Results of the Irish 24-hour championships in Belfast - Sun 17th Oct 2021

The 2021 Belfast 24-hour race was held last weekend and this was also the Irish 24-hour championships.

There were 99 contestants in the 24 hour event with an impressive 33 going over the 100-mile mark.

The first man was Ed McGroarty who completed 256.57kms in the 24 hours which will be a new national record once confirmed. In a previous post, I had a report of how Ed had run from Mizen to Malin in a new record time last July.

From a Cork point of view, Aidan Hogan of Rising Sun AC put in another impressive performance to finish in second spot to take a national Silver medal.

Alex O'Shea of St Finbarrs AC finished in 5th place just three weeks after completing the 250km Spartathlon in Greece!

Thanks to John O'Regan for the following photos...

Belfast 24hr & Irish Championship - Men

1. Ed McGroarty (Lifford /Strabane AC) - 256.57Km (TBC as *NR)
2. Aidan Hogan (Rising Sun AC) -243.36Km
3. Keith Russell (Navan AC)- 232.67Km
* National Record

Belfast 24hr & Irish Championship - Women
1. Aoife Mundow (Drogheda & District AC) - 211.76Km
2. Lorraine McMahon (Wexford Marathon Club)- 206.81Km
3. Joanne Rice (Navan AC)- 186.9Km

Aidan Hogan of Rising Sun AC selected for Irish team for the 24 hour European Championships

Following his Silver medal performace at the Irish 24 hour championships in June, it was announced today that Aidan Hogan of Rising Sun AC in Cork has been selected for the Irish team which will take part in the 24-hour European Championships in Albi, France on Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd October 2016

The race in June was Aidan's inaugural 24 hour race as he completed an impressive 238.132kms (147.9 miles).  He is joined on the Irish team by the current National Champion Eoin Keith (Sportsworld, Dublin), Eddie Gallen (Finn Valley AC, Donegal) and John O’Regan (Le Cheile AC, Kildare).

The team captain will be Eoin Keith who is originally from Cobh in Co. Cork.

Amy Masner of Parnell AC in Wicklow will represent Ireland in the women's 24 hour race.

Results & photos of the Irish 24 hour Championships in Belfast...Sat 25th & Sun 26th June 2016

The Irish 24 hour championships were held last weekend in Belfast on Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of June 2016. This is one of the main Ultra races in Ireland and one of only two Ultras that count as Championships.

A large number of runners and crew descended on Victoria Park in East Belfast for the event on Saturday morning. Located between between the Harland & Wolff Dockyards and the George Best International Airport, it made for an ideal venue with a course that was just over one mile in length.

At least 4 runners from Cork took part in the full 24 hour race which started at noon on Saturday. Eoin Keith who is originally from Cobh was dominant once again with an amazing 150 miles being covered.

The suprise performance of the 24 hour race was that of Aidan Hogan from Cork. As a newcomer to the Ultra scene, he ran an impressive 147.9 miles and indeed was running well all the way up to the midday deadline on Sunday.

Aidan Hogan...2nd in the Belfast 24 hour

Alex O'Shea of St.Finbarr's AC took on his first 24 hour race and finished in 5th place overall. More importantly, Alex finished just above the 24 hour B standard of 220kms which means that he is now eligible to be selected for an Irish team for the European and World 24 hour championships.

Alex O'Shea...inside the international B standard

In total, there were 86 competitors in the 24 hour race and 44 managed to break the magic 100 mile barrier. Grellan McGrath of Eagle AC finished in 10th place overall with a distance of 125.3 miles, surpassing the 102.6 miles which he did in the same event in 2015.

Grellan McGrath of Eagle AC...10th overall

24 hour Finishers from Cork...
1 Eoin Keith ...24hr... 241.738kms...150.0 miles
2 Aidan Hogan... 24hr ...238.132kms...147.9 miles
5 Alex O'Shea... 24hr... 220.675kms...136.6 miles
10 Grellan McGrath... 24hr... 202.318kms...125.3 miles


Full results

In addition to the 24 hour race, there was also a 24 hour relay race, a 12 hour race and a 100km event.

In the womens 12 hour race, visually impaired runner Sinead O'Kane from Youghal finished in second place with 69.8 miles! Sinead also finished second in last years 12 hour race with 68.3 miles.

2nd Woman...Sinead Kane... 12 hour... 112.479kms... 69.8 miles

Photos...
1) The organisers have a nice gallery of photos HERE
2) There is another gallery of about 80 photos HERE

Silver medal for Aidan Hogan in the Irish 24 hour National Championships

Clonmel AC were the winners of the 24 hour relay event

Belfast to Host 24 Hour World Championships in 2017

It has just been announced that Belfast will host the 24 Hour World Championships in July of 2017. The last 24 Hour World Championships were held in Italy in April 2015 and attracted 300 runners from all over the World (177 men & 123 women).

In recent years, the Irish 24 Hour Championships have been held on the Mary Peters Track in Belfast. This year, it will be moved to Victoria Park in East Belfast where there runners will use a loop that is just under 1.7kms in length.

