World Class Irish Team Result

John Byrne at the 2012 World 100km Championships in Seregno, Italy

The Irish men's team finished a magnificent 6th in the World 100km Championships in Seregno, Italy on 22nd April 2012.

In perhaps the most competitive championships to date, the UltraRunning Ireland athletes also set a new Irish team record in the process.

Team captain, Dan Doherty, was the leading finisher among the Irish when posting new personal best time of 7:07:26 hrs for a top 25 placing.

John Byrne and Keith Whyte were close behind, registering times of 7:16:27 and 7:25:56, respectively.

The cumulative times of the top three finishers establish team rankings and the new Irish team record of 21:49:48 hrs ensured 6th position overall. It was the highest global placing by any Irish athletics team in many years.

The winning team was Italy, with the USA finishing second and France third.

Michael Collins posted a very competitive 7:43:14 hrs to finish in the top 5 in the men's 45 category, but John O'Regan, Thomas Maguire and Jim McCormick encountered various problems and injuries during the race.

In the women's race, Ireland's sole competitor was Helen Lavin and she ran strongly to finish in a time of 8:54:38 hrs.

It was a remarkable weeked for the Irish delegation as UltraRuning Ireland chairman Richard Donovan was also elected to be Director of the International Association of Ultra Runners, the world governing body for the sport.

In the past few years, UltraRunning Ireland has achieved the highest standards on the international stage, including continental medals, top global placings and numerous new Irish records. An Order of Merit was also awarded to Richard and Paul Donovan for the staging of the IAU Trail World Championships in Connemara last year, which was broadcast globally to 200 million households.

However, Athletics Ireland's CEO John Foley will now take responsibility for all aspects of the sport of ultra running in Ireland, including the funding of teams for international compeitition.

Strong Irish Team for World 100k, 2012.

Pictured: Dan Doherty, Irish 100km Team Captain

Ireland will send a very strong team to the European & World 100km Championships in Italy on 22nd April.

The men's team will be captained by Daniel Doherty, who finished 14th in the 2011 World Championships.

Doherty, along with Irish 50km Champion John Byrne and Irish 100km record holder Thomas Maguire make up a trio of Irish runners with sub-7:10hr PBs.

The team, which also includes Keith Whyte (sub 7:30hrs), Michael Collins (World veteran bronze medallist) and John O'Regan (Irish 24-Hour Champion) will be among the favourites to medal in Europe. The cumulative time of the top three finishers for each nation decides the outccome of the team competiion.

In addition to the team, Jim McCormick will represent Ireland as an individual and should be among the top contenders in the vets competition (which is run concurrently).

In the women's race, Ireland will be represented by Helen Lavin, who has recently posted some very good ultra performances in the USA.

IRISH MEN'S TEAM
John Byrne
Michael Collins
Daniel Doherty
Thomas Maguire
John O'Regan
Keith Whyte
Jim McCormick*

IRISH WOMEN'S TEAM
Helen Lavin*

*Individuals

Anglo Celtic Plate 2011. My Race.

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.

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

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.

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.

Just Training

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.

Perth to stage 2011 Anglo Celtic Plate.

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.

Recovery, Recovery, Recovery.

Cold water immersion

Finishing the race in Gibraltar I wasted no time rehydrating and over the course of an hour I drank close to 1L of a carbohydrate / electrolyte drink and continued drinking for the rest of the day*.

Aisling & Cian preparing an ice bath after the ACP 2009

Without wasting too much time I took the bus back to the ship with Tony and went straight  to the swimming pool on the upper deck as was the plan and sat with my legs in the water for 30 minutes during which time I drank a Powerbar recovery drink.  I had tried the bath water in my cabin but I didn't think it was cold enough for my needs.


The cold water immersion was followed by a shower and for the rest of the day and the following day while traveling I wore my Skins recovery tights.

There's a lot of talk about the pros and cons of ice baths to aid recovery but I have used this routine for years and would regularly take a cold bath during the winter which is usually cold enough or during the summer I'd buy a few bags of ice from the supermarket on the way home from a long run.  My recovery routine is planned well in advance and it's almost second nature at this stage.  If I drive to a run location I'll have my recovery drink in the car for when I finish and will phone home so the bath is ready or if starting from home I'll prepare my recovery meal while the bath is filling.

Waking the following day I was moving quite freely although there was no denying I had run 100K the day before but apart from some slight muscle soreness I don't think I was showing any obvious signs of the distance.  I was back to work on Tuesday and having recently got a pair of the new Skins A400 running tights I decided to try them for a short run on Wednesday and it was like having a new pair of legs.
 
*Includes reasonable amount of alcohol and went to bed before bar closed.

100K World & European Championships. The Race.

The Team
(John Byrne, Michael Collins, Aisling Coppinger & John O'Regan)

I wasn’t expecting to be running this race but found it hard to refuse when given the opportunity.  Being so soon after the Spartathlon I knew it was going to be tough both mentally and physically but having done the Anglo Celtic Plate shortly after the 24-hr World Championship earlier this year I knew it was in me and I just needed to approach with caution.  I looked back over my training diary for the weeks leading up to the ACP and followed the same plan but corrected the mistakes.  This meant forgetting about speed work and instead focus on maintaining my endurance with long slow runs and include 1-2 Tempo runs to keep the legs loose.

