Emma Moore, the Galway City Harriers middle-distance runner, is preparing to compete at the 123.ie National Indoor Championships in Abbotstown, with her sights set on qualifying for the World Indoors. The competition comes after a period of recovery and recalibration for the 21-year-old, who has been working to overcome challenges related to under-fuelling, a condition known as RED syndrome.
Moore’s early promise as a runner was evident in her Irish schools title win over 800 metres. However, her progress was interrupted by injuries in 2023 and 2024, coinciding with her studies at Dublin City University. Balancing the demands of training with a full academic schedule proved difficult, and Moore unintentionally compromised her nutritional intake.
“Among the myriad things that can derail a promising career, under-fuelling is a recidivist offender,” according to reporting in the Independent. The article details how Moore wasn’t initially aware of the extent to which her body needed fuel to cope with the increased workload.
Despite these setbacks, Moore demonstrated her potential upon returning to senior competition. In February 2025, she finished as runner-up at the Irish Indoor Athletics Championships. Later that year, in July, she represented Ireland for the first time at the 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway, competing in the 800 metres and as part of the Irish 4 x 400 metres team. The team achieved a new Irish under-23 record time of 3:34.81 in the relay event.
Moore’s recent form has been particularly strong. In December 2025, she ran a personal best of 2:02.39 for the 800 metres indoors in Dublin, setting a new Irish national under-23 record and placing her sixth on the all-time Irish senior indoor list. She further improved this time in January 2026, achieving an outright 800 metres personal best of 2:01.21 at Track and Field Live, breaking her own Irish U23 indoor record and moving to third on the Irish senior indoor all-time list. A video of the record-breaking run was shared on social media, highlighting her achievement.
The Independent reported that Moore is “hoping to boost her chances of qualifying for the World Indoors” at the upcoming National Indoor Championships. The article suggests she has found a better balance to compete with RED syndrome, a critical step in her continued development as an athlete.