Ishmeal

Ishmael has been a consistent name on the results lists of many of the UK’s longest and toughest ultra trail races, including the Spine, Lakeland 100, UTS 100M, West Highland Way Race and the Wild Horse 200. Living in the Peak District, he also competes on the local fell running scene. Although wary of the notion of neurodivergence as a ‘superpower’, he credits some of his ability to consistently train and compete consistently for over 30 years to his late autism diagnosis.

Before taking up trail running, Ishmael competed as a road cyclist and later as an ultra endurance cyclist. His athletic career stretches back to the early 1980s, when he took up road racing. His early cycling days took him to Italy and France, where he raced at elite level, including a stint at the US Olympic Training Center. After eventually burning out of cycling, Ishmael returned to endurance sports in his early 30s, when he began marathon running, with strong performances in London, Rotterdam, Boston and Jungfrau.

Before turning to his current pursuit of trail running, Ishmael was an elite road cyclist at the age of 40, and went on to win a bronze medal in the National 24 Time Trial Championships. His ultra cycling career culminated in two finishes (including a top 10) in the epic Transcontinental Race, a self-supported 2,000 mile cycle race across europe.