Innes FitzGerald is no stranger to taking on challenges. From starting out in parkrun to taking on some of Britain’s finest junior talents, she has largely come out victorious.
Having excelled on both the domestic and international stage, her already illustrious CV includes two European individual junior cross-country golds, multiple English Schools titles and wins at the Mini London Marathon. Whatever the surface, FitzGerald has taken to it like a duck to water.
Now, she arguably faces her biggest test. FitzGerald, at the European Indoor Championships (March 6-9), makes her senior debut for Great Britain and will go up against some of the continent’s best runners over 3000m.
A prodigious junior talent, the 18-year-old will now get to see how she gets on at senior level. FitzGerald’s mindset is focused on using the opportunity as invaluable experience, something which she can learn from in the long-term.
Innes FitzGerald (Getty)
Who would doubt her? The Brit goes into the European Indoors off the back of a senior bronze medal in the 3000m at the recent UK Athletics Indoor Championships. In an enthralling race, FitzGerald finished behind Hannah Nuttall and Laura Muir at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
“I knew when I crossed the line that Laura hadn’t got the [qualification] time,” she said. “It hit me. I was like, oh well, there’s the potential I could make the team but I was obviously aiming to come in that top two at the trials.
“However, I didn’t want to get my hopes up and then be disappointed. So I was just like, let’s just go along with it, and see if I get the call. It was on my way home just that evening that I heard I’d been selected.
“Going into the winter, I never really thought I’d have this opportunity [of representing Great Britain at the European Indoors]. So I’m just really grateful to have been selected and just to get to a senior champs. It’s really exciting. I think there’s not too much pressure on me because of my age.
“So I just want to go out there, enjoy it and hopefully get into that final. That’s where I believe I belong. And, yeah, do as best I can, and hopefully compete for one of those medals. But it’s just getting close, that’s the main thing.”
Innes FitzGerald (Getty)
Earlier last month, the teenager shattered the European under-20 indoor 3000m record, taking down Sofia Thøgersen’s mark of 8:50.26 with a mesmeric time of 8:40.05 in Ostrava.
FitzGerald also sliced 16 seconds off Zola Budd’s British indoor under-20 record of 8:56.13, set by the barefoot runner in Cosford 40 years ago. It’s safe to say, preparation for Apeldoorn has gone extremely well.
“I think I surprised myself a bit off in that race,” FitzGerald said. “I knew I was in good shape going into it and training had been going well, but you’re never quite sure how sessions on the outdoor track will translate indoors.
“So yeah, I had a lot of confidence that I could run around 8:45 or something. That was kind of the aim of going into Ostrava. To come up with 8:40 I was pretty happy. It didn’t quite hit me until afterwards in how quick that time really was.”
Innes FitzGerald (Mark Shearman)
FitzGerald first made her mark in the summer of 2022 when, as a relative novice, she smashed the UK under-17 women’s 3000m record with 8:59.67 to win the SIAB Schools International.
She also finished a fine fourth over 3000m, behind three Africans, at last summer’s World Under-20 Championships in Lima.
Coached by Gavin Pavey, FitzGerald has developed well and shone in the junior ranks. She, however, is the first to be aware of the jump from to the senior level.
Innes FitzGerald (Andy Cox)
“There’s lots more years of my career left,” FitzGerald added. “I don’t want to jump into anything too soon because I’ll have nowhere to progress to. So it’s just about building up that mileage and intensity gradually, so that in the coming years, I’ve got somewhere to go.
“I want to improve at a rate that means, along with my like body development, I don’t create injury risks and get to the next level in a sustainable way.
“I also think it’s really inspirational to have such a good group of young middle distance and distance girls coming through, especially with [Phoebe Gill] at the Olympics last year.
“That definitely contributes to the kind of success within the junior ranks as well. The progression from junior to senior level is really important and if you don’t get it right then you won’t have a career in the future. So I think maintaining the training load relative to your age and where you’re at is really important.”
U20 podium (l to r) Louise Damen, Eliza Nicholson, Innes FitzGerald, Jess Bailey, Liz Yelling (James Rhodes)
Based at the University of Exeter, FitzGerald is currently balancing up studies in sport and exercise science – she did A-levels in biology, physics and maths – with her running.
FitzGerald adds that she’s still determined to use her platform to raise awareness of climate change. Three years ago, the then 16-year-old made headlines across the UK after she decided not to fly to the 2022 European Cross Country Championships.
The Brit instead took a coach to Lille, before catching a train to Turin via Paris. FitzGerald a year later, told AW that other athletes should try and make eco-friendly choices, after winning the BBC Green Sport Award.
Even though she didn’t manage to take the train to the Netherlands for this year’s European Indoors, citing logistical reasons, FitzGerald strongly believes athletes have a responsibility on the environmental issue.
Innes Fitzgerald and Maria Forero (Mark Shearman)
“Yeah, I think it’s always challenging”, she said. “Whenever I’m getting on the flight, it’s never easy. I’m always thinking, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t be doing this’ but I know that I’ve got to go to these championships to fill my like dreams as a professional athlete, so it’s just about balancing that and trying to do as much as I can in other areas of my life to try and make up for it, as well as speaking out and raise awareness about it.
“Even though I might be doing the wrong thing, just still saying that it’s wrong is better than just doing it and not saying it’s wrong. I always seem to feel like I have a responsibility to look after the people who are in the Global South for example, or directly affected by extreme weather events and stuff like that.
“I feel like it’s my responsibility in a more privileged position, to kind of help them and raise awareness for the situations they’re in as a result of our actions.”
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