Irish ultra runner Eoin Keith finished a magnificent 5th at the World 24 Hour Championships in Bergamo, Italy on 3 May 2009.
Dublin-based Keith ran at a steady pace throughout the 24 hours to cover a distance of 237.206km (147.393 miles). In the process, he also broke the existing Irish 100-mile and 24-hour road records, held by Richard Donovan and Tony Mangan, respectively.
Keith's incredible endurance achievement represents the highest placing at a global championships by an Irish male ultra runner. It was the equivalent of running almost six consecutive marathons in a single day.
The individual men's title was won by Henrik Olsen (Sweden) with Ralf Weis (Germany) second and Japan's Yuji Saka in third place. Japan won the team title.
Keith's performance also earned him fourth place in the European Championships, which was held concurrently.
Results of World 24H Challenge
1. Henrik Olsson (SWE) 257.042 km (1st European Championships)
2. Ralf Weis (GER) 244.492 km (2nd European Championships)
3. Yuji Sakai (JPN) 242.713 km
4. Vladimir Bychkov (RUS) 240.506 km (3rd European Championships)
5. Eoin Keith (IRL) 237.206 km
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