Hannah Shields

About

Hannah Shields is a Northern Irish orthodontist, mountaineer, and endurance athlete from Kilrea who lives in Derry City and stands as one of Ireland's most decorated adventure sports personalities. Born around 1966, she took up club running at 34 and rapidly progressed to national and international medal standard across distances from marathon to ultramarathon, completing more than 50 marathons and ultra-distance events. Her trail and ultra running highlights include the 101 km Titanic Quarter Ultra Marathon in 2013 — at the time Northern Ireland's longest ever road race — and multiple podium finishes in endurance mountain running, triathlons, and duathlons. Shields's adventure sports achievements are equally remarkable: in 2007 she became the first woman from Northern Ireland to summit Mount Everest, and in 2004 was the first Irish woman to ski to the North magnetic pole as part of the Polar Challenge alongside Chris van Tulleken. Her philosophy — that physical and personal challenges reveal how precious life truly is — has made her an inspirational figure well beyond the running world, and she continues to balance her orthodontal practice with training and expeditions.

Notable Wins

• — First woman from Northern Ireland to summit Everest (2007)
• — first Irish woman to ski to North magnetic pole (2004)
• — 101km Titanic Quarter Ultra Marathon 2013
• — multiple national and international endurance medals

Race History