In 2017, we were staggered by the number of times our minds were well and truly blown by shows of endurance and strength. Records weren’t just broken, they were smashed. We’ve rounded up 17 of the most impressive feats in 2017. We can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store!
4,000
The number of miles sailed solo by Tom Dolan in a 21ft boat. He spent almost two months alone at sea while participating in the Mini Transat. He came sixth overall.
14
The number of hours that 15-year-old triathlete Sabian Kulczynski trains per week. Not bad considering he also has to juggle school work and a social life! He has won the youth Aquathlon and Triathlon National Championships for 2015, 2016 and 2017.
18
The number of hours Jarlath McHale had to work per day as a porter on the Inca Trail. Jarlath got up every morning at 4am and worked straight through until 10pm when he worked on the 43km iconic trail this summer, to become the first non-Peruvian porter on the Inca Trail.
2,500
The number of kilometres walked by Jack O’Donohue last summer. The 65-year-old retiree raised almost €30,000 for Crumlin Hospital in the process.
6,943
The height in metres of the Burke Khang Mountain. Noel Hanna, the renowned mountaineer, made the first ascent of this Himalayan peak in October.
2,920
The number of minutes Joe Barr spent in the saddle as he broke the record for the fastest cycle from Malin to Mizen Head and back. People believed that it was not possible to do it in under three days. Joe took 48 hours and 40 minutes.
15
Russel White finished 15th in the WTS (World Triathlon Series) Grand Final in Rotterdam in 2017. This result is the highest WTS Grand Final finish from an Irish male ever.
35
The distance in kilometres swum by Carmel Collins as she crossed the North Channel solo. The swim took her 15 hours 58 minutes and 21 seconds and the water was as cold as 12 degrees in places.
158
The number of hours that it took Dubliner Gerard Prendergast to complete 10 Ironmans over the course of 10 days.
190,000
The number of Euros raised by Shane Finn (25) for Spina Bifida Ireland. Last year he ran 12 marathons in 12 days. In 2017, he upped the ante and ran 24 marathons in 24 days.
2,997.56
The amount of money in euro that Michelle Hardiman spent cycling 9,000km from Vancouver to the Panama Canal.
248.436
The distance in kilometres run by Eoin Keith in just 24 hours to set a new Irish 24-hour record.
2,058
The distance in kilometres cycled by cancer survivor, Trish McGuane in the 17-stage Wild Atlantic Way Sportif. She was the only woman to complete the event and one of only three people to finish in total.
13
The age of Lucy Collins, the youngest participant at the Liffey Swim 2017.
60
The approximate height in feet of some of the waves caught by Conor Maguire last year. In February, he was nominated for Tube of the Year at the World Surf League Big Wave Awards for bagging a mammoth wave off the coast of Mullaghmore in Co Sligo. He also received two nominations for the prestigious XXL awards in 2017.
7
Blind runner, Sinead Kane, race 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days in 2017. That’s a total of 295km in Antarctica, Africa, Australia, Dubai, Europe, South America and North America as well as spending about 45 hours in the air to travel between the continents.
3
The position in which mountain biker, Greg Callaghan, finished in the Enduro World Series. It is the best any Irish rider has ever placed in the competition.
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