Sharlene Mawdsley

There’s no doubt but that Irish relay running is on the rise. In Paris last summer, the women’s 4x400m team came ever so close to what, just a few years ago, felt unimaginable: an Olympic relay medal.

But the current success didn’t happen overnight. The current Irish relay story is the blossoming of seeds that were planted in the unlikeliest of places. Two races in particular spring to mind.

And then there’s been the success. The silverware, the record-smashing runs, the beginning of what feels like something that will provide further fruit in future years.

These are five of our favourite relay races with Irish interest from the past decade.

From the Depths of Hell

Women’s 4x400m, IUAA Intervarsity Championships, 2016

This race had it all.

Three future Olympians (Phil Healy, Louise Shanahan, Michelle Finn), plus other future national medallists at various distances, including Ellie Hartnett and Jenna Bromell.

Athletes who had competed in multiple disciplines over the two days of the championships.

Those who had been coerced into running one more lap of the Morton Stadium track. And those who were there very much by choice.

A breakout run.

A finish for the ages.

And the soon-to-go-viral commentary to match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVhjAXEyjMI

Rare World U20 medal

Women’s 4x100m relay, World U20 Championships, Tampere, 2018

Irish medals at World U20 Championships are a rare thing. In fact, when the women’s 4x100m relay team took the starting line at the 2018 event in Tampere, Finland, generations of Irish athletes had between them accumulated just two.

Therefore, a silver medal was a pretty big deal for the quartet of Molly Scott, Gina Akpe-Moses, Ciara Neville and Patience Jumbo-Gula who ran a national U20 record that day, the reserves (Rhasidat Adeleke, who’d raced in the heats, and Lauren Roy), the Irish team, and a nation of aspiring relay runners.

For some of that squad, Adeleke in particular, their athletics story was only just beginning. Others, like Roy, have taken till 2025 to blossom. Jumbo-Gula, has since retired, while Scott, Akpe-Moses and Neville, have learned just how difficult turning junior talent into senior success can be.

But no matter their story, this is a moment in time of which they should all be proud.

Watch the race here!

Just the Beginning

Mixed 4x400m, World Relays, Nassau, May 2024

Having secured Olympic qualification for both in the qualification rounds, the tight schedule and restrictions around the use of reserves meant that Ireland prioritized the mixed 4x400m over the women’s 4x400m at last summer’s World Relays.

Still a relatively new event, it’s not surprising that the Irish quartet of Cillín Greene, Rhasidat Adeleke, Thomas Barr and Sharlene Mawdsley set national records in both the qualifying rounds (3:12.50) and the final (3:11.53).

Some of this quartet were involved when mixed relay made the final of both the Olympics in 2021 and the World Championships in 2022, but the addition of Rhasidat Adeleke gave them their first serious chance of a medal. The team duly delivered, as they finished a close third behind the USA and the Netherlands.

Most of Ireland may well have been sleeping when the quartet won their bronze medals, but the 48.45 split from Adeleke made the world sit up and take notice.

Watch the conclusion of the race here!

The full race can be watched in Ireland via Eurovision Sport coverage (mixed relay is 2hrs 46 mins into the day two coverage).

Goosebump Moments in Rome

Mixed 4x400m relay, European Championships, Rome, June 2024

The World Relays, it seems, was just a prelude for things to come. With Adeleke, Mawdsley, Barr and Chris O’Donnell all making themselves available to run on the first night in Rome, despite each also having individual hopes for the championships, it was clear that the Irish meant business.

And again they broke the Irish record as they won Ireland’s first European gold medal since 1998. Their time, 3:09.92, was just over a second outside the then World record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-lV4hErGUQ

Ever so close

Women’s 4x400m relay, Olympic Games, Paris, August 2024

Sophie Becker. Rhasidat Adeleke. Phil Healy. Sharlene Mawdsley. Four athletes having the collective run of their lives. A national record of 3:19.90.

Ultimately short of the sport’s biggest prize. But only just. A mere 0.18 of a second between them and a medal.

We may never see an Irish relay run like this again.