Victoria Park is located between the George Best Belfast City Airport and the old Harland and Wolff dockyards. There is a 5km parkrun there every Saturday morning and attacts about 100-300 people.

Here is the anouncement from the IAU (International Association of Ultrarunners)...
Belfast has been selected to host the next 24 Hour World Championships in 2017.  The bid presented by this Northern Ireland city was very strong and the Local Organizing Committee have started work to host the event next year. The 24 Hour championships will take place July 1st and 2nd in Victoria Park in East Belfast. We wish the LOC the very best of luck as they progress towards the organization of the event. As we get closer to the event we will present more information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us...Nadeem Khan, Director of Communications

Here is what it looks like on the ground...

This is an international event which will have teams from all over the world representing their country. There will also be an Irish team and their selection will probably depend on the results of the Irish 24 hour championships at the end of June 2016. It's also likely though that this will be an open competition with anyone able to take part.

Update from the organisers......."The 12th IAU 24-Hr World Championships are on their way to Belfast next year,2017. They'll be held in Victoria Park on July 1 and 2.
There is the potential for 300 athletes from 50 nations to take part. The Irish championships will still be on; and there will also be an Open race with 100 places available.
It kind of makes this June's Energia24 important as a dress rehearsal for 2017!
Thanks to everyone for their support and help in building the race up and getting us to these dizzy heights.
The Championships was launched in the Park this morning with Irish internationals Ruthann Sheahan and John O'Regan making the long journeys up to help Belfast's Lord Mayor get the build-up started. Just 500 days to go! "

Visually impaired athlete Sinead Kane from Cork finishes 2nd in Belfast 12 hour Ultra

Last weekend (Fri 17th & Sat 18th July 2015), the Energia 12 and 24 Hour Race was held at the Mary Peter's track in Belfast. Both races started at 6:45pm on Friday evening with the 12 hour contestants finishing at 6:45am on Saturday morning. The 24 hour runners finished at 6:45pm on Saturday evening.

Sinead Kane with her guide runner John O'Regan

In the 12 hour race, Sinead Kane from Youghal, Co.Cork finished in second place with an hugely impressive total of 68.3 miles. That works out as 10m 32s minute mile pace which includes any stops.

To put that into context, it's the same as starting from Patrick Street in Cork City and running to O'Connell Street in Limerick City and then adding on another 8 miles.

Pace wise, it's the same as doing two 4:36 marathons back to back without a rest and then doing an extra 16 miles!

Apart from the physical fitness, it's obvious that to complete such a distance requires a huge amount of determination and mental discipline. You need to be able to run to what feels like the point of exhaustion and then beyond into the unknown.

These are some of the notable dates in Sinead's running career so far...
1) 2012...Starts running and completes first 10k
2) June 2014...Completes the Cork City Half-Marathon in 1h 49m
3) Oct 2014...Completes the Dublin City Marathon in 4h 01m. First visually impaired female runner to complete the Dublin City Marathon.
4) Feb 2015...Completes the Donadea 50k in 4h 52m. First Irish visually impaired runner to complete an Ultra-Marathon.
5) Mar 2015...Completes the Tralee Marathon in 3h 55m.
6) July 2015...2nd woman in the Belfast 12 hour. First visually impaired runner to take part in event.

Sinead's guide for the 12 hour race was John O'Regan who has represented Ireland on several occasions in International 24 hour races.

As locations go, it is a stunning location with the track hemmed in on two sides by a large embankment and surrounded by woodland.

As well as Sinead, there were a number of other runners from Cork in action there as well.

In the 12 hour race, John Hallahan of Leevale AC completed 53.7 miles.

In the 24 hours race, Eoin Keith who is originally from Cork finished in first place with 141.9 miles covered (228.4kms). Eddie Gallen was second with 222.566kms. Both Eoin and Eddie achieved the IAAF B standard of 220kms for a 24 hour race.

Other Cork runners in the results were Grellan McGrath of Eagle AC who completed 103.1 miles, his second time breaking the 100 mile barrier after winning the Connemara 100 mile back in 2013.

And finally but certainly not least, Jerry Forde completed 55.6 miles. He was the first wheelchair athlete to take part in the Belfast 24 hour race.

Photos...
1) NI Running have 2 albums...#1 & #2

BBC article on 24 hour race

I came across this the other day. Back in June, there was a 24 hour race on a athletics track in Gloucester in England and the BBC had an article on it HERE

As races go, it's certainly up there with some of the strangest. You keep running around and around on a 400m track and reverse direction at set intervals. You never get more than 200m away from where you started and the objective is to run as many laps as possible in 24 hours.

Back in 1982 on the same track in Gloucester, local runner Dave Dowdle completed 686 laps in 24 hours to set a new world record of 170 miles (274kms).

That distance was subsequently broken by Yannis Kouros in Australia in 1997 when he ran 188 miles (303.5km).

The only 24 hour race in Ireland is coming up at the Mary Peters athletics track in Belfast next weekend. The 24 hour race is already sold out with only places left for the 12 hour and relay option.

