John O'Regan's Blog

Donadea 50K, First Race of the year.

2012-01-29T20:29:00.001Z

Donadea 50K / Irish Championships 2012.

With less than 3 weeks to go I'm undecided about whether to Taper or just keep going as I am and maybe substitute one or two of my steady runs with some tried and tested speed work. It gets harder as you get closer to race day as you know you should do less but feel like you should do more.

I don't expect to be at the business end of this race as I don't have the leg speed for these shorter Ultras but that's not to say I won't be trying and the least I'm expecting is a decent improvement on my finish time from last year. Training has gone quite well but for one reason or another my distance is slightly down on last year but I have still managed a few decent long runs so there's no excuses.

How bad do you want it?

2012-01-24T21:15:00.000Z

2012. Here we go..

2012-01-21T21:36:00.001Z

First race of the year will be the Donadea 50K on Saturday 18th Feb which I'll use as a fast paced training run and a benchmark session on the way to some yet to be confirmed races. I've turned down a request to pace the London Marathon and have also ruled out some club and county races as I want to concentrate a bit more on building a stronger base on which I can improve on my race results from last year.

The year in review 2011

2012-01-08T20:25:00.003Z

Yet another busy year with my training distance slightly up on 2010 but because I also had less rest days my average run distance is down. When compared with last year's figures I estimate that I should have covered at least 600K (372 Miles) more and it seems that the shorter races were at the expense of more important longer runs as they usually fall on the same day. For 2012 I'll be a bit more selective and not race as often unless of course it fits in with my plan or I can afford the time.

Anglo Celtic Plate 2011

The year started with an early call from Ultra Running Ireland asking if I'd run on the Irish Team for the 100K Anglo Celtic Plate to be held in Scotland in March. A great start and I followed this with another 2 appearances on the Irish Team with the Trail World Championships on home soil in Connemara and the 100K World & European Championships (&Masters) in Winschoten, Holland.

Trail World Championships 2011

100K World & European Championships.

The 24-hr World & European Championships to be held in Brugg Switzerland was cancelled and attempts to find an alternative venue were unsuccessful and the race was officially cancelled in March. This was to be my goal race for 2011 and although disappointed I was consoled with the other opportunities to run on the Team.

Rather than waste my event specific endurance training I then decided to to take part in the Energia Belfast 24-hr Race which was also the Irish Championships but because it was only 2 weeks after the Trail World Championships I wasn't fully committed and my training became trail specific. An early fall in the Trail World Championships slowed my pace significantly and I finished the Race knowing I wouldn't need much recovery for the 24-hr Race and I was right as I went on to win the 24-hr Race and the Irish Title.

Energia Belfast 24-hr Race & Irish Championship

2011 also saw the release of the 'Running Man', a documentary by Caroline Brennan and Giant Leap Production which followed my preparation and build up to the 24-hr World & European Championships in 2010. And in September there was a big screen Premier of 'Defining Moment', a feature length documentary following my participation in the Spartathlon and telling the story of how I came to be there.

On Location in the French Alps.

Stats:

Total Distance = 5500K (3250 Miles)

Rest Days = 69

Running Related injuries= 0

International Appearances = 3

Personal Bests = 5
Races = 15 which included:

1. Donadea 50K

2. Anglo Celtic Plate 100K

3. Trail World Championships 81K

4. Energia Belfast 24-hr Race & Irish Championships

5. 100K World & European (& Masters) Championships.

6. National Novices Cross Country, running on Kildare Team.

As well as the above I raced a few shorter distances on road and cross country representing Club & County.

Other Stuff:

Profiled in Irish Runner.
Profiled in Runner's World.
Contributed to Feature in Runner's World
Irish 24-hr Running Champion.
Running Man Documentary
Defining Moment, Feature Length Documentary
Raced or Ran in France / Switzerland / Holland / England / Scotland / Gran Canaria.
Outsider People of Year List 2011.

My thanks to:

My Family for their continued support.
The Great Outdoors.
Salomon Running.
Saucony.
Le Cheile Athletic Club.
Ultra Running Ireland and my Team Mates & Support Crews
Martin McCann & Lateral Vision Productions.
John Belton and Staff at No17 Personal Training.
Peter Matthews, Sports Massage Therapist.
Caroline Brennan, Giant Leap Productions.

Missed my Long Run

2012-01-02T22:16:00.000Z

Christmas finally took it's toll and I finished off last year and started this year with a forced rest day caused by flu like symptoms. I wasn't feeling too good on Friday and almost couldn't be arsed going for a run and when waking on Saturday morning my waking heart rate was almost 20 beats higher than usual so I knew something was a brewing. With a long train journey ahead of me I decided not to run my planned hilly 30K and consoled myself with the thoughts of a quiet 30K on New Years Day around North Kerry to start 2012.
I took it relatively easy on Saturday (NYE) and drank very little but on waking the following morning my heart rate was still elevated. Still tempted to go out for even a shorter run I knew it best to put the effort into recovering as it's at times like this that you are liable to 'overtraining'. Overtraining is caused by doing more than your body is capable of doing and it's easier to bounce back from a flu than it is to bounce back from overtraining.
Today Monday my heart rate was still slightly elevated but lower than the previous 2 days so I decided to go for an easy run and just to be on the safe side I ran it in my recovery zone and even at that it still felt like quite an effort.
When your heart rate is elevated at rest it takes less effort to get into your training zone and if you measure your run by pace you may be pushing your body more than it can handle by trying to stick with your usual pace. It's this increased intensity that can lead to overtraining.
Your heart rate can tell you a lot if you learn how to listen. With regular monitoring you will begin to notice a trend and it's variations in this trend that will tell you what you need to know.

Thinking about next year.

2011-12-28T21:41:00.000Z

Can it get any better? This time last year I was thinking to myself that it can't get much better than the year I'd just had and if 2011 wasn't better then it was a close second so maybe next year can be better and I'll do my best to make that happen.

I now have a list of possible races and one or other other projects that are yet to be confirmed and if they go ahead they may change some of my other plans. At the moment I'm training for the Donadea 50K on Feb 18th and following on from that I was planning on racing the Kildare Marathon in May but I've now ruled out Kildare as it's too close to the World Masters Athletics 100K Championships which I hope to run if fit enough and that's in Italy on April 22nd . Unfortunately the WMA 100K is also on the same weekend as the London Marathon so that rules out a weekend in London yet again.

The Energia Belfast 24-hr race will have a change of venue next year due to works at the Mary Peters Track and for 2012 will be held in Bangor on 6th/7th July. I'm hoping to run this race yet again but it may conflict with something else so it's yet to be confirmed.

I also plan on running as many shorter races as I can fit in with my preference being 5K & 10K and for starters I'm thinking about the Ballybunion 10K on April 7th.

Staying in the Zone

2011-12-26T22:01:00.001Z

If you train at a relatively high volume on a weekly basis your diet will have evolved to meet your exercise requirements and if you take a few days off from training without making dietary adjustments your weight will start to increase. This is no big deal if it's just a short break as 'water finds it's level' and when you get back into your usual routine it evens out again BUT at this time of year when it's acceptable to eat and drink to access you need to pay a bit more attention. Taking a few days off is ok and will probably do your muscles more good than harm but if on those 'off' days you increase your calorific intake by 2 or 3 times your norm it can slow down your return to a regular routine and it will have an impact on your training.

Keep a check on your weight and if there's a significant increase you should take your time getting back on track and rather than trying to start back where you left on you should take a step back and ease back into it. Train it off rather than starve it off and think of it as extra fuel for the long run :)

My plan for today was a 35K Long Run but I knew before starting that it wasn't going to happen! My night time weight before bed last night was up by 2Kg and this morning I had lost less than 1Kg of that gain so it wasn't all alcohol. I reduced todays run by 15K before starting out and that way I stayed in control of what I was doing rather than just suffering and finishing my return leg home with bad form.

Outsider People of the Year 2011

2011-12-18T21:44:00.001Z

I'm happy to announce that for the second year in a row I've made the Outsider People of the Year List. Totally unexpected but I'll take it and it's a great way to end a great year.

John O’Regan – Irish 24-hour track record holder

Many of you will be familiar with John O’Regan’s ultra-running feats and indeed he even features in last year’s list. But having set a new Irish 24-hour track record of 132 miles back in July, we just couldn’t leave him out.

John’s other achievements include completing the Spartathalon (246km), finishing an ultra-marathon or marathon on each of the seven continents and the North Pole, including the most northern (North Pole), most southern (Antarctica), highest (Everest) and lowest (Dead Sea) races in the world. He finished first in the 100 Mile Yukon Arctic Ultra, first in the Inca Trail Marathon and second in the Antarctic Ice Marathon. Not bad for someone who only started running in 2002.

John states, “I think my strength is mental. I’m able to switch off and stay in the moment. I don’t think of the finish line; I break it down into smaller manageable pieces.

“I try to fit the training into my life rather than my life into the training. I often commute from Leixlip by running. I run during lunch. At weekends, I go out early in the morning and when my training requires longer runs, I start earlier.

“I accidentally found what my game was. Maybe that’s because I was always looking; I was always trying different things. My watershed moment was when I read an article about the Marathons des Sables. I started running in April 2002, ran the Dublin Marathon just to see if I had it in me and then did the 150-mile Sahara Race in April 2003.”

John, who is sponsored by Great Outdoors, also competed at the 100km World Championships in September.

Note: The Track Record mentioned is for the Mary Peters Track and not the Official Irish Track Record which is held by Eoin Keith.

Still Here.

2011-12-12T20:53:00.001Z

Since my last post I've been easing back into a regular routine and slowly increasing my training volume having got the good news that my iron levels have returned to normal and yesterday I took part in the National Novice Cross Country running on the Kildare Team which will probably be my last race of the year and the end of my recovery period.

Curragh Camp, Kildare.

There's nothing like a cross country race to get the legs moving and this race was the fastest cross country I've ever ran. I knew I'd be out of my depth with this one but it's great to get the opportunity to compete at this level and sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone for a reality check.
The race course was a relatively flat 4* 1.5K lap with lots of twists and turns and apart from a few very muddy sections the underfoot conditions were quite good. I finished towards the back end of the field which I kind of expected but I needed this race and for me it's a good end to the year.

My strength work has been neglected over the past few weeks due to cross country racing commitments for my club but I start back with that tomorrow as part of my preparation for next year.

Mark Pollock. Run for Mark in the Dark

2011-10-18T20:58:00.000+01:00

Training Run with Mark Pollock at Dingboche in Everest Region in preparation for Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon 2007.

For over a decade Mark Pollock was known as an inspiration, an adventure athlete competing in the world’s harshest environments despite being completely blind.   As part of regaining his identity after losing his sight he chose to take on spectacular challenges. He has survived the sub-zero temperatures of Antarctica as he raced to the South Pole over 43 days. He suffered the scorching heat of the Gobi Desert, completing six marathons in one week in “The Race of No Return”. He has competed in races on the frozen Arctic Ocean at the North Pole, through the desert lowlands of the Syrian African Rift Valley to the Dead Sea and at altitude at Everest base camp. He also has two Commonwealth Games medals for rowing under his belt.  In mid-2010, Mark’s business was thriving with a full calendar of motivational speaking events ahead. He was in the process of writing his second book and he was due to be married. 

On the night of the 2^nd of July 2010 everything changed. He fell from a second story window fracturing his skull, some ribs and breaking his back in a number of places. Mark was taken to intensive care where injuries such as bleeds on his brain and a suspected torn aorta one by one healed becoming less and less significant beside the fact that Mark could not feel or move anything below his belly button. An MRI confirmed damage to his spinal cord where two of his vertebrae had burst in the fall. Mark was transferred to the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville in England, where spinal surgeons stabilized the bones in his spine with metal rods.

Mark spent 7 months suffering an onslaught of kidney and heart infections, which brought weeks of temperatures and pain and a 3 stone weight loss. Mark’s bones eventually healed but medicine can do nothing to repair a damaged spinal cord and Mark was discharged to The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Ireland in February 2011.

The Run for Mark night time event is being held simultaneously

in Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Galway at 7:30pm on 16th November. We want as many people to engage in this worthwhile event to help raise funds to assist with the capital and ongoing costs associated with Mark Pollock's spinal injury. Every run also has a walking option which is half the distance of the full 8-10k run (distances slightly vary by location). To find out more about the event nearest you and register online, please click on Dublin, Belfast, Cork or Galway to see the route map and location venue. - If these details have not been populated it is due to the exact route not being confirmed with the council. However you can still register!

