Aileen Reid has admitted that her decision to retire ‘wasn’t easy’ after making the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old, who has 75 caps for Ireland including two Olympics and a Commonwealth Games, posted an emotional message to her 8,000 followers explaining that ‘the light is fading at the end of the tunnel’.

Now living in Australia, the former City of Derry Spartan said she would have loved to continue on for another Commonwealths appearance – with the event being held on the Gold Coast in April next year - but she felt retirement was an inevitable choice for her to make after suffering from constant injury setbacks this year.

“It wasn’t an easy decision but I knew it was coming because it’s been a few months’ worth of injury and rehab and going to see physios and it has gotten to that stage where I knew that I had to wave the white flag,” explained Reid.

“I would have loved to have continued for the Commonwealth Games. Competing in Glasgow was so much fun and I felt so proud representing Northern Ireland and to have so many of my family and friends there was awesome.

“Living here now on the Gold Coast and the Games being here - it’s my new home and it would have been amazing to compete here and try and replicate the success that I had in Glasgow coming sixth. I thought that was pretty good and I was in great shape at the time. It would have been fantastic to give it another go but unfortunately it’s not meant to be,” she added.

Reflecting on where it all began for her, the North West triathlete said that it was down to her father’s influence that she got into swimming initially in William Street Baths before becoming involved in cross-country during her time in school.

“I can blame my dad for wanting us all to be able to swim. Myself and my brother and sister all swam with City of Derry three mornings and two afternoons a week and, unlucky for my dad, we were all pretty good at it so he had to get up early in the morning and take us. It all sort of spiralled out of control from there,” Reid laughed.

“My sister, Ruth, was a national level swimmer and then I decided I liked cross-country at school as well. Thornhill was a great place to go and be sporty and I definitely preferred the sport aspect to the school side of things. It turned out OK for me in the end. I went to many schools’ events – districts, Ulsters and All-Irelands – in swimming and cross-country.”

She continued: “I went to university and had a job and a real life experience of working then I sort of came back to triathlon and doing it around Ireland on the domestic scene was great craic. We used to travel to the races with the North-West Triathlon club and stop for ice-cream on the way home and it was all good fun until I realised that I was winning some of these events and maybe I should look into it a bit further. Triathlon Ireland had a talent ID day and I was invited along because I had won the National Championships. They were setting up a talent squad to go to some international races and that’s where it all started really.”

Training for an event that involves a 1500m swim, a 40km bike ride and finishes with a 10km run is no easy feat, but Reid insisted that the intense day by day was far from a chore, but rather an enjoyable reminder of how lucky she was to partake in something that she loved.

“Probably from the outside looking in people talk about the dedication and sacrifices and everything else but when you start becoming an elite athlete you realise that this is what you live for – it’s a full-time job. I completely loved every day that I did,” the 35-year-old said.

“It was never a sacrifice being away from home and travelling. It was an amazing thing to get to do and I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to do it. People talk about sacrifices, but it’s an investment in your future. I missed a lot of family events and weddings and I’m very sorry to all my family but they supported me and it was great to have their support. I loved every minute.”

That extensive time away from family and friends missing birthdays and anniversaries is a sacrifice that comes with the territory for athletes at the highest level, but for Reid it was one worth making.

“110% it was worth it. I’ll be able to look back on ten years of competing as a world class athlete and the many different places that I got to travel to and the people that I met, and friends I now have that I can thank triathlon for,” said the North West triathlete.

“Hopefully its going to be a big part of my life in the future too because I hope to pass on some of the things that I have learned and my experiences to some junior athletes and mentor them. Hopefully I’ll be a good coach myself or maybe get back into teaching again because I did train as a teacher. I would love to bring it with me into my future life.”

While those appearances at the Olympics and Commonwealths may be the most prestigious events in an illustrious career, the local woman admits that it was a national event seven years ago that she holds most dear.

“There’s definitely things that I’ll remember fondly. Racing in Athlone for the European Championships in 2010. It was probably one of my breakthrough races and because it was in Ireland my mum and dad were there and lots of my family and friends, and the support that was out in the street was absolutely amazing,” recalled Reid.

“There were crowds like I’ve never seen at some international races and to come away with fifth was so fantastic and I have really fond memories of that. It wasn’t long after that I went to Hamburg and got my first podium in the World Series when I came third – that was the start of when I knew I could be good.”

Reid says that while it is a ‘scary thing leaving something behind’ she has ‘been through the stages of grieving’, and now she is slowly turning her attention to what comes next – and it is, of course, not far from the world of triathlons.

“I don’t have anything laid in concrete just yet. I had a real job in the real world before triathlon came along as a development coach for athletics and I really enjoyed working with the kids and getting them involved in sport,” said the qualified PE teacher.

“I also did a decent amount of swim teaching with City of Derry and I’d like to continue on that path. It’s something that I enjoy doing and I wouldn’t really feel like it was work because if you enjoy what you do it’s not really work.

“I just want to thank everyone in Derry for all the support over the last number of years. Everyone that has been there at some stage has always been amazing – even the small messages and the kind wishes that I’ve had, it’s all been fantastic.”

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