Donegal Town nurse endures 'mythical' 170km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc

A Donegal Town nurse has completed the 170km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, a race described as "the most mythical and prestigious trail running race in the world.”

Julie McNamee, a neonatal nurse at Letterkenny University Hospital and a member of the Tir Chonaill Athletics Club, completed the race, which features a 10,000 metre elevation gain and passes through France, Switzerland, and Italy, in 44 hours, 33 minutes, and 57 seconds, at the end of August.

Her time ensured that she was the 29th fastest woman in her category to complete the race.

This year's edition was Julie’s second year participating in the Chamonix-based race, having first competed the year prior in 2025.

“Last year, my husband went over with me, and we had a storm on the first night, so there was a good risk of hypothermia, so I went fast to keep warm,” said Julie.

“I am 53. I am not going to be able to do this forever, so that was a reason why I wanted to do it again.

“You get the opportunity to go. I was chatting to my running coach, and I thought it would be nice to do it without a storm.”

Even getting the opportunity to race the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc requires a mixture of luck and hard work. Qualifying races are held in various locations, giving hopefuls a higher opportunity in a lottery system to be selected for an entrance into the race. Julie herself had competed in exotic locations such as Snowdonia, Las Palmas, Austria, Croatia, Corsica, the Pyrenees and the Dolomites.

Despite there not being a storm this year, the weather provided Julie, who was competing in the race unsupported, with different challenges.

“It was wet leading up to the race,” said Julie. “The start was held for two hours because they didn’t want us to go up the peaks with all the rain.

“At the start, there is a build-up of people. I was queuing for two hours to get started. Last year, before the storm, it was a wonderful, sunny day, but not this year.

“This year, I sat under a cardboard box and realised I should have gotten an umbrella. I thought this was not the way you would want to start an ultra-marathon, but it was alright, and it dried up.

“At 23km, I lost one of my running poles. I was crossing a river, and it got caught on something. It fell into a fast-flowing river, so there was no way I was getting that back.

“The running poles are handy for climbing. A lot of people said to me, ‘Why are you not using your poles?’ Near the end, one girl was almost annoyed at me.

“Also, when you are at 2,500 metres, you can feel a bit of the altitude. It is hard to train for that in Ireland because what do we have? Carrauntoohil?”

Other challenges Julie had to endure were competing with a lack of sleep and meals.

She said: “No sleep, but I did take caffeine gels. There were nutrition challenges. Some people have sensitive stomachs; I can generally take anything.

“The difficulty with ultra-running is when you are not sleeping, and you are dealing with the territory.

“If you are not sleeping, there is a high risk of hallucinations. I was tired, but when you are coming near the end, you get great energy.

“It is amazing how a small bit of sleep is enough. It is all time. If you lie down and sleep, that is 20 to 30 minutes gone. Some people do. One guy stopped for sleep twice, but he said he was not feeling that well.”

Asked why she would even want to take part in such a tough competition, Julie replied: “It is the challenge of doing it.

“They are well-organised and really amazing places that they are on in. They are tough.

“The places that I have gotten to go to. The views. It is a great way to see a place, to be there in it, rather than in the back of a car, but to be there on foot. You can hike it, but when you are running it, you can get around it quicker.

“It is the people you meet and the conversation you have with people. When you get chatting with people you have never met before, you have so much in common with them because you are interested in the same things.”

Now that Julie has completed this year's Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, she has moved on to new targets, competing in Wicklow Trail competitions and the Valencia Marathon, even if she says she doesn’t have any big plans at the moment.

“I am going to do a bit more on the road,” commented Julie. “I can not say I won’t apply (for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) again. I feel very fortunate to be able to do it and grateful.

“You can feel so lucky with the amount of people who can not do that. That race itself is a technical race, but it is the experience I am going for. I am not going to win any of these.”