NAKITA Burke led Letterkenny AC to 10th place at the European Club Cross Country Championships in Spain back in February, and she’s continued her form throughout the year up to and including last weekend.
For the performance, the Primary School teacher was named the February Donegal News Sports Star of the Month in conjunction with Brian McCormick Sports & Leisure.
“It was our second year in-a-row qualifying for the European Clubs, it was a brilliant achievement,” Burke said.
“Myself, Noeleen Scanlan, Natasha Adams and Shauna McGeehan went over and we were the second club in Ireland so we set ourselves a goal of trying to get that title back ourselves and we ended up beating Dublin City Harriers on the day which was nice and the girls all had a brilliant run.
“Ann-Marie (McGlynn) is a huge part of our team and when you’re missing someone of the calibre of Ann-Marie it is tough but what Letterkenny have at the moment is a really good group of girls and everybody is pulling each other on, Claire McGuigan has now joined us and there’s more people coming through.
“So there’s depth there as well at the minute which is brilliant for the club.”
Burke has had plenty of wins so far this year, but many won’t come close to the achievement of Sunday week ago in the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon as she finished in 34:27 to win in a field of 20,000.
That event was one herself and coach Maria McCambridge had set their sights doing well in but she described the feeling of winning the Mini Marathon as ‘surreal’, days on from the run and she got to celebrate her win on returning to school on Tuesday with her pupils.
“Maria McCambridge is coaching me and has been now for the last couple of years, we had discussed the plans for the year and the Mini Marathon was a big goal for us and she had it planned to perfection and thankfully it worked out that way.
“I’ve been really lucky this year, I haven’t had any injuries or niggles and I hadn’t got any illness which is huge in athletics where you can get that period of training consistently and if you have somebody of Maria’s calibre working with you it’s huge.
“To be honest it’s all so surreal, I went back to school on Tuesday and they had a welcome back party.
Nakita Burke with her Educate Together Junior Infant class.
“I teach Junior Infants so you think they wouldn’t be aware maybe of what running a race of that quality is so I thought I’d get back in low-key but all the kids were really delighted.
“When you set out running, that’s something you dream about winning but you never think you’re actually going to achieve that goal so now that I’ve got it I’m still telling myself ‘I actually did win it!’.”
Burke wasn’t the only success story of the day in regards to Donegal women, as Teresa Doherty of Finn Valley AC was also on the podium, finishing 3rd in 34:58, with Courtney McGuire from Clonmel AC splitting the pair with a time of 34:33.
It’s a good representation of the level of competition in Donegal, which Nakita believes helps them all improve and has them ready for the competitiveness of the National competitions when they come around.
“Teresa was third and when I came into athletics, she would have been one of the people in Donegal athletics that I would have looked towards.
“She has been amazing, even so far as the race on Sunday she was making sure I was up beside her and it was brilliant to see her on the podium as well.
“It (The competition) is huge, Teresa is running well, Ann-Marie is flying, Natasha, Noeleen and Shauna too, every race you turn up to in Donegal you’re going to get a competitive race in the ladies field.
“I went to Ballyshannon 10 days out from the mini marathon and Teresa was there so it’s not like you can switch off at any time at any point because if you do, you know she’s coming and she wasn’t that far behind me that day and in the Mini Marathon either.”
Looking ahead, Burke isn’t sure of her remaining targets for the year, with last Sunday’s race being the priority for quite a while, but she will sit down with her coach and look to see what is ahead, and still has some personal goals of her own she wants to hit.
Nakita Burke after winning the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon on Sunday, 4th June, with coach Maria McCambridge.
“I kind of had just set the Mini Marathon as the target for the year so I haven’t actually discussed with Maria yet.
“We were thinking along the lines of a half marathon but we haven’t agreed what’s going to be next.
“But I’ll do a few track races and 5Ks. I’ve been so close to the 16 minute barrier for a 5k and I suppose that has always been a goal of mine, to run 15.59 or 15 anything.”
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