Michael Collins (Irish author)

Michael Collins, born on 4 June 1964 in Limerick, is an Irish novelist and an international ultra-distance runner. He earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, a master's degree from Oxford University and a doctorate from the University of Illinois Chicago. A former member of the Irish national team for the 100 kilometre distance, he holds the Irish national masters record over 100 km, and as captain of the Irish team in 2010 he won a bronze medal at the World 100k Championships in Gibraltar. He has also won the 100-mile Himalayan Stage Race, the Mount Everest Challenge Marathon, the Last Marathon in Antarctica and the North Pole Marathon. His novel The Keepers of Truth was shortlisted for the 2000 Booker Prize.