Huge congratulations to ENT Consultant Jemy Jose who has helped Team UK bring home the silver medal in the 2026 Masters Skyrunning World Championships.
The event was the finale of the World series of Skyrunning, comprising a gruelling 65km course through the Portuguese mountains, where the runners faced temperatures peaking in the high 20s, hours of running in the pitch dark and even a mountain-top lightning storm.
The race was in the Serra da Arada mountains of northern Portugal spread over five check points with highly technically challenging terrain with 6,500m ascents and heart-stopping descents covered with plenty of shale and boulders on the way.
And all the while they were carrying their mandatory kit, including a litre of water, a thermal blanket, waterproof clothing, head lamp, mobile phone and food – weighing in at around 3 to 4kg.
Of the 150 racers who set out on the course, only 84 were able to complete it – with each runner crossing the finishing line earning points for their national team. One of those was Jemy, who completed the course in a very respectable 18-and-a-half-hours, crossing the line at midnight.
He said: “I was relieved and very, very grateful for the experience.
“There were 19 of us representing the UK – with up to three from each country in each of the different age groups. I was in the 55+ category.
“I am an average, ordinary runner, so when I got the email to say I had been selected, I thought it was spam!
“Everyone else in the team was very accomplished – I spent some restless nights before the race thinking ‘what have I got myself into?’ but the team was great. Everyone was competitive but we were a team, and everyone was sharing tips about the best way to accomplish it.”
The old adage of slow and steady wins the race paid dividends, with Jemy focusing on maintaining constant levels of effort – slowing for ascents and speeding up when the terrain allowed – to maximise his efficiency.
He also drew on his experience in similar events in the UK – largely in the Lake District where he trained for the event – to map out his nutritional needs and plan ahead for when he would need to refuel.
Before this final stage the UK was in third place, with Japan in second and Portugal in first. However, thanks to the combined efforts of Team UK, they pushed ahead of the Japanese by four points and finished the competition with the World Championship silver.
Jemy said: “I have been a runner all my life but only started doing long distance in my very late twenties to early thirties. As I started getting older – and slower – I made the move from road running 10ks, half-marathons and marathons to trail running, which is off-road.”
Laughing, he added: “I was selected based on my performances in other UK races and this was my first – and probably only time – representing my country. It was definitely a fantastic experience.”
Next on his list is the formidable Bob Graham Round – which sees fell runners take on a 66-mile route encompassing 42 fells and 27,000ft of ascent across the Lake District in 24 hours.
Best of luck, Jemy. We’re sure you’ll smash it – rather you than us!