This week, you’ll hear from Shaun Creighton, a two-time Olympic distance runner who competed at the Atlanta Games and Sydney 2000. He still holds the 3000 metre national steeplechase record set in 1993.
In 2019, Shaun showed US sports parents how it’s done, breaking the over-50s national marathon record in a time of 2:29:23 — a record which had stood for 32 years. A legend of athletics, whose late start in the sport and steady progress, ultimately proved to be a winning combination.
It’s a conversation that sparked plenty of a-ha moments for us — and will spark some for you, too. From the importance of having great mentors and coaches in those early years, who bring together passion, structure and skill mastery to give kids a great sporting experience …
… to parents who are role models, race plans, and getting into the head of your competitors — and a message from his coach, Pat Clohessy, who instilled in Shaun that a running career isn’t measured by a single performance. He gives us a real-life example that’ll get you thinking.
Shaun recalls his favourite race EVER, and perhaps a little known fact: his first major sporting goal was to play rugby league.
FINAL NOTE: We had a sporting parents moment in recording this interview. A last-minute change to soccer training meant it clashed with our scheduled interview time with Shaun. So, we recorded it in the car!
EPISODE PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, 10 FEBRUARY