CAITRÍONA JENNINGS HAD never covered more than 60 miles in one sitting.
An accomplished athlete who represented Ireland in the marathon at the 2012 Olympics, she certainly has a taste for running big distances.
But this was a new level of mileage for her. She was on her way to setting a new women’s world record over 100 miles, and there was no way to anticipate what the remaining 40 miles of the Tunnel Hill 100 Mile would bring.
To make an already inexplicable challenge just a little tougher, Jennings had weather conditions to battle through too. The day was getting hot. Very hot. Around 23 degrees, which was unseasonably warm a November day for Vienna, Illinois.
Jennings has been on the ultra running beat for about 10 years now. She signed up for this particular race in July, and put the world record in her sights with about a week to go. Her husband came with her, providing the vital fluids and energy gels at various fuelling stations over the vast course.
They adapted their strategy in light of the rising temperatures to give Jennings a clear runway through the final 40 miles.
It’s still 40 miles, though. That’s almost back-to-back marathons. A battle of wills for sure, but Jennings has come back from war before. She fought through injuries to finish the marathon at the 2012 Olympics, and fought through the disappointment of that performance to eventually find her way back to running again.
A teeny, tiny 40 miles stood between the Donegal native and a level of distinction as an athlete.
“You’re just over halfway,” she explains, taking The 42 back to her headspace at that point in the race. She went on shatter the world record by almost five minutes, coming fourth in the race behind three male competitors. Her 12:37:04 took the crown from the 12:42:40 set by USA’s Camille Herron at the same event in 2017.
“It’s too far from nearly being at the end to kind of start focusing on the end, but you’re well into the race at that stage.”
Jennings during the race in Illinois. Colson Photo
Colson Photo
****
Jennings went into that race having already set new Irish records over 50km [3:16:33] and 100km [7:07:16]. Impressive times but there were more lands left to conquer.
The training started near the end of July, shortly after completing an ultra marathon in June. The Dublin marathon on 26 October was a potential goal to aim for. But building on her endurance, and chasing bigger distances held the greater appeal for Jennings. And that 100-mile record was dangling in front of her too.
After carrying out some research, Jennings discovered that the Tunnel Hill 100 mile had a course that was good for targeting fast times. This was where she was going to put her flag in the ground.
Her training was spread out over a block of 16 weeks, averaging around 100 miles of running per week. But hitting those kind of figures could be perilous for her. She had to tread carefully.
“Traditionally, I’ve always gotten injured once I hit a hundred miles per week consistently for anything more than three weeks and I’ll get injured.
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“So, I had to kind of play around a little bit to make sure that I could make sure I was getting in the mileage but still staying healthy, which is why what I ended up doing was actually two weeks of high mileage and then dropping back for one week so that I would just stay within that kind of healthy range.”
She knew the world record was within reach but the final stages of her preparation were struck by a major disruption.
Two weeks out from the race, Jennings took ill and was forced to cut back on her training. It wasn’t great timing but she needed real rest days if she wanted to get back to neutral.
She resumed her training programme with some light running before adding in some speed training on a Tuesday and some race pace work. The unscheduled break caused little interference to her build-up in the end. If anything, she emerged with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.
She was ready.
Jennings pictured with her husband Martin McCoy after the race. Colson Photo
Colson Photo
“I was running faster than I have in a few years. So, I knew I was in brilliant shape.
“Some of the weeks that I was training were really pushing the limits of what I thought I’d be capable of actually sustaining without getting injured. But also, even just to get through the sessions and not be exhausted, I had just gotten quite confident from all the work I put in.
“And I think it all fed into that sense of calm and confidence before the race.”
****
It wasn’t always running for Jennings. She tried everything but swimming was her origin story in sport. Triathlons became her focus when she was in school, a path which led to representing Ireland as a junior.
It wasn’t that running was her weakest of the three phases in Triathlon, but it wasn’t where her strengths lay either. She did love to run but an ability to match her passion would come later in life. It was when she moved to Dublin to start her first job after university that Jennings grew stronger in the event.