Register Now for the Run for Mark in the Dark at Your Preferred Event Location of Dublin, Belfast, Galway or Cork and find out all the details for your race by clicking here.

Download a poster by clicking here.

For further information, please contact info@markpollocktrust.org.

Back to basics.

2011-10-13T21:52:00.000+01:00

No 17 Personal Training.

With my season more or less over I've gone back to basics and on the advice of John Belton at No17 Personal Training have started on a Strength & Conditioning programme to improve Core Stability and Leg Strength while maintaining Fitness & Endurance. John travelled to Holland with the Irish Team for the recent IAU 100K World & European Championships and based on his observations has come up with a plan to work on my weaknesses and make me stronger.

My weekly routine now includes 2-3 sessions with John which includes some Olympic Weight Lifting moves and Mobility Exercises.

Running Volume has reduced with less running distance but I'll continue to include some high intensity workouts and short races of up to 10K and Cross Country when available. I'm already thinking ahead to next year and the intention is to recover from what I've done this year while building a strong base from which to start next year.
I'll post a more detailed explanation of my strength routine shortly.

Kildare Masters Cross Country Championships.

Post Race Analysis / 100K World & European Championships 2011

2011-10-05T21:59:00.001+01:00

Team Ireland. IAU 100K World & European Championships

Feeling quite confident going into this race I was sure of a good result and expected to finish between 7hr30min and 7hr45min based on previous training results. Without doubt I had the endurance and reckon I had just enough time to work on my leg turnover after my most recent race in Belfast. The later than usual start time of 10 am for a race of this length meant running in the hottest part of the day and for most of the day and thats where it went wrong for me. I knew from before halfway that I was showing signs of dehydration which slowed my pace with an elevated Heart Rate and increased my stopping time to try rehydrate and deal with stomach cramps.
The stomach cramps were quite severe at times and gave me the urge to pass water even though nothing would come out. My guess is the cramps were caused by gels that weren't dilute enough for digestion. To correct this problem I cut back on my carbohydrate intake by switching to an electrolyte only drink until I felt able to or needed to take carbs again. The problem did start to correct itself and I can remember having a wobble at around 79K which helped make the decision to go back on carbs. I managed to avoid the wall and started to come around again and got back where I wanted to be and had a much stronger finish than my earlier problems would have suggested.

I can't use the race day conditions as an excuse for my performance as the finishing times show that with the right preparation and race day plan it was a race that I should have done better in. In the days after the race I was moving quite freely and know that I didn't run to my potential so it's now back to basics and my plan is to learn from this and other races and over the next few months I'll correct what I think went wrong. For starters, I went to Holland while waiting results of a recent blood test which have since shown that I'm borderline anaemic and regardless of whether this contributed to my performance or not it's something I need to get sorted.

IAU & WMA 100K World & European Championships.

2011-09-12T21:26:00.001+01:00

I didn't get what I went for but I'm happy with what I got. I'm not on form for writing a race report at the moment so I've attached a few photos and will hopefully have my race report in a few days.

Athlete Village Winschoten.

The Athlete Parade.

Pre Race Massage

Team Ireland

Food station.

Defining Moment

2011-08-22T21:28:00.004+01:00

Back in April 2001 I went for my first training run of 5K in preparation for the Dublin Marathon and struggled to run the distance without stopping and walking. I stuck with it and went on to complete the Dublin Marathon 6 months later and used that race as a stepping stone to a race that had first put the idea of running into my head. This race was the Marathon des Sables, a 150 mile self sufficient foot race across the Sahara Desert and making the decision to run this race was to become my Defining Moment.

Lateral Vision Productions feature Documentary on Irish Ultra Runner John O'Regan. Shot on location in Ireland, Greece, UK, French Alps. Sahara Desert, N.Pole Antarctica, and the Yukon Territory.
A fascinating case of one person against the elements. What are the ingredients that make an ultra runner go through such grueling mental and physical pain? How is an ultra runner different from a marathon runner? This intriguing documentary reveals what makes him tick using the background story of his participation in the 2010 “Spartathlon”. Four hundred and fifty of the world’s top ultra runners passed the stringent entry criteria for the 246km non-stop race, but just 128 crossed the finish line within the 36 hour limit.

Belfast 24-hr Race Video..

2011-08-09T19:35:00.000+01:00

The Running Man

2011-08-07T12:18:00.000+01:00

A video documentary by Giant Leap Productions. This is the Story of extreme athlete, John O'Regan and his endeavour at representing Ireland at the World 24 hour Marathon in Brive, in France. The documentary also features athletic greats such as Richard Donovan, Eddie Gallen, Eoin Keith, Thomas Maguire and Tony Mangan.

The Running Man from Near TV on Vimeo.

24-hr Irish Championships 2011.

2011-07-31T11:36:00.004+01:00

I almost didn't run this race having abandoned my original plan after being selected to run in the Trail World Championships. Even though this was my main event of the year due to the cancellation of the 24-hr World Championships all it took to change my mind was a chance to run in a green vest. Some might have done the 2 races but for me going into the Trail Race I didn't want any mental distractions, I wanted to give it everything I had and I couldn't do that if I was thinking of or trying to save myself for a race that was only 2 weeks away. I knew that during low points I may have taken it easy and consoled myself by thinking 'sure you've another race soon enough to make up for this effort' and thats how the mind works. I'm not into just doing events and go for quality over quantity.

An early fall in the Trail Race meant I couldn't run to the best of my ability and because my pace was slowed the impact on my body was lessened and my recovery was quicker as I finished the race in better condition than I should have. The injury seemed to heal quite quickly but there was still an underlying problem with my left hamstring which surfaced the following weekend after few short training runs. I stopped training as soon as I knew it was getting worse and I phoned my massage therapist 'Peter Matthews' to arrange an appointment as soon as possible. I met him on the Tuesday before the race and was back running that night on my club's grass track. The juniors were training while I was running around checking my lap splits and comparing them with my heart rate to get a feel for race pace and the signs were good.
After finishing my run I was asked about my expectations for the race and I said I was going to win.

The night before the night before a race is the most important nights sleep and for some reason I didn't sleep too well and that was repeated on the night before the race which wasn't good because I had a full day ahead of me before starting the race and I knew it would be late on Saturday before I slept again. Maybe those thoughts were keeping me awake but I tried not to think about it too much and because all my gear was packed and ready to go I decided to head for Belfast earlier than planned.

Arriving into Belfast I met with Ultra Running Ireland's John Collins. John offered to crew my race and that was a big weight off my shoulders as I know from experience that it can be hard to make sensible decisions during these events and if you want to be competitive you need someone else to do the work. John is very experienced at crewing and knew what to do which for me was a big confidence boost. My job was to put one foot in front of the other and he would make sure I continued to do so. We arrived at the track in good time and after setting ourselves up we met with some other competitors and friends including my team mate Marty Rea and training partner Jim McCormick.

Eddie Gallen, John O'Regan, Marty Rea & John Collins.

My plan was simple and it involved running at 2:10-2:15 per lap or less than 75% of my heart rate max. This meant I was running well within my aerobic zone and using mostly fat as a fuel which lessened my need for 'too much food'. At the race start I positioned myself towards the back of the pack to avoid the fast start and within the first lap I was on pace and it wasn't long before I was lapped and it happened again and again...

My guess is some of the front runners blew up really badly because by the first turn around at 4-hrs I seemed to be in 2nd place which didn't sound right and didn't really suit my plan as I wanted to relax into this race and move up the leader board in the final quarter of the race. That wasn't to be and before half way my steady pace had me in the lead and with that came a little bit of extra pressure..

Under Pressure.

I stayed on my feet for the first 9 hours and then sat down by choice to eat a sandwich or should I say I was told to sit down by John as he was thinking ahead and wanted me to eat something solid. To make the most of my break I used the opportunity to elevate my feet and check positions and timings to get an early feel for how the race was going even though it was way too early for it to be a true reflection of how the race could finish. Getting back on my feet it wasn't long before I became the first runner to break 100K and then I broke 100 miles but to me these distances meant nothing as I'd been there so many times before. I'm not being disrespectful to the distance but I know that if you set yourself an end goal and reach it then it can become harder to go beyond it.

Running through the night with Thomas Maguire

Night time temperatures dropped quite low so I changed into some warmer clothing and changed out of them as soon as I felt it warm enough again. My timings were very consistent and I felt very comfortable running at this pace but as we started to get into the new day it got very hot. I knew by my sweat rate and inability to take enough fluids on board that I could soon be in danger of dehydration or some form of heat related problem so I made the decision to ration my sweat by slowing the pace down. I began to stop at the aid station to help with fluid replacement and I made extra toilet stops to monitor my urine flow and make sure it was 'still' flowing. For the last few hours I decided to do just enough to hold my lead and win the race but was prepared to stop if I thought it neccessary. Eddie Gallen was closing in on my lead very steadily and I know what he's capable of doing having ran with him on a few occasions and the most recent being the 246K Spartathlon in Greece last September. Eddie is the most consistent runner I know and he will just keep going and going until it's all over.

With 2hrs to go it was looking like I had done enough to keep my lead by just walking and that's what I did. My family arrived around this time and Cian walked / jogged a few laps and kept me company as the end got closer. Eddie caught up and we chatted through the final minutes and then it was all over. I was declared the race winner with a distance of 213K / 132 miles and more importantly I was the Irish 24-hr Champion finishing just ahead of last year's Champion Eddie Gallen. Eddie won the Irish Championship title last year with a distance of 223K in the 24-hr World & European Championships in Brive, France.

It's a strange felling at the end of a 24-hr race as there's no finish line and rather than getting that winning feeling I was just relieved it was all over. I spent the next hour getting my photo taken and doing interviews with Deirdre Finn the winner of the Ladies Race with 181K / 112.5 Miles and then it was back to the clubhouse for the awards ceremony. All competitors were called up individualy with their distances announced and it was nice opportunity to put a name with the face. I finished the evening with a proper dinner and a few pints of Guinness back at the hotel and then it was lights out.

During the race I wore:

Saucony Pro Grid Guide
Teko Socks
Skins Shorts
Skins A400 Running Tights
Salomon Sleeves
Club Singlet Le Cheile A.C
Suunto T6D Heart Rate Monitor.

All my kit is available from Great Outdoors.

Kildare man John O'Regan wins Belfast 24-hour race

2011-07-24T22:19:00.002+01:00

Kildare man John O'Regan set a new track record of 132 miles as he was crowned Irish champion by winning the Belfast 24-hour race.

O'Regan's distance beat the 127 miles set by last year's inaugural race winner Fermanagh man Thomas Maguire.

With Maguire dropping out after 16 hours, Madrid-based Belfast man Eddie Gallen finished second with 127 miles.

Tipperary native Deirdre Finn was first woman finisher as she produced 112 miles which left her sixth overall.

Limerick man Michael Cunningham, 46, set the early pace at the Mary Peters Track as he covered the opening marathon distance of 26.2 miles in three and half hours.

However, O'Regan, 41, moved into the lead by half distance and he went through the 100-mile barrier in under 17 hours.

O'Regan stayed on the track round-the-clock in the Energia sponsored race as did 48-year-old runner-up Gallen.

Powerful Icelandic competitor Gunnlauger Juliusson finished in third place on 120 miles.

However, performance of the race came arguably from women's winner Finn who added 22 miles to last year's best female time set by Lynne Hanna.

Hanna improved her personal best as she also went through the 100-mile barrier while Hungarian Timea Bontovics was third best female with 91 miles.

In all, 18 athletes went beyond 100 miles in the day-long event.

Belfast mother-of-two Susan McCartney collapsed in the middle of the track after running for 12 hours but after resting for four hours, then resumed the race to complete 86 miles by the finish.

The 12-hour race was won by Welshman Sean McCormack who achieved 68 miles while the Orangegrove quartet of Liz Leitch, Gary Keenan, Colin Fulton and Ralph Coetzee won the relay event with a total of 170 miles.

Race director Ed Smith spoke of the "true heroics" produced at Mary Peters Track.

"It's mind over matter stuff. And, the miles covered were amazing - especially with a very cold night and a very hot day to cope with. Well done to them all," added Smith.

* The above post was copied from BBC Sports and I'd like to add that the track record mentioned above is for this track only! The Irish track record stands at 235.910K and is held by Eoin Keith.

Belfast 24-hr Race

2011-07-20T22:36:00.001+01:00

Tooting Bec Track, London.

