Sophie Power, a 41-year-old ultra-runner based in England, only grasped the magnitude of her self-imposed challenge during her drive from Co Cork to Malin Head in Co Donegal. Power, who is married to an Irishman, had set her sights on becoming the fastest woman to traverse the length of Ireland on foot.
The standing Guinness World Record was claimed by Mimi Anderson in 2012. To usurp it, Power had to manage slightly less than 170 kilometres per day, commencing from the northerly point of Malin Head and concluding at the southernmost point, Mizen Head.
“The journey from Cork to Malin Head in our camper van was an endurance test in and of itself,” Power recalls.
Nevertheless, Power tackled the task recently, successfully running 200km within the opening 24 hours and breaking the world record by over three hours. She crushed the 563km in a total of three days, 12 hours and eight minutes.
While some runners can select their preferred run time over several weeks, Power, a mother of three – Donnacha (9), Cormac (6), and Saoirse (3), had no such luxury due to her children’s British half-term school schedule. The run had also been planned in such a way that allowed her family to witness her husband’s niece’s christening ceremony in Cork, his native city.
Starting her run at 8am on a Tuesday under pouring rain, she found the weather conditions exceptionally challenging. “Encountering two days of relentless heavy rain and then suffering a heatstroke on the last day due to Ireland’s long-awaited summer heat, I felt Ireland was throwing all she had in her arsenal,” she recalls.
Despite her ability to normally cover 235km in a day, the hilly contours of the landscape meant she had to slow down her speed to conserve energy for the rest of the challenge.
Power concedes she often felt disoriented during her lengthy runs, occasionally spotting unfamiliar Irish locations on road signs. She vividly recalls seeing Longford, as a friend and her family offered their support here. Seeing hallucinations also formed part of many such ultra marathons, with such phenomena vividly occurring around Nenagh, County Tipperary, on the second evening. Power’s mind created a festive visual from the green and red lights, transforming them into a Christmas spectacle in her mind’s eye.
She recalls spotting faux Christmas trees on a notoriously hazardous roadway bustling with high-paced trucks. A short 30-minute nap was necessary to restore her lucidity. Power talks about the surreal beauty of her mind’s visions during such runs, spotting patterns and recognisable faces. These hallucinations heighten when on a trail, safe from the threat of oncoming trucks.
Running the complete marathon on the road posed additional ankle risks due to the camber – the slight curvature of the roads for drainage purposes, placing an uneven pressure on the feet. This became exorbitant after covering 150 miles, causing a knee injury, requiring immediate dressing. Though exhaustion had creeped in, she limited herself to brief power naps, avoiding a deeper slumber.
A four-person crew trailed in a separate camper van and Kate Strong, who accompanied power on a bicycle, would signal whenever Power needed a rest. The team would then assemble a camping mattress, draped her with a dry robe, and Power would rest briefly for about ten minutes before being roused to continue her run.
Fuelled by “gels and Mr Whippys” [ice cream], she completed the final stages of her run, as the soaring temperature had smothered her appetite, she discloses. Mizen Head marked her endpoint where an emotional breakdown overtook her, producing “considerably large, hideous tears”, she waded through the masses who assembled to hail her arrival.
With her three children on standby to high five and embrace her, the moment was incredibly poignant. “It’s merely the middle of nowhere, devoid of grand finish lines or large-scale celebrations. It’s more about giving warm regards to my children, knocking back a can of Guinness as a token of my world record achievement, and then heading back to Cork,” she shares.
Upon the social media frenzy created by a photograph of her taking part in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc race, breastfeeding her then three-month-old, Power laid the foundation for SheRaces. This venture aims to persuade women, irrespective of their age or skill, to take up running.
She initially desired to postpone taking on the race; however, only excuses based on injuries were acceptable. She believes the focus should shift beyond pregnancy-related postponements and encompass broader aspects. According to her, “We collaborate with race directors to offer our insight on practical, easy ways to bring about change. Fundamental aspects like how the website’s picture displays a diversity of participants – not just the slim, speedy males but also a broad spectrum of individuals, including women of wide-ranging sizes, colours, and ages.”
She further adds, “We [women] certainly consider if our T-shirts will fit, if we’ll be given an equitable opportunity to complete the race within the fair cut-off time, that accommodates our running speed.”
For Power, it’s essential that both male and female winners are acknowledged at races since they are “equally commendable”. Power also mentions her ceaseless contribution towards the Cork Marathon.
Sophie Power’s dialogue with Bernice Harrison can be accessed on the ‘In The News’ podcast.