NEW ULTRA CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

16 February 2021

 NEW ULTRA CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

A new ultra-running event is set to be added to the local sporting calendar in late Spring, Covid restrictions allowing.

The inaugural Whitespace NIURA 50K and 100K Northern Ireland and Ulster Championships are due to be staged in the late Spring bank holiday weekend on Saturday 29th May. They will be based at Down Royal racecourse on a looped course and the event will also host a corporate and club relay ultra 50k race.

Ed Smith, chair of the Northern Ireland Ultra Running Association (NIURA), says: “As an Association we have only been in operation for just over a year but we felt that one of our key tasks was to establish these Championships. Hopefully, it will provide a shop window for our ultra talent, men and women, and a springboard to the Home Countries 100K Championships later in the year.”

NIURA Secretary, Cara Jeffrey adds, “We are fortunate that innovation engineering company, Whitespace, are coming in to back the venture as its title sponsor. It is always heartening to see a new sponsor join the roster supporting sports events in the Province and the addition of both the corporate ultra challenge and virtual corporate challenge will hopefully provide the opportunity for like-minded companies to get involved at ‘The sharp end’ with the team event.

Andy McCartney, Co-Founder of Whitespace commented: “We are so excited to be part of the Ultrarun event this year. It is a pleasure for us at Whitespace to take part in events such as these as they are a huge boost for the area and are great for everyone’s well-being, which is even more important at the moment. It is also an event that is close to home for me as my wife, Susan, is an established athlete on the circuit and thoroughly enjoys being a part of the ultra-running community.”

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