Following on from the World Trail Championships I more or less got straight back into training after a short recovery period. All I've really done is keep my legs moving to stop them from seizing up and that also helps keep the weight in check as the reduced training volume unless balanced with a reduced calorie intake will lead to weight gain. No big deal under normal circumstances but as an Ultra Runner I eat quite a lot and it wouldn't take long to put on a few Kg in weight and for a race of this duration it all adds up! I find it easier to train it off rather than starve it off.

2011 Energia Belfast 24-Hour

2011-07-19T21:41:00.000+01:00

Race Director Ed Smith, Lord Mayor of Belfast Pat Convery, Dame
Mary Peters and Energia Chief Operating Officer Tom Gillen

ENERGIA BELFAST 24-HOUR GETS IRISH CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS

This summer's Energia Belfast 24-Hour Race will carry Irish Championship status.

UltraRunning Ireland has conferred the title after the successful first running of the race in 2010. The event saw four athletes run beyond 100 miles and Fermanagh's Thomas Maguire winning with a distance of 127 miles.

The race will again be staged at the Mary Peters Tack on July 22 starting at 6.45pm.

Race Director Ed Smith says: "We are delighted to have secured the Irish Championships from UltraRunning Ireland and have an ambition to pitch for a European Championships in the future.

"It's the ultimate challenge of mind over matter to keep going round a track and right around the clock," he says. "The 17 who finished in 2010 - all going beyond 80 miles - put in a remarkable effort - and we are hoping to grow the event in 2011."

"To broaden the choice, I'll be introducing a 12 hour race to run concurrently, and also a 24-hour relay for teams of four which must include at least one woman," says Smith.

For further information contact: Ed Smith at 00447740818389 or ed_n_smith@hotmail.com.

My Race / World Trail Championships 2011.

2011-07-14T21:18:00.005+01:00

Opening Ceremony

I hadn't planned on running this race but jumped at the opportunity as its an honour to be asked and even more so when it's a World Championship event. Regardless of what my plans were this would now take precedence. Luckily enough I had sufficient notice to change the direction of my training and without delay I became event specific which is partly because my training is so varied and I never shy away from the hills. Training went as well as I could have wanted and yet again I knew I'd be standing on the start line without any excuses and knowing that I was ready to give it a good shot and there was no doubt in my mind that I was race ready.

Seeing as I was running as an Individual Internationl Athlete rather than on the scoring Team I'll explain 'My' race as that's what I was running and I'm sure there's plenty of interesting accounts of this race and you'll find some on my blog list (for example).

Pre Race Meeting

My plan was simple, arrive at the start line fully fuelled / hydrated and run without anything for the first hour and until reaching the first check point (CP1). At CP1 Iwould have more than I'd need and this included a 500Ml carb drink and 500Ml electrolyte drink plus a gel. My pick up decision would be made based on how I was feeling and I could get what I wanted without wasting time stopping to ask.

Kylemore Abbey and the Start Line.

Waiting for the start

The race started outside the front door of Kylemore Abbey and stayed inside the grounds before turning onto the main road into Letterfrack. I knew this section would be the easiest to run and I expected it to be quite fast and didn't want to get caught up in running too fast too soon as can easily happen. I controlled my effort by keeping an eye on my HR rather than the runner directly in front as I knew what lay ahead and it was going to be a long day.

Before entering the village of Letterfrack I could hear the cheers from the support crews of all the visiting nations and then the work began as expected. The flatness of the road was replaced with a trail that climbed quite steeply to the summit of Diamond Hill. I comfortably ran most of this with the occasional forced walk due to congestion or steepness. Reaching the top after climbing over 400M felt effortless and I knew then that I was going to have a good day. Descending Diamond Hill is quite steep and it wasn't long before my race changed when I lost my footing while trying to avoid a collision with runners slightly ahead and below. Jumping to the side I slipped and landed sideways on a stone step taking all the impact on my knee and hip.

Diamond Hill during our recce and the scene of my fall

As I stood up I thought to myself 'this is it, I'm out' but rather than just stopping and accepting defeat I ran on a bit to check the damage. My knee was throbbing and I couldn't bend it too well but it did loosen up and I tried to lead as much as possible with my good side when jumping or landing.

The checkpoint wasn't too far away but it was downhill and that's what hurt the most as it was very similar to ITB pain but I knew that beyond the CP it was mostly uphill and if I managed to get some pain killers I might be ok so I went on. Passing through the CP I took some pain killers and I think they started to work as I began my second descent of Diamond Hill and I made sure to be a little bit more cautious on the second descent. My knee was still hurting but nothing like it was earlier and I knew from experience that it was manageable and nothing worse than I'd had before so I won't mention it again.

Following on from the second descent the race turned away from Letterfrack and made it's way towards Benbaun on a route that would be retraced on the return. No big deal under normal circumstances but without doubt this must be the toughest course I've ever ran and knowing that each energy draining step on the outward section would be there on the return to be covered with tired legs on an energy drained body. The course took in everything that the Irish Countryside had to offer ranging from undulating fields that had never been ploughed, river crossings, forest trails, bog, marsh with waist deep sink holes, open mountain and pot holed roads.

Dan doing what he does.

The next CP was located 16K away and manned by the ever dependable 'John Collins' and he seemed to know I was on the approach as he stood there holding my hydration pack ready for me to almost run into. He asked a few questions and I can remember replying no to them all but did mention what extra requirements I may have at the next CP beyond Benbaun so he could pass word on and this included another dose of pain killers. The route from here climbed gradualy upwards along a forest road and crossed a river via submerged stepping stones. I was starting to feel the climb and then before I knew it I was turning into a very steep climb which was the start of Benbaun. The first part of the ascent traversed along marshy ground before losing height to climb again and I was now reduced to a walk and scramble as it was impossible to run this. Height was gained very quickly due to the steepness of the climb but it was energy sapping. I could see the top from early on and focussed on getting there without any stops but soon discovered that the top was probably still 100M more climbing and that's when it gets really tough.

The descent of Benbaun was quite steep which meant loosing height quite quickly and before long I was down to almost the same starting altitude as I made my way to the next CP. I had a very smooth transition through CP3 and dropped my hydration pack for refilling and took some more pain killers and ran with a 500ml carb drink out and back to the turn around and collected my hydration pack on the return. The turn around was on the opposite side of kylemore lough to the starting line so I knew that the return climb up Benbaun was going to be tougher than I originaly expected. As I was now retracing my steps I knew the end was in sight but I also knew what lay ahead and even though I didn't have any doubts I tried not to think too far ahead and stayed in the moment. The climb up Benbaun was relentless and this time I did stop. I'd never encountered anything as steep or tough in a race and even stopping had it's hazards as the steepness made it very easy to lose balance and it was almost like taking a break during a rock climb. It's a chance to catch your breath but calf muscles are still working to keep you steady. I could always see what looked like the top but knew from earlier that the top lay further from my view but what i could see was enough to focus on and it kept me going.

Thomas after the Benbaun descent.

Descending down the far side was at times like looking over a cliff it was that severe and it made for a very fast but cautious drop into the valley. I dug my heels in and kept my bodyweight into the mountain side and was always prepared for and expecting a fall. The falls or slips did happen but I was always ready and it wasn't long before the end was reached. Next up was the crossing of a small stream and I remembered jumping it on the outward leg but now I went through it as I was now heading towrds marshy ground and my feet were going to get soaked again. I moved quite quickly through the marsh but did go off course as I was looking at the ground rather than ahead and follwing the most direct route. I fell a few more times but fell forward so didn't lose any time and then I was back onto a fire road through a forest. This section was familiar but seemed longer and I began to wonder if I was going the right way. I scanned the road ahead looking for any signs that a runner had passed and then I reached the river crossing that there was no mistaking that this was the right way. Minutes later I was turning the bend on the approach to the last CP and 'John Collins' was ready as always andwithout any delay I was fuelled and gone. The plan from here was to travel as light as possible with most of what I'd need inside me so I drank 500ml which i guessed was enough to get me home. I also carried a smaller drink and a Powerbar gel in my shorts just in case it was needed as it was now very warm and I knew there was still some tough terrain ahead and more climbing to be done.

Halfway between the 2k and 1k to go marker board I started to feel weak and knew I was starting to bonk. Without any delay I took my gel and walked a small while as i waited for it to kick in and it gave me a reason rather than an excuse to climb what was to be the last hill. On reaching the top I was looking at Diamond Hill in the distance and began to think back to the race start and part of me didn't want the race to end, I wanted to climb Diamond Hill again. Maybe it was the low blood sugar that was causing those thoughts and then all was good again as I began my final descent into Letterfrack. There was no one ahead of or behind me so I didn't finish with a sprint and cruised to the finish line.

With John Collins at the Finish.

Apart from my Ireland Team Kit I wore:

Food:

Additional Food Items

Powerade * 500Ml
Mars Refuel (after race)

Some Race Stats:

Total Ascent = 2950 M
Total Descent = 2989 M

Total Distance = 71 K

Average HR = 138 bpm

Max Hr = 160 bpm.

HR max was reached during first ascent of Diamond Hill and apart from that my Hr never went above 155 bpm.

I never once felt like quitting even though I did think the fall would end my race. My decision to go on was based on experience and knowing the difference between an injury and just pain. My fuelling plan as usual worked perfectly and if I was to run the race again the only thing I'd do differently is that I wouldn't fall:)

Outstanding Trail World Champs 2011

2011-07-11T20:19:00.000+01:00

The official IAU Trail World Championships took place in Connemara on Saturday 9th July and the event has been heralded as an outstanding success.

Elite ultramarathon runners from every populated continent took part in the race, incuding over 120 athletes from the athletics federations of Argentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain and the USA.

The event was also filmed for broadcast on Channel 4, Eurosport, Setanta and a host of other international channels over the coming weeks, surpassing the guaranteed international coverage of any other athletics event in Ireland this year. In addition, official London 2012 Olympic photographer, Mike King, travelled from the UK to photograph the event as well as journalists from France and Italy, which are trail running strongholds.

It was the first occasion an official world championships at trail running came to Ireland.

Race director Richard Donovan, who also organises extreme runs in the polar regions, planned an ambitious route of 70km, starting at Kylemore Abbey and encompassing mountains, grassland trails, compacted gravel trails, bog, loose rock trails and open countryside. He said Connemara was an obvious choice of location for such an extreme race given the amazing natural beautly of the region.

The Reserve Defence Force, Red Cross, Mountain Rescue and local volunteers were all out in force to guide and support people over the specially marked route. Meanwhile, thousands of people around the world logged on to live updates available on the race website www.runconnemara.com.

Incredibly, the first runner home, Erik Clavery (FRA), took only 6.39.07 hrs to complete the gruelling course. He was closely followed by Jason Loutitt (CAN) and Patrick Bringer (FRA). France dominated the team competition with Italy and Norway taking silver and bronze medals, respectively. Ireland finished 7th in the team competition and the first 3 Irishmen were Daniel Doherty 17th (7:19:18), Paul Tierney 24th (7:29:35) and Eoin Keith 27th (7:34:27).

Meanwhile, the women's race was won by Maud Gobert (FRA) in 7:41:31 hrs ahead of defending world champion Cecilia Mora (ITA) and Lucy Colquhoun (GBR). France once again dominated the team competition ahead of Italy and Canada.

Richard Donovan said "It was a fantastic day for everybody and the bonus good weather ensured that Connemara will be showcased to millions of people around the world in a way that the region has never been shown before. The aerial footage of elite ultramarathon runners moving at speed over difficult terrain is incredible."

Adding to the day's success, the International Association of Ultra Runners awarded the Order of Merit to the organisers for their planning and execution of the event.

RESULTS

Men1. Erik Clavery (FRA) - 6:39:07
2. Jason Loutitt (CAN) - 6:40:32
3. Patrick Bringer (FRA) - 6:47:50

TEAM
1. France - 20:24:50
2. Italy - 20:56:36
3. Norway - 21:29:02

Women1. Maud Gobert (FRA) - 7:41:31
2. Cecilia Mora (ITA) - 7:50:02
3. Lucy Colquhoun (FRA) - 7:57:20

TEAM
1. France - 24:00:42
2. Italy - 24:21:35
3. Canada - 27:01:08

Ready to Race / Trail World Championships 2011

2011-07-06T21:50:00.006+01:00

Course Elevation.

Race day is almost here and my transition from 24-hr race training to Trail / hill race training has gone as well as I could have wished for. I've trained hard and put the same effort into my recovery and I'm now ready as I can be. My bag is packed and as always I have everything I need except the excuse :)

Since last week all of my runs were at a heart rate of less than 70% of my max which is intense enough to maintain what I've got while still allowing rest and recovery in advance of the race effort.

