North America

Donovan Completes North American Ultra-Marathon

16 September 2002

Galwayman, Richard Donovan, successfully completed the North American leg of his quest to become the first person in history to complete an ultra-marathon on each of the seven continents in one calendar year.

Previously, Donovan won the first South Pole and North Pole Marathons, the Poor Man's Comrade Run (87km) in Australia, and the Inca Trail Marathon in Peru in an effort to raise funds for Goal and the GSPCA.

The efforts to date and the training are starting to take a toll as Donovan left Galway for Ohio last week with a troublesome knee. "My knee was fine during the race but the conditions were extremely difficult for the race. It was unseasonably hot with temperatures in the mid to high eighties and humidity in the mid nineties" said Donovan. Donovan abandoned his effort to make an attempt on the Irish 100 km record prior to the event due to the conditions. Donovan covered 50 miles in 8 hours, ahead of schedule for the Irish 100-mile record, but the conditions were so oppressive, the humidity so palpable, that he decided to run 100 km and a few miles beyond to 70 miles and call it a day......and save himself for the Himalayas (100 miles) next month. "It was pointless going for a record in that heat so I set my sights on going the 100 km distance and saving my resources for the next couple of continents" said Donovan.

The event was the US National 24 hour Championships and contained virtually all the top US ultra-marathoners and a selection of top-class foreign guests. World record holder, Yiannis Kouros of Greece, won the race with an incredible distance of 172.37 miles within the twenty-four hours. "He seemed to be the only one unaffected by the conditions," said Donovan. The top Americans were some distance behind their projections, which they attributed to the extreme conditions. "Most competitors, as I did, experienced severe cramps and dehydration as you just couldn't replace the fluids as quickly as you were losing them," added Donovan.

Donovan will have a change of scenery for his next race, which is a 100-mile stage race at altitude in the Himalayas on October 26.