The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Running... all day and all of the night
THERE were highly emotional scenes at the end of the Kerry 24hr Endurance Race in Tralee Town Park on Sunday at 12noon as the last of the runners crossed the finish line.
Some athletes had completed over 100 gruelling miles, with the top three runners even breaking the 115 mile barrier.
Tears, hugs, thunderous applause and exuberant shouts of joy rang out from family, friends and, of course, athletes as the siren sounded to signal the end of Kerry’s – and Ireland’s – first ever 24hr endurance race.
The event, which had also seen runners taking on a six hour and 12 hour challenge, attracted over 70 participants from all over Ireland and further afield, with some 20 competitors from Kerry.
Athletes had set off on the three-quarter mile looped circuit of the park at 12noon the previous day and had continued to run through the evening into the night, each hitting their own personal goals of 60 miles, 80 miles and the coveted 100 miles respectively.
“It was tough; you just had to keep your head up and keep moving, we knew that we’d done the training before this so we knew we had it in us,” said Tralee’s Gretta Quirke, speaking to The Kerryman afterwards.
“We hit our 60 mile mark at around 5am and so we just walked the next few loops of the park after this before heading into our car at about 7am for a little rest. We took off the shoes and socks and just let ourselves cool down and let our muscles and feet cool down and relax a little... you’d need it!” she continued.
An event with a great local feel to it, there was support all through the night for the runners as hardy crew members from all over the Kingdom pitched tents and waited hand and foot to help their friends over the line – a great display of sporting unity and celebration.