Hannah Irwin: how they train

Treadmill running became a key tool for the distance running international on her way back from injury

It wasn’t the story she wanted to write, but Hannah Irwin’s opening line perfectly captured her mood in the aftermath of an injury-hit Commonwealth Games debut. “Sport can be brutal,” she wrote on Instagram. “But it is the love that keeps me coming back.” 

It had all been going so well for the 24-year-old Cambridge & Coleridge athlete. Having joined forces with Cardiff-based coach James Thie in the autumn of 2020, she went on to deliver a series of personal best performances, most notably an impressive 32:25.34 at Highgate Harriers’ Night of the 10,000m PBs in 2022.

Her first Great Britain and Northern Ireland vest followed at the European 10,000m Cup in France, then in June she was selected to represent Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 

In a cruel twist – and on an otherwise incredible night at the Alexander Stadium – Irwin was forced to withdraw from the 10,000m mid-race due to pain in her foot. She was later diagnosed with a metatarsal fracture.

For an athlete who loves structure, the early stages of recovery and rehabilitation were particularly testing. “It really frustrated me to think about what I’d done,” she says. “I just felt like I’d wasted that opportunity and let people down, and when I didn’t have a routine, I struggled to deal with those emotions. 

“Before we reintroduced running there wasn’t really any direction. They said eight weeks, but it became 10 weeks, then 12 weeks, then longer, and I think I struggled not knowing where the end point was.”

Irwin’s return to running took longer than expected. It wasn’t until the end of November, almost four months post-Games, that she eventually took her first tentative steps – a total of three minutes of running (3 x 1min of running, 9min of walking) – back to fitness.

“We spoke as much as we could, but it was really tough,” says Thie. “It was trying to catch up every couple of days, even if it was just a message to say: ‘How are you?’ or positive messages of reinforcement, and also not dwelling on things.

“So, when there was a mini aim like the European Cross Country, once you know that’s gone, it’s moving it on to the next goal. And actually, the goal shifted – and it was a really conscious decision – from getting back and thinking about…