Kilkenny woman blazes a trail through the French Alps

A Kilkenny woman has proved her athletic mettle after competing in an ultra-marathon which saw her blazing a trail across the French Alps.

Susan Dooley, originally of Ballycannon, Rathmoyle, competed in the Morzine-Avoriaz Ultra Trail Marathon in France last month. A past pupil of Loreto Secondary School, Susan now lives in London and works as a physiotherapist there.

Having had her appetite whetted last September when she competed in the Kerry Way Ultra Lite 50k ultra-marathon, which saw her run from Sneem through MacGillycuddy's Reeks to Killarney, Susan commenced training for the French ultra-marathon shortly after last Christmas.

The Morzine-Avoriaz trail is 100 kilometres long and includes a cumulative climb of over 18,000 feet over the same distance.

Susan completed the ultramarathon in just under 18 hours, coming in 57th of the 233 finishers; just over 300 international competitors commenced the event. Of the 34 women who completed the 100k course, Susan was 6th over the finish line.

As to what her future plans are, Susan says, "Right now, it's time to put up my feet for a little while.”