‘I feel my dad with me all the time. In a race like the marathon, I definitely feel his presence'

Irish Independent

13-05-2025

It created such a buzz among her fourth class pupils that they think she's going to the Olympics. They now also ask her every Monday morning if she had a race at the weekend.
Winning the Dublin City Half Marathon has been the biggest victory of Sheridan's running life. When she was a kid, her dad, Paschal – a dedicated runner in his time – used to mow a track in their garden at home in Hayestown, Navan, for his daughters to run around for fun.
At 18, Sheridan took up running again after her father got very sick. He had brain tumours on and off during her childhood but a decade ago he was diagnosed with a tumour that spread to his lungs.
Before his death in August 2015, bedside chats about her running used to energise her father.
'When my dad got sick after the Leaving Cert, I started running as a crutch for my mental health to get outside. He was a passionate runner. He was really excited to see that I was running,' says Sheridan, speaking at a launch for the 2025 Irish Life Dublin Marathon. 'He was in bed, he was quite weak and sick, but he still always asked me, how much did you run today?
'When he passed away, loads of his friends were calling over that he used to run with. Even races I go to this day, I meet a lot of his friends. I suppose it's nice to have that connection. I really enjoy people telling me different stories about him every race that I go to.
'I do feel him with me all the time. In a race like the marathon, I definitely feel his presence with me.'
Last year's Irish Life Dublin Marathon was the 28-year-old's first experience of running a marathon. She finished 14th overall in 2:42:57 and fifth in the national championship race and she's taking on the challenge again this year.
She has been coached for the past few years by David Carrie who was a great friend of her late father's. She says they're both alike with a positive outlook.
When a mental health coach came to talk to staff in her school, they were asked to rate their days. On that particular day, Sheridan ranked her day with the highest of 10 even though nothing special had happened because 'I think knowing the lows of seeing someone on a hospital bed. That's a minus.'
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She knows she's a steely mentality.
'I'm an endurance runner. And mentally I'm quite strong when the demons are in your head halfway through the marathon, you just have to block it out and trust yourself. It's not so much about running in the marathon even though it's 42 kilometres, it is more about being mentally strong and bullet-proof I suppose.
'Looking at my dad in particular but my mam [Rita] was sick as well, she got breast cancer when I was in fourth class. I don't think we were ever hard done by or anything. We'd an amazing childhood.
'There might be so much chaos going on and so much hardship but you just have to focus on your own journey and get through the days. It's not every day that you're going to have an amazing day. Just ride out the hard times.
'I'd never really be doubting myself so much. If training is going well and you're not injured, there's no reason why the race shouldn't go well. When it gets tough in the race, just tell yourself you can do this.'
Dublin Marathon worth over €23m to local economy
Last year's Irish Life Dublin Marathon generated €23.79m in economic impact according to an independent Economic Impact Assessment by University College Dublin. The UCD study also found that for every €1 spent by attendees or organisers, an additional €2.29 was injected into the local economy, benefitting Ireland's hospitality, transport, accommodation and small business sectors.
'It is a great figure to see, especially when you're talking with Dublin City Council, and people like that,' said Jim Aughney, race director of the Dublin Marathon. 'You always knew it was worth a lot to the city, but you couldn't put a figure on it. It just proves the value of the marathon to the city.'
The 2025 edition will take place on Sunday, October 26 and the continued rise in popularity of running is seen through the fact that the Half Marathon and Fingal 10k in the Irish Life Dublin Race Series have already sold out.
'The Frank Duffy 10-mile will sell out as well. We've never sold out the full race series before,' Aughney added. 'Running is on a boom, not just here in Dublin, but around the country. I think we're back to or better than pre-Covid.'
It was also confirmed that the transfer window for the sold-out 2025 Irish Life Dublin Marathon and Half Marathon will run from July 24 to August 26. Returned marathon entries will be made available for resale on a first-come, first-serve basis from July 18 through the official event website.