Where is Shona? That's the question on the lips of the running community in Kerry who have not seen the incredibly talented Shone Heaslip in action for the past eighteen months.
he holder of numerous Kerry, Munster and All-Ireland road, track and cross-country titles, Heaslip's phenomenal sporting career came to an abrupt halt in November 2018 when she broke her foot while competing in the Easy Kit Cross Cup International cross-country race in Belgium. Despite the excruciating pain she still crossed the finish line in third position. Now back to full training, Shona reflects on a period of her life without running, competition and training.
"Running is a very important and central part of my life. It's something I do every day irrespective of weather or other circumstances. The injury I sustained in Belgium forced me out of the sport for over 16 months and this was a difficult time for me. The foot was operated on in November where a screw was inserted to aid recovery, and for the next few months my training and recovery consisted of gym work, swimming and stationery cycling, all aimed at a smooth recovery and eventual return to training," Healsip explained.
However, by April 2019 Heaslip's foot was still not rolling properly, which was highlighted following a light training session at the Riocht Track in Castleisland. Following an MRI the foot was again operated on in Dublin.
"The screw was removed and a bone in the foot shaved. Recovery was pretty quick with my foot protected by a special boot. Progress was good and by January this year I was back doing light jogging and with a steady build-up progressed to running over a few weeks. Prior to the injury I was running about 60 miles a week in training in addition to gym work under the direction of my wonderful coach and friend Niamh O'Sullivan, who is an International runner living in Tralee. I am really looking forward to competition and hopefully when Covid-19 comes to an end I will be fully fit and ready for a new and exciting competitive season," the 25-year-old explained.
Heaslip has a spring in her step as she treads her way carefully back to the herculean days that saw her compete against, and beat, the best runners in Ireland.
Like most fairytale stories, Shona began running by accident or coincidence. Having become disillusioned with Irish dancing she decided to join her mother, Liz, on a few of her fitness runs around Tralee.
"Mum was running a bit, just for fitness, and had registered for the 2014 Rose of Tralee 10km road race, one of the highlights of the Rose of Tralee Festival. She asked me to join her for a training run. This was very easy running and I really enjoyed it. She registered me for the race as well. We started out together, near the back of the field, and suddenly my competitive instinct kicked in and I took off."
Incredibly she ended up fourth best woman, behind Irish international Michelle Finn and Niamh O'Sullivan. After the race O'Sullivan was impressed by Heaslip's performance and invited her to join Ríocht Athletic Club based in Castleisland. A few months later Heaslip was a member of the Irish under-23 team for the European Cross-country in Bulgaria.
"My first year in athletics, 2014, was a very memorable year. I was surprised to have achieved so much in a relative short period of time. The training was enjoyable and I found the new lease of freedom associated running very exhilarating. During that year I won the Kerry and Munster Novice and Intermediate Cross-country titles in addition to the Munster Senior and Under-23 titles. I also qualified for the Irish Under-23 team for the European Cross-country Championships having only had three months training. That race was in Somokov, Bulgaria. Representing Ireland was a very special milestone in my life and one I took great pride in," she said.
Heaslip's phenomenal rise to the next rung of the athletic ladder continued in 2015. While she dominated the Kerry and Munster championships, she also had the unique distinction of winning the Under-23 Celtic International Cross-Country Games and then adding the Glo Health National Interclubs Cross-country Championships Under-23 title to her list of victories. She also represented Ireland at the Under-23 European Cross-country Championships in Hyeres, France.
Heaslip made a swift and perfectly seamless transition from champion Irish dancer, where she won a World medal in Boston in 2012, to Irish cross-country champion. She hit the sporting headlines in 2016 winning the Irish Senior Cross-country Championship just two years after she replaced her dancing shoes with running spikes.
Winning the Irish senior championship, at the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown, was a phenomenal achievement for Heaslip who was just 22 years of age at the time. She beat a quality field of runners that included three Rio Olympians including Ciara Mageean and Kerry O'Flaherty.
"My goal, on the day, was to challenge for the under-23 race which was run in conjunction with the senior event. I found myself up with the leaders and felt very comfortable surrounded by all these other very talented runners. On the last lap Ciara slowed a little and Kerry broke away. At this stage a second place finish was going through my mind and I thought that would be incredible. There was a hill towards the end and from somewhere I found extra energy to sweep past Kerry and hit the finishing tape with 10 seconds to spare," Shona recalled, with the victory also earning her automatic selection for the European Cross-country in Chia, Italy.
"In that Italian race I was placed 59th overall. I was in 18th position on the final lap, but with 190 metres to the finish I tripped coming off the final mound, banged my head and suffered a concussion. I still got up and completed the race. I was diagnosed with concussion on completion of the race. While finishing 59th overall and I was still the fourth Irish girl home."
Apart from the expected domestic success in 2016, Heaslip also won the Under-23 Celtic International Cross-country Games in Edinburgh and was runner-up in the IUAA Cross-country Championships. At the IUAA Track and Field Championships she won the 5,000m track event in a new IT Tralee record. At the GloHealth National Under-23 Track and Field Championships she won the 5,000m and was second in the same race at the National Senior Track and Field Championships.
Heaslip is now a final year Health and Leisure with PE degree student at the IT Tralee.
"Dancing has been beneficial and has helped my running. There is a rhythm to the running that is similar to dancing. The dancing ensured I was light on my feet and has helped me to become a better runner with a more conservative running style," she says.
She has continued to blaze a trail in athletic circles during 2017 and 2018 with a series of high profile performances. At the 2017 IAAF Cardiff British Cross Challenge she finished third, and later in season won the Irish University Athletics Association (IUAA) Cross-country Championships. She also won the 5,000m at the IUAA Track and Field Championships posting a personal best time of of 16 minutes 11 seconds, a new ITT record and a qualifying standard for the World Student Games, which were held in Taiwan.
The 2018 season brought high points and low points for the Tralee runner. She won the Irish University Athletics Association (IUAA) Cross-country Championships and in the Great Garmin Run and National 10k Road Championships she was a convincing winner of the international race. At the Great Birmingham 10K Run she was second in the international race and later set a new Munster record at the Munster Championships in the 3,000m running 9.19. However, at the Easy Kit Cross Cup International she finished third in the international race but sadly broke her foot in the process.
"I don't dwell on the negative side of my performances. It's now time to start the next chapter. I enjoy running and that is very important to me. If you enjoy something all the sacrifices are just part of your everyday life," she muses.
