Full Name
Deirdre Steadman (nee Wall)
When did you join Sportsworld?
I joined Sportsworld for the first 10km Women’s Mini Marathon which I believe was in 1983, the same year when Eamonn Coghlan won the 5,000-metre gold medal at the World Championships in Helsinki. There was an ad in the Evening Press newspaper inviting women to join groups in local parks with a view to training for the 10km the following June. Emily was to lead the group with a lady called Carol. I’d say about 50 women of all ages turned up on the first evening most of whom had never run before. Me included.
Where do you work?
I am retired now which thankfully allows me to do so many different things that I love, including running of course. I was a Civil Servant and worked my whole career in the Department of Agriculture.
What is your favourite club session?
The session I particularly look forward to is the long run on a Sunday morning, though nowadays it does somewhat curtail my social activities on a Saturday evening! I know it’s not really a major session now but it used to be a big deal in previous years. I’m lucky to still meet up with a group of friends on Sundays and we generally run 8 to 10 miles.
What is your favourite race distance?
I suppose 10km is the distance that still resonates most with me, partly because that’s all we ever did back in the day.
My favourite place to train
We are lucky in this part of South Dublin to have so many lovely parks on our doorsteps. But of course, Bushy is the club home and will always be my favourite.
What is your target for next year?
Targets shift over time, my target now is simply to keep running!
What international events have you ran?
I have only run in one race abroad and that was in the Salzburg half marathon in 2022.
What’s the most interesting place you have run?
I once had a lovely run along Bondi Beach in Australia, followed by a very satisfying and thankfully uneventful swim, a day after I very nearly drowned in the nearby town of Port Macquarie.
What’s the most interesting place you have been?
I have been lucky enough to travel quite a bit, particularly in recent years, and India is such a wonderfully different and colourful country with such a fabulous cuisine culture. Definitely worth a trip.
What do you like doing when you don’t run?
I have always tended to be an active person and nowadays I enjoy hill walking, golf and bridge.
Tell us about your PBs/what is your biggest achievement?
I ran the Dublin City Marathon in 1986 in 3.55.
How often do you run/what is your typical weekly mileage?
At least twice a week Distance varies.
What motivates you, running or otherwise?
Having run for so long it will always be a part of my life. Generally speaking if I commit to something I like to give it my best shot and I tend to look on the positive aspects of what an activity can do for me.
What would you say is the best thing about being in a running club?
The camaraderie and the people you meet.
What made you join a running club?
To get fit.
Why is running important to you?
In the early days when I started it was all about getting fit. Then it became a movement for women generally and that gave many of us a great confidence boost back in the 80s at a time when there was little or no encouragement for women to get involved in any kind of sport. Of course being part of a club, sharing its successes and commiserating about the bad days, is always so rewarding on a personal and social level. Also, we are far more aware now of the importance activity plays in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Who is the person in the club who inspires you/ drives you to run better?
Emily of course. I think we might be the last two standing!
Tell us something that no-one in the club knows about you?
I did a sky dive for my 50th birthday.
