S5E4: Richard Donovan – Extreme Athlete Looking to the Stars

Irish Stew Podcast

For Richard Donavan running the grueling 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon was only a way to stretch his legs before getting up the next morning to run across America…for the second time. Running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days sounds impossible, so he did it in under five.

Richard is also the first person to run marathons at both the North and South Poles and now lures other likeminded athletes to join him in some of Earth’s most extreme endurance races, including the North Pole Marathon, Antarctic Ice Marathon, Volcano Marathon, and World Marathon Challenge (7 Marathons 7 Continents in a leisurely 7 Days).

Where to next? Space. His Space Athletics Federation is hoping to stage a race in space by early 2026.

Quite a journey for an economist from Mervue, County Galway.

On Irish Stew he tells of the trauma that led to his embrace of ultra long-distance running, improvising his way to becoming the first person to run a marathon at the North Pole, the friend who motivated his two cross U.S. runs, dodging coyotes while running across the American West, overcoming the mental and physical challenges of running in some of the world's harshest environments, and his push into the final frontier of extreme sports in space.

Join us in a conversation that spans the continents and looks to the stars with our guide to the exquisite loneliness of the long-distance runner, Richard Donovan.

Links

Websites

o World Marathon Challenge

o Ice Marathon

o Space Athletics Federation
Social Media

o Twitter - Richard Donovan

o Twitter: Space Athletics Federation

o LinkedIn

o Facebook - Antarctic Ice Marathon
Seamus Plug

o Triumph Foundation

Chapters

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. A Perfect Day of Running (00:03:22)

3. Circling Vultures (00:04:27)

4. Stationary Horizons (00:05:32)

5. Running - Tech or No Tech (00:06:59)

6. Galway Origins (00:08:12)

7. When Parents Pass (00:09:37)

8. Making Running Pay (00:12:52)

9. Flexibility and Improvisation (00:16:15)

10. The Russian Polar Hack (00:19:56)

11. Playing the Irish Card at the Pole (00:23:12)

12. Good People Everywhere (00:24:31)

13. Polar Marathon Course and Gear (00:27:25)

14. Extreme Location Race Logistics (00:32:21)

15. Client Extreme Running Stories (00:37:38)

16. Running for Alvin Matthews (00:41:54)

17. FInal Frontier Running (00:43:57)

18. An Injury Story (00:47:37)

19. Favorite Running Experience (00:53:04)

20. Seamus Plug (00:55:27)

21. Recap: John and Martin (00:57:13)

22. Credits (00:58:38)