"People seem to think you shouldn't be able to run after you're 40. I think I'm proving them wrong. I'm proud of that.”
It's safe to say that Sinead Diver came to athletics late.
Born and raised in Ireland, Diver moved to Melbourne in 2002 and was 32 before she started running as a hobby to “get fit and lose some pregnancy weight” after the birth of her first child.
Approaching 40 she "got serious" about running and her phenomenal natural talent saw things escalate quickly.
She clocked 2:34:15 for the marathon in 2014, and was all set to represent Ireland at the following year’s World Championships in Beijing, but Athletics Ireland moved the goalposts, changing the time required to 2:33:30.
Therefore, as a dual citizen, Diver knew the only way to run in Beijing would be in an Australian vest, a decision that proved virtually irreversible given the IAAF now mandates a three-year wait before transferring allegiance.
Diver has now competed at two World Championships for her adopted homeland - finishing 21st in Beijing in 2015 and 20th in London in 2017.
Fast forward to the 2019 London Marathon.
Going into the race, Diver had no intention to be near the front, but that was exactly where she found herself after the opening miles with the leading contenders unwilling to push the pace.
And so she forged ahead, building a lead of more than 200 metres at one point over the Kenyans and Ethiopians, passing halfway over the iconic Tower Bridge in 1:11:22.
“I wasn’t expecting to be leading, obviously, and was a little bit freaked out, and didn’t want to look behind,” said Diver.
With strong headwinds over the second half, Diver fought hard to hold pace and reached the finish on The Mall in 2:24:11, cutting 67 seconds off her previous best. It made her the third fastest Australian in history behind Benita Willis and Lisa Ondieki, and more importantly it qualified her for the Tokyo Olympics next year.
"It was a really, really strong field. I expected the Africans to go to the front and I expected to be two groups behind. But everyone started slowly. It was very windy and nobody wanted to go to the front.
"I was determined to get a good time so I needed to race from the start and not just race from the halfway, which the Africans like to do. They like to get to halfway and then put in a strong second half, but for me it's better to go from the start, so I did."
Diver’s two boys, Eddie who is nine and Darragh, five were among the massive Irish support roaring her on in the English Capital.
"I've never experienced anything like that in another marathon. There was only one section of the course that was quiet and that was only for maybe a couple of kilometres. For the rest of it there were people shouting and a lot of them knew my name and were cheering for me! It was great.”
What’s next for the late blooming Diver? Her target is not just improving her personal best (again), but possibly the Australian record of 2:22:36, set by Willis in 2006, and also the Irish record of 2:22:23, set by Catherina McKiernan in 1998. She’ll only be eligible for the former, but that doesn’t make them both any less tantalising.
