The IAU 24-Hour World Championship is now underway, with countries worldwide sending the best of the best to compete against one another.
The event is the pinnacle of competition regarding 24-hour runs, with athletes showing extreme tenacity and determination. Often, the top runners will run over 200km (124m), with some even stretching as far as 270km (168m) in the 24-hour period.
Who is the British Team this year?
Robert Britton – @Ultrabritton
Robert ‘Robbie’ Britton is a decorated ultrarunner currently holding the British 24-hour record with 277km (172 miles), which he achieved in February. He is a world-class ultrarunning coach, having coached many who joined him on the British team for 2023.
David Dowdle held the British Record of 274.5km (170 miles) for over 40 years. However, this wasn’t Britton’s first attempt to take the 24-hour record from him. Over the past decade, Britton has tried several times to beat the record and finally completed it on 26th February 2023 with 277km.
Samatha Amend – @amendsamantha
Samantha Amend is an exceptional runner, holding the female British 100-mile record at 14:10, which she has held since 2021.
Samantha first represented GB as a veteran at the age of 36 in 50km and was part of the GB team that won gold, then moved up the distance to 100km, where she represented again in both 2018 and 2022.
Damian Carr – @damocarr83
Damian Carr from Coventry is an exceptional runner, starting his running journey in 2006 upon returning from Iraq in 2003. He made a name for himself when he produced the 4th best UK performance in history in the 24hr format.
Jennifer Coleman
Another exceptionally decorated athlete to join our GB team is Jen Coleman, from Cardiff. She has previously ran for the 24-hour team with a distance of 277km and holds the Guinness World Record for running the length of Ireland (345 miles in 4 days, 23 hours, 3 mins).
She also made history by becoming the first Great British athlete to ever hold a podium place at the famed Marathon des Sables. She also is a National 100km Champion, a Welsh Ultra Distance Record Holder and has a sub-3 hour marathon time.
Daniel Hawkins
A builder from Newbury, Daniel Hawkins only began running in 2017. Some of his accolades include the West County 100 course record and is a recognised Spartathlon athlete. In 2021, he ran from Birmingham to London (145 miles), coming second.
He also finished seventh at the International Association of Ultrarunners 24 Hour European Championships race in Verona, Italy in 2022.
Sophie Power – @ultra_sophie
Sophie Power is a dynamite athlete, having completed the UTMB just months after giving birth. At the Crawley AIM 24-Hour Track Event, she clocked 235km, earning her place on the GB team this year.
Sophie is a force for more women and children to get into the sport, campaigning for female demand in ultra-sports, including pregnancy deferrals.
Daniel Lawson – @therunningdan
Dan Lawson from Brighton holds the course record for the Grand Union Canal Race and in 2016, he won the European 24 Hour Championships, and in 2020 set one of the fastest known times for Land’s End to John o’ Groats (9 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes and 2 seconds.)
Lawson won the IAU 24-Hour European Championships in 2016 with a distance of 261.843 kilometres and currently holds the record for the longest distance run during a 24-hour Ultramarathon in India.
Paul Maskell – @runmaskell
Paul Maksell is no newbie to the 24-hour races. A paramedic from Cornwall, he is a well-known figure in the South West running community. He competed in the 2019 IAU 24-Hour World Championships in France, coming in 17th with 251km (156 miles).
In 2022, he claimed joint 7th finisher with fellow Brit Danny Hawkins with 265.30km (164 miles), averaging roughly 8:30 min miling.
Eloise Eccles – @ellieandthebear
Eloise Eccles is an IT technician who recently won the inaugural 2023 Summer Spine Challenger North in an astonishing 56 hours. At the 24-hour European Championships in Italy last year, she clocked 222km. In 2021 she completed the Montane Summer Spine in 5 days, 35 mins and 26 secs.
Alex Whearity – @runningwithbyronbuggy
Alex has already had a phenomenal race season for 2023, coming in first place and setting a new course record for the Grim Reaper 100 and the South CANUM. He competed in the 2022 IAU European Championships in Verona as third point scorer for Britain with 261km.