Keith makes history in Cardiff

Ennis athlete Keith Whyte made a little bit of history on Sunday when he won the Anglo Celtic Plate in Cardiff.
The Plate is the prize for the winner of a 100k race around Cardiff. The race is contested by athletes from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales and the race was run over 32 laps of a two-lap course.
“I started running about five years ago with the Clare Crusaders in preparation for the Dublin marathon. It kicked on from there,” Keith told The Clare Champion this week after returning from Cardiff.
A member of Ennis Track Club, he has been part of the Irish team for the past few years.
“Ireland had a team in this event last year and I was a scoring member. This year, they didn’t have a team but I entered as an individual and managed to win the race outright,” Keith explained. He is the first Irishman to win this race, having led from start to finish.
“About 18 months ago I started running ultra marathons. Last year, I got a call-up to the Irish team and this particular event was my first race for Ireland. I was in the Irish team for the World Championships last April in Italy, where Ireland finished in sixth place,” Keith said.
The Ennis athlete’s time for Sunday’s race was seven hours 16 minutes, which was nine minutes better that his previous personal best.
“I was hoping for a faster time but the heat was very severe,” he said, before adding that next year he will compete in both the European and World Championships. He is one of only three athletes in the country that has run the qualifying time for both of these championships
For the remainder of this year, he will take part in races in Longford and Kerry. The Longford race takes place next month and Keith will be defending a title he won last year.
In the meantime, he will continue his training programme. “I train every day and twice most days, doing long runs and gym work.
“I am involved with Clare Crusaders. I do about 15 to 16 hours’ training each week.”
Keith has targeted next year’s European and World Championships and is gearing his preparations towards both these events. “These are the next major competitions and hopefully the Irish team will feature strongly,” he concluded.