Women in Sport: Distance runner Courtney McGuire

At just 23 years of age, Courtney McGuire surpassed even her own expectations when she placed third at the 2022 Irish Life Dublin Marathon, running 2:32:50 in her debut marathon. Now, this budding Clonmel athlete has her sights set on the 2023 Irish Life Dublin Marathon, and is seeking qualification for Paris 2024…

Name: Courtney McGuire.

Profession: Distance running.

Earliest sporting memory?

My earliest sporting memory is going to watch my granduncle compete in a 5-mile race in the Colligan Woods, near Dungarvan. I remember going to watch him run in various races throughout Ireland after that, along with my grandad too. I was very young at the time, probably around four or five-years-old, but still remember the great atmosphere at each race and of course, the cake and tea afterwards.

How did you become involved in your sport?

I took up running in school, prompted by the school athletics’ coach (David Kenneally), when I was maybe sixteen or seventeen. I enjoyed going to the school athletics competitions (although I mainly liked it for the day off school!). I joined the local athletic club after some time training in school and have loved it ever since.

What message would you like to share with young women and girls interested in pursuing a career as an athlete?

Go for things, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, with everything you’ve got. You may not get to the top every time, and you may struggle with your sport at times, but remember that it’s all part of the journey. You can be content knowing that you tried your best. You’ll be a lot closer than if you had never tried at all.

Proudest moment so far…

Graduating from the University of Limerick with a psychology degree

The female athlete I admire most is…

This is a tough question. I’m not sure I could pick just the one as there are so many female athletes that I admire across a range of different sports. When it comes to Irish distance running though and marathon running, I really admire the likes of Fionnuala McCormack, Sinead Diver, Catherina McKiernan and of course, Sonia O’Sullivan. I always recognized that these ladies were incredibly talented, even when I was very young.

However, it took until I trained for a marathon and raced the distance, to fully appreciate the calibre of these Irish athletes and to put their times and accomplishments into perspective to realise just how remarkable they truly are. I also really admire Emily Sisson, who holds the American record over the half marathon and full marathon distance and the Dutch superwoman – Sifan Hassan who had an incredible marathon debut in London despite stopping several times to stretch but caught the leading pack of women to eventually win the race.

Favourite sporting memory…

Winning the national title at the Irish Life Dublin Marathon in 2022.

Do you think there is still a stigma around women in sport?

I think that things have improved, especially in more recent years. However, I do believe that some level of stigma still exists around women in sport and that there is still a way to go before we have a completely level playing field. Unfortunately, I feel that women’s sport still isn’t taken as seriously as men’s sport, perhaps more so when it comes to team sports, such as soccer and rugby than with more individual sports such as running.

I think that there has been a big push to promote women’s sport, especially through the media etc. but that a lot more could be done in terms of promoting and encouraging it from a ground level in schools, sports clubs and colleges etc.

What is the biggest barrier to driving visibility in women’s sports?

I think that media coverage of women’s sport is a huge barrier to driving the visibility of women’s sport on a local, national, and international level. For example, according to HerSport, only 6% of sports media coverage goes to women’s sport. I think that the bigger TV and radio broadcasters could and should do more to dedicate equal airtime and coverage to women’s sport as to men.

The biggest stigma/misconception that exists in women’s sport is…

That women should quit their sport as soon as they become a mother. I think that there has been a big shift in attitudes in more recent years regarding women’s sport and motherhood and it has been great to see women share their stories as both an athlete and a mother through their social media platforms, such as Molly Huddle for example. But I think that some level of perhaps indirect negativity still exists towards women who are athletes and mothers, especially in an Irish context, whereby many people continue to hold a “traditional” view of a woman’s role in society.

If I wasn’t an athlete, I would be…

If I wasn’t an athlete, I would love to be an art or PE teacher in a secondary school. I worked in a secondary school as part of my work placement in college and absolutely loved it. I’m also really interested in sport, exercise and performance psychology and hope to study this area of interest further. So, when my running days are over, I’d like to work with athletes as a sport psychologist, perhaps in a team environment such as with Athletics’ Ireland or the FAI.

My favourite pre-competition meal is…

This is such a typical answer, porridge with banana and peanut butter if I have an early race. Otherwise, I also like to have a bagel/toast, again though I’ll usually put peanut butter and banana on it too. But if I get a coffee with whatever I’m eating, I’m happy.