Training on the Dublin Mountain Way

Starting the Taper.

2011-06-30T22:55:00.000+01:00

Trail Running in the Alps

My original focus for this year was the 24-hr World Championships in Brugg Switzerland which was cancelled so I then decided to sign up for a 24-hr Race in Belfast on July 22nd as it was a continuation of how I was already training. The training for this event consisted mainly of long slow runs based on a heart rate level well inside my aerobic zone and close to what I would usually class as a recovery run.

This all changed with my late selection for the Irish Squad to compete in the World Trail Championships as a chance to run for Ireland will always take preference over any other race. I wouldn't call myself a Trail Runner but I am quite strong in the hills as I make sure to include a decent trail run in my training routine at least once every 2 weeks and because I'm aware of these events and the possibility of being selected I always train to be event specific at short notice.

In between events I train at the higher end of my Aerobic Threshold and would train almost every day with as many double days as I can manage without actually planning them and taking whatever opportunity might arise. To make the transition from 24-hr to Trail Running I first of all substituted as many runs as I could with Trail runs and spent as much time as possible in the hills. To maximise my time I tried to run for maximum ascent with minimum distance to work on my climbing muscles and also included hill sprints on short hills and longer slower intervals on longer hills.

To peak with my training I had a massage today which went better than planned and I was very happy with the lack of pain which tells me I must be doing something right. Following on from the massage I did an 18K run at slightly faster than my Aerobic pace which also went well.

Last week I ran an un-tapered 5K with a new PB of 17:26 and the recent inclusion of running specific Crossfit training with Stephen Weinmann & John Belton at Performance Therapy Ireland has without doubt kept me injury free and made me stronger.

World Trail Championships (course recce)

2011-06-20T21:33:00.002+01:00

Tony ascending Diamond Hill during course recce.

Descending Diamond Hill with Kylemore Abbey in the background.

As part of the race preparation I went to Galway with Tony Brennan to meet with Keith Whyte, Barry Murray and Richard Donovan to do a recce of the WTC course and get a feel for what to expect. The race starts Kylemore Abbey and follows the road into Letterfrack before the serious climbing starts. The ascent of Diamond Hill which happens within the first 10K is fairly severe but the pain numbing views are spectacular. I've ran trails all over the world and this has to be one of the most impressive courses I've ever been on.

The short recce was enough to get a feel for what to expect and I finished the day looking forward to race day and have a fair idea of my race day plan.

Irish Team for Trail Championships

2011-06-03T21:33:00.004+01:00

Ireland's Keith Whyte, John Byrne, John O'Regan, Thomas Maguire and Daniel Doherty

Ireland have entered a strong men's team for the IAU Trail World Championships in Connemara.

The team is captained by John Byrne, who was first Irish finisher at the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km when finishing third in 7:09:33.

Thomas Maguire, the Irish 100km (7:05:06) and 24 Hour (248.392km) record holder is additionally on the six-person team.

UK-based duo Daniel Doherty, who has a PB of 7:19:29 for 100km, and Barry Murray, who has posted very strong peformances in UK trail races, are also in the squad.

Keith Whyte, another sub-7:30 hrs 100km runner and who recently won the Kildare Marathon, runs in his first world championships.

Paul Tierney, winner of the Wicklow Way Ultra and the new record holder for the Wicklow Way, makes his debut for Ireland.

In addition to the team, trail running legend Eoin Keith will represent Ireland as an individual. Keith is making a comeback after injury and finished 11th in the 2009 Trail World Championships.

John O'Regan, a 24-Hour international athlete, is also entered as an individual.

The squad, which has a representative from all four Irish provinces, will be managed by Tony Brennan and John Collins.

A mixed week.

2011-05-29T18:57:00.000+01:00

The Outsider Crew at the Adventure Weekend.

With Mark Pollock & Gearoid Towey for the Outsider Think Tank.

Finished off last week with an early trail run over a familiar route not to far from home which gives a great workout for a short amount of time. As I was due at the Adventure Weekend later the same morning I made the most of my available time by running out for 60 mins which is almost all uphill before turning to retrace my steps and returning home. The talk went quite well and although nervous beforehand I got so into it that I wanted it to last a bit longer.

All of last week was spent with easy runs of between 10-20K making sure to keep my heart rate in the aerobic zone and I put a bit more effort into my stretching and mobility exercises as prescribed by John Belton. Tuesday & Thursday included a 2 hr gym session with Mark Pollock continuing with the Project Walk routine and Saturday I was back with Performance Therapy Ireland to continue my strength and conditioning programme. I was wiped out after my session but know it hit the right spots so a big thanks to Stephen and John.

Finished off the week with the same run as last week but went a little bit further and turned at the top of 2 Rock mountain. Starting off I could feel my legs were feeling the effects of yesterday's gym session but my heart rate was right were I wanted it to be so I took it slow and steady.

Pacing,Training, Coaching and Crossfit. A busy week..

2011-05-21T22:47:00.000+01:00

Kildare Marathon

I'm slowly getting back to where I want to be and training is going as planned with continuous improvements rather than peaks and troughs. I was asked to pace the 3:15 finish for the Kildare Marathon last Sunday with only a few days notice. I reluctantly agreed but was glad I did as it turned out to be a perfect test of my fitness. Approaching the race as a long training run I ran it without any fluids and managed to complete the distance with my heart rate staying at the lower end of my aerobic zone and at no time did I feel any discomfort. I did carry a gel just in case I started to feel any drop in energy and if needed I would of course have taken some fluids.

Training since then has continued as normal with all runs staying aerobic but I have noticed that my pace is starting to increase as I need to push harder to get into the zone.

Train the heart and the body will follow!

Mark Pollock

Yesterday I met with Mark Pollock, Simone & Simon O'Donnell in Trinity College sports centre to train in techniques to assist with Mark's rehab. These training sessions last up to 2 hours and include a variety of exercises which are a follow on from Mark's time spent with Project Walk and the objective is to train Mark's legs how to walk again. I'll follow up with a more detailed explanation of what's involved as I get more involved.

Learning how to Deadlift properly!

Today I met with John Belton for a training session in Performance Therapy Ireland (Crossfit North Dublin) and went back to basics. Turns out I couldn't do as much as he was hoping to do because of my restricted range of movement and rather than complete the session he had planned I ended up spending the time working on my mobility although I still went home feeling sore. I now have a series of exercises to complete every day for the next week and if running I've to also do them pre run.

Hip Flexor Stretch.

My daughter Aisling came along and managed to do what I couldn't which was a bit embarrassing but it now means I have a new training partner.

Aisling learning how to front squat.

Crossfit Endurance Trainer's Course, London, March 2011.

Left to Right: John Belton, Brian Mackenzie, Doug Katona, Me, Stephen Weinmann (Owner Performance Therapy Ireland / Crossfit North Dublin).
My thanks to John & Stephen for today's training session.

Tomorrow I'm taking part in a Questions and Answers session at 'The Adventure Weekend' in the RDS on a panel with Mark Pollock, Gearoid Towey as part of Outsider Magazine's Think Tank.

Superhero Fun Run Phoenix Park, Dublin 2011

2011-05-10T21:21:00.002+01:00

And now for something different!!
On Sunday 08th May I took part in the Superhero Fun Run in the Phoenix Park in aid of Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin. Hundreds turned up to help raise much needed funds for the hospital and the event was also a world record attempt for the most number of people dressed as a Superhero in the one place. We failed to break the record but it's an excuse to try again next year and a great day was had by all.
Here's a few photos from the Superhero Fun Run.

The Fun Run was a world record attempt and a fundraiser for the Children's Hospital.

The mini Superheroes 100M dash.

Start Line.

Cian leading the way in the main event.

Running past Eamonn Coughlan,
(not many people can say that )

Heading home after the race.

Taking a step back before going forward.

2011-05-07T21:53:00.001+01:00

Feeling that something wasn't right during my race in Perth I've been taking it relatively easy since then and have also taken the proactive step of going to the Doctor for a check up which included getting my Prostate checked just for piece of mind.
It's important not to sacrifice health for fitness and sometimes when training intensity increases to improve performance our health can be neglected.

I now know that I'm on the mend as my pace is starting to increase for the same effort which as always I base on my heart rate. Almost all of my recent training has been Aerobic with the exception of a 5K race today that I ran comfortably hard and didn't allow my heart rate go any higher than it did during a recent 10K race.

Approaching the finish line, LeCheile 5K.

Training by the clock will tell you that you're getting faster but it won't tell you if you're getting fitter or overtraining / under recovering. A heart rate monitor will give an objective view on your current condition as it's not influenced by personal feelings. Train hard but train smart.

Trail running and snowshoeing in the Alps.

2011-04-14T22:23:00.003+01:00

The Plan

Less than a week after returning from Perth I got a call from the Producer / Director of my almost finished documentary asking if I was available to do some filming the following weekend and after checking my availability I was then told, 'oh by the way it's in France'.

Relaxing in Morillon

A week later we flew to Geneva accompanied by two mountain guides (Gary McConville & Tony Ruddy from the Millenium Gym in Lurgan) and drove to a village called Morillion in the French Alps. According to the locals it was one of the worst seasons for snow and this is when it's worth having a guide as it saved a lot of time wasting looking for an alternative location.

The Crew taking in the scenery.

Day 1 was spent at 2500M + running in deep snow and using snowshoes which took a lot of effort because of the altitude but that couldn't take away from the breath taking scenery and as tough as it was I didn't want it to end. I took whatever opportunities I could to stop and just take it all in and there were moments when I was all alone and they're the ones that make it all worthwhile.

Ready for action.

MSR Snowshoes as supplied by Great Outdoors

Day 2 was spent lower down in the surrounding valleys running along the most amazing trails with every turn more amazing than the last. Yet again it was tough at times but the rewards far outweigh the effort and although my muscles were hurting I couldn't help but smile.

My unplanned adventure.

Moving on.

2011-04-12T22:05:00.002+01:00

Till next time.

It's just over 2 weeks since the Anglo Celtic Plate and my recovery seems to be going as planned, I was back running within 3 days but taking it easy and all runs since then have been in the same easy heart rate zone which helps to monitor improvements or set backs and more importantly it prevents accidentally doing too much too soon.
During one of my first start back sessions I decided to use the running track because it's flat and because it's a loop it meant I was never far from the car if I had to throw in the towel. Running this session I could feel that my legs were strong but my heart rate was much higher than it should be and thats an obvious sign that although my leg strength is still there I was still tired on the inside so I made sure to keep it slower than I felt capable of doing.

For the moment I'm still trying to decide which races to do over the coming months but for now I'll just keep doing what I'm doing to get my fitness back but will train with certain events in mind.

Anglo Celtic Plate 2011. My Race.

2011-04-05T21:55:00.003+01:00

With Scotland's finest, Debbie Consani.

You can learn a lot from races that don't go as planned if you take the time to analyse them and then make the corrections.

Support Crew Tent.

Going into the Anglo Celtic Plate I was in my best shape of recent times and was fully prepared and expecting to finish in under 7hrs 45min which was an estimation based on recent race results and long distance training runs.

The course was as good as it gets being relatively flat and consisted of 42 x 2381 laps which might sound daunting but in a race it's 42 times that you pass your support crew, 42 times that you have access to food & fluid, 42 times to check your pacing and position but more importantly it's 42 times to pass the friendly faces and if things go wrong you're never far from help.

Before any race I come up with a mental plan and try to visulise whats ahead and for this one becuase of it's numerical similarity with the 42K in a Marathon I turned it into a marathon and thought of each lap as a Kilometre even though I wouldn't be counting them down.

Waiting to start.

The weather on the day was almost perfect and I felt very confident and proud lining up beside my team mates at the startline and when the race started I settled almost immediately into my pace and gradually found my position behind the lead pack. It felt quite comfortable and effortless and as I made my way around the first lap I picked out some markers that I would use to check my pacing as the race went on. Less than halfway around the loop the course went alongside the river Tay and each time I passed I looked into the water in the hope of seeing a Salmon jump and that was something I looked forward to on each and every lap.

All alone on the banks of the River Tay.

Before completing the first lap I felt the need to use the toilet and tried to decide whether to stop or try wait a bit longer. Seeing as it was going to be a long day I stopped rather than prolong the agony and that was the start of it! Almost every lap I had to stop and looking at the drops in my heart rate I must have stopped close to 25 times. Each stop cost me between 30-90 seconds and even though I wasn't drinking much I made the decision to reduce my fluid intake. This helped ever so slightly but the problem was still there and the reduced fluid intake can lead to other problems which it did.

