Diarmuid’s Thoughts behind the weekend ahead of him

Marathon on a Treadmill @ NRG HEalth and Fitness?

The idea of the ‘marathon on a treadmill’ came about from my training for The Race (Ireland’s only 24 hour adventure race). As part of my training programme for The Race I would have to run a marathon anyway, and I though by running it on a treadmill then it might save the legs a little bit of stress (every little bit helps!) and raise money for GORTA-Self Help Africa at the same time (all proceeds from The Race itself also go to Self Help Africa). NRG Health and Fitness were great (Special shout out to Jacinta who helped organise everything!) and open their doors to the general public, even donating any one day gym passes to my charity, between the gym, the general public and supporters the ‘marathon on a treadmill’ raised over €300, bringing my total raise so far to just over €1,200. If anyone is still feeling generous my charity is still open online: (http://www.mycharity.ie/event/diarmuidtherace/).

The Race itself will take place around Donegal on the 7th and 8th of March, everyone keeps telling me about the rugged and windswept landscape of north-west Donegal but I reckon for someone from the wilds on Connemara I should feel right at home! Now to the sordid details of the race, it is a 250km unsupported (which means I have to carry all my own food / nutrition / water) race, pretty much through and around Glenveigh National Park which I have to complete in 24hours.

• Stage 1) 22km run [that’s a half marathon],
• Stage 2) 15km kayak,
• Stage 3) is a 100km cycle to the bottom of Muckish mountain,
• Stage 4) is a 5km of mountain run [up and down Muckish],
• Stage 5) is another cycle but in the dark this time and its  65km,
• Stage 6) and were back running again with around 43km to cover [that’s a little over a marathon in layman’s terms], and that’s it!

To be honest I hope to do it in about 22hours or less, but we’ll see - a lot can happen/go wrong on the day!

What made you want to compete in something like The Race?

I have a bit of a track record in taking part in endurance events such as marathons, ultramarathons, ½ Ironman’s and full Ironman’s but nothing which has required a full 24hours of being on the move. I guess I’m always on the lookout for a race that will push me to the limits of what I can do; I have yet to find that race!

Have you ever done anything this intense before?

It’s funny, the longer the race the less intense they become. I’d be more nervous at the start of a 5km run than at the start of an Ironman for example. With the distance and time so great it actually allows you more time to combat things which may go against you and that are out of your control say for example an flat tyre on the bike, over the course of a 24hour race the few minutes taken to fix a puncture is very little in comparison to the same thing happening during an Olympic distance triathlon or half Ironman.

Talk us through a typical training session for The Race. How many hours a week, how many training sessions etc.

I have a great coach in John Greaney at the Hurt Locker, in my opinion he is one of the best coaches in the West of Ireland, as well as being a damn good competitor as well. He takes a very professional approach to training and all sessions will be working of time and a specific heart rate. A typical Saturday over the past few weeks as involved a 6am start with a half marathon run to kick off the day, followed by a 1hour kayak and then a 80-100km bike with maybe a short run off the bike just to test the legs. During the week my time is limited with work so I have to be smart about my training time and concentrate on key sessions such as heart rate specific turbo sessions at the Hurt Locker or running track. As for weekly training sessions I have been working in 10day training ‘blocks,’ but an average week has about 9 specific training sessions with an average weekly training hour total of between 17-20 hours (that was built up to 17-20 hours, obviously didn’t start out at that amount!

How important is nutrition when preparing for something as big as The Race?

Nutrition and proper choice of clothing will be key to completing the Race. I was in attendance as a supporter at last year’s event and the majority of competitors who pull-out were due to lack of adequate clothing. In shorter events such as marathons or Ironman’s, you can get though on race gels, but for an event of this distance I think real food will stand to competitors much more than race gels, which can be very harsh on the body after a while. I’ll be getting the Turkey pasta ready from Thursday evening!

Have you any advice for first time endurance competitors?

Build distance gradually, there’s no point trying to go from a half marathon to an ultramarathon, although yes it can be done there is so much learning in the gradual steps up the distance ladder that it pays off in the long-term. Building distance gradually will also help prevent injury. Endurance events also suit those of us who are naturally stubborn and pig-headed, so that also helps!

What element of The Race are you most looking forward to?

The finish! Ah no, to be honest, what I like about The Race is the location, time of year etc. as a competitor you know it’s going to be wet, windy, cold and that you’ll be doing more of the race in the dark than in daytime, I love that mental side of the challenge as well - there’s a magic in the misery!

What are you dreading?

I think all of us endurance athletes love the misery, love the determination it takes to get through when the body is aching and the head is screaming at you to stop. If we dreaded any of it I think it would be time to find another sport…maybe golf!

What a marathon on a treadmill looks like