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'I just didn't have the love anymore': Heffernan moves on with family life

The five-time Olympian on retirement and his children’s sporting careers.

THE HEFFERNAN CLAN had barely decamped in the Morton Stadium carpark before Cathal, a promising young footballer, received a call inviting him for Ireland U15 trials at Abbotstown this weekend.

Rob and Marian are up in Dublin to help launch the Irish Life Health Festival of Running and, given the event includes a one-mile run for children, there are few better families in the country to promote it. 

Launch of Irish Life Health Festival of Running The Heffernans in Santry yesterday. Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE

As well as 14-year-old Cathal, the Heffernans have Tara and Regan with them too and, naturally, they became the centre of attention at the photoshoot, while the eldest, Meghan, is at home in Cork. 

In between media duties and photocalls, Rob — who called time on his illustrious race-walking career last summer — is out on the track kicking a ball with Cathal or running after the two youngest. 

Given both parents are Olympians, the natural assumption is that the four Heffernan kids will follow their path and forge successful careers in athletics, but in the case of both Meghan and Cathal, they have chosen football over running. For now.

Meghan is currently playing for Cork City’s U17 side while Cathal, who has spent time with Preston North End in England, has impressed for the club’s U15 team and the centre back, as of yesterday morning, is on the radar of Ireland’s coaches.

After both started athletics at six, and showed exciting potential on the track, the Heffernans — Meghan and Cathal, that is — have chosen a different sporting path in their teenage years. 

“Cathal has been on trials over in Preston,” Rob explains. “Megan has been playing football with Cork City U17s but she can come back to it [athletics]. She’s a runner playing football.

“There are better opportunities [in football than athletics]. It’s the resources and finances at the top level. You go down to Cork City training, and he’s with them three nights a week, and the whole professionalism.

“They’re looked after, all the boxes are ticked. They have strength and conditioning, they have a physio, they have all the best coaches and everything is organised for them. It’s brilliant.”

As Cathal begins to pursue a career in football, Marian laughs: “I’m hoping he’s not ever going to go [over to England]. You just have to take it as it comes as nothing might come of it.

“He has had an opportunity to go over there and he has to take it. If there is a case of him being offered a contract in a few years, we’ll just have to see where he’s at himself. It might not be for him.”

Even with two highly-successful athletes as parents, it’s clear the Heffernan children are not put under any pressure. They may have been ‘lost’ to athletics for now, but both Meghan and Cathal remain in sport, and remain active.  

Launch of Irish Life Health Festival of Running Marian and Rob Heffernan with daughters Tara and Regan. Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE

“I said to Cathal when we were over in Preston, ‘this is it boy, it’s boring like,’” Rob continues. “Football pitch, training. And he just smiled at me and said ‘Dad, your life is way more boring.’ He knows you have to train, he’s driven. He learnt that from athletics.”

After over three decades in professional sport, Heffernan’s day-to-day routine is now very different, and he and Marian spend much of the 30-minute chat talking about their children’s sporting endeavours, rather than their own as has always been the case. 

He’s out of the sport a little over a year now after the curtain officially came down on a career which saw the Cork native go to five Olympic Games, win an Olympic bronze over in the 50km walk at London 2012 and then World Championship gold in the same event in Moscow 2013.

Now in his role as Retail Banking Ambassador in the Munster Region for Bank of Ireland, the 40-year-old is kept busy by visiting secondary schools and family life at home.

“No, no,” he says, when asked if he misses it. “My last two years were a drag. I was working so hard and not getting the same reward. Rio, I hung on and was good enough to win a medal but just didn’t have that love anymore and then in London [August 2017] I thought maybe I’d get it because the crowds were there but the first 10k, I was just immune to it. I just didn’t care anymore.

It was the opposite to when I was young and I got excited about everything. Now I wasn’t one bit excited. I was just thinking, I’ve done the training all year, just shut up and deliver something because too many people have helped you and invested in you. I had no feeling in the race.

Now, Heffernan trains for different reasons.

“I get out for a run five-six times a week,” he explains. “It just clears my head, just need to get out. If I went three days without running, I’d be in a bad place in my head. I’d be fierce down like.

“I never take it for granted that I’ll feel good afterwards but 99% of the time I do, even after 20-30 years running.”

Olympians Rob and Marian Heffernan were speaking as brand ambassador to the Irish Life Health Festival of Running which takes place in Morton Stadium on Sunday 28 July in Santry, Dublin.

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    Mute Roberts Mel
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    Feb 21st 2019, 9:46 AM

    And this is the club that people on here defend. Wonder what religion the dole scroungers from Govan think their top scorer is. Can’t see Kris Boyd being as vocal on this one

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    Mute Brian Stafford
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    Feb 21st 2019, 9:55 AM

    @Roberts Mel: That’s a fact! You’d need to have a long hard look at yourself if your support or defend that club in any way, shape or form. Xenophobic bunch of knuckle draggers.

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    Mute Joe
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    Feb 21st 2019, 10:55 AM

    @Roberts Mel: you are just as bad as them you know. Condoning the coin throwing the other day. Always the victim

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    Mute Roberts Mel
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    Feb 21st 2019, 11:11 AM

    @Joe: please point our where I condoned the coin throwing? I never even mentioned it! So how did I condone it?