Checking my pace with Tony Brennan

I went through the Marathon split in 3hr08 and then through the 50K split in 3hr49 but shortly after that my hand went into a spasm and I knew I was becoming dehydrated and suffering from loss of electrolytes even though I was still needing toilet stops. I started drinking again but switched from a carbohydrate drink to an electrolyte drink which is easier on the stomach and because it was electrolyes I needed as my energy levels were still ok. My right hip then started to tighten up which again I put down to the electrolyes and this required the occasional stop for an assisted stretch with the support crew.

Even before the race finished I was a bit disappointed and I didn't cheer up any bit more after crossing the finish line. Apart from the extra stops I was still running at my planned pace which I worked out by subtracting the stoppage time from lap time so I know I should have finished much faster and at least finished in under 8hrs but thats how it goes.

The mistake wasn't made on race day because I drank very little before the race and ran the first 70 minutes without any fluids. I had estimated my fluid intake to be somewhere between 3 -4L but I only drank approx 2L.

The finish.
Daniel Doherty, Richard Donovan & Thomas Maguire.

Did I drink too much in the days before the race? I don't think so but then again I don't know! I keep a record of everything else but fluid intake is routine and maybe I need to start watching that in advance of races anyway. It has been suggested by a fellow Ultra Runner (Jim McCormick) that maybe I had a kidney infection but it didn't feel like I did but then again I don't know what a kidney infection feels like.

Anglo Celtic Plate 2011.

2011-03-28T21:19:00.004+01:00

Record Run at Anglo Celtic Plate

Ireland's Keith Whyte, John Byrne, John O'Regan, Thomas Maguire and Daniel Doherty

John Byrne led home a record breaking run by the Irish men's 100km team at the Anglo Celtic Plate (Home Nations) in Perth, Scotland on 27 March 2011.

A relative newcomer to ultrarunning, Byrne ran an incredible time of 7:09:33 to finish third in the individual competition behind Craig Stewart of Scotland (7:01:36) and Alan Smalls of England (7:04:54). It was the second fastest time in history by an Irishman.

Ireland's Daniel Doherty (7:19:29) and Keith Whyte (7:28:59) finished 6th and 7th, respectively, also posting qualifying times for the World 100km Championships in September. The trio ensured a new Irish 100km team record time of 21:58:01, eclipsing the record set by the Irish team that finished 5th at the European 100km Championships in 2007.

Team captain and Irish record holder Thomas Maguire was fourth Irish finisher on this occasion and fifth finisher John O'Regan set a PB over the 100km distance.

The performance also ensured second place behind Scotland (21:43:36) in a highly competiive team competition which saw Commonwealth Champions England finish 3rd.

John Byrne crosses finish line in 7:09:33

Daniel Doherty in action at Anglo Celtic Plate

Keith Whyte qualifying for World 100km

Further information available from Ultra Running Ireland.

Everything packed except the excuse

2011-03-24T20:16:00.001Z

It's been 5 months, 2000K, 2 broken ribs, 1 broken toe and a few short races since my last 100K race in Gibraltar and now race day is almost here again.
I remember finishing that race knowing I could do a lot better with the right preparation and with that in mind I began to prepare for this race almost straight away even though there was no guarantee of a place on the team. The plan started at race day and I worked it back to the date my training began to allow for the best possible use of available time. I've done everything I could do and think I'm as best prepared as I can be.
The bag is packed and all I don't have is an excuse :)

Almost there, Anglo Celtic Plate 2011.

2011-03-20T20:49:00.004Z

Le Cheile Men's Team, Kildare Senior Road Race Championships 2011

With less than a week to go until the ACP I've more or less finished my training with a 20K easy run this morning at my planned race pace. I wore my Garmin and had it set at the loop length for the course in Perth which is 2.381K (42 laps) and based on this morning's run I now have a good idea of how often I'll be passing the support crew.

Training has gone as well as can be expected and I'm going into race week injury free and in good shape so I've no excuses and expect to run a good race! Over the past few weeks I've had many quality sessions including a few disciplined races that I ran as planned hard training sessions rather than getting caught up in a race even though it can be tough mentally when you know it's possible to do that bit better.

David McCarthy in full flight & Larry Kelly.

Last weekend I took part in the Kildare Senior Road Race Championships which was 10K and hosted by my local club Le Cheile A.C. I knew going into this race that I was in good shape as my shorter runs had got progressively faster having started my taper but I was conscious of the fact that going all out in a short race just for the result could cost me in the long term and this wasn't my distance or my race. I declared my expected finish time of 36 mins to 36:30 in advance of the race starting and made the effort not to get caught up in a race even though I found myself running comfortably with the lead group from the start.
Running in the group meant I didn't have to think about what I was doing and it seemed easy to just run along with the pack but on checking my watch I noticed we went through the first K mark in 3:22 (5:26 mile) and I thought this a bit too fast so I dropped back. Between 2k and 7K I ran on my own but always had the lead group in sight and they never seemed to gain any more of a lead and I began wondering would it have been easier to stay with them and get the benefit of running in a pack which also includes shelter from the breeze.

Got back into my own zone and held it steady up to 8K and knew there was a hill ahead and decided to wait until I'd cleared that before pushing the pace. As I reached the 9K mark beyond the hill I could see the lead pack making their way along the home stretch as the course turned back on itself at 9.5K and I then knew I made the right decision to fall back as the pace had increased in the last 1K to one I know I couldn't hold but might have tried and that's when the damage would have been done.

I crossed the finish line in 5th place with a new less than full effort PB of 36:17 and more importantly I knew I could have kept going at the same pace.

I think my preparation for the 100K World Championships went quite well considering how soon after the Spartathlon it was so next week I'll almost mirror how I approached that race and that starts with a sports massage with Peter Matthews tomorrow.

Tapering and a few short races

2011-03-13T21:22:00.002Z

Le Cheile Ladies & Gents Senior Teams

The weekend of the Donadea 50K marked the start of my Taper and to finish of that weekend I took part in the Kildare Road Race Championships Intermediate & Masters which was a short but fast 6K. I was conscious of the previous days race being still in my legs and was prepared to drop out if needs be and planned on running easy to start rather than going all out and deciding on my pace based on how I felt after the first kilometer. Didn't feel too good running to the start line during my warm up but felt good once the race started and pushed on to finish in 6th place and 1st over 40 in 21:53 and to make things even better our team finished 3rd with the ladies team also finishing 3rd. Only seconds slower than last year and much better than I expected.

Le Cheile Ladies Team

Training volume has since reduced with lots of shorter but slightly faster runs of around 10K with the occasional longer run which I'm scaling down from 30K as the ACP gets closer.

Today I ran in the Kildare Senior Road Race Championships, a 10K which was hosted by my own club Le Cheile. With the recent reduced volume I'm feeling better than usual as the legs get a chance to rest and recover so I knew there was a chance of doing well in this race but I also needed to keep my eye on the bigger picture and think about the race I'm training for in 2 weeks time. I declared my time of 36mins to 36:30 before the race thinking that this was realistic and wouldn't be causing any unnecessary stress or post race recovery.

I was hoping that a definite lead group would break away from the start and the temptation to race just wouldn't be there but my conservative fast pace still had me with the lead pack so with less than 1K covered I made the decision to drop back and run as planned.

It became obvious after the first half that I could have stayed with the lead pack as they never got further than 30M away and I even made up a few places as 2 guys fell back. I was now in fifth place and contemplating making a push within the last 2K but decided against it and in the approach to the last 1K as the race doubled back towards the finish I could see that the lead pack had split and all were running at a faster pace and it was faster than I could have managed and I was glad that I held back as it would have been for nothing and would have cost me.
Finished in fifth place with 36min17sec and the team finished in 2nd place. My time was 22 seconds faster than my win in Ballybunion last year so all in all it was a good day.
Garmin Connect for 10K Race.

Doherty wins Ultra Race Grantham

2011-03-13T20:23:00.000Z

In his final preparatory race for the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km, Daniel Doherty won the 9bar Ultra Race Grantham on the weeked of 5th-6th March.

The 9bar event involved a 29.1 mile trail run on consecutive days and Doherty won convincingly, also setting a course record on the first leg.

You can see Danel's race report on his blog: http://runningmad-dan.blogspot.com/.

Donadea 50K and other stuff.

2011-02-27T22:23:00.004Z

John O'Regan & Jim McCormick

Training has gone very well over the past few weeks and included one long training run of 55K which I used as race prep for the Anglo Celtic Plate and practiced my pacing and fueling while keeping a close eye on my Heart Rate.

Had planned on peaking this week with a 60K run at same pace (4:37 per K) but instead I ran the Donadea 50K at a slightly faster pace to make up for the shorter distance. Based on previous training runs my race plan was to finish the 50K in 3hrs40 mins (4:24 per K / 7:04 per mile) which was based on my Heart Rate and if it went to plan I should manage to keep it under 150 bpm.

This was the first running of the Donadea 50K and had a limited number of competitors all running on invite and among the entrants was my Team Mate for the Anglo Celtic Plate Keith Whyte and Jim McCormick a training partner from Belfast and close friend of Marty Rea. Jim was also using this race as a long training run so we decided to run it together and use it as an opportunity to catch up on what we were both up to and swap war stories.
We started off at a decent pace to break away from the crowd which was decided on the walk to the start line as we noticed the track was a bit too narrow for a group of 25 and would be a bit like a cross country race start. We were cautious not to get outside our comfort zone although we soon realised that after 2K we were a bit too close to Keith Whyte and that meant our pace was a bit too fast. We had a quick chat with Keith and politely told him we were dropping back.

Long story short, Keith Whyte went on to finish in 1st place quite comfortably in 3hrs26:27 with Jim and I finishing 3rd in 3hr41:30 having ran an almost perfect race. We went through the Marathon split in 3hrs04:30 as planned but then I made a toilet stop in the 2nd last lap and I reckon thats what cost us the additional few seconds. We could have pushed a bit harder to make up the time but for what? It was a training run and I know from experience that a sprint finish could have made all the difference to my recovery and it's a bit too close to my goal race to let my ego decide what I do.

Aisling, my daughter & support crew.

During the race I wore Skins A400 running tights and my Le Cheile running club singlet. My daughter Aisling was there as support crew and kept us supplied with Powerbar Energize which was mixed and contained in 250ml bottles.

Crossing the Finish Line in 3rd place with Jim McCormick

With Keith Whyte at the finish.

In other news John Byrne finished 2nd in the Bramley 20 miler with a very impressive time of 1hr52:19 as part of his prep for the ACP and when you consider that along with Daniel Doherty's recent 50K result I think we have a strong team for this year's ACP.

Irish Team for Anglo Celtic Plate

2011-02-13T21:55:00.001Z

Keith Whyte winning the 2010 Cliffs of Moher Half-Marathon

The Irish men's team for the Anglo Celtic Plate (Home Nations) 100km has been announced. The event will take place in Perth, Scotland on 27 March 2011.

Keith Whyte and Daniel Doherty will make their debut for Ireland in the competition.

Doherty took up running only two years ago and runs with Basingstoke and Mid Hants AC in the UK. His progress has been remarkable, most recently finishing second in the Gloucester 50km in 3:09:05 despite suffering a chest infection.

Whyte, who hails from Ennis, has been equally impressive. He took up running three years ago and set a marathon PB of 2:38 in October's Dublin City Marathon. However, his true talent may lie beyond the marathon distance where his 180km - 200km training weeks should also stand him in good stead.

The team will be captained by Irish record holder Thomas Maguire whose PB of 7:05:06 earned him 12th place in the 2006 World 100km Championships. Maguire also holds the 24 Hour Irish Record, covering a distance of 248.392km to be ranked in the top six in the world in 2009.

John Byrne, a 2:32 marathoner, made his debut at the 100km distance in 2010 and there are high expectations of the Mayo AC athlete's 100km ultramarathon potential.

John O'Regan, primarily a 24-hour+ runner, will complete the team and is anticipated to put in a very strong performance over the shorter distance of 100km in Scotland.

TEAM

John Byrne
Daniel Doherty
Thomas Maguire (captain)
John O'Regan
Keith Whyte

DETAILS

Date: Sunday 27 March 2011
Times: 7am - 100k & 10am - 50k
Venue: Bells Sports Centre, Perth
For event details click here.