“It’s the most time efficient,” Jennings continues, “And it was my favourite of the three disciplines. I wouldn’t have enough time to do triathlons so I was running to make some friends, get some exercise, the usual running benefits, but not thinking that I was going to become anything other than just a decent club runner.”
Around 2010, Jennings joined a newly formed running club called ‘Marathon Mission.’ The concept of the club was to boost participation in the event and ultimately train its members to target the Olympic qualification standard for the 2016 Games in Rio.
“They were getting people in to talk to us that had been to the Olympics,” Jennings says as explains further. “And it’s more tangible when you know someone’s actually been there. And then the success of that actually came much faster than they even expected, because there was only one guy, but there were three women that went to the London Olympics in 2012.”
Jennings in action at the 2012 Olympics. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
As it turned out, Jennings was one of those three along with Linda Byrne and Ava Hutchinson. But despite going to the Olympics in a confident mindset, it wasn’t the experience that Jennings hoped for. After achieving the Olympic standard in Rotterdam with a run of 2:36:17, she was the last athlete to cross the line in London in 3:22:11.
Plantar fasciitis flared up a few weeks before the race which worsened and developed into a stress fracture on the day of the race. And yet, she didn’t let the injury defeat her. She fought through her injuries stride for stride right up to the finish line.
Jennings took a break from running after that, segueing into rowing where she linked up with her sister — and fellow Olympian — Sinéad.
Sinéad went to Rio 2016, sharing a boat with Claire Lambe as Ireland’s representatives in the Lightweight women’s double sculls. They were the first-ever Irish women’s crew to make it to an Olympic rowing final.
Jennings gained a lot during that interlude on the water, and ultimately returned to running with even more to give.
“Looking back now, it probably shaped me as an athlete. I’ve taken the learnings from it and to the extent that there are positives, I’ve taken those and reinvented myself as an ultra runner. If you look at it from that perspective, I can see now the positives from it.
“They do say as well that when you haven’t really kind of pounded your body or damaged your body too much during your running career, you can extend it a bit longer. And that’s the benefit of it, the time off in the rowing has extended my running career now as well.
”If it hadn’t happened, I would have had to have retired earlier.”
****
Jennings is already thinking about her next race. Colson Photo
Colson Photo
The first thing Jennings did after conquering the women’s world 100-mile record, was catch a flight back to Dublin to be at her desk by Monday morning. Her boss at VP Aircraft Trading had already pardoned her absence, but Jennings had deadlines to meet.
It’s fitting that she works for a company that leases airplanes. The planes cover big distances in the sky and she does the same on the ground.
She started that morning with an interview on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland and then hopped on her bike to get to work, certain that that would be the extent of the media interest. She was wrong. Ultra running doesn’t normally make the headlines but people were immediately drawn to the 100 miles, and the enormity of her achievement.
“In my head, the race was over. I genuinely thought I’d have a normal day’s work and try to get an early night because I was a bit wrecked after all the travel.
“But it took a totally different turn. When I went to the Olympics in 2012, there was a certain amount of interest. But this has completely surpassed the amount of interest around the Olympics.”
A rest, you imagine, would be the next move for Jennings. But an athlete who has always been drawn to big goals has already sized up her next target: trail running. There is a 100km trail run coming up in Arizona next February that Jennings has entered, and she’ll be returning to the hills of her home county to prepare for her latest challenge.
“I think I’ll be doing more hill training in Donegal. I definitely need to get on the trails to just get comfortable on the uneven surface.”
There will be lots of opportunities for Jennings in ultra running. Lots of races where she can push the dial to discover the true limits of her body. She could even run for 24 hours straight if she was so inclined. The women’s world record over that mammoth stretch was set in October at the world championships in France.
How does 173 miles sound to a woman who has extreme tastes?
“Aw, bonkers. I don’t know that I could run through the night.
