The Tri Training Harder Race Team introduces Ollie Stoten: top ultra runner
Ollie Stoten
This is part of a series of articles introducing the members of the Tri Training Harder Race Team: number 3 in series of 6.
Age: 24Main race: CCC or Spartathlon
Main aim: Qualify and race Spartathlon (256km) Athens to Sparta
Thoughts on the race team: 'I am delighted to be part of the race team this year, and think I can learn a lot from triathletes that can be applied to ultra running to get better results. Having an Integrated Support Team is something that I am very excited about, as it has the potential to hugely improve my performance, and is something that would not usually be available to students or ultra runners. The team provides a support network of a group of like-minded athletes, which is so useful for a developing athlete as ultra running has potential to be a very isolated sport.
What’s in store for 2015:
Ollie is going to be taking the Ultra world by storm this year, he has had a great start to the season finishing 1st at Country to Capital and he is on great form. Ollie will be racing the Pilgrim Challenge,
T60 Night Race, World Trail Champs - 86km, 5,300m elevation gain, Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc (170km and 10,000m elevation gain) and hopefully Spartathlon - on qualification (246km from Greece to Sparta).
Main race results 2013-2014:
2014:
T60 Night Race (60mile)- 1st + CR (10hr 18)
Country to Capital - 23rd (15th AG; 6hr 22)
Thames Trot 50 mile - 17th (11th AG; 7hr 12)
2013:
Country to Capital - 14th
South Downs Way 100miler - 28th (20hr 01)
Ely Monster Ultra 68k - 5th
Career:
Ollie is currently a 4th year student doctor at Southampton Faculty of Medicine, leading research into the cause of a debilitating nerve disorder of the face. After qualifying as a doctor Ollie hopes to pursue a career in Sport and Exercise Medicine, a speciality that feeds into his desire to improve as an endurance athlete.
Ollie has a breadth of medical experience having trained in medical, surgical, psychiatric, paediatric and general practice, and last summer completed a joint apprenticeship in the Emergency Room and Coroner's Office in Louisiana, before returning to the UK to pursue Sport and Exercise Medicine in London.
Background:
Ollie started running longer distances a few years back after taking the plunge and signing up for a 100 mile trail race; he asked his coach for some desperately needed help with coaching to get through this ludicrous task. Since then, the coaches at Tri Training Harder have taken Ollie from ‘completing’ to ‘competing’ and getting Ollie his first ultra win, "through great coaching, awesome training holidays...the lot really". We have seen something special in Ollie - his attitude, his exceptional talent and his undying positivity. We are sure this is only the tip of the iceberg for him.
Ollie is one of the fastest British Ultra Marathon athletes, racing some of the most testing races out there. He has set the record for the T60 Night race and this year plans to beat that record along with competing in one of the hardest races in the World: Spartathlon or CCC.
Follow Ollie through the Tri Training Harder Race Team page on facebook.
Also on twitter: @ollie_stotes
