Age is but a number for runner Ryan
By Thomas Conway
For Coolbawn native Ashley Ryan, the run-in to this year’s European Masters Athletics Championships in Poland could not have been more imperfect.
And yet Ryan, who lives in Longford and competes with Longford AC, somehow managed to emerge with a bronze medal dangling around her neck. Significantly hindered by a niggling hamstring injury, the cross-country specialist openly admits that “she did very little training to support her performance” and was “kind of going out on a wing and a prayer”. Psychologically, however, the difficult training situation might actually have benefitted her.
“I wasn’t that well prepared, but then because of that, it removed any extra pressure,” she said.
“I shifted my perspective on the race. I was grateful just to be on the start line, and therefore I wasn’t as preoccupied with the outcome.”
That outcome was evidently a good one. Ryan delivered a gutsy, tactical display to secure third place in the women’s over-35s category. The podium finish came just a few months after the Tipperary-born athlete made her debut in an Irish singlet, representing the country at the prestigious British and Irish Masters International in Leeds.
The fact that Ryan is now excelling at international level is in itself somewhat remarkable, given that she only really started to run competitively in her mid-twenties, whilst living in the UK. It was there that she “found her love for athletics,” a love that was subsequently nurtured by the late coach Jerry Kiernan. Now under the guidance of Enda Fitzpatrick, Ryan has evolved into an elite calibre distance runner.
A travel agent and business mentor with an impressive Instagram presence, Ryan is personable and very much authentic. She is running well, but she believes she can get even faster and says that what she really needs is “a consistent block of training behind her”, focusing in particular on speed work.
She is in the process of putting a plan together, along with her coach, for the latter half of 2026 - when the cross-country season ramps up again. She does, however, have a few other events in mind, including the Griffith Avenue Mile Race in early autumn, and possibly the 1500 metres at the national championships.
The overriding objective is of course to keep donning the green vest and competing internationally for Ireland. The British and Irish Masters is being hosted by Ireland this year, and Ryan is intent on once again making the team.
For all her achievements and hard work, Ryan’s life doesn’t just revolve around running. She has a young family, and the entire crew will head to Spain over the summer for a well-earned break.
She has spoken before about her unconventional training methods, about how she prioritises quality over quantity and engages in activities like cycling and aqua jogging. Clearly, all of it is serving her well. She is also “very conscious of promoting active participation and an outdoors lifestyle”, particularly in relation to young girls. Part of the reason she runs is to inspire them.
“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” she emphasises.