My pre-competition playlist includes…

A lot of throwback songs. I usually revert to a mix of 90’s/2000’s music before a competition or even before training. So, there’s a lot of Eminem, Drake, Kanye, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Beyonce, Pharrell Williams, etc. but I’ll also switch it up sometimes and play the likes of Elton John or the Red-Hot Chilli Peppers. Sometimes too I’ll play the likes of Faithless, Bob Sinclar, Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia etc. if I’m needing some extra motivation. What a combination.

My daily routine is…

My training schedule varies throughout the year and depending on if I’m in a marathon block or not. Now I’m just trying to maintain fitness and become a stronger athlete in the gym by lifting weights and working closely with my physio, which will stand to me during the heavier periods of training to prevent injury.

My typical training day routine at the moment goes something like this:

I’ll wake up around 7am and prepare for training which is usually at around 9am. The first thing I do is make my coffee and I’ll usually have a small breakfast such as toast and a banana if training is early, but I ensure to prepare something substantial such as overnight oats with Greek yogurt, which I have straight afterwards.

I usually meet my training partners at around 9am. We do a 5k warm up, stretches, strides etc. and then we’ll start into whatever session we have that day, for example 10 x 1k repeats with 60 seconds recovery. We do a 5k cool down afterwards and grab another coffee when we have time. After that I’ll head home and do some work, study or art at my desk for a few hours. I’ll have lunch at around 1pm.

I head to the gym in the evening for weights and to stretch. Afterwards, I’ll do my double run of about 35 minutes or else I’ll do an easy 40 minutes on the elliptical. I’ll usually head home to have dinner at around 7pm, typically something easy such as a chicken stir fry with lots of veg and rice. After dinner I’ll usually go for a walk and listen to a podcast. Sometimes I’ll meet my friends and go to the cinema or else meet them for tea and chats after they finish work.

I head to bed at around 9:30 or 10pm. I always need to watch something before falling asleep. I’ve been watching The Last of Us lately and really enjoyed it. I also watched Davy’s Toughest Team over the last few weeks and thought it was brilliant.

My biggest sporting goal is…

To reach the Olympics in the marathon and be competitive with the best in the World.

Sports brands I love (Irish or otherwise)…

I mainly wear a lot of Nike clothing and shoes, but I also love New Balance and wear a lot of their stuff too.

Biggest splurge to celebrate a win…

A holiday or a training camp.

How do you mind your mental health?

I listen to a lot of podcasts whilst walking which I find helps if I’m feeling stressed. I really like The Blind Boy Podcast as he has a unique way with his words and how he phrases things. I also like to watch something light-hearted such as The Simpsons, Shrek or Derry Girls, something that I can laugh at before bed.

My three desert island beauty products are:

Fake tan, mascara and moisturiser.

I need 8 hours of sleep a night because….

I’m not a nice person to be around otherwise!

Confidence, to me, is…

Confidence to me is a belief that I have the abilities required to achieve a certain outcome, whether in running or in other aspects of my life. In running, it might be something like my belief that I can hold a certain pace throughout a race, because I know that I have the training done and worked hard to be able to do that. In other areas of life, confidence for me might mean believing that I can do well in an exam, for example, as long as I put the time in to study for it and prepare well, I should be confident that I can complete and excel at the task at hand.

How do you get over a bad performance?

I think it’s important to acknowledge that not all performances or training sessions will go well and to accept that this is all part of the process. It’s important to have a good support network around you and to be able to talk to someone following both a good performance and a bad performance, because both can be tough mentally.

I think it’s important to have something outside of your sport that you can focus on, to keep your mind occupied on something else. It’s easier said than done, but to realise that one bad performance doesn’t define you as an athlete. Take some time to consider what worked and what didn’t work leading up to that performance and plan for the next time.

Lastly, why is sport such an integral part of community, on a club, local, national and personal level?

Sport participation, as well as the obvious health benefits, also has a range of psychological and social benefits associated with it. Sports teams and clubs are a great way to meet like minded people, to bond with others and to make friends for life. It brings communities together, through times of winning or losing.

Sports that are unique to Ireland and to Irish people are a great opportunity to showcase our sporting culture to other nations, for example through Gaelic football, hurling and Camogie, as well as Irish dancing.

Sport can also be used as one form of channelling the negative emotions we may feel through times of difficulty or adversity into something positive, which is a key reason why sport is an integral part of my own life.

Imagery via @courtneymcguire99 on Instagram