Seven Sisters Skyline

Eunan briefing runners at to the start of the Seven Sisters Skyline In this interview series, Ahotu will be speaking with the people behind some of the most unique races across the globe. We’ll be discussing the history of the event, challenges and how to overcome them, attracting sponsors, reaching new runners and more! Thanks for joining us Eunan. We’ve worked with you and the Seven Sisters Skyline race in particular, for a few years now, but for those reading that aren’t familiar with you or your races, could you introduce? Of course! Excel Sports is a Donegal-based sports event company that organise and promote unique long-endurance sporting events, challenges and training around County Donegal, Ireland. We offer four premium events and participation in our hiking/training club, Adventure Running Donegal. Our belief is to be ‘the best you can be’. Our aim is to encourage and empower participants of all levels to engage in health and fitness experiences while appreciating the beauty of the county and all that it has to offer. Our philosophy is that wellbeing is intrinsically linked to being outdoors ,which is why our events and training all take place in stunning locations, surrounded by nature. How did you get started out as a race director and are you a runner yourself? I started running as an 11 year old, and have been involved in sport ever since. I competed in Cross Country races, representing Ireland at U23 level. Injuries meant I always cycled and did my first Triathlon in 1989. I moved to the US in 1994 for 10 years and started to compete in Ironman Triathlons. I qualified for the Ironman World Championships in 2002 & 2003, and broke the Irish record for Ironman in 2006. A serious foot injury stopped me running from 2008, and in 2017 I started putting on some events in Donegal where I saw a gap for endurance events, around that time Donegal was also named ‘Coolest place on the planet’ by National Geographic magazine. I wanted to put on events in scenic rural locations in Donegal, and get people to experience the beautiful landscapes we are lucky to be surrounded by. We now have 4 events on our calendar and welcome participants from all over the world. The Seven Sisters Skyline is certainly a challenging event for runners, with 4,000+ metres of elevation and over a 55k course, what challenges does the course present for you and your team as organisers? It is certainly a very challenging route with big elevation over 55k. It’s Ireland’s toughest mountain running event, and people always underestimate how hard it is. For us as a team it is about managing the route and risk / contingency planning, and of course maintaining communication amongst ourselves throughout. All the hard work is done prior to race day, then it’s a matter of having everyone in place, and getting everyone back in one piece! Your race is nestled in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains in Ireland, where do your runners typically come from? 90% of participants come from outside of the county (Donegal), and currently we have 17 countries represented for the 2022 edition. We plan to grow this in the coming years, and with World’s Marathons platform reaching a global audience, our event is on a World stage. With international travel increasing again, we hope the event continues to become a bucket list race for International runners. You use Njuko for registration technology and World’s Marathons for International reach / marketing and of course the race offers UTMB points for participants, are there any other partners or platforms you work with or would like to shout out? This year we are delighted to have Kinnegar Brewing as our Lead Sponsor. Kinnegar are a fantastic craft beer company local to Donegal. They have a great attitude to exploring the outdoors and appreciating the good things in life. We can’t wait to provide our participants Kinnegar refreshments at the finish line. We also work with Tourism Donegal and Failte Ireland. Events like these attract participants and visitors to small rural areas in Donegal, providing a much needed economic boost to those areas. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for runners when booking and attending races. Do you take any measures to reduce the environmental impact of the Seven Sisters Skyline? Our events rely on nature to be possible so there is no one more concerned about sustainability than the runners and us the organisers. All visitors to the Seven Sisters have a responsibility to enjoy the mountain environment in a way that will allow future generations to have similar experiences. Our team is trained in ‘Leave No Trace’ and we follow National Parks guidelines. There is an Errigal Stakeholders Group which have been very active since 2012 so we are aware of best practice in conserving the mountains. We also have an Environmental Scientist on our team to advise of any measures needing to be put in place before, during and after the event. It goes without saying that we make sure no litter is left behind by the event. Anyone working or taking part in the race stays at least two nights so that the area is not just a stop over but somewhere to be experienced. The mountain marshals and aid station groups are local as well as the photographers and videographers etc., to reduce travel. Even our sponsors are local to Donegal! We are always on the lookout for ways to be environmentally friendly and welcome changes of any aspect of the event to meet this aim. What plans do you have for the Seven Sisters Skyline race and Excel Sports over the coming few years? We gained Silver Label World Cup status for the 2022 edition (for our 30k event). This is the first time an event in Ireland has received this accolade; it’s our goal over the next couple of years to host a Gold Label event in Donegal. The legacy created from this year’s event will have immense benefits to the event, area, and Ireland as a World Class outdoor destination. The Silver Label accreditation is the stepping-stone towards the Gold Label event. A Gold Label status event would bring the best athletes in the world to Donegal / Ireland to participate in the event. For Excel Sports in general, we will continue providing the best quality race events in Ireland. We have added a new adventure race to our calendar this year – The Slieve League Adventure Run, on one of Ireland’s most Iconic landscapes – starting at Sea level and climbing 600m on top of some of Europe’s highest sea cliffs. With four events and the bid for the Gold Label we will be kept busy for the next few years, and we couldn’t be happier. What can participants expect from the Seven Sisters Skyline race? Ireland’s Seven Sisters Skyline 55km & 30km has become Ireland’s premier mountain running event and is Ireland’s largest mountain running event with its 500 participants. The event race route runs along the top of all of the Seven Sisters in the Derryveagh mountains from Errigal to Muckish. The course is renowned for its variability in terrain and amazing beauty, along with a route that is very demanding on wild open mountains. Runners tackling technical terrain on the race course. The 2022 30k event is a World Cup Mountain Running Event. It has a €3,000 prize fund and provides WRMA points. The 2022 event is the 5th anniversary of the Skyline 55k, and we are offering a €5,000 prize fund, which will make this the most competitive event of its kind ever in Ireland. Participants can expect to be considerably challenged by the course terrain, awed by the views and completely buzzed from the race atmosphere! When is the next edition taking place and where can our audience find out more information about the event? The next event is coming up on the 21st of May, with the 2023 date TBC. Our website has information on all of our events and you can also find them on World’s Marathons! https://excelsports.events/. Entries are also open on our website and World’s Marathons – https://worldsmarathons.com/marathon/seven-sisters-skyline Thanks for speaking with us Eunan, best of luck with the 2022 edition and we look forward to working with Excel Sports and your outstanding range of races! Interested in taking part? You can register for the Seven Sisters Skyline on Ahotu – Seven Sisters Skyline To feature in our interview series you can drop us an email on [email protected] Interested in promoting your race with World’s Marathons or Ahotu? Contact us on [email protected]