Follow John Byrne and the other Runners on Race Day!
The public can follow the race competitors progress on the Internet as they pass though the race course. Just follow the link on http://www.runconnemara.com/ . Note the race starts at 7.am saturday morning and is expected to take the lead runners 7/8 hours to complete the 71k course.
John Byrne captains Irish team at World Trail Championships
The IAU Trail World Championships will take place in Connemara on Saturday next 9th July. The event will be operated in the area of Connemara National Park and its surrounding environs starting at the world famous Kylemore Abbey and finishing in the nearby village of Letterfrack.
Athletes will cover a total distance of 70km on a course that encompasses mountains, grassland trails, compacted gravel trails, hard packed trails, bog, loose rock trails and open countryside. The course is undoubtedly a tough one that could well suit 100km runners, long distance mountain runners and 24 hour runners as well as dedicated trail athletes. The event is both an individual and team competition. Athletes from over twenty countries are due to participate.
Host nation Ireland will by represented by eight men, The six-person Irish team is captained by John Byrne of Mayo AC, the reigning national 100km champion, and also includes Thomas Maguire, the Irish national 100km and 24-Hour record holder. Daniel Doherty, Keith Whyte, Paul Tierney and Barry Murray complete the team, while Eoin Keith and John O’Regan will run as individuals.The Irish squad has a representative from every Irish province and Doherty and Murray are UK-based.
This will be John Byrne’s fourth ultra (beyond the matrathon) race, and it is testament to his success so far that he has been selected to captain the Irish team in Connemara.
Full details of the event are available on http://www.runconnemara.com/