My Weekend: 'People think I'd be hopping out of bed in the morning...the opposite is true'

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work:

My name is Rob Heffernan. I was born into the flats in Togher, a plasterer’s son and then we moved to Turner’s Cross when I was about 8. I now have somehow found myself living in Blackrock with my wife Marian and our girls Tara and Regan.

My son Cathal is living in England as he plays with Harrowgate and my daughter Megan is after finishing college and is unbelievable at sport too.

In the day I work as a Youth Advisor with Bank of Ireland and most evenings and weekends I am coaching athletes with my own club, Cork City AC, which we founded in the heart of Cork about three years ago. Sport is never far away from us.

Cathal is obviously pursuing soccer as a career, my Mar continues to coach athletes and my girls play for Ringmahon and their school as well as competing in athletics, so its all go but in a brilliant way.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

Friday night I like to unwind at home with a small glass of wine usually, bit of food, chicken wings, something to kind of pick at, feet up watching some sport on the telly with Mar and the girls.

Or I might pop down to the Blackrock Hurling Club if the girls are training, have a bit of food and a bit of craic.

When Cathal is home though a bit of food and craic could end up in a sing song back at our house until 5 in the morning, but that would really only be on a very rare occasion.

Lie ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you?

People always think that I would be hopping out of bed every morning, fully motivated and rearing to go, but the complete opposite is true.

I have to drag myself out of the bed and find it hard to get motivated, but I love to go out and get my run done early, it sets me up for the day. I might be a World Champion but nowadays running and movement for me is just to keep the head good and ticking over. It so important to move everyday.

If I don’t, I’m all wrong in myself. I have a group of athletes and we meet everyday at 10am. We gather in Cortado down the Marina, it’s social, but it’s also work and it’s great for me because it keeps me active.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

I wouldn’t call it work as such, but with athletics you are often on the road at the weekends. You could be up in Tullamore, or Santry or anywhere really, supporting athletes at various competitions, or you could be in a mucky field supporting athletes at a cross country.

My Friday always has a little bit of work in it because that is when we record my podcast Red Raw that I do with comedian Laura O’Mahony. It doesn’t feel like work though.

It’s like a kind of therapy for us both to have an hour every week where we are totally focused and we end up having great chats. It keeps my mind going as much as the running.

If money was no object, where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

Well I would definitely bring Marian, but to be honest it might be over to watch Cathal play, but I’d put us up in a big posh hotel and make sure we had lots of nice food.

Cathal often takes us out for nice steak when we go over to visit him so we’d definitely do that as well. There is no greater feeling than watching your kids enjoying sport so I could lie and say Paris, but at the moment I think it would be Harrowgate.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

This is an easy one for me. There is nowhere in the world in my opinion as beautiful as the Marina in Cork. I love it. It’s so beautiful, and I love running down it. It’s the heart of Cork for me. So much so that I am organising the Cork City AC Rob Heffernan Mile there on September 5.

It’s going to be a great event for athletes of all abilities and a great family day out in the heart of Cork.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

I like to keep it small. I love bringing my girls Tara and Regan for a spin on their bikes, or down to a beach, or just for a drive. I feel like I have people around me all the time, so sometimes I need a break at the weekends. I like to pop to the Black Market with the girls as well.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I am lucky in that athletics is such a love for me that it is both a hobby and a job. I was just recently doing punditry on RTÉ for the European Athletics Championship, and it was such a joy to watch the action unfold and then comment on it.

We witnessed history with Mark English, Rhashidat Adeleke, Andrew Coscoran and Kate O’Connor, and it was amazing to witness it and offer the thoughts of Ireland on it.

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the latter, do you have a signature dish?

I like to be entertained. I love good food. I really appreciate people who can cook. I am a great guest. I will tell you loudly how much I am enjoying the food.

My signature dish, I would say is turkey because I was going to be in charge of it last Christmas, but I left it out too long defrosting, and the whole thing was ruined, so I will just stick to being the guest.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork - where are your go to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

Coffee for me, it’s always Cortado. I am in there the whole time.

I love the Marina Market as well and the Black Market. For a special occasion, I would probably pop into Tequila Jacks in town. More locally, I love the Pier Head or Blackrock Castle.

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

Sunday night we are usually in the car coming back from some athletics event. I might take the girls for a walk while Marian is preparing lunchboxes and things for the week ahead.

Weekends or weekdays, I am always on the go really, because I just love it all.

You could find me on top of my roof or in the garden at any time of the day or night. Life is for living, and I will be living it.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

It goes off at 8am and it’s out the gap on the school run by 8.20am.

Up and out. Home. Back out again, meet the athletes, work, craic, living.

Anything else you are up to right now...

We are very excited to be doing our third live show of our podcast Red Raw in deBarras, Clonakilty on September 25.

After selling out the Everyman and the Opera House, it was time for us to go West.

It’s going to be a great night of chat and craic and singing, and there are still a few tickets available.

We are going to pack the place out, and I am already booked to stay down in Clonakilty for the night, so wild craic will definitely be had.