Yet again Tony was traveling with the Team but this time his role was as Team Manager but luckily enough he would also be able to crew for me during the race.  We met with Aisling Coppinger & Rob Cummins at Dublin Airport both of whom I know quite well and for the first time I met John Byrne & Sarah Syron from Mayo A.C and a new addition to the Team.  John Byrne was the first Irish person home in the recent World 50K held in Galway during the Galway City Marathon and this was his first time running 100K.

We flew to Malaga and Tony drove us by mini bus to Gibraltar via the Costa Del Sol and it seemed wrong to be traveling through the seaside resorts without stopping but then again we weren’t here for a sun tan.  Less than 2 hours later we arrive into Gibraltar and after passing through customs we head for the docks and the cruise liner that’s serving as the Athletes Village for the weekend.  Driving through Gibraltar we see the obvious signs that there’s a race in town as we pass small groups out running in their national colours and on the approach to the ship we meet Michael Collins for the first time.  Michael has represented Ireland on a few occasions at 100K and this time he’s our Team Captain and he’s running with a new Team.  Almost straight away it was down to business with race registration and we were given a schedule for the weekend which included details of the opening and closing ceremony which meant we weren’t going to have much free time.  The food was fantastic but that’s not a good thing in advance of a race and it was hard work staying disciplined at meal times...In between meals and meetings on Saturday I went for an easy run with John Byrne and that was the extent of my sight seeing.

I didn’t sleep too well on the night before the race even though I’d ran this distance so many times before. Strangely enough I don’t think I was worrying about the race and woke up ahead of my alarm at 4:30 am feeling well rested and looking forward to breakfast, I had packed my own but this time it wasn't needed.

My race kit was prepared the night before and all my food and other items were packed in advance to ensure a hassle free start to the day.  Shortly after 6 am we leave the ship in darkness and make our way towards the start line and it’s pleasantly warm outside.  Although it’s nice waiting around without freezing I know it will only get warmer and this gives me an indication of how warm it’s going to get.  I was expecting to wear a hat and gloves for the first part of the race but they weren’t necessary.

Almost time.

Usually I try visualise the race before I arrive so I know what kind of terrain and gradient to expect. I also like to break the race into manageable segments and plan what I am going to achieve in each segment of the race and I don't think of the finish line until its well within reach. Based on the detailed course description I came up with the following:

My plan was simple, run the first 10K on what I had for breakfast and then start to refuel as I passed the support crew at the start of the 5k loop and continue in that fashion for the next 18 laps.  Passing the support crew for the first time I picked up a Powerbar fuel belt with 2 small bottles of a carb drink which I drank while completing the 5k loop.  Next time round I dropped the bottles and collected 2 more and for the third lap I took 2 small bottles of Nuun with a gel and this was repeated for the duration of the race.  To pace myself I ran according to my heart rate and pre planned to keep my heart rate between 135-145 bpm.  

This gave a lap split of 24 minutes plus a few seconds which remained fairly consistent for the first half of the race.  I went through the Marathon distance quite comfortably in 3hrs16 and covered 50K in around 3hrs55 but shortly after halfway my heart rate began to climb and I cautiously started to ease back as there was still a long way to go.  It then dawned on me that I'd hardly stopped for a toilet break and decided to take a chance and stop for a moment and it was then I realised that I was becoming dehydrated.  With over 4-hrs of running still ahead I knew I'd need to start increasing my fluid intake so I began to drink water and powerade whenever I passed an aid station supplementing my own supplies.  My heart rate soon returned to normal but my lap times slowed by 3 minutes which meant I was still mildly dehydrated.  I ran a few more laps and the times were again fairly consistent even though they were slower but I knew from experience that I was still running comfortably enough to finish.  In my mind I always break the race into manageable chunks and for this 18 lap 100K I worked towards the Marathon distance then halfway in total distance at 50K and halfway in effort at 12 laps.  Having completed the 12 laps I try relax for the next 2-3 laps and do my best to ignore and not think about them.  I ask Tony for a lap count and he tells me I've 4 left including the one I'm running.  It doesn't sound right so I get him to double check and next time we meet he confirms what he had said said but now I've only 3 laps to go.  With just over 15K to go I try to increase the pace but soon develop a severe pain in my stomach which I'm guessing was caused by an anti-inflammatory I had taken earlier.  I was forced to slow down and tried leaning my upper body into all different positions to ease the pain and prevent me from stopping.  It eventually passed and I crossed the line in 8hrs28.10.  The support crew did an excellent job and I seldom had to stop and if I did it was for less than 10 seconds.

My finish time is less than world class but having come to this race so soon after the Spartathlon I’m delighted with the result and for me it’s a great end to the year.  I knocked almost 10 minutes off my previous best for this distance and finished with a hunger to go back and do it again.  I learnt a lot during this race and look forward to improving on it next year.