“But look, I always said like 100K was my maximum, but that was coming from my cutoff and I’ve gone past it now, so never say never.”
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'I knew I was in brilliant shape' - How an Irish Olympian broke the women's 100-mile record
CAITRÍONA JENNINGS HAD never covered more than 60 miles in one sitting.
An accomplished athlete who represented Ireland in the marathon at the 2012 Olympics, she certainly has a taste for running big distances.
But this was a new level of mileage for her. She was on her way to setting a new women’s world record over 100 miles, and there was no way to anticipate what the remaining 40 miles of the Tunnel Hill 100 Mile would bring.
To make an already inexplicable challenge just a little tougher, Jennings had weather conditions to battle through too. The day was getting hot. Very hot. Around 23 degrees, which was unseasonably warm a November day for Vienna, Illinois.
Jennings has been on the ultra running beat for about 10 years now. She signed up for this particular race in July, and put the world record in her sights with about a week to go. Her husband came with her, providing the vital fluids and energy gels at various fuelling stations over the vast course.
They adapted their strategy in light of the rising temperatures to give Jennings a clear runway through the final 40 miles.
It’s still 40 miles, though. That’s almost back-to-back marathons. A battle of wills for sure, but Jennings has come back from war before. She fought through injuries to finish the marathon at the 2012 Olympics, and fought through the disappointment of that performance to eventually find her way back to running again.
A teeny, tiny 40 miles stood between the Donegal native and a level of distinction as an athlete.
“You’re just over halfway,” she explains, taking The 42 back to her headspace at that point in the race. She went on shatter the world record by almost five minutes, coming fourth in the race behind three male competitors. Her 12:37:04 took the crown from the 12:42:40 set by USA’s Camille Herron at the same event in 2017.
“It’s too far from nearly being at the end to kind of start focusing on the end, but you’re well into the race at that stage.”
****
Jennings went into that race having already set new Irish records over 50km [3:16:33] and 100km [7:07:16]. Impressive times but there were more lands left to conquer.
The training started near the end of July, shortly after completing an ultra marathon in June. The Dublin marathon on 26 October was a potential goal to aim for. But building on her endurance, and chasing bigger distances held the greater appeal for Jennings. And that 100-mile record was dangling in front of her too.
After carrying out some research, Jennings discovered that the Tunnel Hill 100 mile had a course that was good for targeting fast times. This was where she was going to put her flag in the ground.
Her training was spread out over a block of 16 weeks, averaging around 100 miles of running per week. But hitting those kind of figures could be perilous for her. She had to tread carefully.
“Traditionally, I’ve always gotten injured once I hit a hundred miles per week consistently for anything more than three weeks and I’ll get injured.
“So, I had to kind of play around a little bit to make sure that I could make sure I was getting in the mileage but still staying healthy, which is why what I ended up doing was actually two weeks of high mileage and then dropping back for one week so that I would just stay within that kind of healthy range.”
She knew the world record was within reach but the final stages of her preparation were struck by a major disruption.
Two weeks out from the race, Jennings took ill and was forced to cut back on her training. It wasn’t great timing but she needed real rest days if she wanted to get back to neutral.
She resumed her training programme with some light running before adding in some speed training on a Tuesday and some race pace work. The unscheduled break caused little interference to her build-up in the end. If anything, she emerged with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.
She was ready.
“I was running faster than I have in a few years. So, I knew I was in brilliant shape.
“Some of the weeks that I was training were really pushing the limits of what I thought I’d be capable of actually sustaining without getting injured. But also, even just to get through the sessions and not be exhausted, I had just gotten quite confident from all the work I put in.
“And I think it all fed into that sense of calm and confidence before the race.”
****
It wasn’t always running for Jennings. She tried everything but swimming was her origin story in sport. Triathlons became her focus when she was in school, a path which led to representing Ireland as a junior.