Just Training

2011-02-06T22:30:00.000Z

Physio during the Spartathlon

Since the start of this year I've been working on my endurance and running an average weekly distance of 160K at an aerobic pace. I run the short runs slightly faster at the upper end of my aerobic zone to make them more time efficient as they are usually during my lunch break and the longer runs are slower and at the lower end of the zone.
I'm now training for the Anglo Celtic Plate in Scotland at the end of March and from next week my training will get a bit more focussed with the introduction of some speed work. I'll keep my weekly training volume around the same and will probably peak with a 50K race to be held in Donadea Forest Park at the end of February.
I was thinking of going as long as 60K but think the 50K race run slightly faster might be more beneficial although I won't run it at a pace that will result in recovery days off and a possible loss of fitness.
I've also block booked a few lunchtime massage sessions to preempt any possible injuries that may happen between now and March. Most of my problems usually happen when starting back at speed work and it's probably because I do too much too soon.

The year so far:
Distance: 782K / 486 Miles
avg Pace: 4:54 per K / 7:52 mile
Days off: 2 (both unplanned)
Longest Run: 45K.

A word of warning regarding training volume: It takes time to build up to running over 100K per week and if you don't take a rest day then one week continues into the next and a week becomes 14 days, 21 days and so on.... Time on your feet needs to be taken into consideration as the higher volume of training eats into recovery time and less recovery will increase your injury risk. A 3hr Marathon runner might cover 100K as a weekly total in around 8hrs while running at an easy pace whereas a 4hr Marathon runner might take 11hrs for the same distance.
Listen to your body and at the first sign of a problem take a step back and reduce the training volume or cross train. Cautious short term reductions in training volume will help keep you injury free.

100 Days into Mangan's World Run

2011-02-03T21:50:00.000Z

Odd one out? John Geesler is a good friend of UltraRunning Ireland.

48-Hour World Indoor record holder Tony Mangan is now 100 days into his 'World Jog' and recently met USA ultra legend John Geesler in New York.

Tony has run the equivalent of over 85 marathons in 82 road days or more than 3,600km (2,250 miles) since October's Dublin Marathon. Why? He is fulfilling a long time ambition to run around the world. His understated 'World Jog' has already seen him cross both Ireland and Newfoundland; Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada; and Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania in the USA.

Tony's official indoor world record for 48 hours stands at 426.178km and during his 48-hour running career he had several great duels with John Geesler, a multiple USA champion. John, pictured above, travelled with the Irish 24 Hour team from Paris to Brive to compete in the 2010 World 24 Hour Championships.

A song has now been penned in Tony's honour by John-Michael Field of Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Please click here to listen to The Irishman Upon Your Floor (The Ballad of Tony Mangan) .

See Tony's very entertaining blog at The World Jog.

Empire State Building Run Up

2011-02-01T20:24:00.002Z

Want to step up to a challenge? Test yourself up 86 flights of stairs in the Empire State Building Run-Up. A quick 1,576 steps will get you from the ground floor to the Observation Deck that looms nearly a quarter- mile above Fifth Avenue. Did this race back in 2009 and wouldn't mind a second shot or maybe try the Taipei 101 ?
More more info on similar events check out Tower Running.

Please note that this is an invitational race, with selections based on athletic ability and background.

New Irish 24-hr Record.

2011-01-31T20:00:00.001Z

Glavin sets Irish 24 H Record

Sumie Inagaki (Japan), women's winner, pictured with Valerie Glavin (Ireland)

Galway's Valerie Glavin set a fantastic new Irish women's indoor 24-Hour Record of 217.809km (135.340 miles) at the Endurance 24 Hour in Espoo, Finland at the weekend.

Mick Rice & Ruthann Sheehan

Valerie finished second in the womens race behind Japan's Sumie Inagaki, who ran a world class distance of 240.631km.

It was girl power all the way as Glavin and fellow Galway woman Ruthann Sheehan posted the best Irish performances of the day.

Sheehan, who won the 2010 Dingle 50-mile race, posted a very credible distance of 188.714km (117.261 miles) while their club mates Mick Rice and Ray O'Connor recorded distances of 165.545km and 122.083km, respectively.

Glavin ran steadily through the 100-mile point in 16:59:49 hrs, also setting an Irish women's best, and maintained a strong momentum until the end.

It was the first recording of Irish female performances in an indoor 24-hour IAU-labelled event.

Women's Results

1. Sumie Inagaki (JPN) - 240.631km
2. Valerie Glavin (IRL) - 217.809km
3. Marjukka Sinisalo (FIN) - 204.567km
7. Ruthann Sheehan (IRL) - 188.714km

Daniel Doherty 2nd in Gloucester 50k

2011-01-25T19:44:00.001Z

Daniel Doherty, who will make his debut for Ireland in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km in March, finished second in the Gloucester 50k on 23 January.

Doherty was leading the race by some 3 minutes at 27 miles and finished in an excellent time of 3:09:05 despite suffering a chest infection. Indeed, his performance is all the more remarkable given that he only took up running a couple of years ago.

English international 100km runners Julian Rendall and Allen Smalls finished first and third, respectively.

Doherty, who runs with Basingstoke and Mid Hants AC in the UK, will be a fantastic addition to the Irish 100km team.

RESULTS

1. Julian Rendall 3:07:22
2. Daniel Doherty 3:09:05
3. Allen Smalls 3:09:41

So far so good.

2011-01-18T23:03:00.001Z

Last week couldn't have gone any better, I almost mirrored the previous week's sessions without having to make any lifestyle adjustments which tells me that the schedule could me manageable. Finished the week with back to back long runs of just under 40Km with both done at a very easy pace. To help with the long runs I arranged to meet a training partner either during or towards the end of the run which helped prevent boredom from tempting me to stop short. Total distance for this week went slightly further than last week and was close to 165Km plus I managed to fit in a Sports Massage.

I wasn't looking forward to the Massage as I had visions of the expected pain seeing as I hadn't got a rub down since the start of November last year in preparation for the 100Km World Championships in Gibraltar and I've clocked up quite a distance since then. I don't think I've ever gone this long without a massage but breaking my ribs in early December meant I couldn't take the risk as the massage usually includes working on my back and shoulders. To be honest I was probably glad of the excuse not to get one.

Plan for this week is to again mirror my previous two weeks and that should confirm my schedule. Weekday runs will remain the same and I'll continue to either increase the weekend distance or else reduce the distance and increase the pace but I won't do two back to back runs of longer than 40Km as I don't think it necessary based on my past experience. Rest & Recovery is just as important as the training and you should only do what you can recover from and if a weekend of high distance means reduced quality in the following week then it might be counter productive.

Michael Collins' Novel Approach to Running at Runner's World

2011-01-16T20:43:00.001Z

Michael Collins' Novel Approach to Running at Runner's World

Michael Collins leading the Irish Team during the 100K World Championships 2010 Opening Ceremony.

Establishing a new routine.

2011-01-09T19:57:00.000Z

Antarctica 09th January 2006.

Looking back over old photographs helps me get into the zone when planning ahead and some times I wish that I was still planning the races I've already done. It's unlikely that I'll ever return to these places because I believe that some experiences should be remembered and not repeated as the next time might not be the same. Having said that I still might repeat some of the races if the opportunity arises but I won't purposely try to make that happen as there's still so much to do.

My recent injury seems to have cleared up and the in the past week I've managed to run just over 150 Km with 12.5 hrs of training. This was made of of lunchtime Tempo runs coupled with evening Recovery runs and the occasional Steady run as my commute home from work. My weekend was as usual with a long run of just under 40K on Sunday.

I'll follow this same routine for the next two weeks to see if it fits around my life schedule without having to make too many sacrifices and then I'll try increase the volume by starting my weekend runs earlier and maybe adding in the occasional run before work. I'm guessing this will bring my training time close to 15-16 hrs and when that gets comfortable I'll start to run it faster which of course will increase the distance.

The best training plan is one that fits around your life rather than trying to fit your life around the training. When sacrifices need to be made the first thing I give up is sleep and that can be made easier by going to bed earlier.

2011

2011-01-04T22:51:00.000Z

After a quiet and easy December I'm back in action and trying to get back to where I left off. Having started back running just after Christmas I feel that the forced rest due to my broken ribs has allowed my legs have the time off they needed and during my recent come back runs I felt very strong but did notice my heart rate was higher than it would normally be for the same effort. I'll need to make the conscious effort to slow the pace down a bit and the easy way to do that without putting too much thought into it is to run with someone that little bit slower and let them control the pace.

My plan for next year is simple, learn from last year and improve.

A day's Rock Climbing to start the new year.

Ultrarunning Ireland Athletes of the Year 2010

2011-01-03T00:04:00.000Z

John O'Regan, Eddie Gallen & Martin McCann at the Spartathlon Awards Ceremony.

Eddie Gallen is UltraRunning Ireland's 2010 Male Athlete of the Year, Aisling Coppinger is Female Athlete of the Year while Michael Collins earns Performance of the Year.

Eddie Gallen ran in a record fourth consecutive World 24 Hour Championships in Brive, France in May and was the top Irish finisher with a PB of 223.898km, or 139.123 miles. In September he also became the first Irish finisher of the Spartathlon since 1998. The Spartathlon, run from Athens to Sparta, must be completed within 36 hours and strict cut-off times for reaching intermediate checkpoints are imposed. Furthermore, high temperatures in Greece make a difficult course all the more trying.

John Byrne, Michael Collins, Aisling Coppinger, John O'Regan at the 100K World Championships Gibraltar.

Aisling Coppinger finished fourth in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km in June and then claimed a top 30 European and top 40 World placing at the World & European Championships in Gibraltar in November, setting a PB of 9:09:19 at the event. In between, she won the Causeway Coast Ultra and the Motivate Challenge Duathlon.

Michael Collins earns Performance of the Year for leading the Irish team home at the World 100km Championships in November. In doing so, he also claimed a World bronze medal in the M45 category with a time of 7:52:08.

Outsider People of the Year 2010

2010-12-26T20:40:00.002Z

Here's a good finish to the year. I got mentioned in Outsider magazine's People of the Year list for 2010. Thanks Outsider..

Outsider people of the year – 2010
Words: Ross McDonagh

Every year we hear amazing stories about extraordinary exploits on the Irish adventure and outdoor scene. Some of them are tales that hit the mainstream or even international headlines while others are low-key affairs that receive little fanfare other than a few claps on the back down the local or from people’s families.

Likewise some are impressive because the feat of the protagonist is so far beyond our ability or reality. And others are stirring because they demonstrate such depth of human spirit. Either way, we’ve gathered a selection that most awed and inspired us.

Might we add that this is by no means an exhaustive list. Some people had their moment of glory just as we were going to print (surfers of Prowlers, you know who you are.) And no doubt we are unintentionally leaving people out that deserve a mention.

We’ve also noticed that there is a serious lack of women on this list. We know you’re out there doing amazing things, so please get in touch so we can learn more about your stories too.

Sean McGowan
On 4 May this year Sean McGowan became the first Irish person to row solo and unsupported across any ocean, covering the 5,000km Atlantic east to west in 118 days. In what has been widely recognised as the worst weather to hit any ocean row, Sean was up against it from the start.

On only his third day at sea his first storm arrived, and on the fifth day he was taken out of his tiny boat by a huge rogue wave, breaking oars and damaging his boat in the process. “I was scared, I knew that I was lucky to be alive but I was just thinking about was how to fix my boat and keep going.”

His luck didn’t change and in an epic struggle compounded by frequent water and food shortages he finally made land. “I could only think one hour ahead, if I thought anymore than that I would probably have given up.” He suffered from scurvy, strapped his hands to the oars to keep rowing, damaged tendons and his weight went from 84kg to 59kg after spending the last 38 days eating raw fish.

“Rowing isn’t a sport where you get recognition so to get nominated for this list, it’s humbling and means a lot. The best award for me is from like-minded people, people who go about their sports with little or no recognition but do it for the joy of the sport. When they recognise you then you know it’s sincere and it makes the award special.”

Fergal Smith
Anyone who knows anything about surfing knows you need more than a couple of lessons before you can take part in the Air Tahiti Nui Von Zipper trials. A third round finish for Fergal Smith against the world’s greatest confirms he is among them

“Well first I have to say that I am really shocked to be on such a list. When I started out surfing it was such a small pastime in this country I never would have imagined I would be included in anything like this, especially with most people telling me I should get a real job when I started out.

“I just know I’m infinitely grateful looking back over the path surfing has taken me since leaving school. I always knew surfing was going to be my life but didn’t have any idea where it was going to lead me.

“I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world surfing challenging waves, and this year I even managed to gain a scarce spot in the Air Tahiti/Von Zipper trials event at Teahupoo. It was great to be competing against the world’s best surfers in heavy waves, but to be honest my real passion lies at home on the westerly shores of Ireland.

