The Home Countries International is on Sunday April 2 at South Lake Leisure Centre in Craigavon, Northern Ireland

This weekend sees the 28th running of the Anglo-Celtic Plate 100km race – an annual event held between the four home countries in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, writes Adrian Stott.

For the first time in its history, the event will be staged in Northern Ireland, the only competing country yet to hold the race. There is a real buzz around 100km as an event just now. Last year, when the event was held in Perth, seven men ran under seven hours and three women under eight hours, which made it the best in-depth 100km race ever held on home soil. The local organisers hope the flat 5km loop at South Lakes Park, Craigavon, will produce similarly fast times.

Gareth King, fourth last year in Perth, Scotland, leads the host nation. His run in Perth earned him a GB vest and he topped the 2022 UK rankings with his 6:32:05 run in Berlin at the IAU World 100km Championships in August.

He is in good form having recently won the Portadown marathon in 2:25 and says: “I’m not a million miles away from my best. I feel there’s definitely more in there and I’m still learning how to race the distance. It’s something different, isn’t it. Having the crowds there cheering me on and my wee club Runwell supporting me.”

King will have stiff competition from England’s Ollie Garrod, who is in fine form.

Garrod, who was third in Perth last year, is in a purple patch of form. The prolific racer ran a stunning 2:51:26 at the Goodwood 50km on February 12, the second fastest road 50km from a British athlete. He followed that up three weeks later with a world best time for 40 miles when winning the Barry 40 track race in South Wales in 3:45:07. That record was held previously by the late Don Ritchie, whose time of 3:48:35 dated from 1982.

Although defending champion Matt Dickenson will not be defending his title, opting instead to improve his marathon PB in London, Garrod will lead a strong English men’s team. The experienced Paul Martelletti, with newcomers Dale Seddon (Candy Racing) and Nick Barry (Sale), make up the team.

Scotland men’s team are led by Jason Kelly, the silver medalist from Perth. The Aberdeen-based runner has had a good winter training block. He will be backed up by his Metro Aberdeen club member Chris Richardson. The 2022 Loch Ness Marathon winner Dougie Selman (Corstorphine AAC) and Inverclyde’s Peter Tucker gain their first Scottish vests. The team is completed by the experienced Rob Turner (Musselburgh AC), a former winner of the event and running his fifth Anglo-Celtic Plate.

With Irish Championship medals up for grabs, the Irish are sending a strong line-up. Like Gareth King, it will be a home race for Barry McCarroll, who lives in nearby Lurgan. Alex O’Shea, who ran 32 marathons in all 32 Irish counties in just 16 days, will be running on his 49th birthday.

It is also a sixth ACP for the much-travelled Welshman Nathan Flear, who is based in Bulgaria and last year won the Gloucester 100km. Michael Kallenberg (Swansea) and Sam Richards of Pontypridd Rodents make up the Welsh team. Kallenberg, could be one to watch as has a sub-three-hour 50km from 2016 and ran 2:23:02 in the Doha Marathon in January.

England’s men are defending the team title they won at this fixture in Perth last year.

England’s women also won the team title in Perth last year but are unable to field a full team on this occasion, leaving the team competition wide open. Their sole representative is Sarah Webster from the Isle of Man. She ran for the Isle of Man in the Commonwealth Games marathon in Birmingham but can run for England in this competition.

Scotland’s women are led by the experienced Alison McGill (Fife AC) who was fifth at Perth last year. With defending champion Jo Murphy concentrating on longer distances in 2023, it allows new emerging talent to make their mark. The 2022 Scottish 50km champion Amanda Woodrow (Edinburgh AC) steps up in distance and is joined by Great Glen Ultra winner Catherine Cowie (Portobello RC) and Emma Murray (Jog Scotland Kintore).

Ireland includes Tricia McLoughlin, who recently recorded 6- and 12-hour Irish records and Anne Jennings and Lorraine McMahon who helped the Irish women to a top 10 finish at the European 24hr Champs in Verona last September. Catriona Jennings, the women’s champion in 2022, who set a world W40 100km record when taking the bronze medal at last year’s World Championships, will not be running.

For Northern Ireland, Karla Borland is travelling from her English base to spearhead the team. Two years ago she finished fourth at the ACP in Mondello, Ireland. She was followed home that day by Jenny Elliott-York to secure bronze for the team and Elliott-York will be back in Craigavon.

The event starts at 8am and incorporates the British, Scottish, Irish and Northern Irish and Ulster 100km men’s and women’s championships. There is a concurrent open race and a 50km event too.