Jenny Elliot York, from Fermanagh, began her ultramarathon journey in 2020 and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Jenny, who belongs to Enniskillen Running Club and has tried other activities such as mountain climbing and cycling in the past, discovered ultramarathons by chance when she signed up for the Florida Manor Last One Standing in County Down as part of her training to compete in an Ironman during the pandemic.
Jenny's husband, Lee York, was approaching his 50th birthday and wanted to try an Ironman, which prompted Jenny to enter the race at Manor, Florida, and exceed expectations.
“I was actually training for my first Ironman and had been in Lanzarote for a few weeks training. When we came home and lockdown started we both wanted to do something at the peak of our fitness so we started doing long distance runs,” Jenny explained.
“I’d done a few virtual races and my first real event was Florida Manor Last One Standing, and all of a sudden I was doing 100 miles, so I wasn’t expecting it at all.
“Normally, people don't come to these events and run 100 miles. I then did the Lanzarote triathlon and completed it, and I've been doing both ever since.”
Having developed a love for ultramarathons and triathlons, Jenny has competed in a range of events since 2020, representing Ireland.
She took first place in her age group at the Four Nationals 100km Championships, held as part of the Sri Chinmoy UK Races in March, in a time of 9 hours, 8 minutes and 15 seconds.
“It's a four-nation championship, so England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales,” she said.
“They call it the four nations but there are actually five as there is a Southern Ireland team and a Northern Ireland team and they have the Anglo-Celtic Plate Cup competition every year.
“We compete against each other and we have open classes so people can compete against each other.
“This is my third win in a race I've been doing for decades. It's my first win, but I've had a few podium finishes in ultramarathons since I started.”
Jenny Elliot York crosses the finish line at the Four Nationals 100km Championships. (Image: Cuilcagh Triathlon Club)
“I won the Noon Iron 100, a 107-mile race along the north coast down to Gortin, last June.”
Unlike a standard marathon, an ultramarathon is a race that involves running distances of over 26.5 miles (42.195 km) over a number of hours.
Jenny competed in the Kelly Way Ultramarathon and completed the race in an incredible 29 hours and 27 minutes without taking a break.
“There's so much science and preparation involved in this – you have to pay close attention to pacing, nutrition, hydration and keep everything right. If any one of them goes wrong, the race is over,” she added.
“Try to keep moving as much as possible, because if you stop your muscles will stiffen and it will be hard to get moving again.
“I tend to adopt a walk-and-run strategy. I'll walk while eating and drinking until I come across a particularly steep hill, but otherwise I try to keep running. I don't stop unless absolutely necessary.”
Jenny and Lee are members of Kilcar Triathlon Club, where they train and compete alongside other keen athletes from across the Fermanagh region and Jenny highly recommends the club to any keen runners.
“They are fantastic, I wish I had joined in 2018-2019. They are an incredible club, small, very close-knit, very friendly, very helpful and they go out of their way to help and support you in every way.”
“My first few ultramarathons were of course during the pandemic, but they came out to support me and run or bike with me to see me through to the end. It was an incredible amount of support.”
Jenny has competed in sporting events in Lanzarote, Berlin and Chicago and has her sights set on the marathon majors with Boston, Tokyo and New York marathons next, as well as Ironman events in Austria in June and Frankfurt in August this year.
She has no plans to slow down, and despite a busy few years, Jenny believes the experience she has gained through her various events is invaluable.
“I like to push myself a little bit more and see if I can do more,” she said.
“You never know how well the training went until you start, there are so many variables and things you don't know how it's going to go, but I've met some really lovely people through it.
“It's all pretty crazy to be honest, but I've had really great support, really good, fun people and some great places to go.
“At the Irish event I did, we were riding off the beaten path. We were going off the road and riding through the night, so we had amazing moonlit views and were running outside as the sun was coming up. It was a really special experience that I can't put into words.”
