24 hour World Championships Team Ireland Announced for 2015.

Eoin Keith, Eddie Gallen, John O'Regan.

The 24-hour World Championships  for 2015 will take place in Turin, Italy on April 11th and 12th.  The Irish team selected for this event will include participants in both male and female races.

Women's Team

Ruthann Sheahan announced herself on the global scene with a battling performance in 2012 when her 229km achieved 7th place in the World Champs and 5th place in Europe.  She backed up that form last year when winning the Irish title in a very impressive 225km.  Ruthann will seek to be very competitive in Turin.

Susan McCartney will be making her international debut over 24 hours in Turin.  She has shown impressive form in the build up to these championships and will seek to underpin these performances at the highest level.

Men's Team

Eddie Gallen (Captain) based in Madrid is probably the most experienced member of the team. Eddie performed well in last year’s national championship with a new track PB of 227km and will be seeking to reach that level again.

John O’Regan is a three time Irish 24 Hour champion who recorded a strong performance in this year’s Irish 24 Hour race.  He is an experienced international competitor and will hope to better his 33rd place in the 2012 World Champs.

Eoin Keith will seek to build on his strong performance last year when he recorded 234km to earn 25th place in the World and top 15 in the European champs.  Eoin underlined his form later in the year when he established a new 24 Hour track record of 244km in winning the Irish Championships.

  

Support Crew:

John Collins (Team Manager)

Kevin Belton (Support & Physical Therapist)

Gary Mc Conville (Support & Physical Therapist)

Athletics Ireland.

Defining Moment Trailer

Extreme - Athena Media's new TV documentary

Extreme is the story of people who go the edge, who want to know what their limits are and keep pushing them. Meet ultra swimmer Fergal Somerville, who has swam the north channel, ultra runner John O'Regan who runs 240km without thinking too much of it, base jumper Conor Heelan who literally jumps off tall buildings, Ricky Bell rock climber extradordinaire, big wave surfer Easkey Britton, thundercat pilot Aileen Mann and adventure racer Heather Irvine. They are the participants in our new TV documentary presented by Kipper Maguire, himself a champion kayaker, and heading to air in Spring 2015 on Setanta Sports Ireland. Made with the funding support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and the TV licence fee.
Preview

Records Tumble at 24-Hour Irish Champs Monday, July 22nd, 2013

Monday, July 22nd, 2013

By any measure of endurance it was extraordinary at the Mary Peters’ track in Belfast at the week-end as the records tumbled.

There were two national records and 5 new track records in the 24-hour race where no fewer than 22 runners topped the 100 miles mark.And, there were also records in the 24-hour relay and the 12-hour race.

The 24-hour was won by Cork man Eoin Keith,44 ,who set new figures of 152 miles(245kms).This broke his own Irish record set in London in 2008 by some 4 miles.Keith had gone through the 100 mile mark in 1 5hrs and 26mins breaking that record in the process.

Right behind him Ruthann Sheahan,38, was scattering records before her like confetti. Sheahan, from Leap Village in west Cork , in finishing second overall, did not so much beat the Irish record as demolish it.

She went past the best mark of 113 miles after just 18 hours and 48 mins and, despite the soaring temperatures, went on to record a distance of 140 miles(225kms) which will surely stand in the record books for a long,long time.

In a race started by Dame Mary Peters,it was the first national records to be registered on the reopened track indicating that even for the ultra runners - this is a venue designed for pushing the bar ever higher!

Behind Keith and Sheahan, two-time champion John O’Regan,44 from Leixlip in Kildare put up the bravest of defences of his title to finish third - his 137 miles(221kms) improving the all-comers track record he had set two years ago by 5 miles with the ever-consistent Belfast ultra-man,Madrid-based Eddie Gallen,50, also bettering the all-comers with a new PB of 134 miles(215kms).

And, there was a great family story behind them with Susan McCartney,36 from Belfast but currently living in Berkshire, posting remarkable new PB figures.Two years ago McCartney had collapsed on the track -this time she posted 122 miles(197kms) to take runner-up in the Irish Champs with, in a great battle,her brother Tim Brownlee just behind her in sixth with 117 miles(189kms).

