A full team has been selected to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2022 IAU 24 Hour European Championships which will take place in Verona, Italy between the 17-18 September.

100km medallist Joanna Zakrzewski (self-coached) will compete in her first European 24-Hour Championships. She won 100km silver in 2011 and bronze in 2014 and has been a consistent member of British ultra-running teams in recent years. The Durham athlete holds the best distance covered in 24 hours on the women’s team with 236.561km.

Jen Coleman (Rory Coleman, Les Croupiers) returns to the British set-up for the first time in ten years after setting a PB of 227.715km last year. Three other previous GB & NI internationals, Jo Newens (Matt Holland, Road Runners Club), Catherine Simpson (Robbie Britton, Sheen) and Wendy Whearity (self-coached) all join the team for the Championships.

Ellie Eccles (Damien Hall) will make her debut in a British vest in Verona. The West Cheshire athlete holds a lifetime best of 214.410km from her first outing at 24 hour running.

Damian Carr (Robbie Britton) leads the names in the men’s team having moved to fourth on the UK all-time list in only his second 24-hour race last year; he covered a distance of 262.916km in Crawley. The Coventry athlete will line up in his maiden British squad in Italy.

James Stewart (Paul Giblin), a member of the 2018 silver-medal winning British team at these championships in Romania, will add valuable experience to the men’s outfit. Also lining up is Daniel Hawkins (Wendy Whearity, Newbury) who has achieved the second furthest distance in the men’s team, running 257.24km at Sittard.

Paul Maskell (Robbie Britton, St Austell ARC), Rob Payne (Robbie Britton, Cleethorpes) and Alex Whearity (Wendy Whearity, Reading Joggers) complete the men’s team who will take on Europe’s best in September.

Team Leader, John Pares, said, “We are in a great position to select a strong team for the IAU 24 Hour European Championships. We’ve finished on the podium as a team at previous editions of the event, so we’ll be targeting that again, and individually we have some athletes who could also be challenging the best on the continent.”

The British team for the IAU 24 Hour European Championships in Verona, Italy:

Women:

Jen Coleman (Rory Coleman, Les Croupiers)

Eloise Eccles (Damien Hall, West Cheshire)

Jo Newens (Matt Holland, Road Runners Club)

Catherine Simpson (Robbie Britton, Sheen)

Wendy Whearity (self-coached)

Joanna Zakrzewski (self-coached, Durham)

Men:

Damien Carr (Robbie Britton, Coventry)

Daniel Hawkins (Wendy Whearity, Newbury)

Paul Maskell (Robbie Britton, St Austell ARC)

Rob Payne (Robbie Britton, Cleethorpes)

James Stewart (Paul Giblin)

Alex Whearity (Wendy Whearity, Reading Joggers)