Letter
Dear Mary,
We met for the first time on the squishy wet fields of Loughrea Athletic Club’s grounds in Bushfield. I was six-years-old and I was wearing my little flower shorts that I was obsessed with at the time and you had our group run all the way across the pitch and back. I was determined to be the fastest out of all the boys and the girls in the six to eight group (which I was not), just so you’d know if Ireland needed a sub on the Olympic team: I was available.
You convinced me to come to training for all five events of the pentathlon, even when I was moody about it. Twelve-year-old Caoimhe was not a fan of doing all of the technical things or practicing my landing in the long jump sand pit over and over “just one more time,” you would tell me so I would go again. You had faith in me, even if I did not. Your patience and persistence got me to training and actually kept me there.
I didn’t like it at the time when you were stern yet supportive while I was a teenager. I was lazy or sore and you made sure I ran the session anyways. I tried so hard every time you corrected my leading leg over the front of the hurdle with the reminder to “snap it down,” when I hurdled, even though I kept flicking it out anyways.
The times you rubbed my back as I puked my guts up after running the 800 meters at the end of the Connacht schools Multi-Event Championships, after a long pentathlon, are still gross, yet fond memories for me. I puked after every 800 metre for the five years of competing at the Connacht Schools, on the bright blue track in Athlone. I gladly made it to the black rubbish bags in time to barf. You always said that my tendency to puke was a way of “getting the nerves out,” though it often just felt like my breakfast was what wanted out.
I always looked for the texts you sent me when you couldn’t make it to watch me race. They were sometimes the only thing that kept me sane as I walked to the startline, shaking while I set my blocks. I loved the races you were able to come to; I could hear your voice in the crowds clearer than any other voice, “Caoimhe push now, snap that lead leg,” or “Caoimhe get up and finish strong.”
I remember the affection you gave me after I fell in what would have been a personal record race in the 60 metre hurdles. You helped to keep me calm while my dad cleaned the little rubber track pieces out of my legs after hitting the track in between the hurdles. It stung and sent raw pain throughout my legs and made my eyes water. I had little specks of blue rubber embedded into the burns on my shin, hip, back of my shoulder blade and cheekbone. I could not have completed the following three events without you being there to guide me through them, telling me to breathe and just to “finish strong.”
I recognized the pride you had with each medal I won. You always took pictures of me regardless of whether it was a county Galway medal that I got for getting through the race, or a national medal that I got for running faster than I ever had before. You gave me the reminder that I should be grateful for everything I achieve, even when I consider myself to have failed.
Your support when I told you I was moving 3,615 miles across the world to do athletics, in a time zone five hours behind Ireland’s, was so abundant. I truly don’t believe there is any coach who would feel happy about their athlete moving away after spending so much time training with them, but you were the anomaly. You embraced the move with an open-mind and supported me through it entirely. Your presence made my faith stronger, in all aspects of my life.
The world knew I needed a coach like you, who is supportive of me even when I am training with a new team and coach. The letters you send me in the post and the occasional text message never fail to make me smile. Thank you for mentoring me into the athlete I have become today. Without you as my coach I am not sure I would have achieved what I have in getting to the states, winning all of the county, provincial and national medals I have, and especially in gaining the discipline I have now, both on and off the track. You will always be my number one coach, both in person and across the globe.
Thank you,
Caoimhe Farrell
