ULTRA running specialist Damian Hall is this week celebrating the finest achievement of his career after being called up to make his debut for Great Britain at the World Trail Running Championships in Portugal, writes KEVIN FAHEY.

A GB vest is to be treasured at any age but now in his 41st year Hall’s satisfaction and delight is unbounded and his international debut is one of the success stories of the year in Wiltshire.

“It was a massive surprise and I was not expecting this at all,” said Hall, who lives in Box.

“It is all very exciting and not for one minute could I have ever imagined that when I ran my first ultra race in 2012 that it would lead to my first international vest at my grand old age!”

The call-up shouldn’t have come as such a big surprise after Hall, who is a member of Corsham Running Club, finished a superb runner-up in the 11th Hoka Highland Fling 53 miles race which incorporated the British Athletics UK Ultra Trail Championships, at the end of April.

It was a performance that not only shocked Hall himself, but also stunned the ultra world. In the British Athletics official preview Hall was not included among the 11 strong contenders for the title.

“I deliberately didn’t even find out when the team for the Worlds was going to be announced as I didn’t want to get obsessed about it,” added Hall.

“As it was when I got the call I ignored it as I didn’t recognise the mobile number. Then I got a text asking me to call and I politely texted back ‘Who are you and what do you want?

“He texted back a one-word reply: Portugal! I knew what it was about then so quickly called him.”

While his selection was not such a surprise Hall’s rise from rookie to international in just four years is remarkable. Completely new to the sport in 2012 he finished 557th in the Bath Half Marathon and followed that up with 3hrs 17mins 42secs in the Brighton Marathon.

“I then tried my first ultra which was called the ‘Wall’ and was a 69-mile race over two days roughly along the route of Hadrian’s Wall.

“It was the longest thing I had ever done and was uncomfortable but I loved it all; the camaraderie, running off-road in such beautiful terrain and going sow enough that you felt you could run all day – then at the end of the day stuffing your face with as much cake as you could eat!!

“I just loved it so much I studied and read everything I could about the sport plus I have received some great coaching advice from Ian Sharman.

“It still hasn’t sunk in yet that I have been selected to run for Great Britain and probably won’t until I line up on the start of the race in Portugal in October,” said Hall.