In the 24-Hour Relay, Donadea Runners from Kildare, successfully defended their title improving their record by 4 miles to 185 miles(299kms) for the two men,two women combination each running three stints of 2 hours.

And, Aidan Blake,33, from Ballinteer in Dublin set new best figures in winning the 12-hour race covering a distance of 72 miles.

Even, Belfast’s Lord Mayor Mairtin O Muilleoir who,with Energia, sponsored the race, got in on the act joining the runners for the last hour.

Race Director Ed Smith says: “ The new track bore witness to the best ultra running ever seen in Ireland.There is a lot of blood,sweat and tears left behind but the result is a phenomenal roll-call of records and endeavour.”

Mens Irish Championship: 1. E.Keith 245kms.2.J.O’Regan 221kms.3.E.Gallen 215kms.
Womens Irish Championsip: 1.R.Sheahan 226kms.2.S.McCartney 197kms.3.D.McLoughlin 166kms.

Training Diary 6-12 May 2013

Monday May 06^th. HRV= 59 Red.

Expected after a good weekend.  Rested for most of today and then hit the Track for a short but intense Interval session of 3*1K off 5 min Recovery.  Splits were: 3:15, 3:13, 3:12 followed by a long cool down.

Plan for tomorrow is an early Gym session and an evening recovery run.

Tuesday May 07^th. HRV=66 White.

Moving in the right direction.  Early Gym session of mobility work & stretching followed by a very short recovery run after work.

Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime rest day.

Wednesday May 08^th. HRV=67 White.

Rest Day

Tomorrow will be spent travelling..

Thursday May 09^th. HRV=67  White.

Early start for a long day travelling to The Netherlands.  No training and an early night

Tomorrow will be spent preparing for the race and trying to relax.

Friday May 10^th. HRV= 72 White.

Higher than expected after a long day of travelling and today will be yet another busy day.  While queuing for breakfast I was approached by an IAAF official and then taken away for interview and drug testing.  Not a pleasant experience but good to see it being carried out.  Busy day with meetings to attend and the Athlete parade with a bit more walking than I’d have preferred.  Finished the day preparing race day food & clothing and had our pre race Team meeting.

Plan for tomorrow is a very long run.

Saturday May 11^th. HRV= 62 White.

Didn’t sleep to well but woke without an alarm clock which is always a bonus.  After a rushed breakfast because of the long queues we made our way to downtown Steenbergen arriving close to 2hrs before the start.  The weather seems very unsettled with some light rain to start and I decide to wear a rain jacket to start.

As the race started I settled into an easy pace with my team mates which was slightly faster than planned but in the early stages it can be more comfortable than slowing down and within an hour we had split up and settled into our own zones.  The race started cold and wet and soon became very warm and sunny meaning the loss of a few layers to prevent overheating.  The change was done quite quickly and for the next 8 or more hours I ran in just my shorts and singlet while occasionally putting on my hat and / or gloves but then it all changed and shortly after starting one of the laps it started to pour rain without warning and I got drenched and very cold.  The wind was also starting to pick up and by the time I got back to the support crew I’d taken a weather beating.  I quickly changed into some warmer clothes and got going again but could feel the energy draining from my body and my pace began to drop.  I kept going but ended up making more stops than planned to try heat up with some shelter and each time it got harder to get going again.

It eventually got to the point where I had to leave the course and go indoors and use a sleeping bag to get warm again but by this time my game plan was gone as too much time had been lost.  I returned to the track and got going as best I could but was still shivering with the cold and after checking the Team Rankings and working out my possible quota based on lap times it was obvious that I wasn’t going to help the Team move up the score board.  I think at this point I had covered approx 140K but decided to keep going until at least 150K and then when I hit that target I thought that 100Miles would be a semi respectable finishing distance and I told myself that I’d keep going until that distance was covered and that’s when it ended.

http://www.athleticsireland.ie/content/?p=32060

Tomorrow is still Today.

Sunday May 12^th. HRV= No Reading.

Still running and the race finally finished at midday.

Tomorrow will be spent travelling.

Weekly Summary

Not a great end to my week but I’ll get over it.

