“It definitely wasn’t something that I expected to be good at, but sometimes the strangest things happen and it’s amazing where life can take you.”

The 27-year-old from Northern Ireland has risen through the ranks after showing no interest in running at school and is now embarking on the World Championships, which are “the pinnacle” of the sport.

It’s been some path for the Dromara runner as he prepares to tackle the slopes in Innsbruck.

Growing up, his interests were horse riding – a sport that “never leaves you”- and cycling, in which he competed at national level before falling out of love with competing on two wheels.

It was in that break from cycling that Hanna discovered his love for running. He hasn’t looked back since.

It’s a hobby that has turned into a profession and now he is a full-time athlete looking to build on November’s fifth-place finish at the last Championships in Thailand.

“I ran a bit in school, a bit of cross-country and track, but I never really took it seriously. It was just an excuse to get out of class,” he laughed.

“If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be a runner, I would have laughed at you. But now, looking back, it is kind of a blessing that I didn’t start it too early.

“If I had started it when I was younger then I may have fallen out with the sport very quickly.”

Hanna adds that he isn’t one for “binging on Netflix” and he has never been able to sit still, which has only fuelled his love for running and the outdoors.

“It wasn’t competitive at the start but once I seen I had a talent for it I decided I wanted to have a go at it.

“A few years ago I really started to take it seriously and now I’m full-time. It’s a sport that has given me so much and I’m so glad I made the move to it.

“It’s the fact you are competing at the highest level of your sport, and seeing the world at the same time, it’s unbelievable. I love it.”

Hanna, whose race is on 7 June, adds that the Mournes, with their steep slopes and difficult terrain, are the perfect training ground for racing across the world.

While the Alps and Dolomites are just as steep, the tracks are more “manicured” and many mountains in Europe have cafes at the top for tourists to eat. There are no such luxuries in County Down where there are not even signposts to navigate the peaks.

“The Mournes generally prepare you better for what is going to come up in a race,” he said.

“It makes it easer that you will not be running over the rough ground. For example, Slieve Donard is rough and steep, but in Europe they may be steep but they are nowhere near as rough. It’s good preparation.”

‘Becoming world champion would be a dream’

On last year’s fifth-place finish, he admits he was happy to lie low in the build-up to the race before putting in a superb showing against some of the best runners in the world.

Now, though, Hanna has serious ambitions to become a world champion.

“Since I started taking it seriously, becoming world champion has always been a dream.

“I’ve got plenty of motivation in my back pocket but you do now and again, when the weather is bad or you are not feeling as good as you want – you do have to think like, ‘what would it be like if I did go across the line as world champion?’.

“When training sessions get tough or whenever the nerves start to creep in before a race, just remember that you are here to enjoy it.

“You don’t know the minute those opportunities are going to stop. I intend to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way.

“I’m blessed to be able to do what I love.”

Ireland has only ever had one World Mountain Running Champion when John Lenihan won gold in the short race in 1991. Hanna now wants to be the man to repeat that feat.

“When I got fifth last year it was a real wake-up call to know that I can compete with the very best in the world.

“It gives you a lot more confidence and I am going to give it my absolute best to better that result.

“If I can get on the podium or across the line as a winner then it would be absolutely unreal. I would be absolutely speechless.”