“Our country has some incredible waves if you are willing to put in the time and energy into weathering the elements and seeking them out. The future is very exciting and I am looking to continue pushing Irish surfing as far as I can.”

Mark Pollock
Born an adventurer but blind from his early 20s, Mark has always endured the bittersweet prospect of reaching some of the world’s most awe-inspiring locations but never seeing them. It would be an achievement in itself just listing all Mark has already accomplished, which includes winning rowing medals at the Commonwealth Games, becoming the first blind person to reach the South Pole, and most recently sailing around Ireland. Now Mark may face his biggest challenge yet: regaining the ability to walk. A freak accident saw him sleepwalk out of a first floor window and fall 25 feet onto concrete; but it would take a fall ten times that height to even dent Mark’s spirit, will and optimism.

Simon Evans & Fearghal O’Nuallain
“The re-integration process is almost complete, after six months in one place I don’t have to resist the urge to pack up my bed every morning and having a fridge is no longer a novelty!”

Simon and Fearghal just cycled around the world, that’s all.

“Cycling 31,000km around the world means 18 months of sleeping rough, having a chiselled calves and calloused arse, taking eight hours of exercise a day, wearing the same clothes for two weeks straight, having the shits for a month straight, worrying about incline, gradient and road surfaces, eating like a horse, being able to eat a horse, not knowing the name of the town you’re in, forgetting the name of the person you’re spending the night with, cycling another 20km till lunch to save 50 cent, living out of a waterproof bag in a steel trailer, getting burnt in the Taklamkan desert, an ice beard in subzero central Asia, wheezing at 4,500m in the Andes, getting hit by a car in Uzbekistan, and knifed in Iran.”

And if you don’t believe that, check out the boys’ superb blog and photos on Revolutioncycle.ie

Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith has not only bodyboarded and surfed Ireland’s and the world’s best waves, he has the stunning photography to prove it. This year he made a short film called //Darkside of the Lens// in Co Clare, which went on to win Best Film at both the New York Surf Film Festival and the Canadian Surf Film festival. He dedicated the film to his sister Cherry who died this summer.

“It feels really strange being shortlisted for something like this as I don’t feel I deserve it at all. I’m just really lucky to be able to live and have lived the life I do. There’s no guarantees with it being able to continue; so it feels like every day out in the waves is a blessing for me and I want to do right by that and give it my all.

“This year has been really, really up and down. It’s pretty much been psychotic. Some massive highs, such as some of the most intense and rewarding winters in the Atlantic Ocean of our lives, and also the heaviest low I’ve ever had to deal with, losing my younger sister Cherry this summer.”

“My plan in the near future is to push my photography as far as I can go in the ocean, write music, keep making films that come from the heart, and to continue to do my sister’s memory proud.”

Cathal O’Brien
Breaking records is one thing, but setting them can only be done once. Cathal, along with Roger Harty, Paul Murphy, Derry Doyle and Paul Gosney, decided to become the first ever people to swim across the lakes of Killarney: a 13.2km stretch across open water. After a year of preparation, Cathal’s first task on the day – being the only swimmer of the group forgoing a wetsuit – was to acclimatise to the cold waters of the Upper Lake.

“Passage through the Long Range to the Muckross Lake meant negotiating areas of weeds and silt. Entry to the Muckross Lake was under the Old Weir Bridge with jagged rocks and shallow rapids.

“I swam past the observers at Dinis cottage, through warmer waters to Bricin Bridge and on to the largest of the three lakes. Lough Leane – the lake of learning – so called for the monastery on Innisfallen Island – is a daunting swim.” And when the wind started to pick up speed, it appropriately became a ‘learning experience’.”

The team reached Ross Castle in six hours, becoming the first ever people to do so. Despite his achievement, all Cathal talks about is the stunning scenery and wildlife he saw en route.

“It was an event in which comradeship, natural beauty and athletic achievement combined in an unforgettable life experience.”

Austin Campbell
Since many of us wouldn’t dream of going to the shop without the car, walking across an entire continent is tough to fathom – but that’s what Austin Campbell did last year. “I walked 4,500km from my home in Co Meath to Istanbul, Turkey, in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust, a charity which looks after Dublin’s homeless population.

“Walking to Istanbul was one big high. The feeling of being so small in such a big world, of being lost but not worried in a foreign place gave great peace. The feeling of having no mobile phone and no obligations was beautiful. Every day I had the acute high of being completely alive, and this was interspersed with meetings with many interesting strangers.

“I did what I set out to do so it feels good in terms of having ticked that box. But there is much more depth to walking than that. In particular there are the emotional ties you make with the people and places you come into contact with. It’s these memories and friendships which are the real achievement.”

John O’Regan
Just about everyone knows the story of how the marathon got its name when the Greek soldier Pheidippides ran 26 and a bit miles from the battlefield at Marathon to Athens to give the heads up. Not everyone knows that a few minutes earlier he had run 140 miles to Sparta to round up the troops. And while just about everyone has run a marathon, not everyone has ran a Spartathalon (246km).

For John O’Regan, it was just another week on the calendar. “Along with another Irish runner, we were the first Irish finishers since 1998 in a race that consistently has a dropout rate of 70 per cent.”

And this is just one of John’s achievements in recent times. Over the past few years he has run an ultra marathon or marathon on each of the seven continents and the North Pole, including most northern (North Pole), most southern (Antarctica), highest (Everest) and lowest (Dead Sea) races in the world.

Earlier this year he ran on the Irish team in the 24-hr World & European Championships covering a distance of 205km and in November he competed in Gibraltar on the Irish Team in the 100km World & European Championships and finished in 8 hours and 28 minutes.
72nd place. “I’m very happy with it as it was only five weeks after the 246km Spartathlon,” he stated.

Alan Collins
Imagine cycling the length of Ireland from Malin Head to Mizen Head. Now imagine you had no handlebars to keep your balance, no saddle to sit on, your wheels were shrunk to a fraction of their normal size and instead of pedalling, you had to scoot the whole way there. It’s called skateboarding.

“The morning I started the skate was probably one of the wettest days on record and with 860km ahead of me I was definitely feeling a little apprehensive. The whole skate took 11 days averaging approx 80km a day. Everything about it was surreal: the natural beauty of the route I took, the kindness of the people along the way, the constant change in weather from thunderstorms and wind to rain and sun, the dodgy slippery down hills, the endless flat and bumpy roads and of course the long up hills…

“Physically it was certainly a challenge but one I had prepared for it by skating into work (30km return) throughout the previous six months and finding any bit of water (lake, sea, river) I could to relax in after my day’s skate. The weather made it even more demanding than I had planned with wet roads every day making it extremely slippery and making my bearings (in my wheels, not my head) seize up. My right leg and foot (pushing leg) tended to seize up and swell towards the end of the day’s skate and morning times were always a struggle to actually move the body.

“Crossing the finish line at Malin Head felt a little overwhelming having planned for it over the previous year and having my friends, family and charity waiting. Obviously completing the skate was a high but the fact that I raised just under €14,000 for my chosen charity – Muscular Dystrophy Ireland – made it even more worthwhile.”

And as for next year? “I love challenges and tend to try do something every year but next year will be a little different as my wife is pregnant with our first child, probably the biggest challenge yet huh?”

Ricky Adam
You know what the kids on the interweb say: photos or it didn’t happen. If it weren’t for the likes of photographer Ricky Adam, we wouldn’t know – or probably believe – people actually pull off the crazy shit that appears in this magazine.
The Co Down man was one of the 50 finalists out of almost 5,000 photographers who submitted 22,764 images to the Red Bull Illume, the biggest sports and action photography contest in the world.

“Taking pictures is something that I need to do, it’s like breathing. If I stopped breathing I’d be dead, if I stopped taking pictures I’d feel dead inside.

“I have always been passionate about photographing things that I have a burning interest in: punk, BMX, youth culture, social documentary etc. It must come from within, otherwise what’s the point?

“Ultimately I want to motivate and inspire people to go out and do positive stuff like pick up a bike and blast off a jump, lift a drumstick, sing in a band or even pick up a camera.

“Follow your heart and believe in what you do. Let’s keep the energy going. It’s all about what’s happening today, now.”

Nicolas Roche
You may not have heard of this guy, but he did quite well in some bike races this year, and even finished 15th in a big one in France.

“I am of course happy about how things went. I can’t say it’s a surprise as I’ve worked hard to arrive where I am, but it’s fair to say that I am relieved that I was able to compete at this level as it’s where I’ve always wished I could be. I am very satisfied, but only one regret: I did not win. And at the end of the day winning is also very import, and such a great thrill when occurs.

“Next year, I hope I can progress another bit. I have had a good 2010, and will not be challenging to do as well, but I really hope I can fight my place into the top 10 of the Tour de France.

“I am proud to represent Ireland, around the world and throughout my performance, I try to make myself an ambassador of Irish sport, and a representative of Irish wherever I am.

“It is a great honour and recognition to be part of this list.”

Dan Martin
When your little brother is one of Ireland’s best up-and-coming cyclists, your older cousin is currently the country’s most famous one and your uncle is, well, Stephen Roche, it’s difficult to stand out in one of the nation’s highest-achieving sporting families. But difficult is what Dan Martin eats for breakfast.

“2010 was the year that many people say I have stepped up a level. But really it was the final three months of the season where I won four prestigious races that made everybody forget the stuttering beginning to my year!

“The highlight was the overall win at the tour of Poland, becoming not only the first Irish winner of the race in its 67-year history but also the first Irish cyclist to win a pro tour competition. It has also given me confidence to go into races believing I can win, something I hope to carry into next season.

“I finished the season with a win in front of 200,000 fanatical Japanese supporters and now this nomination comes as a total surprise. To hear my name included among the people on this list is an honour. I ride a bike for fun, and I really hope we can inspire kids to get on bikes and enjoy same sensations of freedom I do.”

Martin Codyre
“Quite possibly the toughest thing I’ve ever done may have, to the casual observer, looked like I was just sitting there watching the world go by. We had just completed the first 250m of Witches hill in the Swiss Ironman 70.3 and the gradient was approaching 15 per cent. Paul [Blount]and Brian [Codyre] were really dying, working harder than they ever had: they were in hell because they were towing me, a quadriplegic, up the hill; I was in hell because I couldn’t physically help, because I can’t help.

“Although I couldn’t physically get myself around the Ironman course it would not have happened without my belief that we could do it and my trust in my friends.

“Completing the Ironman, to me, represents a line in the sand, a milestone, a testament to what is possible with teamwork and belief. I’m still working on what’s next. I want others with major challenges in their lives to look at what we’ve done and think about how they can participate in events like this or others to look at how they can help people to overcome those challenges.
“Things are only considered impossible till someone’s done it once. I hope that we’ve encouraged people to look towards the next seemingly impossible challenge. A cure for paralysis was once considered impossible, it’s now considered inevitable and I am excited to continue to work towards making this a reality within my lifetime.”

David O’Caoimh
Forget the medal he won at the Europe and Africa wakeboarding championships – the biggest achievement in David O’Caoimh’s career? Making this list, apparently.

“Wakeboarding is a minority sport but now to know that there are people out there who respect the sport to such a level is fantastic, not just for me but also for the sport’s future. Words can’t express how good this makes me feel.

“The European Championships were unreal. They were held in Sweden and everyone was really friendly and so excited to be involved in such a big event. We were out there for a week trying to get as much practice as possible before the three-day Championships began.

“During the event everyone behaved like true sportsmen, helping one another out and wishing each other good luck. Then, as it is a team as well as an individual event, all the teams came down to the side of the lake to cheer on their riders (the Irish were by far the loudest!) which created a really good atmosphere for all the spectators too.

“To win the silver medal was surreal! It is the first time that I have made the podium in any European Championships and I am so delighted.”

Gerard McDonnell
Ger McDonnell holds the sad honour of being the only person on this list who can never add to his list of achievements. That list is long and prestigious – including summitting Everest and becoming the first ever Irish person to summit K2 – but it is for his final noble feat that he will be forever remembered, laying down his life in an attempt to rescue injured climbers he didn’t even know.

The same mountain that attracted Ger took his life, along with the lives of 10 others in K2’s worst-ever mountaineering accident in August 2008.

This year, Ger was posthumously awarded an International Alpine Solidarity Award for his selfless sacrifice. This is how the award awarding committee summed him up: “McDonnell was the finest of mountaineers: he was someone who chose to take his outstanding generosity abroad, someone who took part in many rescue efforts, and someone who was capable of abandoning his own plans, such as conquering the world’s most difficult peaks, to assist climbers in difficulty.”

