Tom turns on the style at Tiree Ultramarathon

CONNEL man Tom Smith made it two-in-a-row on Sunday, winning the Tiree Ultramarathon for the second time in two years.

Gardener Tom, whose time was 4:44:31, won the inaugural event last year.

The race circumnavigates the island, a route of 35 miles, and was switched from anti- clockwise to clockwise for 2015.

Tom said: ‘I’m pleased, but I found it a bit harder than last year - my preparation maybe wasn’t quite as good and I found it a bit of a struggle during the second half. I’m really pleased with the win though.

‘It was a bit tougher this year because of the wind.

‘For a large part of it the wind was blowing north so you were running into a head wind.

‘The route is incredible tough. You are hitting corners of the island you just don’t get to see, and it’s such a varied terrain.’

A ceilidh was held on Saturday night, after the event, at the An Talla community hall.

Race organiser Will Wright said: ‘It’s been a brilliant event this year, with 200 people taking part.

‘It was a perfect day for it, and having a local winner in Tom Smith was great.

‘Holding it on a weekend which would otherwise be quiet meant a lot of the guesthouses and campsites were full .

‘The event is attracting new visitors here too. I spoke to peo- ple from all over, including some runners from Germany, so it’s good for tourism on the island.’

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