“In truth I owe my love of sport to DUHAC.” With an introduction like this it’s hard to see anything other than passion emanating from this year’s harriers captain, Maria O’Sullivan. The club is coming off the back of a very impressive year in terms of individual and group achievements, and the woman now charged with carrying the harriers mantle is certainly more than capable of carrying on the great recent successes of DUHAC. To say that O’Sullivan has had a bountiful year is an immeasurable understatement.
“It has been amazing for me. In February I won the Athletics Ireland National Intermediate Championship in 5000m and later that month my club team, Raheny Shamrocks, won the National Inter Club Title. Best of all, this means we’ve qualified for the European Club Championships this coming year. This year I also represented Ireland, for my second time, in the Great Trail Challenge in Karrimor, England. I wrapped my club year off with a win in the U23 National Championship in the 5000m.” Amidst a plethora of personal and club achievements, Maria lauds her DUHAC wins as her favourite. A win in the 3000m Outdoors led to a place on the Irish University team to race against Scotland, and against Ivy League schools Dartmouth and Brown. “The most important race for me this year was the Intervarsity Cross Country Championship. I’d been on the team when we won silver in 2011 and bronze in 2012. To place second personally and get the overall team win was the best feeling. Needless to say everyone was delighted with the win.”
running is a unique sport; there are no half times and you do it regardless of the weather
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The club is growing in stature all the time, in terms of both on-course successes and casual running numbers, and Maria sees maintaining membership levels as imperative to her role as a steward of the club. “The main goal is to keep numbers up, but we cater to all levels. For a new member, that first run can be a big shock to the system, but it’s definitely worth keeping going. Running is a unique sport; there are no half-times and you do it regardless of the weather. There’s always someone out there running, and we’ve gotten full, strong teams out to events last year. We want to keep that up. Obviously then as well, we want to improve on our growing medal hauls and try to keep people beating personal bests and Trinity records.”
The success of DUHAC over recent years is galvanising the club as a whole. It now has a very solid foundation and mission which allows individuals like Maria to flourish. On her personal ambitions for the year O’Sullivan wants “to give back to the club. Prefontaine once said, ‘To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift’ and this idea has really hit home for me. Being a runner is a lifestyle choice, hopefully I can encourage others to see the benefits of running. Most people are tired after a long day of college and pick the couch over exercise. I believe that it’s better to rejuvenate your energy by going for a run.” Maria’s biggest ambition, however, would see her follow in the footsteps of last year’s harriers captain, Sam Mealy; to qualify and compete at the European Championships in December. With a focus and desire as resolute as Maria’s, it’s safe to say that DUHAC should be in for another productive season.
