Ik vind Ierland een fantastisch land en ben er vele malen geweest. Toen ik in 2015 de "Run van Winschoten" bezocht en foto's maakte, kwam ik bij een verzorgingspost van Ierse "Ultra lopers" terecht en maakte enkele foto's. Zo kwam ik in contact met Keith Whyte uit Ennis en ik nodigde hem uit voor een interview op mijn site. Hij ging op mijn uitnodiging in.
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| Keith Whyte |
Can you tell us something about you, when and why did you start running , when did you start running ultra-marathons?
Keith: I first started running in the summer of 2007. My first race was a local 10km and then 3 months later I ran my first marathon in Dublin. I was instantly drawn to the challenge of long distance.
I ran my first ultra marathon in March 2011 when I represented Ireland in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km in Scotland.
In January 2015 you won the 100 K Antartic “Ultra-Marathon” with temperatures of -25 degrees in a course record of 9 hours, 26 minutes and 2 seconds. Can you tell us more about that race en how did you experience it?
Keith: The Antarctic Ice Marathon 100km was a very special event and an amazing once in a lifetime experience. I was very fortunate to be invited over and sponsored by the race organisers Polar Running Adventures. It was a totally different race for me as I am predominantly a road racer so the terrain and environment was all new to me. The course was on 10x10km laps with aid stations every 3km. I have never raced in such a beautiful landscape and at times it was hard to believe I was still on earth!
I was very happy with my time as before the race the course record was always on my mind so I was very pleased to take almost 2 hours off it,but luckily for me conditions were quite favourable for Antarctica.
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| Keith (9) by Antartic Ültra-Marathon" |
How long was your preparation fot the Antartic 100 K and was there something special about that preparation?
Keith: My preparation for Antarctica was actually quite minimal as I had sustained an injury from a previous race in Doha in November. I was only back running after injury for about one week when I got the phone call to depart for Antarctica so I only had less than 2 weeks to try and get fit. This left me with no time to prepare for the extreme conditions but thankfully all went well for me in the race.
I read that you are Irish record-holder for the 100 K distance with a time of seven hours and three minutes. Have you won more titles and which?
Keith: Yes I have held the Irish record for 100k since 2013 with a time of 7.03 but last year I won the 100k de la Somme in France in October in a new Irish record of 7.02.
So far this year I have had 2 races. The first was a 100mile race in Wicklow,Ireland but unfortunately I picked up an injury at 50 miles so had to withdraw.
But the following month I recovered in time to run the Connemara 63k ultra which I finished in 1st place.
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| Irish record 100k |
In September 2015 you took part in the Run Winschoten, the ultra about 100 K. Did you like that race and your stay in our country and will you come back once?
Keith: Yes in September 2015 I represented Ireland in Winschoten in the IAU World 100k championships. This was my second time in Winschoten. I also raced here in 2011 also in the world championships. I really enjoy racing here as the fans and supporters create a very friendly and lively atmosphere. It is a very well organised event in a beautiful city and I can't wait to race here again.
What are your plans for the coming season?
Keith: My plans for the remainder of 2016 is to make my 24hour running debut in the Irish national championships in Belfast on June 25th. And then I will be running the famous Spartathlon in September which will be a 246km race from Athens to Sparta.
I wish you a lot of success and thank you for this interview.
Keith: Thank you for this interview Gerrit and I wish you and all your readers well.