But you can’t help but suspect that these four have other ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf1Ap5Cl0Mg

It's been an epic six weeks tracking the route Irish athletes took to Apeldoorn. Some came into 2025 with the Auto Q already secured and many hit it in their first competition of the year. Others had plenty of ranking points, but needed the Athletics Ireland B standard to be selected. 

A few hung out around the quota cut-off for the past few weeks, knowing (or at least hoping) that there would be some withdrawals. And here we are with a team of 19. This is a summary of how each individual and team qualified for Apeldoorn.

Bori Akinola (60m) was sitting in or around the cut-off mark coming into the season, and once he nailed the Athletics Ireland B standard (6.65) at the National League on 19 Jan he was all but assured his place, given the number of athletes ahead of him on the Road to Apeldoorn who were unlikely to compete. Akinola’s silver medal at last summer’s National Seniors made up a big chunk of his final ranking score, along with his win from National Indoors and that 6.65 from the national league. Two rounds of the UCD Track and Field Meeting in June were enough to complete Akinola’s Apeldoorn-qualifying score.

Sharlene Mawdsley (400m): While her place by ranking was never in doubt coming into the season, Masdsley made things straightforward when she achieved the Auto Q in her first race of the season in Glasgow on 2 Feb. Her 51.69 that day was an indoor personal best, and her fastest time of the season so far.

Lauren Cadden and Rachel McCann (both 400m) were selected for relay teams in Apeldoorn and therefore did not need to hit the Athletics Ireland B standard. They took the final two slots on the Road to Apeldoorn (Cliodhna Manning and Arlene Crossan were next in line for a place). Like Akinola, both Cadden and Manning benefited from the podium finishes at last summer’s National Senior Championships and the placing points that it, as a Category B event, carried. But most importantly, they had enough outdoor performances (at least 3) to have a ranking score. Both will be making their senior individual debut in Apeldoorn.

Mark English (800m), a regular in high-scoring races, rarely struggles to gather ranking points. He was already sitting pretty on 1240 points when he ran the Auto Q (and smashed the Irish record in the process), at the Millrose Games on 8 February. English, a two-time medal-winner at this event, goes into Apeldoorn ranked third of the field on season’s best.

Cian McPhillips (800m) looked to have a mountain to climb when sitting in 48th place. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, he ran 1:45.33 – an outright PB, second on the Irish all-time list, and most importantly the Auto Q for Apeldoorn. McPhillips is ranked fifth by season’s best among the field.

Cathal Doyle (1500m) seems to love just missing Auto Qs, and the Road to Apeldoorn has been no different; the 3:37.00 standard just alluding him on this occasion. He did, however, achieve the B standard on 7 Feb and thanks to three Category A top 4 finishes, a swift Olympic semi-final result, and another fast category C podium finish, Doyle amassed a massive ranking score of 1289 points. That’s almost 200 points more than was needed to make it on quota.

Sarah Healy (3000m): Because she had raced no 5000m races outdoors last season, Sarah always needed the Automatic qualification standard of 8:48.00. She achieved that in Boston in her first race of the season where she broke the Irish record, and improved it a week later in New York. Her time then - 8:30.79 – ranks her second by time among the Apeldoorn field. Sarah did also achieve the Auto Q for the 1500m, but has opted for the longer distance in Apeldoorn.

Jodie McCann (5000m): Having chased ranking points for the 5000m in Paris last summer, Jodie had a good chance of making Apeldoorn on ranking, so long as she achieved the Athletics Ireland B standard. She achieved that on 4 Feb, and while sitting in the last of the 24 slots the week before the window closed, she was well within the quota once withdrawals were made. McCann’s final ranking was made up of the same three performances that got her to the Olympics.

Andrew Coscoran (3000m), like Healy, needed the Auto Q, and that he delivered in his first outing of the season, with an impressive win and national record-shattering 7:30.75 in Boston. The following week Coscoran broke the Irish 1500m and mile records, but, like Healy, has chosen the longer distance in Apeldoorn. He is ranked third in the field on time.