During the race I wore Saucony Fastwitch running shoes and Teko socks.  Thanks to Neil in Great Outdoors for the Saucony recommendation.

100K World & European Championships. The Plan.

MV Princess Danae / The Athlete's Village

I'm expecting this race to be quite tough as the transition from The Spartathlon to now was too short to incorporate some necessary speedwork into my training plan. Experience gained from previous races have taught me that sometimes it's best to approach the start line slightly under trained or under prepared rather than carrying an injury or feeling ill. I did however include short Tempo runs of 10K or less which were run a decent pace and I've worked on maintaining my endurance with regular and consistent runs of 20-30K.

The course invokes a 5K run into a 5K loop to be completed19 times. My plan is to run slightly faster than 5min per K or less than 145bpm (heart rate) which will have me completing each lap in 24-25 mins. Running a consistent pace serves a few purposes including the support crew knowing when to expect me and being able to plan the food and fluid intake. Based on this pace I will be completing 10K in under 50 mins. As always, the bulk of my nutrition will be Powerbar products as this allows me to simply track my carbohydrate intake. The food plan we have devised is quite simple goes a little something like this:

Loop 1: Powerbar energize * 200ml
Loop 2: Powerbar energize * 200ml
Loop 3: Powerbar gel + 200ml Nuun electrolyte.
And repeat.

I will also have Fig Rolls and Powerbar bars available as well as an extra 500ml bottle of Nuun made up just in case I need extra fluids. Nuun just contains electrolytes and it's a better drink than water during a race as it replaces the electrolytes lost during exercise and prevents cramping. Powerade will be available from the race organisers and i'll probably take that every so often for a change of taste. Having a variety of flavours available can make the fuelling a lot easier and even a different flavour of the same product will do the trick.

100K World & European Championships

Reaching the finish line in Sparta Jarlath asked how I was feeling and I honestly felt like I still had a few kilometres left in me. My movement after the race was quite effortless and rather than head to my hotel I stayed at the finish line for a while to watch the other competitors finish.
I'm thinking that this was because of my overly cautious pacing out of respect for the race and the distance. In hindsight I know I could have gone faster but I still wouldn't have because my objective was to finish and not become one of the 70% by over cooking.


I had planned on taking a week or two of total rest before gradually starting back training and would then slot back into a regular routine with my club mates that would soon be recovering from the Dublin Marathon.

Less than a week after returning home I received a call from Ultra Running Ireland and was offered a place on the Irish Team for the 100K World & European Championships in Gibraltar.

Having raced the Anglo Celtic Plate (100K) a month after returning from Brive I know the endurance should be there but what I am lacking is leg speed. When training for the ACP I concentrated on running 800M reps similar to my regular Marathon routine but cramming the speed work caused some biomechanical problems and unplanned rest days. This time round my transition will be slightly different but follow the same principles while making best use of available time. One week of rest followed by a week of easy running to include double days as a time economical way of increasing distance. A peak week to include a few Tempo runs of 10K and a few longer runs of up to 30K at my planned race pace. This leaves me with two weeks to Taper and that will include a Sports Massage ten days before the race.

Recover, Peak, Taper, 100K.

Irish Team named for the World & European Championships in Gibraltar.

Award-winning novelist Michael Collins will captain the Irish men's team for the European and World 100km Championships in Gibraltar on 7th November 2010.

Completing the team will be John Byrne, Mayo AC, who ran 3:19 at the World 50km Final in Galway on 29th August, and John O'Regan, an Irish international 24 hour runner. Byrne is making his debut at 100km but is a very stong athlete with huge potential over the longer distances.

Collins was part of the Irish team that finished 5th at the European Championships in 2007. But his team mates on that occasion, Irish record holder Thomas Maguire (7:05:06) and two-time national champion Martin Rea (7:21:42), are not targetting this year's event. Also absent is newcomer Chris O'Neill, who has been forced to withdraw through injury, while Eoin Keith (7:45:12) has only just overcome injury concerns and will not take part.

However, Collins, who has a PB of 7:37:57 for the distance, will be among the favourites to lift the world masters title which will be run concurrently. In 2006, he won the Sahara Half-Marathon, beating former two-time world marathon champion Abel Anton in the process and then went on to win the North Pole Marathon. A former US scolarship recipient for athletics, he holds a PhD in English and is a highly respected and successful international novelist.  His books have been translated into many languages with 'The Keepers of Truth' being shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2000.

In the women's competition, the reigning European bronze medallist from Ireland, Helena Crossan, has also been forced to withdraw through injury. It is an extremely unfortunate turn of events for the Donegal woman as Crossan was running extremely well - recently running 3 hours in a marathon race used merely a training run at the end of a 130 mile week. She was certain to be a world title contender in this year's championships. In her absence, Aisling Coppinger will be the sole contestant from Ireland in the women's race. Aisling was European (W35) mountain running champion in 2008 and is getting stronger in each of her successive ultra events.

UltraRunning Ireland support personnel will include Helena Crossan, who is sure to provide lots of inspiration through her presence, as well as Tony Brennan, John Collins and Rob Cummins.