Lizzy Hawker from England sets new 24 hour world record...

More news from the crazy world of Ultra running........A new world record was set in the Commonwealth Ultra Distance Championships in Llandudno, Wales on Saturday the 24th of September. Lizzy Hawker from England broke the world best 24 hour performance by a woman on the road by covering 246.408 kms (just over 153 miles). That distance was 3.423 kms further than the 18 year old record of  243.657 kms set by Sigrid Lomsky of Germany.

What was also remarkable about the performance was that not only was she the first woman but she also finished ahead of all of the men in the race. In fact, the first man finished 3 kms behind. It is often said that while men are obviously faster and stronger over short distances than women, the difference between the genders begins to diminish over the very long distance events.
The 35-year-old Hawker, who had won the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc race only 4 weeks earlier in August, also broke the long standing British and Commonwealth 100 mile record on her way to victory. Helped along with a diet of banana bread, a combination of jam and cheese sandwiches and melon, she never faltered after taking the lead and held a two lap lead by the end (Course was 1 km loop).

“I really didn’t know what to expect because it was my first race over the distance on the road,” said Hawker, who used to work as a scientist at the south pole with the British Antarctic Expedition.
“I didn’t have any huge expectations going into the race. It was just a case of staying fully focussed and blocking out the pain. “It did hurt – a lot – but I’m really pleased to have won and taken the world record. It was also great to demonstrate just what women athlete’s can achieve by beating all the men.”

The full results of the race can be seen at http://www.cmudc2011.org/news/11/09/lizzy-hawker-smashes-the-world-24-hour-record

Lizzy Hawker has her own blog at http://www.lizzyhawker.blogspot.com

Video clip from the Belfast 24 hour...

This was the second year of this 24 hours race in Belfast and numbers were up on the first event. 47 individuals took part with 18 managing to break the 100 mile mark.

More details and results in this post.

Meanwhile, here is video clip to give you a feel of what it's like...

Belfast 24h Ultra Race...22nd July 2011

First...a quick course preview....dead flat....no hills......incredibly accurate....loop course....plenty of other runners on the route......it sounds perfect........except for a few 'minor' details.

The 'course' is the Mary Peters 400 metre sports track in Belfast......and you basically run around in circles for as long as you can.............and the race is 24 hours long!

This will be the 2nd year of this event. Last year, four athletes went beyond 100 miles with 17 going over 80 miles. The event was won by Fermanagh’s Thomas Maguire with a distance of 127 miles.

If anyone is interested, then for further information or an entry form contact: Ed Smith on 00447740818389 or at ed_n_smith@hotmail.com

WARNING...This video contains images of crazy people ;o)

Some more Ultra-Running news...

For those of you that might be interested, I came across the following items...

Keith Whyte from Ennis to compete in Anglo Celtic Plate...

There was an article in a recent issue of the Irish Examiner about Keith Whyte of Clare Crusaders AC who is going to compete in the Anglo Cletic Plate 100 km race in Scotland in March. The piece can be found HERE

Race Report on the 24 Hour race by Mick Rice...

Following on from the earlier post about the four Athenry AC runners who  recently took part in a 24 hour race in Finland, Mick Rice has written up his own race report. Mick, who won the Connemara 100 mile last August and ran 2:44 in the Dublin Marathon last October was at the top of his game going into this event. His report really shows the demands such an endurance event places on the body. It makes for fascinating reading and just goes to show how even the best prepared plans can go awry. You can see it on Mick's blog HERE

Valerie Glavin of Athenry AC sets new 24 hr distance record

Picture this....an indoor track....in Finland....a race which is run over a set time rather than over a set distance....and that time is 24 hours.....and you keep doing loop after loop after loop....and you have some idea of the crazy world of Ultra-Running. Four members of Athenry AC made the long trip to Espoo in Finland to take part in this 24 hour race last weekend.

The fastest of the 4 was Valerie Glavin who ran a distance of 217.8 kms (~135 miles) in the 24 hours. In the process, she set a new Irish 24 hour indoors distance record for women. Just to put that in context, 217 kms is like running just over 5 full Marathons back to back!! It also works out as an average of 10.4 min/mile pace which when you consider time lost to necessary breaks is amazing....(Avg pace per Marathon 4h 39m!)

In terms of position, she finished in a very credible 2nd place with Sumie Inagaki of Japan finishing 1st (240.6 kms). Valerie also featured recently here in Cork when she won the Clonakilty Marathon back in December.

The 2nd Athenry runner home was Ruth Ann Sheehan who finished in 188 kms (~118 miles). Ruth Ann who is originally from Cork but now lives in Galway won the inaugral 50 mile Ultra-Marathon in Dingle last September.

The other two Athenry AC runners were......Mick Rice (165 kms / 103 miles) who was the winner of the Connemara 100 mile last Summer and Ray O'Connor (122 kms / 76 miles) who is the driving force behind the famous Connemarathon in April every year and recently completed his 100th Marathon.