James Gormley (3000m): A former British junior international, the first step for James was to gain his Irish eligibility, which happened in November last year. James hit the Auto Q in Boston on 14th February to secure his place.

Sarah Lavin (60m hurdles): has been making a habit of getting qualification out of the way early, and she achieved the required standard (8.00 seconds) at the World Indoors in Glasgow last March, within the first week of qualification for this event.

Kate O’Connor (Hepathlon) surpassed the Athletics Ireland B standard for Apeldoorn with her best heptathlon performance last summer, and she came into the indoor season sitting just inside the quota spots. Her 4683 national record on 2 February, however, bettered the Auto Q.  She is one of only three of the field to do so this season.

The Mixed 4x400m and Women's 4x400m relay teams both qualified by time, thanks to their Rome and Paris performances respectively. Netherlands, as hosts, were guaranteed a slot in each relay, the next three teams were decided based on 2024 toplist, and the final two slots in the 6-team finals were allocated based on cumulative times of a country’s best 4 performers this indoor season.

Orla Comerford (PA 60m) will also compete in Apeldoorn, European Athletics having added two Para Athletics events to the programme.

Those who have been around the sport for three decades or more will have fond memories of the intimate nature of competing at Nenagh’s Indoor Athletics Track, which was until 2000 the only indoor stadium on the island of Ireland.

Spectators and teammates banging on the metal advertising hoarding that circled the track provided the ultimate climax to hotly contested races. Encounters with styrofoam cups, chicken soup and the smell of Deep Heat may still conjure up nostalgic feelings. But the thing you’ll remember the most is the cold.

Indoor facilities have come a long way since then, and both the National Indoor Arena (NIA) in Abbotstown and the arena on the Athlone Campus of the Technological University of the Shannonside (TUS) provide pleasant experiences for athletes and spectators alike.

Indoor athletics is special. The audience is closer to the action and the shorter 200m track means that athletes pass by more often. And spectators no longer need to pack a duvet and a hot water bottle. If you want to experience athletics at its most intense, get yourself to the NIA or TUS Athlone for one of the events on the domestic calendar. Here’s what to expect.

200m and 400m

Races of 200m and longer take place on the outer 200m circuit, which has banked curves. The banks are added to make it easier for athletes to maintain speed while negotiating the tight indoor bends. Drawing an outer lane therefore holds a greater advantage, and athletes racing over 200m or 400m will be particularly hopeful of being allocated lane 5 or lane 6.

Because of the disparity of the lanes, 200m is no longer an event at European or World Indoor Championships. But it is still raced at National level, and some of Ireland’s best 200m and 400m athletes often test their speed at this distance at National Championships. Sharlene Mawdsley won the women’s title in 2023, while Mark Smyth just missed the National Record in the men’s race the same year.

While they stay in their lanes the whole way around outdoors, 400m runners break to the inside after 150m indoors. Athletes used to having a whole lane to themselves learn quickly what it is like to be an 800m runner. Because of the physical nature of the event, the first 200m can be pretty fierce, and spectators have a clearer picture of positions throughout the race. However, there’s an advantage to being out front at the bell, and races are sometimes decided a lot earlier than they are outdoors.

Because there are fewer lanes indoors – usually only six, compared to the regular eight outdoors - and because of the advantage of outside lanes, the battle for final places and favourable lane draws is pretty cut-throat. Semi-finals are definitely worth watching. With no 200m or 400m hurdle contested indoors at European or World level, the 400m indoors can also make it a particularly competitive event at championships.

800m, 1500m and 3000m

Middle-distance athletes get to race 800m, 1500m and 3000m indoors (5000m is sometimes held, particularly in the US, but it is not a championship distance, and the steeplechase is very rarely raced indoors).

Because they go by twice as often, the middle distance races are particularly engaging. There is an advantage to being out front, and unlike racing into the wind outdoors, little disadvantage, so athletes often make their move earlier. The ‘sit and kick’ approach doesn’t always work indoors, and athletes who plan to make their move off the last bend often find that they’ve left it too late. That’s not to say that home-straight dramas don’t happen, but they look a bit different indoors.

