS, I qualified for the 2017 ITU World Triathlon championships which were held in Rotterdam. The championships consisted of a 1,500 mts swim, a 40 Km cycle race and a 10 Km run. There were a number of qualifying events in Ireland to select a team of five for the championships. Depending on where you finished in each event you were allocated points and with up to 300 in each event points were at a premium. Qualifying was difficult as you had to select four Triathlon events at various venues around Ireland with care. Your training had to be tailored for specific venues. If you had a poor performance then weeks of training was basically wasted and it was back to the drawing board.”
Over 2,000 participants from all over the World took part in the Rotterdam event with O’Sullivan finishing 24th overall in her category.
“It was a difficult event with the cycle in particular covering an extremely testing route. We had to cycle down steps, travel on narrow roads that featured ramps and 360 degree turns. Cycling is my strongest discipline but I found it very demanding and energy sapping. It was a wonderful and memorable experience for me. In 2018 I qualified for the European Triathlon championships in Glasgow. On this occasion the swim was over 750 metres, a 5 km run and a 20 km cycle. This time I finished 15th from a field of 1,500 competitors which was a good result for me in this top class field.”
Training for the triathlon is time consuming and requires exceptional dedication. O’Sullivan trains twice a day, seven days a week with just one rest day each month.
“An average week for me would consist of 30 km running, cycling more than 300 km and swimming at least 10 km. Each day I take two disciplines such as a swim and run or a cycle and swim. I also add in strength and conditioning. The training has to be well balanced and varied to keep me firmly focussed. Varied training also enables the joints and muscles some rest reducing the danger of injury and fatigue. From April to October my swim training takes place in Fenit. The salt water also has the advantage of refreshing tired muscles and speeds up the repair process to damaged muscles and tendons. With the water temperatures dropping in the winter I go indoors.”
O’Sullivan would encourage anyone interested in competing or training for a triathlon to join Tralee Triathlon Club via their Facebook page.
“Most people can run and cycle, it’s swimming that creates problems. Tralee Triathlon Club hosts basic swimming courses in Tralee Sports Complex during the winter progressing, step by step, to outdoor swimming in Fenit. Our instructors will literally take you by the hand to teach swimming and ensure confidence and progress in the water for all participants. It’s a great sport and with gradual and planned training, anyone can take part in a triathlon, the ultimate goal for many involved in either cycling or running.”
With Covid-19 restrictions set to ease allowing sports to return on a phased basis, O’Sullivan has a number of key objectives over the coming months.
“On July 2nd Time Trials are being promoted in Limerick which has always been very competitive and attracts the top cyclists in the region. Hopefully the Kerry Leagues will be under starter’s orders this summer. I am also looking forward to the Tralee Triathlon Club league which commences on July 21st. I will also be assisting the Riocht AC ladies team during the cross country season later this year. It will be great to meet up with all my friends when sport gets going again and I think this is so important for all our general welfare. For me and many other involved in sport, the support and sacrifices of our family enables us to pursue our dreams. Family is the most important element of our winning team.”