Tipperary's Tobin breaks Antarctic marathon record

Clonmel’s Sean Tobin was competing in the Antarctic Ice Marathon, just over 1000km from the South Pole.

Sean Tobin at the finish line Pic: Antarctic Ice Marathon

It’s a long way from Antarctica to Tipperary, but for Clonmel’s Sean Tobin this was a trip worth making. On Wednesday morning, the 28-year-old ran the fastest marathon in history on the continent, clocking 2:53:33 to break the previous record of 2:54:54 by USA’s Mike Wardian during the 2017 World Marathon Challenge.

Tobin was competing in this year’s Antarctic Ice Marathon, which was staged at Union Glacier, just over 1000km from the South Pole. “I had to go deep inside myself, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” said Tobin, who has represented Ireland at global level in cross country in recent years and is a two-time national champion on the track.