The 3000m in particular attracts an interesting mix of 1500m runners looking to gain some strength over the winter, 5000m runners working on their speed, steeplechasers not wanting to be forgotten, and those who not-so-secretly wish that 3000m was a championship event outdoors.

Fifteen laps may sound like a long way, but if an athlete lapses in concentration for just one moment, they’re gone. And sometimes ‘gone’ involves unexpected contact between skin and track. Sharp elbows, sustained attention, and a pinch of luck are essential race kit items.

60m and 60m hurdles

The limited space indoors means that the sprinters and hurdlers race just 60 metres. The short sprints and hurdles take place on the infield, allowing for at least eight lanes. But the short distance between the end of the race and the edge of the outer track is rarely enough for the speedsters to stop, so the final act of their performance tends to involve a crash with the padding that lines the outer track barriers.

The start plays a big part in all sprints, but never more so than over 60 metres. Some athletes are more suited to the shorter distance, and those who dominate indoors are not always the same ones who win the medals outdoors.

The Irish men’s 60m record is just 6.57 seconds (Israel Olatunde, 2023), while Derval O'Rourke's women’s 60m hurdles record is 7.84, so the short sprints are the ultimate event for those with short attention spans. But don't be surprised if there's a false start or two - the unwanted consequence of athletes trying to get every advantage out of the blocks.

Field events

There’s no visible difference between the high jump, pole vault, long jump and triple jump indoors and out, though athletes don’t have to deal with the weather. Shot put, too, is similar to outdoors, though the shot usually lands on mats rather than grass or grit. All the field events take place in the centre of the track, so there’s no excuse for not paying attention.

There is no Javelin, Discus, or Hammer indoors, for obvious reasons, and the long throwers will instead brave the spring weather for some dedicated outdoor throwing meets, including, for the international athletes, the European Throws Cup.

Relays

While both 4x200m and 4x400m relays feature on the domestic calendar, the 4x400m is the only relay raced at European and World Championship level. And if you thought those events got messy outdoors, wait until you see the drama that unfolds indoors!

Some of the more technical stuff

Indoor performances, particularly from 200m upwards, are generally slower than those achieved outdoors. In addition to most athletes still being in winter training, so not yet in peak form, the tighter and more regular bends and the increased bumping and barging, means that an athlete’s indoor personal best tends to be slower than their best time outdoors.

World Athletics, European Athletics and National Federations therefore have separate records for indoor and outdoor competitions. Or at least they used to.

Athletics Ireland continues to have separate records and all-time lists for indoor and outdoor performances. World Athletics, however, have started to view things a bit differently. Since 2024, competitions held on a 200m track are know as short track, irrespective of whether they’re held indoors or out. These events (200m and above, pentathlon for women, heptathlon for men, and the indoor relays) have separate short track records.

For a few years now, field events have a combined world record, irrespective of whether it was achieved indoors or out (depending on what sort of a season Mondo Duplantis has had, the pole vault record may have been achieved indoors). There is now also just a combined 60m and 60m hurdles recorded, which can be broken indoors or out.

While the distance of regular indoor tracks is 200m, indoor competitions are sometimes held on 300m and 400m tracks, often without banked bends. These tracks are not considered ‘short track’, and don’t count for short track or indoor records or qualification purposes. Indoor performances on tracks that are longer than 200m are often recorded as being held on an oversized track.

Because racing indoors (i.e. on a 200m track) is usually a bit slower, the points available for ranking purposes are more generous. Performances achieved on oversized indoor tracks are scored as if they were achieved outdoors.

Domestic calendar

The indoor season is much shorter than the outdoor season, with most of the senior events held between mid-January and late February. The Athletics Ireland Indoor Games, two rounds of the national league, the Indoor Combined Events Championships, and the action-packed IUAA Intervarsities provide the warm-up for the main event, the National Senior Indoor Championships.

Track and Field Live provides graded open competitions, across all the age groups, between November and February. National Masters Championships, National U20 and U23 Championships, National Juvenile Championships – of which the relays provide all the passionate and chaotic entertainment you’ll ever need – and provincial championships across the various age groups complete the calendar.