THE THIRD DEGREE: ‘You reach a goal but there’s always another one that quickly follows’

In this week’s Third Degree Paul Bradley catches up with Letterkenny athlete Nakita Burke who recently won the VHI Women’s Half Marathon, about training, goals and what motivates her.

Hi Nakita, congratulations on winning the VHI Women’s Half Marathon. How are you feeling now (presumably people have been very supportive)?

Thanks, I’m feeling very grateful and honestly overwhelmed with the positive reaction.

The amount of people who have contacted me to pass on their support and congratulations has been
amazing.

I still feel very thankful, I have a fantastic coach in Maria Mc Cambridge and it was class to see her reaction at the finish line.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, please?

I’m a primary school teacher in Letterkenny Educate Together national school. I currently teach Junior
Infants.

I absolutely love my job, no two days are the same. I grew up in Slieve Sneacht but moved to the Mountain Top when I was 13.

I played soccer all my life and was very lucky to get the opportunity to represent Ireland at two world student games in Thailand and Serbia.

Do you come from a sporty family? I read somewhere that you only took up running relatively late, but you’ve still been very successful at it: good genes or something more?

My parents aren’t overly sporty, however they are very supportive. They’re always really proud no matter what, which is really nice.

Running isn’t in my family genes but my mum is a very energetic person so when it comes to running I think some of her work ethic has really rubbed off on me. I have three brothers (two that are into sports) so as you can imagine our house was always competitive as we all played soccer locally.

We all get on really well when the game is finished!!

The Third Degree with Paul Bradley

How or when did you suddenly realise you had a gift for athletics?

I’m still not sure how the running bug got a hold of me as I never wanted to run unless it was after a ball.

I played for Lagan Harps for years and when I took up teaching in 2014, I got invited to join Kevin Toner’s running group in the town park on a Tuesday evening.

The vast majority of his group were local primary school teachers. He had a way of including everyone, and I guess through the social aspect of it, as now some of these girls are my best friends and the progress I made helped to make running really fun.

I then moved on to join Letterkenny AC under Sean Mc Fadden and this really helped me progress with my running. Letterkenny AC is a great club with fantastic members.

Is it hard to fit the training in with family life? Do you have a flexible career?

Running can be tough to juggle at times with a fulltime job. There are times when running might take a backseat depending on how busy work is.

The really good thing about teaching though is that during the summer holidays you can catch up on missed training.

When things are hard, or your schedule is packed, what is it that drives you?

I always set myself goals to achieve. There are definitely times
throughout the year that you have to motivate yourself to get out the door to train.

I trained a lot this year with Gavin Crawford and having a set time to meet somebody to run definitely helped, as does having company to run. I

also have a lovely Sunday morning long run group (Shauna Mc Geehin & Noeleen Scanlon) which really helps pass the time on these runs.

What have been the particular high points in your athletics career so far?

Winning the VHI Mini Marathon has definitely been my biggest achievement to date. I also won the national novice cross country which was also amazing.

A few years ago your target was to run 5K in 17 minutes or less. Do you have any remaining goals?

When I started out running, breaking 20 mins for a 5k was my biggest goal. I always said when I did that I’d retire happy from running!!

Many years later I’m now trying to break 16mins for a 5k! Running is so funny like that you reach a goal but then there’s always another one that quickly follows!!

What about in the longer term as an athlete – do you see yourself focusing on the longer distances, or on more cross-country?

I’m not sure yet. I’d love to do a
half marathon but maybe not this
year. I love doing 5ks & 10ks and the odd cross-country race. When I first came into athletics, I loved cross country. Coming from the football background really helped with running on the mucky fields!

What’s the best way to relax and recover after a hard, mucky cross country run?

I always reward myself after every race with a nice takeaway.

I feel like everyone who does running deserves that treat after all the effort that goes into race preparation!

Quick fire

The book or the film?

I will always choose a film over a
book!

Favourite film, artists, music?

Walk To Remember is my favourite film, Cian Ducrot is my favourite music artist at the moment.

The perfect day?

I now have three nephews and one niece so I love spending time with them over the weekend.

What motivates you?

I love running and I love
challenging myself to see how far I can go.

What do you look for most in a friend?

The quality I admire most in a friend is honesty.

What angers or disappoints you? People being late!!!!

Do you have a motto you live by?

Treat others how you’d like them to treat you.

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