Looby selected for Ireland 100k team

It is "an honour and a privilege" to be selected to run for Ireland, Maurice Looby told the Westmeath Examiner at the weekend, as he confirmed the news that he will wear the green jersey for the annual home nations international, The Anglo Celtic Plate, on August 21.

The competition pits teams of five from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England to run against each other, and this year Ireland hosts the race, at Mondello Park, which is close to the track where Maurice put in a performance that earned him (at least in part) his place on the team – Donadea.

He ran a 50km personal best of 3hr 16min and finished third on what is a tough, hilly course through the Doneda forest. That was in February 2020 at the Irish 50k Championships, and Maurice says it was his "best ever result".

Selection for The Anglo Celtic Plate team was based on recent ultra race results, so that third place counted, but Maurice also has experience in the longer distances. He has completed two 100k races and four 63k races, and 14 ultra marathons in all. His standard 42k marathon personal best time (2hr 37min) was also a consideration.

Maurice said: "I’m bowled over to be selected to run for Ireland in the 100k once more – it is an honour and a privilege.

"The last time I wore the green was at the 2015 world championships in Holland. This is a big thing for me, as it should be for any athlete, no matter the sport, to represent my country – something I only dreamed of as a boy."

Maurice thinks be will be one of the oldest competitors at The Anglo Celtic Plate, which takes place five weeks before his 49th birthday. "Ultra runners tend to be a bit older than their shorter distance counterparts," he said, "and there are probably a few reasons for that. The 100k is seen as the gold standard distance in ultra running, as the 50k is not much longer than the standard 42k marathon, and the 24-hour race is run, even at international level, at a hugely slower pace, typically 10k per hour as opposed to 14k per hour for the 100k."

Maurice expressed his thanks to Athletics Ireland, and John O’Regan for giving him the opportunity. "Éire Abú!" he concluded.