John Byrne from Straide is running 100km races
Interview
Rob Murphy
RUNNING is in the midst of a boom right now with participation levels at an all time high and more and more races being added each year for enthusiasts all around the country.
The spotlight is shining on the sport for a change and every nook and cranny is being explored with ultra marathons one of those areas to capture some extra attention after the Irish World Championship team finished sixth in Italy last month with a local man to the fore.
John Byrne is Mayo’s top athlete when it comes to 100km races.
Yes, people really do run that far and, believe it or not, 100km is described by some ultra marathon runners as ‘the sprint distance’.
Byrne (37) grew up in Straide and now lives in Castlebar. He works in Ballina for Hollister on four twelve-hour shifts per week, including two that run through the night.
In between all that, he also trains and, as one can imagine, the preparation for ultra distances isn’t just a three nights a week job.
Running is John Byrne’s passion, and has been for the guts of 18 years.
“I was playing a bit of soccer for Straide and Foxford in my younger days, in and out of ‘B’ teams was the best I could manage ,and that was all the sport I played,” the Mayo AC star told The Mayo News last week. “I just started running to lose weight and it grew from there.
“I ran my first marathon in Dublin in 1996,” he continued. “That was the first competitive race I took part in and I finished with a time of 3 hours 27 minutes. I improved to 3 hours 16 minutes in Belfast the following year and, by the time Dublin came around again, I had broken the 3 hour mark.”
Byrne ran a personal best of 2 hours 32 minutes and 45 seconds during the last decade but couldn’t pare that down any further, despite running close to ten marathons in and around the 2 hours 35 minute mark. It was a suggestion by Irish ultra marathon guru, Richard Donovan, that the Mayo athlete should run a 50k that made him change tack.
“Richard felt I would be suited to the longer distance and I was invited to the Galway World Trophy 50k event in 2009,” explained Byrne.
“I was injured and missed it but ran one the following year and just felt it suited me. I’ve slowly improved and I won the Irish leg of the event earlier this year which qualifies me for the World Trophy final in October.”
Ultra marathons come in all shapes and sizes, from the 24-hour races through the night to the 100km events held on short and long courses.
John Byrne ran one in Perth that was held on a 2.4km loop with 42 laps to be run, then there was Italy last month for the Worlds and a 20km trek through very picturesque countryside.
“I don’t have a preference on the type of course,” he explained.
“Having a short loop can help in terms of logistics when getting supplies but in Italy we had three stations on the 20km course and a brilliant support team, that included my girlfriend Sarah [Syron], looking after us. They had charts in front of them indicating what each athlete needed at that point. It’s as tough a job as running.”
THE Irish team ran a superb time that would have won a medal the previous year, but such is the rapidly improving standard of these events, kept them to sixth. Byrne finished 33rd and was delighted as he had to dig deep.
“The brain is the biggest user of glycogen in the body and when fatigue takes over, you’re not able to make decisions in a normal way. You’re effectively drunk. There are times in races where your crew have to argue with you to get you to stick to the plan and take on the right foods and fluids.”
His training requires a tremendous amount of dedication and in Sarah, John has an understanding girlfriend who has caught the running bug herself.
The Mayo AC member is currently pushing to break the much sought after 40 minute barrier for 10km races. She also travels with him around Europe and beyond for these races that we suggest are the ultimate test of endurance.
“It’s a myth that ultra marathon running is harder that a normal marathon,” counters Byrne. “I think people have a mental block with the notion of running beyond the marathon distance but I really don’t think it’s as big a leap as some would make it out. It won’t suit everyone but it is a very attainable goal and we are noticing a lot more social runners are taking to the ultra distance.”
From his home on the Pontoon road in Castlebar, Byrne has mapped out a hilly mix of 5 and 10km loops out around the Windy Gap for training, allowing him to circle back to his house and stock up on supplies on each circuit. His evening runs are illuminating the fact that the sport is experiencing rapid growth.
“Ten years ago you’d be travelling the country to find a 10km race on at the weekend, now you have three or four races every weekend and you can pick and choose,” he agreed.
“I can see out on the road every day the amount of people running who would never have played sport before. It’s incredible, it’s fantastic for our sport, and great for people’s health.”
Byrne acknowledges that this boom is reserved for adults in the 25 years and older category and sees the need for growth at underage level as a key area if Ireland is to become more competitive on the world stage.
“Senior level running is getting more and more competitive but at elite level we’re not moving forward. In the early 80s the Irish national marathon champion ran 2 hours 12 mins. We’ve had people winning in the 2 hour 20 bracket recently.
“The Kenyans have 400 adult men breaking the Olympic qualifying time and four who have run 2 hours 3 minutes. They actually have to leave one of those four at home this summer.”
The Mayo AC stalwart’s focus has now turned to October and that World Trophy final.
He is aware that had he come to the sport earlier than 19, he may have even progressed further. However, he refuses to dwell on those ‘what ifs’ and continues to enjoy the countless hours on the road, in his own world, pushing himself to new heights.
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