55-year-old Irish runner torches masters 3,000m world record
Shane Healy of Dublin clocked a jaw-dropping eight minutes and 47 seconds for 3K, beating runners a third of his age
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Athletics Ireland
Irish masters runner Shane Healy could be the fastest 55-year-old distance runner in the world. On Jan. 6 at an indoor track meet in Dublin, Healy torched the M55+ 3,000m world record by 11 seconds, clocking a jaw-dropping eight minutes and 47 seconds.
Congratulations to Shane Healy (MSB AC) who this afternoon broke the Men’s O55 3000m World Record at the National League in NIA, Abbotstown 👏🏻
Healy clocked a time of 8.47.71 to take over ten seconds off the previous record which stood at 8.58 🤩
📸 @sportsfilesam#IrishRunner pic.twitter.com/kaY1Kf6Z3R
— Irish Runner (@IrishRunnerMag) January 6, 2024
Healy placed sixth in his 3,000m heat, beating several runners a third of his age. His record-setting time surpassed the previous indoor mark set by German runner Guenther Hasselmann 44 years ago. Healy’s time was also quicker than the 3,000m outdoor record of 8:56.80, set by Australian Keith Bateman in 2010.
For many distance runners, breaking nine minutes for 3,000m is a significant milestone, yet Healy is doing it by a landslide at 55 years old, which is mind-blowing. His world record time of 8:47.71 equates to an average pace of two minutes and 56 seconds per kilometre and a speed of over 20.5 km/hr.
The 55-year-old middle-distance runner has been tearing up the track for several decades. In 1996, Healy represented Ireland at the Atlanta Olympics in the men’s 1,500m, where he made the semi-final. He retired from running in 1999, but after almost a five-year hiatus, he returned to the sport and began breaking Irish and world masters records.
Last year, at 54, the Irishman set the M50+ indoor 1,500m world record of 4:01.76. Healy turned 55 on Oct. 8, and we can imagine he will be adding the M55+ 1,500m indoor record of 4:11.79 to his impressive resume this season.
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