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Marathon runner Gary is on top of the world
A Galway man was literally on top of the world this week after winning the UVU North Pole Marathon.
Gary Thornton led a field of 35 competitors on Tuesday to take the title in what has been called ‘the world’s coolest marathon’.
The Newcastle native battled deep snow and temperatures of -30C to complete the course in a time of 3 hours 49.29 seconds.
Speaking from Svalbard in Norway, the 33-years-old said that the race was “indescribable”.
In travelling to the event, Gary admitted that he was “going into the unknown”.
“I wasn’t going up there with a target time in my head because it’s so different.”
Even though the event organisers called the conditions “the toughest we ever had”, the race winner revealed that he was feeling a lot better after the marathon than he had expected.
“I feel ok, I thought I’d be pretty tired but I’m not too bad. I feel good having rested since Tuesday,” Gary said.
“We were running on snow, so the damage to your muscles wouldn’t be the same as a normal road race.”
Gary had company on the long trip to the North Pole as his wife, Elaine, also ran in the event, completing the half-marathon. He finished just 13 minutes behind the race record set by fellow Irishman, Thomas Maguire, in 2007.
According to Galwayman Richard Donovan, the race founder, Gary’s achievement is difficult to compare against past events due to the constantly changing conditions on the North Pole.
However, he said the Galway man’s effort was “a cracking time” considering the conditions.
“The guy Gary finished ahead of is a very good runner and he finished a long way in front of him,” Richard said.
Temperatures were hitting -30C when the competitors set off on the 26.2 mile looped circuit.
Gary said that ice formed across his eyes during the race, the only part of his skin that was exposed.
“I went up there not thinking I’d need a facemask but thankfully I made the decision before the race to wear one,” he revealed.
The primary school teacher said temperatures ‘warmed’ to around -20C during the race. While the snow was soft underfoot, it meant that the marathon became more challenging as the race continued.
While one would think that the athletes would be thankful for the rising temperatures, it actually proved a hindrance to them.
“As the temperature rose, the course became softer. The snow started to disintegrate and it became really difficult for the racers,” Gary explained.
He described the snow as “very deep” by the end of the race.
“As people were going round the circuit it was breaking up and coming up over your knee,” he said.
“The section running along the camp runway was the best bit as it was solid ice.”
The race’s remote location meant that event organisers had to send out a crew to scout a route for the marathon.
“Once we found that, Russian paratroopers were air-dropped with a tractor to prepare the runway and camp,” Gary said.
He believes that the race is probably the only one where a man with a rifle is required to protect the competitors from the threat of polar bears.
“The race is an adventure where running is only a secondary element,” Richard added.
The marathon began at midnight local time on Tuesday and finished in the early hours of the morning.
For most people, a marathon beginning at midnight would conjure images of competitors racing through the night. However, Gary explained that the race’s unique location meant that this late start was possible.
“It’s bright all the time at the North Pole this time of year so we were able to race through the night,” he said.
When he is not running over the Arctic Ocean, the 33-years-old is a teacher at Claddagh NS. He was quick to praise his employers for their support.
“The school have been outstanding in terms of helping me with my career. I’m working as part of a job-share at the moment which has me working three days a week,” he said.
The former Irish 10,000m track champion’s flexible working hours allow him to continue the training required to compete in top level athletics.
After narrowly missing out on qualification for the London Olympics, Gary fully intends to return to more traditional athletic events in the coming months.
“I have altitude training in France in two weeks and I have track races coming up in the Summer. I feel fit and strong, I’ve been doing a lot of gym work in the last six weeks,” he said.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
