Michael Collins - Author & Runner

Ultra-Runner & Social Activist
An average week consists of 80 miles

Michael Collins is the former  captain of the Irish National 100k Team. In 2010, he earned a bronze medal at the World Championships, capping a career over endurance and ultra-events that have included victories at The North Pole Marathon, The South Pole Marathon, The Everest Marathon and The Sahara Marathon. 

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Collins is also active in exploring Irish History through retracing journeys taken by those dispossessed by hunger during the Great Hunger of 1845-47.  He has written extensively on the subject, writing academic articles and also documenting his runs for major newspapers.

 

In 2016, he completed a Marathon-A-Day for a month, (Click to read about The Diaspora Run) retracing the harrowing journey of Irish Immigrants from Grosse Île quarantine station on the Saint Lawrence River down through Quebec, Montreal, Kingston and Toronto. (650 mile journey)

 

The run sought to highlight the historical circumstances that forced the Irish emigrants of 1847 to board the infamous coffin ships to Canada, whilst also paying tribute to those Canadians who cared for the typhus-stricken Irish. A series of articles will be posted throughout the run. 

 

The run served as a fundraiser to establish memorial gardens and erect plaques along the 1847 route.