Ger left an uncrossable crevasse in the face of Irish mountaineering when he left us, and he will be forever sorely missed. RIP.

Steve Redmond & Anne Marie Ward
Steve and Anne Marie completed the same feat this year: swimming across the North Channel from Scotland to Belfast, something only 11 people have now ever done.

Steve became only the second person in history to pull it off on his first try – a monumental achievement. Anne Marie, on the other hand, was on her fourth attempt. She had been frustrated three times before, making you wonder how she wasn’t dragged to the bottom by a will and determination clearly made of solid iron.

“The swim was a very strange day,’ Steve recalls. “Training and waiting for two years, praying for good weather, and then finally getting into the water at 5.50am and realising it all boils down to the next 20 hours – or how ever long it takes.

“It becomes all consuming and all you think about is how it will feel when you eventually touch the other side, how it will smell, taste and look. That is if I do not get injured or the cold or the bloody jellyfish stings don’t lock up my arms. You try to forget about what you cannot control and just try and swim with as little effort as possible and look forward to the next feed. You block everything out and relax and go into your own head and keep telling yourself you can do it, all the time realizing that the legions of woe are never far behind

“You keep thinking you are swimming downhill now. There is an imaginary umbilical between the swimmer and the boat and you realise you cannot stop because they have put so much work into the feed, stroke counting and keeping you going, that it is their swim as much as yours.

“Swimming in the dark brings on new problems. You cannot avoid the jellyfish and the continuous stinging. You have light sticks on so the boat can see the swimmer, but you can’t see the shore, only the occasional light, so it feels that you are not making any progress. So you just keep swimming.

“When you finally hit a bit of seaweed you think you are imagining it and when you find you can actually stand up and touch the land – SHOCK.

“The swim means that I was bloody lucky and that I did enough training (you never think you’ve done enough).

“It was a huge relief to get it done – and I never want to see the North Channel again.

“I only swam, that’s easy. I did the swim in memory of a friend of mine that died from cancer last year. There are people facing this illness every day who are far stronger and braver then I am.

As for Ann Marie Ward, she recalls, “At 8.30am on Wednesday September 1 2010 I touched the rocks at the Gobbins, north of Belfast Lough and began my fourth attempt to swim the notorious North Channel.

“Four weeks previously my joints seized up after swimming through beds of jellyfish for five dark hours. The toxins poisoned my system and, unable to move, I was taken from the water. In 2008 I had swum for 17.5 hours but was beaten by tides and weather off the Scottish coast. In 2009, the weather changed and the swim was abandoned at midnight after only two hours.

“With the mounting hours and still haunted by the memories of previous attempts I was battling with all my might. Midnight came and went and all I had to hold on to was my mantra: ‘The boys will bring me home, the boys will bring me home.’ Repeating this mantra over and over again in my mind to dull out the pain, I was determined now more than ever in my life.

“My crews had worked to the minute detail, knowing when to push me with changing tides and weather. The last few hours were extremely tough but after 18 hours, 59 minutes and 26 seconds I touched Scotland at 3.30am on Thursday September 2.
“Being the first Irish woman and 11th person in history to swim the North Channel is a huge honour but for me after swimming 43.5 hours in the North Channel, over four attempts, it was the sense of winning my personal battle with this confusing channel that surpassed all.

“My fantastic 10-person team worked tirelessly to get me across. Their job is huge, transporting boats, equipment, their safety, my safety, years of planning for this and previous swims. All I had to do was swim.”

Tim Galvin
As greedy as mountaineers come – one just wasn’t enough for Tim Galvin. There had to be four, they had to be the highest in each of Ireland’s provinces…and he wasn’t prepared to waste more than one day doing it.

In September Tim set a new record for the Irish 4 Peaks Challenge, finishing in 18 hours and 30 minutes – and two-thirds of that he spent driving between them.

“We were aware it had been tried a lot of times to break the 24 hours and it hadn’t been done, so that was my goal.

“I trained all year for it; on each mountain in every weather condition,” he said. “And Carrauntoohil is my back garden so I knew my times there well.”

Starting at midnight on Slieve Donard, Tim had a little help from the gods as they kept conditions there – as well as on Wicklow’s Lugnaquilla, Mayo’s Mweelrea and Kerry’s Carrantuohill – perfect

“I did this for Our lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin and raised €50,000 to date. Looking back it was a lot hard training but it paid off. It was great doing it but it’s kids in Crumlin who face the real challenge; they climb mountains everyday.”

Tim is already training for his next challenge: breaking the record set by Robin Bryson in 1999, who ran and biked up and down – and between – every 3,000ft+ mountain in Ireland….in 23 hours and 19 minutes. Watch this space!

Dieter Gogsch
Dieter Gogsch was told he’d never walk again after an accident. This year he completed the swimming section of Killarney Triathlon, handing his crutches to a kayaker.

“The triathlon was a very enjoyable experience. It was something I always longed to do but never got round to doing one. When this opportunity arose with having a triathlon right outside my doorstep and it being the first ever Killarney outdoor triathlon I just couldn’t resist.

“The feeling you get from swimming out in the open lake is just amazing. I only recently took up open water swimming but am definitely hooked on it now. The whole experience of participating in this event was just so memorable and achieving and reaching the end was just fantastic. I was particularly delighted with my time for the swim, especially given that there was a strong enough breeze on the lake.

“I am personally astounded and overwhelmed at even being considered for this, it is a privilege.”

Just like the Yukon

2010-12-21T22:08:00.000Z

Race Kit

It's two weeks since my injury and according to my doctor I should be able to run after two weeks but no contact sports for six to eight weeks so I'm back in action.

The snow has returned and falling heavier than before so rather than have a definite plan I decide to go out and just do what I can staying close to home and running a loop that allowed an escape route if needs be and I could repeat the loop as often as required.

Mile 50 on the Dawson Trail.

The snow was deeper than I thought and took bit more of an effort than expected but when I got going it was just amazing. Rather than risk a fall I went to a local park and without thinking about where I was going I just ran and let the terrain and visibility decide my route. Within 20 minutes my mind was wandering and I was back in the Yukon.

When running in cold weather my technique varies slightly and rather than run slowly to gradually warm up I would run faster than usual to warm up and then I slow into my pace. I dress in layers but would always be slightly cold when starting off and as soon as I feel myself starting to heat up I take off my gloves or hat while slowing into my pace and when I'm in the zone I put them back on. If I need to take my hat off I'm going too fast!!

In warm weather you ration your water and in cold weather you ration your sweat.

I ran for just under an hour and stopped because I decided to rather than needed to as I think it's important when returning from an injury that you take a step back before going forward and don't try pick up where you left off. I had done one or two short runs over the last few days before starting back today just to check my recovery and during these runs I avoided hills and made the effort not to over work my lungs by running at a very easy pace and for a very short time.

The year in review 2010.

2010-12-19T21:04:00.002Z

Spartathlon Awards Ceremony with Team Mate Eddie Gallen.

Having finished off 2009 with a 220K run in my first 24-hr race I got a phone call from Ultra Running Ireland at the start of 2010 to say I'd been selected to run on the Irish Team in the 24-hr World Championships and that was the start of a great year. I went on to run on the Irish Team 3 times and that included 2 World Championships.

Total Distance = 5100K (3170 Miles)

Rest Days = 81 with most spent traveling to or from races.

Races = 6 which included.

Ballybunion 10K
Virgin London Marathon: Pacer.
IAU 24-hr World & European Championships.
Anglo Celtic Plate 100K. Boddington, England.
Spartathlon.
IAU 100K World & European Championships. Gibraltar.

Longest Training Run= 100K

Longest Single Run= 246K

Longest Race= Spartathlon 246K
Proudest Moment = Wearing the Irish Vest for the first time although I felt just as proud when wearing it again.

Memorable Moments= Too many to list.

Other stuff going on in the background included the filming of a feature length documentary which has been going on for a year now and is almost finished. I can't give out the name yet but I'm told there'll be a trailer available towards the end of January which I can post. The documentary uses the Spartathlon as the backdrop to the story of an Ultra Runner and thats all I can say at the moment.

Film Crew at the Tomb of Marathon.

Film Crew & Runners, Laragh Co.Wicklow.

Without doubt this was my busiest and best year since I've started running and I've ran longer, further and faster than ever before. I still feel that I can and will improve but if that wasn't to happen I'd still be happy having had this year.

Footage from the 24-hr World Championships 2010 in Brive.

My thanks to:

My family for their continued support.
The Great Outdoors for their continued support and having faith in me from the beginning.
Salomon Running.
Ultra Running Ireland and my Team Mates.
All my friends at LeCheile A.C (especially Jarlath & Tony for race support)
All the lads in the Shinden Fudo Dojo.
John Belton my Strength & Conditioning Coach

Forced Rest

2010-12-11T16:20:00.005Z

(very) Cross Training.

As you will see from the above photo I also train in Martial Arts although not as often as I would like to and last Tuesday during a MA session I broke 2 ribs and that has ended my training for this year with what I call forced rest. It's unlikely that I'll be doing anything between now and Christmas so this is probably the time to review the year and think about my plans for next year.

I've had very little time off during 2010 having almost gone from race to race with very little rest and since coming back from my most recent race in Gibraltar I was more or less straight back into training and thinking about the next race. Rather than worry about my ribs I look at this injury as a guilt free reason to do nothing and by finding the positive in a sometimes negative situation you stay mentally strong. Maybe guilt free is the wrong term to use for taking a break but for me I always like to do what I can do and if I feel up to training I train as you never know what the next day might bring. My theory is rest days will happen rather than needing to plan them and I'm really glad I made the effort to run last Monday in the snow.

Lost in the woods.

Cold Weather Running.

2010-11-28T20:44:00.002Z

The snow is back but the training continues and this morning while running less than 10K from my house I began thinking about some my cold weather races and how I had traveled almost halfway around the world for the experience. Today all it had cost me was a lie in and it's a long time since I've had such an enjoyable run. The snow had turned a familiar route into something new and I could have been anywhere in the world.
The secret to running in cold weather is dressing in layers and you need to be comfortably warm when inactive (standing around) and comfortably cold when active. The pace you intend running and the air temperature will determine what you wear and you want to run fast enough that you generate enough heat to keep warm but not too much heat that you sweat. The problem with sweating is that when you slow down the sweat which is trapped in your clothing / hat will get very cold and maybe freeze which will in turn conduct heat away from your body over 100 times faster than if dry!!
I always wear a hat and gloves in cold weather as as soon as I feel my body temperature rising I take off the hat which helps release heat similar to the effect of taking the top off a flask. I then put it on or take it off as required. A long sleeve turtle neck top with a zip front will also serve a similar purpose and prevent too many stops when trying to regulate your body temperature.
Dress to live the part not look the part.

North Pole 2004

Yukon 2005

Antarctica 2006

Everest Base Camp 2007

Maynooth, Co.Kildare 2010

Perth to stage 2011 Anglo Celtic Plate.

2010-11-26T17:06:00.002Z

The Anglo Celtic Plate (home countries) 100km will take place in Perth, Scotland on 27th March 2011. The competition will also incorporate ;the Irish 100km Championships.

FROM SCOTTISH PRESS RELEASE.....
Perth, the venue for the successful ultra festival in September, has been chosen to stage the 2011 UKA 100 KILOMETRE road race championships.

Sunday 27th March is when some of the top ultra runners from the UK and Ireland will converge on Perth as the event also incorporates the annual Anglo Celtic Plate home countries international and the Scottish 100km championships.

Despite this array of talent, the event is also an open event and alongside the longer race a 50km event will be staged which also incorporates the Scottish championships.

U K athletics ultra-distance representative Norman Wilson commented, Perth has proved itself as a popular venue and a well-organised successful event, and I know they will put on a good show. It is fitting that in the month that Scotlands Ellie Greenwood won the world 100km title that Perth is announced as the venue for the National championship.

Adrian Stott of the small but enthusiastic Sri Chinmoy Athletic club who has been competing in and organising ultra events for over 25 years, and is helping to co-ordinate the race with the Scottish Athletics event team said The numbers competing in ultra events in Scotland and throughout the UK continue to grow. As well as some very talented athletes who are competing at national and international level, there are a growing band of runners who realise that running beyond the standard Marathon is totally achievable and enjoyable. We look forward to many of them challenging themselves over either the classic internationally recognised distance of 100km or the shorter but still challenging 50km.

Entries will be available and going live soon.
For any further information check Ultra Running Ireland.

Injury Prevention

2010-11-23T20:15:00.002Z