Mayo athlete finishes off 2023 in memorable fashion by setting new record

Mayo athlete Adrian McNamara finished 2023 in memorable fashion by setting a new Irish 12-hour endurance running record at the flagship Irish ultrarunning event ‘Across the Years’ held in Leixlip, Co Kildare. Beginning at midday on New Year's Eve, the Ballindine man ran continuously for 12 hours straight, recording a cumulative distance of 143.450 kilometres.

In challenging chilly and wet conditions McNamara’s mental and physical strength and exceptional resilience saw him maintain an even pace throughout the afternoon into the evening time, averaging 12 kilometres per hour for 12 hours.

Supported and crewed by his partner Eimear, McNamara concluded his record-breaking effort at midnight beating the previous tally of 142 km set by Ed McGroarty at the same event in 2022.

McNamara had also planned an assault on McGroarty’s 100-mile Irish record of 13 hours 47 minutes however this was postponed for another day.

Speaking to the Western People, the Mayo ultra marathon runner offered an insight into his physical preparation and the mental strategies behind the record breaking run.

“I had a bit of a horror show at the same event last year. I realised what mistakes I made and set about correcting them. My main mistake was nutrition. I trained the gut especially during the long training runs. My pacing was all over the place last year, so I implemented loads of easy low heart rate miles,” Adrian said.

“Running round a 400-metre track for 12 hours is both mentally and physically challenging; the mental side a bit more. At the start I broke the race down into getting first hour completed, then second hour and so on. Once the race got to latter stages it was to get another 10 laps, then another 10 laps until the race finished. Pacing was an area of concern from the race last year. I knew what pace I needed to do, and I also knew that if I over paced any bit early on, it would have a detrimental effect on my race. After last year I was going to make sure I was running for the full 12 hours. The weather on the day wasn't ideal. One can only control the controllables. I had to really concentrate on not running too hard into wind. But give me them conditions over 34 degrees I had in Italy in my previous race.”

Although this week is focused on recovery and recharging the batteries McNamara already has his goals lined up for 2024.

“My two big races will be the Irish National 24-hour Championships in June and the Spartathlon 153-mile ultra marathon in Greece in late September.”

Many people are disgusted and horrified by the concept of running for hours around an athletics track, but what was the attraction to ultrarunning for Adrian?

“I prefer ultras to marathons. Marathons are just so commercialised these days, with lotteries to take part in bigger marathons. So that doesn't really appeal to me. The ultra running scene is a lot smaller in Ireland. Ultra running events are more fun to take part in, camaraderie is good amongst all runners and crews, there is just a general nice feeling surrounding ultra running events that you don't get for marathon races.”

The newly crowned Irish record holder began running almost 10 years ago.

“I first took up running in 2013 to train for Limerick marathon. I trained for Limerick marathon as part of a fundraiser for Cancer Care West. I was training with my local GAA club Davitts at the same time, and I learned quickly you cannot do the two sports well. So, I probably didn't do myself justice on marathon day as a result.”

The experienced athlete has advice to those looking to begin their running journey in 2024.

“Join a running group/athletics club, Keep most runs easy conversational pace, don’t let weather put you off, get the run done, don't make excuses, no matter if there is sun, wind, rain, snow. Set small goals, Don't be afraid to ask someone for advice especially people that have being running for years”.