Ultramarathon record holder Ivana Kolaric on how Ireland ignited her love of running
Long distance running is having something of a moment. According to Strava’s Year in Sport 2023 report, running was the most popular sport of the year, and trail and long distance running specifically are seeing big growth.
While the study showed Croatia was the top country that athletes chose to travel to for sporting activities (34%), Ivana Kolaric, the women’s world record holder for the Wicklow Round Ultramarathon, only took up running when she moved from Croatia to Ireland.
“My partner introduced me to the joys of mountain running. When we first met, he was already running long-distance ultra-races in the open mountains. Once he invited me for a short run with his friends in Wicklow in Ireland, and from that very moment I was hooked. It has been six years now since that first run in the beautiful bogs of the Wicklow Mountains and the excitement and passion continues,” says Kolaric.
The former sports journalist grew weary of her career in Zagreb, and decided to act on a long-held desire to live abroad.
“Ireland, with its captivating cliffs, beautiful landscapes, and charming pubs that I had only seen in movies, seemed like the perfect destination."
"Through a website, I found a volunteer job in Kinsale. Within two weeks, I was on a plane with a one-way ticket and a suitcase, heading to a place where I knew no one, completely embracing the unknown. This was in February 2016. It turned out to be the fastest and best decision I ever made.”
In June 2021, Kolaric undertook the Wicklow Round Ultramarathon, a long-distance navigational challenge in the Wicklow Mountains, which must be completed in 24 hours.
The route covers 26 mountain peaks, totalling over 100km in distance and over 6000m of elevation. Each summit must be climbed in a fixed order, but the route choice between the peaks is up to the athlete, determined only by maps, as the use of GPS is not allowed.
“You must be extremely familiar with the route you have chosen to run,” explains Kolaric. “Preparation included months of recces every weekend in Wicklow trying to choose the most optimal route that best suited me. 24 hours is a long time to be running and ground conditions in the Wicklow Mountains can be energy-sapping if you chose the wrong line.
Running over knee height heather, through large areas of gorse or up and down over peat hagg after peat hagg is fun on short races, but not when you need to run for 24hrs. Sometimes the shortest distance is not always the quickest.”
She would first run during the day, building up to running at night in the pitch dark. “Everything, whether it is rocks, heather, gorse, peat hagg, or even animals, look completely different in the dark so it's crucial to do these practice night runs.
During the week, I would run 4-5 days between 10 and 15 km each day, doing speed sessions, hill repeats, and easy recovery runs. Sometimes I would cycle to work and back (11km each way).
As a final preparation a couple of weeks before the attempt I ran just over half of my final chosen route to see how I felt and give me the confidence that my training had stood me in good stead. And it did. I finished the Wicklow Round in 21 hours and 16 minutes which was 1 hour and 20 minutes faster than the previous women's record,” she says.
Kolaric has set her sights on some further long distance races this year – the Glendalough Tucker Trail (80km in Co. Wicklow), Stone Cross to Lug (54km in Co. Dublin) and a 24-hour Rogaine Orienteering Race. She also hopes to run in Croatia for the first time, in the 100-mile Istria race.
“This will be a completely new experience, especially since the terrain in Croatia and Ireland is so different. In Croatia, the mountains are steeper, with higher elevations, and are more rocky and forested. In contrast, most of the trails in Ireland are boggy, especially on open mountains, often overgrown with heather and ferns, and sometimes scattered with rabbit holes,” she says.
Would she recommend a visit to Ireland to any of her fellow Croats interested in running? “Ireland is a beautiful country with an incredible landscape, featuring lush green mountains with lots of hidden lakes, stunning cliffs, old ruined castles, cosy pubs, and amazing white beaches along the western coast.
"I would definitely recommend Ireland for running. Even though mountains are not too high, you can still build elevation, and the terrain is pretty demanding,” she enthuses.
“I love my local trail in Howth because it offers a bit of everything: cliffs, uphill and downhill stretches, rocky sections, and fantastic sea views. In the spring, it's even more beautiful, with blooming flowers adding vibrant colours and amazing scents.”
However first, there is one myth she would like to clear up for anyone planning a trip: “The biggest misconception among Croats is that it rains every day in Ireland, which is not true. The sun is shining here too!”