Plymouth doctor to represent Great Britain

A member of staff at Derriford Hospital has been chosen to represent Great Britain in the International Association of Ultrarunners in the World Trail Championships 2015, held in France.

In May, Dr Sarah Morwood will be competing in an 85km continuous run, with 5300m of vertical ascent and decent. There are a total of 12 team members competing for Great Britain, six women and six men, who were all chosen based on their performance in previous races.

Sarah said: “I have been competing in ultramarathons since 2013 and I absolutely love them. My first ultramarathon was 32 miles long and I then went on to entering more later in the year, where I completed my first 100 mile run, coming in as first female. In 2014 I completed four 100 mile races, being placed first female in three of them.

“An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running and walking, longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195km. Some people walk sections, some run constantly, some stop to rest, everyone has their own way of tackling it, but apart from stopping at aid stations to pick up supplies, I don’t stop during that time. I think working night shifts prepares you well for racing continuously with no sleep!

“One of the nice things about ultramarathons is that you are generally running slowly, particularly over the longer distances and so you get to appreciate the surrounding scenery more and also chat to your fellow runners!”