Ryde Harriers athlete Gary Marshall has helped England secure team victory at the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km race in Limerick, Ireland.
Marshall earned his England call-up following a strong performance at last year’s event and lined up against top athletes from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The race, held at Limerick University, saw competitors complete a 2km loop 52 times. Marshall started strongly, running alongside his 3 England teammates within the lead pack and maintaining a consistent pace of 6 minutes 24 seconds per mile across the 62.2-mile course.
At the halfway stage, reached in 3hrs 16min, the Ryde Harrier was sitting in 5th place and continued to hold position beyond 40 laps and more than 5 hours of running.
Although his pace began to drop in the latter stages, Marshall pushed on despite the added pressure of a teammate being forced to retire, meaning all remaining runners needed to finish to secure a team result.
With temperatures rising and fatigue setting in, the final laps proved particularly demanding. Marshall crossed the finish line in 7hrs 40min 27sec, finishing 13th overall and 2nd in the V45 age category.
His efforts contributed to England taking the national team prize, finishing ahead of 2 Irish teams in 2nd and 3rd, with Scotland – last year’s winners – finishing behind.
Marshall described it as an honour to represent England and be part of the winning team, calling it a memory he will cherish.
After a period of rest, he is set to take on the Manchester Marathon over 42.2km.
Geoff Watkin, Ryde Harriers Coach, has said:
“An outstanding run from Gary.
“Thousands of athletes are preparing for the Spring marathons over 42.2km, but covering 100km non-stop is a completely different race and putting it into context, Gary passed the marathon distance in under 2hrs 47min!
“With this as only his second 100km race I’m confident that with his methodical approach to training and detail he will get future opportunities to represent his country again’’
