In a remarkable feat of long distance running, four athletes passed the 100 mile mark in the Energia Belfast 24-Hour race staged at the Mary Peters track at the week-end. It was Ireland’s first world governing body sanctioned 24-hour race in Ireland and was won by Fermanagh’s Thomas Maguire.
The 37-year-old tree surgeon from Belcoo, showing a welcome return to form, clocked up a might 127 miles – just shy of five straight marathons- although it was still some 20 miles short of fellow Irish international Eion Keith’s record set in London two years ago.
Maguire was followed home by Eddie Gallen who had flown in from Madrid especially for the event. In fact, unlike Maguire, who took some short breaks and visited the massage tent on several occasions,47-year-old Gallen never left the track, apart from toilet breaks. It was his 19th 24-hour race. Belfast industrial archaeologist Fred Hammond, at 59 the oldest competitor in the field, finished a fine third with 110 miles covered. He was totally exhausted at the finish and had to be helped from the track. Dromara mountaineer, Noel Hanna,who has climbed Everest three times,was just as strong at sea level just making the 100 mile mark before the 24-hour hooter sounded. His wife Lynne, who has stood on top of Everest with Noel, won the women’s race getting close to 91 miles in a supreme family effort and raising the question was that an Irish women’s record on the track? The road record was set by Doina Nugent back in 1996 when she ran 129 miles in France. On one sour note, Belfast grocery shop owner, Kellie Lyttle, who had collapsed and revived on her way to running 82 miles, discovered at the end that her shop had been robbed during the event with thieves stealing the £600 she had raised during the event for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children where her son will require several operations. Eighteen runners started the event,14 men and 4 women, among them dentists, barristers and accountants, and 17 finished –all getting beyond 80 miles. Race Director Ed Smith says: “ They were all heroes out there. They kept going through the rain, the darkness, exhaustion,hunger and the mind-barrier of repeated laps of the track – even if they did get to change direction every 4 hours. I take my hat off to them all for what they achieved.”