Tri Talking Sport

In her time as a professional athlete she clocked up 13 IRONMAN wins some of those just 2 weeks apart! Lucy retired from the sport as a full time professional at the end of 2018 returning to her work fulltime as a cancer doctor however, that didn’t stop her from winning the PATAGONMAN Xtreme Triathlon in December 2018 and the first ever XTri World Championships at the Norseman last year.  She also returned to her spiritual IRONMAN home in Tenby, Wales one final time to say goodbye to a race that she loves and brings back such fond memories. 

An incredibly determined, passionate and dedicated athlete and oncologist it is no surprise she has been successful at every turn.  Her mindset and focus is strong, in fact she credits much of her success to her mindset. But, she is also a very talented athlete and very much enjoys the sport of triathlon. With a spirit of adventure she wants to have fun with what she does in sport and with that smile and positive attitude she has captured the hearts of many with her #doingalucy dancing, smiling and celebrating in style down the finish line of many a race.

Taking up triathlon in 2014, then deciding to run a marathon in 2015 he set about chasing down an IRONMAN finish line in 2016 with his eyes firmly focused on getting to Kona to race the IRONMAN World Championships.

However, with a number of bumps in the road towards qualification it wasn’t a smooth ride all the way, but he made it. In 2017 he raced at the IRONMAN World Championships, IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships and Challenge The Championships in the same year. 

Injury has set his plans to become a professional triathlete on the back burner for the moment but that has not stopped him from pursuing his passion for triathlon and helping others in the process. 

Setting aside his plan to be a physiotherapist, he has set up a coaching business and WattsUp Studio providing support, motivation and encouragement to others in achieving their own sporting goals. 

Rosie has 39 international Rugby Caps for Ireland,  she played in 2 rugby world cups and was the Captain of Munster & UL ladies rugby teams winning interprovincial titles & All Ireland titles with both teams, she has also represented Ireland at Tag Rugby. 

The rugby star turned swimmer in recent years was the first person to swim in swimming togs the 38km of Lough Derg solo in 2014 before going on to swim the 21 miles across the English Channel solo from England to France, also in swimming togs. 

She swam the Straits of Gibraltar in swimming togs in September of last year, was inducted into the UL Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and was recently awarded the ILDSA Paraic Casey Munster Swimmer of the Year 2019 sponsored by John Edwards at Wild Water Adventures Tralee. 

This episode of the show is filled with positivity and inspiration, if also tinged with a little bit of sadness, but it is jam-packed with inspiration, practical positivity and a few hearty laughs along the way.

This powerful pairing have more silverware that many of us can only dream of winning, with a medal haul that would fill a treasure chest. Katie-George and Eve won Gold in the time trial in Rio Paralympics 2016 and silver in the road race. Since then, they successfully became World Champions in 2017 and 2018 in both time trial and road race. In 2019 they became World Champions again in the time trial and won silver in the road race. In January of 2020 they broke their own national record and went on to win silver in the women’s tandem pursuit at the para cycling track world championships in Canada. 

In this episode we chat about their background in sport, how they came together as a team, their success as a duo and we also get an insight into the commitment, passion and dedication they have, not only to their sport but their individual roles as part of this dynamic duo as they chase their goals with a clear, focused and very resilient attitude. 

Lizzie is a bundle of energy and an incredible athlete, her work rate, dedication and her practical yet positive outlook and attitude has been the backbone of her success in sport and beyond. We chat about her Road to Rio and that perfect day at Dublin Marathon 2018 where she was crowned National Marathon Champion taking 3rd place overall in the women's race. 

Lizzie is a busy mum of 3 young children and runs for fun, as she says herself. In this episode we get a glimpse into her life before sport, her support networks who have helped to shape her success and hear how one pivotal conversation led to her life-changing decision to pursue some lofty sporting goals and make them a reality. 

The National Paratriathlon Champion and Para Triathlete of the Year 2019,  Donnacha is a quiet, softly spoken athlete but don’t let that fool you, his focus, determination, passion and commitment to his sport is loud and clear and very inspiring.  

We are joined on the show by Eamonn and Dave Tilley who give us an insight into the role of a guide with the paratriathlon team and some snippets of insight into the history of triathlon in Ireland. Marc O'Dwyer also joins us, hosting the episode in his offices of the Big Red Cloud in Dublin, he is one of Donnacha’s proud sponsors and like the rest of us inspired by Donnacha’s resilience, determination and sporting success to date. 

As far as Graham is concerned quitting is not an option.. he has yet to DNF a race and has no plans to let anything get in his way in his endeavours to find out just how far he can push his mind and body.  His stubbornness, tenacity and determination to succeed are very evident, when the going gets tough he simply doesn’t give up.

Triathlon Taren (Taren Gesell) has turned his personal interest in triathlon into an opportunity to create awareness of the sport through his podcasts and YouTube channel, he has become a household name worldwide through his digital platforms whilst through his training platform Trainiac is supporting and coaching athletes from across the world, many of whom are starting out in their triathlon journey.

Sarah Hartmann has coupled her passion for helping others with her love of triathlon and has paved her way to the role of Executive Director of the IRONMAN Foundation spearheading the delivery of a multitude of programmes in communities across the world from the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Women For Tri movement to name just a few, she has completely changed her career moving from technology to triathlon. 

Triny Willerton is an athlete and an advocate for triathletes worldwide aiming to make the roads safer for all of us who use it.   Following a serious collision with a truck in 2018 she is campaigning to change laws and create awareness of the vulnerability of cyclists on the road through her #itcouldbeme movement. The softly spoken athlete has tenacious plans to bring her campaign far beyond the reach of the US. 

Ger is one of the world's most determined and dedicated ice swimmers,  taking up the sport 8 years ago he has gone from strength to strength on a local and international scale travelling the world to follow his passion for ice swimming as a participant, supporter and facilitator. He has been nominated for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Association’s, World Open Water Swimming, Man of the Year in recognition of his outstanding performance and offerings around the globe. 

Con a high-performance triathlete is chasing 2020 Olympic qualification, whilst continuing his college studies, he has raced triathlon since 2010, has a long list of great results since first dipping his toes in triathlon, in 2019 he had an exceptional year with multiple podium finishes on the domestic and international circuit. 

Aaron, the younger brother of the two is currently studying in the University of Limerick, he has transitioned from running to triathlon, turned his hand to professional cycling and has come full circle to return to triathlon. He is the 2019 Triathlon Ireland BMW National Series Champion and the Junior Elite National Champion and continues to race as a cyclist domestically.