HITTING THE STREETS
Shannon taking on virtual marathon
THERE is no chance of Cheltenham Town Ladies defender Shannon Waine losing her match fitness during the lockdown layoff.
The Australian 29-year-old will be completing a ‘virtual New York City Marathon’ on Saturday (November 28) to raise money for The Survivors Trust.
She was initially due to take part in the York Marathon last month, but like so many others the event was cancelled due to Covid.
“I saw more and more people doing virtual races so I thought why not?” she said.
“I picked New York because it was the right time frame for training and it’s obviously a major event.”
Rather than running through the five boroughs of the Big Apple, Shannon will be completing her 26.2 mile route on the streets of Cheltenham, with a target time of under four-and-a-half hours.
She will then upload her GPS data after finishing to confirm she completed the full distance.
“I was struggling to fit my marathon training around my football commitments and I had to seek advice from the online running community,” she said
“They pointed me in the direction of my current coach Dylan Janetta from Novice to Elite coaching.
“He’s been fantastic; it’s all online, but we have Facetime chats if I need it and he’s so supportive.
“However, the next marathon I train for will definitely be out of the football season!”
Shannon, who works as a barista, moved to Cheltenham from the Lake District in June after a spell in the Scottish Highlands.
She had lived in Bathurst, New South Wales for all of her life until relocating to the UK in 2018.
This is the first time she has settled anywhere long enough to find a football club in the Northern Hemisphere, but she played for many years Down Under.
“The last club I played for was called Panorama FC and was honestly the best club I’ve played for socially,” she said.
“I’ve been away for three seasons, but still get messages weekly letting me know how they are going. It’s amazing. They are known as the Goats (greatest of all time!) and the emblem is basically Fulham’s emblem but PFC instead of FFC.
“I moved to the UK after losing the Grand Final with their first grade team.”
Shannon had also spent eight years playing for Western Mariners FC and before that was with Bathurst City.
She captained New South Wales Country for several years and represented NSW at school level.
“I also played third grade men’s football with my dad and a lot of my mates in my early 20s as the only female in the league for Bathurst City Colts, which was fantastic.”
Since joining Cheltenham this season, Shannon has started out in the Development team, who are in the
South West Regional Women’s Football League North Division.
“It’s been so rewarding at Cheltenham and I’ve finally got that sense of community and camaraderie that I’ve been missing while I’ve been travelling over the last few years,” she said.
“The club is great, I absolutely love playing for the Devs, who are such a fantastic bunch of young girls.
“I try to be very positive and I am definitely very motivated on the pitch, as well as being a team player.
“I’m all about keeping the ball and playing to feet, but definitely not a goalscorer!”
Shannon’s fundraising target is £1,000 and you can donate online here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shannon-waine1.
As things stand, the Development team are due to return to action on Sunday, December 6, with a home match against Weston-super-mare Ladies.