It wasn’t that running was her weakest of the three phases in Triathlon, but it wasn’t where her strengths lay either. She did love to run but an ability to match her passion would come later in life. It was when she moved to Dublin to start her first job after university that Jennings grew stronger in the event.
“It’s the most time efficient,” Jennings continues, “And it was my favourite of the three disciplines. I wouldn’t have enough time to do triathlons so I was running to make some friends, get some exercise, the usual running benefits, but not thinking that I was going to become anything other than just a decent club runner.”
Around 2010, Jennings joined a newly formed running club called ‘Marathon Mission.’ The concept of the club was to boost participation in the event and ultimately train its members to target the Olympic qualification standard for the 2016 Games in Rio.
“They were getting people in to talk to us that had been to the Olympics,” Jennings says as explains further. “And it’s more tangible when you know someone’s actually been there. And then the success of that actually came much faster than they even expected, because there was only one guy, but there were three women that went to the London Olympics in 2012.”
As it turned out, Jennings was one of those three along with Linda Byrne and Ava Hutchinson. But despite going to the Olympics in a confident mindset, it wasn’t the experience that Jennings hoped for. After achieving the Olympic standard in Rotterdam with a run of 2:36:17, she was the last athlete to cross the line in London in 3:22:11.
Plantar fasciitis flared up a few weeks before the race which worsened and developed into a stress fracture on the day of the race. And yet, she didn’t let the injury defeat her. She fought through her injuries stride for stride right up to the finish line.
Jennings took a break from running after that, segueing into rowing where she linked up with her sister — and fellow Olympian — Sinéad.
Sinéad went to Rio 2016, sharing a boat with Claire Lambe as Ireland’s representatives in the Lightweight women’s double sculls. They were the first-ever Irish women’s crew to make it to an Olympic rowing final.
Jennings gained a lot during that interlude on the water, and ultimately returned to running with even more to give.
“Looking back now, it probably shaped me as an athlete. I’ve taken the learnings from it and to the extent that there are positives, I’ve taken those and reinvented myself as an ultra runner. If you look at it from that perspective, I can see now the positives from it.
“They do say as well that when you haven’t really kind of pounded your body or damaged your body too much during your running career, you can extend it a bit longer. And that’s the benefit of it, the time off in the rowing has extended my running career now as well.
”If it hadn’t happened, I would have had to have retired earlier.”
****
The first thing Jennings did after conquering the women’s world 100-mile record, was catch a flight back to Dublin to be at her desk by Monday morning. Her boss at VP Aircraft Trading had already pardoned her absence, but Jennings had deadlines to meet.
It’s fitting that she works for a company that leases airplanes. The planes cover big distances in the sky and she does the same on the ground.
She started that morning with an interview on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland and then hopped on her bike to get to work, certain that that would be the extent of the media interest. She was wrong. Ultra running doesn’t normally make the headlines but people were immediately drawn to the 100 miles, and the enormity of her achievement.
“In my head, the race was over. I genuinely thought I’d have a normal day’s work and try to get an early night because I was a bit wrecked after all the travel.
“But it took a totally different turn. When I went to the Olympics in 2012, there was a certain amount of interest. But this has completely surpassed the amount of interest around the Olympics.”
A rest, you imagine, would be the next move for Jennings. But an athlete who has always been drawn to big goals has already sized up her next target: trail running. There is a 100km trail run coming up in Arizona next February that Jennings has entered, and she’ll be returning to the hills of her home county to prepare for her latest challenge.
“I think I’ll be doing more hill training in Donegal. I definitely need to get on the trails to just get comfortable on the uneven surface.”
There will be lots of opportunities for Jennings in ultra running. Lots of races where she can push the dial to discover the true limits of her body. She could even run for 24 hours straight if she was so inclined. The women’s world record over that mammoth stretch was set in October at the world championships in France.
How does 173 miles sound to a woman who has extreme tastes?
“Aw, bonkers. I don’t know that I could run through the night.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Athletics Caitriona Jennings step by step Ultra-running