Sharlene Mawdsley took the world by storm in 2024.
She’s one of Ireland’s leading athletes having earned a European gold in Rome as part of Team Ireland’s 4×400 mixed relay team and a silver at the women’s 4×400. It was heartbreak at the Olympics however, when the team came fourth. But now having time to reflect she’s very proud of everything she’s achieved.
She has her sights set on LA 2028 and the medal possibilities there.
VIP Magazine sat down with Sharlene to chat running, bows and most importantly brunch!
Hey Sharlene, how are you? We’re here with SPAR tell us a bit about working with them.
I’m really good! Thank you. I’m working with SPAR who are giving away an experience to an athletic fan and a plus one to win a 4-day trip to the Athletic Championships in Apeldoorn, where I’ll be competing and that is so exciting. The competition is a Get Moving campaign, so going for a run, logging it into an app and sharing it on Instagram Stories and tagging SPAR. It’s really exciting and it’s great to know that there’s going to be extra Irish support at Apeldoorn.
That is so exciting. What does it mean for you to represent Ireland?
It’s going to be really exciting. I’ve done it quite a lot over the last few years. But I still never take it for granted and everytime I put on the Irish vest it is a privilege.
We have to talk about the Olympics. You missed out on a medal, which was definitely heartbreaking. But you also produced your fastest-ever relay split! So looking back are you proud of it?
It is obviously great. To know I was in the best stage of my life at the Olympics is exactly what you want. I am obviously grateful to produce that animal at the Games. But there is still that side that is bittersweet because we came fourth place. Obviously it was very special, I look back at it with very great memories, obviously some disappointment as well. But that’s sports. Someone has to come fourth. And unfortunately, it was us this time around. But you never know what LA holds
We’re already cheering you on! You’ve definitely become role models for young girls. Seeing them wearing the bows in their hair as they watch you is just too cute. What does that mean to you?
I think it’s lovely to see, to show that we had some bit of an impact while we were away at the Olympics this summer. Its really great to see like seeing people buying into it. Obviously the girls want to wear bows cause they think they’re pretty and we wear bows cause we think they’re pretty. I think it’s really nice to have that girlie aspect of the sport. That shows our personality as well. Look good, feel good, run fast! So it’s been so lovely to see that. Even having little girls write me letters and stuff like that is really special.
That’s incredible. We’ve seen, of course, that teenage girls are falling out of love with sport. What advice would you give someone to stay active?
Find something you like. I just like to run fast. It’s really simple for me! But there are so many people who don’t know what they like. It doesn’t have to be support, you could be good at art, or you could focus on music. I was just absolutely rubbish at those things so it wasn’t something I enjoyed doing. It’s just finding something you love and sticking to it. It doesn’t always have to be sport or going out for a run. It’s just about finding something you enjoy. If I wasn’t into running I would be out walking with my friends, just to catch up on life and find out all the news. It’s something simple that I really enjoy.
What advice would you give to women who are getting back into their fitness journey who have that gymxiety?
I feel like we only have one life. Just do what you want to do and don’t care what anyone else thinks! I know it’s probably easier said than done, but at the end of the day that’s the reality of it. I would be super nervous walking into the new gym, and I go to the gym two to three times a week! When I go into a new gym I get really overwhelmed. So when I go in I sit on bikes for 10 minutes and suss out the area! It’s just not really caring what other thinks and just care what you’re doing. And find what you love!
It’s hard not to compare yourself to others in workout classes…
I know! But people are on different levels you just need to stay in your own lane!
There are so many incredible Irish athletes at the minute. This certainly wasn’t the case a decade ago. Especially not for women! So what does it mean for you that there is a role model for everyone now?
I completely agree. I always struggle when people ask me the question of who did I look up to when I was younger. I just did sports because I loved it. I didn’t really know anything else that was going on. Now we have the likes of Kellie Harington, Katie Taylor, Rhasidat Adeleke, Ciara Mageean. There are so many great women in Irish sports now. It’s great for girls to look at that and I think sport is a bit more glamorised now. I think it’s great that people can show their personality through sport right now. It allows people to know that you are not just sport. I am not just Sharlene the Runner, I do have other interests. I have a life outside of the sport as well!
Wait you don’t eat, sleep and breathe running?
[Laughs] No it’s about 20 per cent of my time!
When you’re not training what do you do?
I love to spend time with my friends and family. I love going for brunch. Honestly, it’s my favourite thing to do, I probably go for brunch every single day. I can’t be on the go all the time. I do love shopping as well, at the minute I’m training in Dublin two times a week, so I’m always going over to Blanch! It’s very simplistic my life. But it’s just doing what I love.
Well, that sounds like our perfect day!
That’s the luxury with my sport, when I’m not in London or at training camp, when I’m in Ireland, I can pick the time that I train at. I can work around my schedule, so if that means going for lunch with a friend who’s free from one to two, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll train in the morning, and meet my friend in the afternoon. A lot of my time is spent recovering as well. So it’s getting into a pair of recovery boots and lying on the couch. It’s important not to be too strenuous with everyday activities. It’s a very boring lifestyle, I can tell you that much.
Physical recovery is so important but you’ve also spoken about taking care of your mental health as well.
I’ve spoken really openly about how important it is to work with a sports psychologist. That has brought me on so much. Just speaking to someone, it doesn’t matter who it is. I’ll speak to them about a small issue that I think is the end of the world but really becomes so small when you talk about it out loud. Having prioritised that over the last two years has really brought me on so much as an athlete but also a person. Now I’m able to get on with things. It’s so, so important. The mental aspect of sports for me is so huge. I think that’s in everyday life and I think everyone can resonate with that.
Before we let you get back to training, Sharlene, what’s next for you?
It’s just this time of the year is all about racing. I have the Europeans in March and then training camps in April. Then I’ll be heading to the world relay in China. Everything is just based around running, but it’s a nice complaint. Once I come back from China, I’ll really excited to start working on my solo campaign, it’ll all be focusing on the World Championships in Tokyo. It’s all go, literally. I’m living out of a suitcase!
SPAR, Ireland’s leading convenience retailer, has partnered with Irish Olympian, European Mixed Relay Champion and European 4x400m Silver medallist Sharlene Mawdsley to promote their ongoing commitment to Irish athletics ahead of the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn. To celebrate its ongoing support of Irish athletics, SPAR and Sharlene are challenging Irish fans to “get moving” by going for a run while cheering on our sporting heroes for a chance to win a VIP trip to Apeldoorn to cheer on team Ireland. To enter simply go for a run or jog of any distance, take a screenshot of your run on your running app of choice and post it to Instagram using #TeamSPAR.