海角直播

Sharon breaks Head to Head record

Ultra runner Sharon Gayter has yet another world record to her name after completing the famous Head to Head route in Ireland.

After ending 2011 in style as the world record holder for distance completed on a treadmill over seven days at 海角直播, Sharon鈥檚 2012 is right on track after beating the previous record by over 21 hours. Sharon recorded a total time of 4 days, 1 hour 39 minutes and 55 seconds for the gruelling 345 mile distance from Mizen Head, the Southern-most point in Ireland up to Malin Head, the Northern-most point in Northern Ireland, smashing the time previously set by Jennifer Salter in 2011.

'I鈥檓 delighted to get this record in the bag. We鈥檝e been working towards this for over a year now and I was always confident I could beat it. I鈥檓 much more tired after this one than I was after the seven day treadmill record, but 21 hours off the record keeps me very happy.

'After seeing the sunny forecast for the week, my confidence grew that I could set a good time. We discussed whether I should push to beat 4 days, but given my busy schedule this year, and the fact my shins were feeling a bit tight, I decided it was best coming out in better shape and not worth risking my fitness over.'

Already this year, she has completed a 48 hour treadmill challenge in Evreux, France where she competed against five other elite runners, all of them male. 'I hadn鈥檛 really prepared for the competition in France. They sent an email six days before and by the next morning I had already booked my flights. I couldn鈥檛 wait to give myself a new challenge.'

Sharon had an eye on the women鈥檚 record for 48 hours on a treadmill and, despite only having six days to prepare, felt it was an opportunity she couldn鈥檛 turn down. 'At the time I was preparing for the Head to Head in Ireland, so I was always cautious about going 100% in this one, especially so soon before I was due to run. I realised after 24 hours in France I wasn鈥檛 going to get the women鈥檚 48 hour record so I went easy so as not to risk Ireland.'

'I didn鈥檛 want to let the whole crew down on an event we had put a lot of effort into by getting injured in an event I decided to enter at the last minute. A lot of people think these ultra runs are just about me but I couldn鈥檛 even think about competing without my support crew around me, they make it happen.'

Thanks to the expert facilities at 海角直播 whilst breaking the Guinness world record back in December, Sharon has been able to find out more about how her body reacts when she puts it through painfully long distances.

'For the first time, I was able to monitor my blood glucose and iron levels at 海角直播 and was shocked to find how shockingly low they were. Without the correct equipment, you鈥檒l never know exactly what you鈥檙e doing to your body so it was really valuable, and has adapted how I prepare for runs now.

'I鈥檝e discovered that low iron levels are common in runners as every time you put your foot down it kills red blood cells. My iron reading was around 13.5, average for a woman; however after the seven day world record my levels had dropped to 9, which is technically anaemic. Thanks to the analysis I鈥檝e had access to at 海角直播; I can safely counteract this by taking iron pills and ultimately allow my body to carry around more oxygen when I鈥檓 attempting records.'

Sharon鈥檚 running exploits for 2012 aren鈥檛 over just yet, as she looks ahead to three very different outdoor events: 'I鈥檓 attempting another world record in an event around Lake Balaton in Hungary over six days in May, in which I鈥檝e already set the UK record. It will be very picturesque, although could be a tough record to break depending on the weather. I鈥檒l have to average about 85 miles a day to beat the record, the same speed I maintained in Ireland, compared to the 75 miles a day average for the seven day treadmill record. 'I鈥檝e also got the annual World 24 Hours to keep up my international status in representing my country and finally a race to really enjoy, the extreme one, a trip to the Grand Canyon for a wonderful 160 miles.'

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