Anglo-Celtic Plate 2025 Preview.

International ultra running is heading to Mallory Park, Leicester, this weekend with the annual 100km Home International event. The 30th running of the Anglo Celtic Plate is being hosted by England for the first time in several years and will utilise the Motor Racing circuit at the park. Here we offer a brief  Anglo-Celtic Plate Preview.

The runners will run just over 20 laps of an approximate 5 km circuit.

A full list of entrants for both races is on the event race site.

The live tracking link is also there too.

The event this Saturday, 3rd May, will feature both the British, Irish, Scottish and Northern Irish 100km road championships for 2024. There is also an open race

The races take place on an accurately measured traffic-free loop of just over 3 miles. Runners will complete 20.72 laps. 

With several of last year’s leading runners, many of whom ran in the IAU World Championships in December, opting for other challenges this Spring, it gives a real opportunity for new faces to shine. 

Men to watch

Northern Ireland’s Jarlath McKenna was the ACP champion in 2023, where he recorded his PB of 6:37:19. He is the fastest man in the field on paper. His consistency, both on the roads and the trails, where he recorded wins at the Lakeland 50 and the 95 mile West Highland Way  in 2024, will certainly make him a leading contender. 

Scotland’s Henry Hart, who made his debut in the ACP in Perth last year, has been on a roll since then. After recording a marathon Pb of 2:18:45 in Berlin, he followed that up with a new Scottish 50km road record of 2:50:35 in December and a recent win in the Italian Strasimeno 58K race. Joe Beaton will be winning his first Scotland vest and has victories in the Dartmoor Discovery race and the Glasgow-Edinburgh ultra to his credit. 

The England team features several new faces including Matt Field, who set a new GB 24-hour record last summer. It will be interesting to see how he can fare dropping down in distance, Thay also have Ioan-Marius Posa, who ran 6:54:47 for 7th place in Perth last year.

The Irish have the experienced Ciaran McGonagle leading the team.  Ciaran was 6th in Perth last year with 6:50:28., a new Irish 100km record. He went on to represent Ireland at the IAU 100km championships in India. His compatriot Stephen Murphy, who set a new Irish 100-mile record last year, recording 13:18:33, will be having his first attempt at 100km on the road.

The experienced Gareth Pritchard leads the Welsh team. He is a GB 24-hour international with a 100km Pb of 7:33:03 from Perth in 2024. He will be backed up by Jamie Pugh, who recorded 7:20:34 for 100 km in Sweden last Spring and followed that up with 2nd place in the North Downs Way 100 miler.

Women to watch 

England’s Steph McCall makes her 100km debut, but a 10th place finish at the 56km two Oceans Marathon and a 2:51 marathon at Valencia in the autumn will make her one to watch. Katie Young has a strong trail record and marathon background, but like McCall, it will be her first road 100km.

England also has Kelsey Price running her first road 100 km. Like Matt Field, she has run excellent 24-hour races and is a previous winner of the 145-mile Grand Union Canal race. 

Scotland’s women are led by 2022 Anglo Celtic Plate Champion Jo Wilson. Jo is on the comeback trail after giving birth to her first child. She may not be back to the form that led to a 7:38:10 PB in 2022. But has declared herself fit enough to embrace the challenge of 100km again!

Northern Ireland have the experienced  Karla Borland in their team. Karla was 3rd in the 2023 ACP and this year has recorded 3rd place in the 45-mile Country to Capital race and victory in the 31-mile Hundred Hills 50km in March.

Wales have the experienced  Jen Coleman on the entry list, but we hear sh may be a late withdrawal.

Ireland have the Pat McLoughlin, who will be making her 5th apperance in the Anglo-Celtic Plate. Christine Kinsella and Lorraine McMahon, also bring a wealth of experience to a solid Irish team.

The Anglo-Celtic Plate was established, to offer opportunities for ultra athletes to experience international competition. Many athletes representing the five nations for the first time have gone on to represent  Great Britain or Ireland in European and World championships, or success in other races.  For many others, it remains a highlight on their “running Jourmey’s.

With so many of this year’s entries running 100km on the road for the first time, it makes both the individual and team competition hard to predict. It looks very open, and it will be interesting to see the race unfold.

Time and space have prevented me from mentioning everyone, if you feel someone deserves a special mention, leave a comment below.

 

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Adrian Tarit Stott.

The author is a former GB 24-hour ultra international with over 100 ultra race completions.  He has also been involved in organising ultra-distance races for over 30 years.  Still an active recreational runner, he is currently a member of UKA’s Ultra Running Advisory Group (URAG) and the Mountain and Trail Advisory Group. He also contributes as part of the selection and team management for both Scottish and GB ultra teams. A freelance writer in his spare time, he contributes articles and reports to several websites and magazines including Athletics Weekly and Irunfar.