Irish Ultra Running Team Return from World & European 24H Championships 2013

Left to Right: Dan Doherty, Eddie Gallen, Eoin Keith, John O’Regan

The Irish Team competing at the World & European Championships in Steenbergen, Netherlands over the weekend experienced some very difficult conditions with low temperatures and rain adding to their task.

Eoin Keith covered 234km to be first finisher on the team in 25th place (15th European Champs) with Eddie Gallen covering 212km to achieve 81st (59th European Champs) place. John O’Regan suffered from hypothermia which curtailed his efforts and he covered 162km to finish in 176th place (132nd European Champs). Dan Doherty unfortunately had to withdraw at 78km with injury. Dan has been in very good form recently and was going well when the injury arose.

The team finished in 17th place in the World Championships and 13th in the European Championships.

The team had travelled in the hope of a strong showing after some recent good results and notable performances in this event last year. However luck was against them on this occasion. The team will now focus on recovering before preparing for the upcoming events.

Special mention must go to the support crew of John Collins, Kevin Belton & Gary McConville who did a fantastic job in difficult circumstances.

World and European 24H Team Announced 2013

The World & European 24H championships will take place in Steenbergen, Netherlands on May 11th/12th. Ireland will be represented by a strong team in the men’s category.

The team will comprise of:

John O’Regan
Eoin Keith
Eddie Gallen
Dan Doherty

The team is very experienced and some of the members have been in very good form recently. Eoin Keith set an Irish record over 48 hours at the beginning of the year. Dan Doherty has had some very strong performances over 100K including finishing 8th in the recent European Championships. John O’Regan is the reigning 24H national champion and along with Eddie Gallen competed strongly in last year’s World 24H event. A strong team result is a possibility if all goes to plan.

In an event of this nature the support crew are crucial to the team’s success. On this occasion John Collins, John Belton and Kevin Belton will support the team. They will attend to the various requirements over the 24 hour period and ensure that the team competes to their abilities.

T minus 3 days.

Stuck for words at the moment but can say my training has gone to plan and I've no possible excuses.
Updates will be available from the Race Website or from the IAU Website.

From the Athletics Ireland Website.

The World and European 24 Hour Championships takes place in Katowice, Poland on 8/9 September.  Ireland will have teams participating in both men’s and women’s events.  The men’s team will consist of John O’Regan and Eddie Gallen.  John is the reigning national champion having won the title at the Energia 24 Hour race in Bangor, Co Down on July 6/7.  Eddie finished third in this race and was runner up to John in 2011 also.

The women’s team will comprise of Deirdre Finn and Ruthann Sheahan.  Deirdre was the national 24 hour champion in 2011 and also included the Bangor 24 Hour race as part of her preparations for Katowice.  The weather conditions were very wet on that occasion so the team will be anticipating a different challenge in Poland.

Each of the team will have a support person in attendance to assist with refuelling and race strategy in what promises to be a gruelling competition.

IAU 24-hr World & European Championships 2012

24-hr World & European Championships 2010.

This is the one I've been waiting for and can now confirm that I've been selected to represent Ireland in the 24-hr World & European Championships 2012 which is less than 3 weeks away.  My year was planned around this race and even though confirmation of selection only happened recently I had trained as if I was doing it.  All races have led to this point and my peak and taper was planned around the race date.

The following appeared on the Athletics Ireland Website.

The World and European 24 Hour Championships takes place in Katowice, Poland on 8/9 September.  Ireland will have teams participating in both men’s and women’s events.  The men’s team will consist of John O’Regan and Eddie Gallen.  John is the reigning national champion having won the title at the Energia 24 Hour race in Bangor, Co Down on July 6/7.  Eddie finished third in this race and was runner up to John in 2011 also.

The women’s team will comprise of Deirdre Finn and Ruthann Sheahan.  Deirdre was the national 24 hour champion in 2011 and also included the Bangor 24 Hour race as part of her preparations for Katowice.  The weather conditions were very wet on that occasion so the team will be anticipating a different challenge in Poland.

Each of the team will have a support person in attendance to assist with refuelling and race strategy in what promises to be a gruelling competition.

The Running Man

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.

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

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.

Ultrarunning Ireland Athletes of the Year 2010

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.