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    Mute Cian Nolan
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    Feb 21st 2019, 10:11 AM

    Well done Steve Clarke. Needs more players and officials who aren’t from Celtic calling out that crap for what it is.

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    Mute The Bloody Nine
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    Feb 21st 2019, 11:11 AM

    @Cian Nolan: the only way anything will ever be done is if players and coaches keep highlighting it to the media. Good on Steve Clarke and Kris Boyd for calling out what he was subjected to last week.

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    Mute David Garland
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    Feb 21st 2019, 11:17 AM

    @The Bloody Nine: “Good on Kris Boyd” Haha that’s a laugh.. He’s a bitter Rangers fan that forgets another football club is actually paying his wages. He’s been talking Rangers up all season even though is plays for Killie..

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    Mute The Bloody Nine
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    Feb 21st 2019, 11:56 AM

    @David Garland: I can’t believe you think sectarian abuse and coin throwing is ok because of what team a guy supports. It’s wrong no matter who it’s aimed at.

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    Mute Roberts Mel
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:00 PM

    @The Bloody Nine: Didn’t see David mention anything about coin throwing or sectarian abuse never mind David saying it was okay for these things to happen. He just made reference to Kris Boyd and how nice of a fella he is.

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    Mute The Bloody Nine
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:18 PM

    @Roberts Mel: why is telling me how nice Kris Boyd is? I don’t envisage any scenario where I’ll be meeting the lad so his personality is irrelevant to me, as is who he supports or pays his wages.

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    Mute David Garland
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:36 PM

    @The Bloody Nine: Show me where I condoned coin throwing and show us how Kris Boyd has been a victim of Sectarian abuse? Also my point is Kris Boyd is quick to talk up Rangers telling everyone Celtic are in crisis and they’re is a split in the dressing room while all the time he’s playing for Killie.. As I said he’s a bitter Rangers Fan who never comes out giving out about the sectarian chanting coming from Ibrox..

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    Mute Anthony Connery
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:41 PM

    @David Garland: he was called a fat orange b*****d by the Celtic fans

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    Mute Roberts Mel
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:58 PM

    @Anthony Connery: well they ain’t lying

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    Mute The Bloody Nine
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:04 PM

    @David Garland: my apologies David if I misunderstood your comment. However, I can’t see how it’s relevant to my point that the more people experience sectarianism in football the more it needs to be spoken about and highlighted. And that’s regardless of who you play for or support. I’m at a loss as to why you’re arguing with me about this!

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    Mute David Garland
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    Feb 21st 2019, 10:48 AM

    Normally at this stage of the comments we’d have someone on blaming the Celtic fans for the huns sectarianism.. With Neil Lennon gone I suppose they have to get someone else to racially abuse.. But clearly Sevco don’t know the meaning of the word “Fenian”

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    Mute Trevor Beacom
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    Feb 21st 2019, 10:11 AM

    Rte have a lot to answer for the showing of “British” games when the english teams were banned from Europe. I know quite a few lads who are rangers fans from that influence. All rangers games were shown live as a substitute for the uk games.

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    Mute Ciaran Rice
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:12 PM

    @Trevor Beacom: any Irish person supporting The Rangers clearly has some sort of mental health problem.

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    Mute David Garland
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:20 PM

    @Ciaran Rice: You get an awful lot of Irish people who will support them out of spite because they can’t get their head around Irish people supporting Celtic, that’s how idiotic some football fans are in this Country.. The same people think nothing of supporting Clubs like Chelsea who we all know love Rangers and the UVF

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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:23 PM

    @Ciaran Rice: Knew a guy at work who used to wear sevco shirt and England one during internationals. Was done purely for attention and the wind-up. Would not go out in public dressed like that, though.

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    Mute Nick Condon Sen
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:32 PM

    @Ciaran Rice: Yea I know a few Irish Rangers supporters and they ain’t mental.
    Ive been a long time Celtic supporter neigh on 55 years and ive witnessed plenty sectarian stuff in the Old “Jungle” which is probably well before your time.
    That said Rangers have an ultra toxic lot that are very vocal.

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    Mute ColmD
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    Feb 21st 2019, 10:00 AM

    Is Steve Clarke not a Rangers fan.. Can’t understand why they called him that

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    Mute Ciaran Rice
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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:11 PM

    @ColmD: Clarke and his entire family are Celtic fans.

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    Feb 21st 2019, 12:56 PM

    @Ciaran Rice: I didn’t know that.. Like him even more now..

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    Mute Nick Condon Sen
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:20 PM

    @Ciaran Rice: Yes he was touted as a Celtic Manager at one point.

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    Mute Ciaran Rice
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:26 PM

    @Nick Condon Sen: he’ll be the next Celtic manager when Brendan leaves I’d say.

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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:33 PM

    @Ciaran Rice:

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    Mute Tricksy
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    Feb 21st 2019, 3:36 PM

    The newest club in Scotland , reminds us all of a previous old one , same sectarian dribble , coming from bitter begrudgers .

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    Feb 21st 2019, 4:09 PM

    Huns

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    Mute Michael Anthony
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    Feb 21st 2019, 3:11 PM

    I wonder do Rangers fans watch Braveheart and think” thank god we got William Wallace. Long life longshanks”

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    Mute Michael McGrath
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    Feb 21st 2019, 1:59 PM

    Seriously Rangers fans have to be the most confused idiotic bunch.. they havnt the slightest clue of their own national identity or heritage

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