Sonia O’Sullivan considering Rás na mBan

WORLD 5,000m athletics champion and Olympic silver medallist, Sonia O’Sullivan, was in Ennis on Tuesday for the launch of the An Post Rás na mBan, at which she hinted she is considering if she will take part in the race.

Since she retired from running, the Cobh native has taken to cycling as part of her fitness programme and she has recently been drawn to long distance bike events.

O’Sullivan, who divides her time between Australia and this country, told The Clare Champion on Tuesday that she is considering whether or not to take part in the September event, for which she is the event patron.

“I have been getting more interested in cycling to help me keep fit. I like to keep fit but I have had one or two injuries and it’s difficult to run every day so I decided to do a bit of cycling which is another outlet and I am enjoying it,” Sonia said.

“I rode the London to Paris bike race last year. I had never ridden that far and I very much enjoyed the experience. Rás na mBan would be a different experience and I don’t know what level cyclist I am and I also don’t know how it would be weather-wise given that I will be in  Australia in the lead up to the event,” the Cork native said.

The event organiser is Valerie Considine who hails from Corofin. “The club that had been running this race decided they didn’t want to continue. We looked around for another club but couldn’t find one so I said I would take it on,” Valerie explained to The Clare Champion.

Together with Louis Moriarty, the Corofin woman has seen the race go from strength to strength over the past few years. “When we took it on it was only a two-day event and in the last two years, we have built it up to a five-day event,” Valerie said.

“We ran it one year in Dublin and then we took it to Kildare because in Dublin there is an awful lot of traffic and a lot of restrictions. It then went to Kerry but it’s very far away and it’s very hilly. Clare seemed to be the obvious choice for me. I know the roads so well and it seemed the obvious venue,” Valerie added.

She believes having the event in Ennis will help the promotion of women’s cycling. “We have done a lot of work to promote women’s cycling. There is plenty racing in Europe. In the UK, they don’t have as much and they love coming over here to the welcoming atmosphere,” she added.

“We have been truly heartened by the increased level of interest from teams from abroad while the Irish challenge looks to be stronger than ever with two new teams announced in recent weeks.”

Stage one, the Maghera road race, will be on Wednesday September 1 and will take in Ennis, Tulla, Maghera, Crusheen, Barefield and finishing back in Ennis.

Stage 2 on Thursday, September 12 will take in the Corkscrew hill; stage 3 will be a team time trial; stage 4 will be the Ennis Criterium; stage 5 the Cliffs of Moher with stage six on Sunday, September 15 going from Ennis to Clarecastle, Newmarket, Sixmilebridge, Broadford, Bodyke and back to Ennis.

“Sport has a huge part to play in life. You can leave all your worries at home and just go out there into the quietness of the country-side. It’s an outlet to get away from the stresses of the life we live today. It’s new for a lot of people to be out there getting fit. There is some much to offer in Ireland for people taking part in sport.

“I hope that people come out and support this. An event becomes a real event when you have the supporters on the side of the street. It creates an amazing atmosphere if people are out there cheering on. It’s fantastic. It shows the support people have.

“If you are not taking part then you can get involved on the sidelines,” Sonia O’Sullivan concluded.