How they train: Thomas Barr

The experienced Irish Olympic hurdler and sprinter explains how he has managed to maintain his longevity

Hordes of young fans had gathered excitedly trackside for the chance to get Thomas Barr’s autograph, possibly even a selfie with their hero, as he celebrated his 12th national title at the 2024 Irish Championships.

Under the circumstances, he could have been forgiven for sneaking out of a side exit; the 32-year-old had just won the 400m hurdles in 50.61 (having clocked a hard-fought 49.60 in qualifying the previous day) but had fallen “very short” of his own goals which included achieving the Olympic qualifying standard of 48.70. Yet, amidst the post-race commotion, he opted not to leave but to spend an hour and a half signing autographs, putting smiles on the faces of everyone around him.

“Thank you…” he wrote modestly on Instagram afterwards. “You made me feel proper famous for a few hours.”

While narrowly missing out on selection for the 400m hurdles in Paris – Barr was ranked 42nd (from a maximum of 40) when the qualifying window closed – the two-time Olympian was still selected for the mixed 4x400m relay, an event in which he won an incredible European Championships gold in June. It was a remarkable achievement for the Ferrybank athlete who went to his first major championships a decade ago and, at his peak, finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Rio in an Irish record of 47.97.

In an event he acknowledges has moved on substantially in recent years from a technical and endurance-based discipline to one which is increasingly speed-based, he credits his consistency and longevity to his University of Limerick-based coaches Hayley and Drew Harrison and the training ethos they’ve created.

“They really are the brains behind the operation,” says the 2018 European Championships bronze medallist. “I haven’t had to do a huge amount of thinking when it comes to training. As I’ve got older I’ve had a little bit more input, but Hayley is so in tune with what each individual athlete needs… I’ve been very lucky that a lot of the ‘thinking’ part of getting myself to a level where I can perform at my best has been out of my control to a certain extent, which makes my life much easier.

“Hayley and Drew have a huge amount of experience, coaching athletes at international level all the way back down to grass roots. Even now, in the training group, anybody that’s within the university that wants to give athletics a go – we’ve had athletes that maybe play team sports or other sports that want to work on their speed – they’ll come and train with us for a while. That’s what I love about the group, it’s always growing, it’s always changing, there’s a huge amount of energy and I love the diversity of it. I still enjoy going down to training for that reason; it’s good fun and it’s good craic with my mates.”

A self-confessed student of the sport, Barr says that his love of learning and his willingness to push boundaries have also contributed to his career longevity. “If I thought I’d finished learning or thought I knew everything I’d move away from the sport because I’d be like: ‘What’s left to gain?’” he says.

Ireland’s winning team (Getty)

His season’s best of 48.79 is his quickest since the Tokyo Olympic Games and his ninth-best ever. He is not finished yet but, when the time comes, Barr can step away from the track with his head held high not just because of his performances on it, but for his likeability off it.

As he reflects back on the Irish Championships, potentially his final ‘nationals’, there is joy and appreciation in his voice. “I’ve always loved the buzz that can be generated literally from running one lap of the track and the fact that other people take so much enjoyment from it,” he says. “I even got messages from kids’ parents afterwards saying: ‘Thanks so much, he hasn’t washed his hands since you shook it’, or, ‘He’s gone into school with his signed t-shirt, he can’t wait to show his friends’, and that’s really what it’s all about for me.

“At this time in my career I’m delighted to have left that kind of legacy or a mark on the sporting community. That means so much more to me than a one-off performance.”

For context, three weeks of hard training will be followed by a ‘recovery’ week. All track sessions are done at the University of Limerick. The Saturday hill session is done on forest trails in Cratloe, County Clare.

READ MORE: How they train series

Monday: (am) gym – rehab and speed-based session; (pm) track session e.g., 4x150m or 200m-150m-100m (x1) as fast as possible off long recoveries, or 80m-60m-40m (x3). “It’s really honing in on the speed element,” says Barr. Recoveries between 6-15 minutes (recoveries will be longer for longer runs and also the closer it is to racing season)

Tuesday: (pm) 20-minute run followed by plyometric exercises (15min approximately) then “hectic circuit session” including body-weight exercises (e.g., press-ups, crunches, burpees, skipping etc) plus medicine ball exercises. “That’s the longest session of the week and it can be up to 2/2.5hr when we’re into the thick of the season/winter block,” says Barr. “It’s probably one of my favourite sessions of the week, too, because you come away absolutely wrecked and you feel like you’ve really done something.”

Wednesday: (pm) technical session on track e.g., hurdles session and block work, resistance sprints and technical running (starts off basic, becomes more technical throughout season)

Thursday: (pm) speed endurance session on track e.g., 500m-400m-300m. Or split runs, e.g., 250m then a split 300m (split into 150m/150m with a short recovery) followed by 350m and finally a split 400m. “This is a lactic-inducing session with short recoveries (up to 7min in winter/30sec for split runs), so we get more fatigued as the session progresses and we have to work harder for the same result.” 

Friday: (am) heavy gym session + 10-15min on bike

Saturday: (am) hill session – starts with 1km uphill run warm-up followed by up to 12 sprints of various inclines and distances from 30m-100m

Sunday: rest day

Favourite session: “I really like our circuit and med ball session (described above). If we finish our run before the coaches get there we’ll do 10 minutes of basketball as well, so it’s good craic.”

Least favourite session: “Speed-endurance on a Thursday is my least favourite; I’m quite strong on those sessions but they’re definitely my least favourite because you know you have to go into the hurt locker to a certain extent.”

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