Sonia O’Sullivan: The joys and benefits of squeezing in the last races of a season

There has always been a contrasting train of thought when it comes to racing late into the season, squeezing every possible race out of it. For some athletes, the sense is there’s not much to gain, and if the body is tired there’s no point in beating on it.

For others, it can feel like a great opportunity, especially if they’re still motivated and energised by the potential to upset some tiring athletes as the season draws to a close.

It has been a long season already, the World Championships in Budapest, now considered to be one of the best ever, coming late in August, when some athletes are starting to tire already. It always felt like Budapest was a long way off, only once it started the nine days of competition delivered one top performance after another.

I remember back in 1992, in the weeks after the Barcelona Olympics, I couldn’t wait to get back to racing again. I’d finished fourth in the 3,000m, often considered the worst place to finish in a race, let alone in an Olympic final

There were still a few dates on the Diamond League calendar, some smaller continental meetings too. Zurich, just four days after Budapest, produced a couple of those upsets I’m talking about. The American Yared Nuguse, run out of the 1,500m medals in the worlds, beat world champion Josh Kerr, with Kyron McMaster also edging out the seemingly unbeatable three-time world champion Karston Warholm in the 400m hurdles.

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There is still tonight’s Brussel’s Diamond League, where Ciara Mageean will race again, before the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday week.

I’ve always favoured racing as late into the season as possible, chasing a fast time perhaps, but also pocketing an extra level of confidence for the next time they line up.

I remember back in 1992, in the weeks after the Barcelona Olympics, I couldn’t wait to get back to racing again. I’d finished fourth in the 3,000m, often considered the worst place to finish in a race, let alone in an Olympic final.

Only for me, it simply increased the hunger to get back out there. After realising you are so close, let’s see if we can race these athletes again and turn some of the results around.

I felt a little like an undercover assassin going around Europe, waiting for my shot at the athletes who had upset my hopes in Barcelona. I knew their names, and I knew their faces.

I was hungry for more, racing eight more times and breaking five Irish records in the process

First up I went to Monaco, hungry for not just success, but to turn the tables on Angela Chalmers from Canada, who won the bronze medal ahead of me by about 0.20 of a second. That box was easily ticked.

Then it was on to Zurich, where I shared a room with Sally Gunnell, who won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles. The race was the 1,500m and I finished second, setting a new Irish record and this time taking the scalp of Tatyana Dorovskikh of the old United Russia, who won silver in Barcelona.

Still, I was hungry for more, racing eight more times and breaking five Irish records in the process. After finishing behind Olympic champion Yelena Romanova, also of the old United Russia, in Koln, setting another Irish record of 8:37.92, the rampage continued to the Brussels Grand Prix 3,000m where I finally took the win and overcame Romanova.

Then I finished the season with a win at the Grand Prix final over 5,000m in Milan, which was the culmination of the athletics season as it was known then.

When you are still hungry like that you don’t think twice about accepting a start and finding out more about yourself than a few weeks earlier on the Olympic stage. I think racing late in the season like that set me up for the following year, because in my first race back in Hengelo, over 3,000m, I faced off against Romanova again, scoring another victory in another Irish record. I made sure she knew how I felt about it as well.

As well as Mageean, Sarah Healy, Sarah Lavin, Brian Fay, Mark English, Louise Shanahan and my daughter Sophie are still showing up for those end-of-season races. And they’re seeing the benefits.

Lavin added the women’s 100 record to her 100m hurdles record in Switzerland on Monday, running an excellent 11.47, and on Wednesday evening, at a small meeting in Palio Citta’ Della Quercia in Rovereto on the shores of Lake Garda, she won the hurdles in another impressive time of 12.76.

Sophie broke the Irish under-23 record in the 3,000m, finishing second in 8:44.72, with Fay enjoying a similarly productive evening, finished second and improving his 3,000m best of 7:36.89. now the third fastest on the Irish all-time list. I travelled along to lend some support, and it certainly took me back to my end-of-season racing days.

Just last week Reece Ademola of Leevale got to jump in Padua, breaking his own Irish under-23 record and edging closer to that 8m mark

I’m sure Mageean is envisioning a chance to lift that Diamond League trophy in Eugene, and the last thing she’ll be doing is complaining about any tiredness. After all, these athletes are professionals and it is their job to turn up and race and fulfil any commitments that they have made.

This is particularly true for the smaller low-key races like Rovereto where some athletes get to test themselves in competitive settings, opportunities that will get themselves noticed and open doors. It can be tough to match your best season results but if your best is on the world stage or Diamond League, then travelling to these end-of-season races is all part of the growing and learning process.

Just last week Reece Ademola of Leevale got to jump in Padua, breaking his own Irish under-23 record and edging closer to that 8m mark. Sophie raced there too, running her second fastest 1,500m time, while Fay took a surprise sixth place at the Zurich Diamond League, again taking advantage of tiring athletes, before running a season-best 3:36.52 over 1500m in Padua.

It’s certainly been a long season for many athletes and it won’t be long now before everyone goes into hibernation for the winter, back into the long slow process of building up all over again

Healy also travelled to Xiamen, China, for the far east leg of the Diamond league and also running her second-best time 4:01.48, all the while getting increasingly comfortable at running close to four minutes which is the standard now to get to finals.

Mageean will be the sole Irish representative in Brussels, a race that she won in 2022 and established her presence on the world stage, running a stunning 3:56.63 national record that she bettered while finishing fourth in Budapest.

It’s certainly been a long season for many athletes and it won’t be long now before everyone goes into hibernation for the winter, back into the long slow process of building up all over again. Still, there’s a bit of life in the season yet, still more to be gained, before signing off and planning out the road to Paris 2024.