Tri Talking Sport

Taking on a middle distance triathlon for the first time this year, Ciara came away with the bronze medal in the National Middle Distance Championship at Tri Tyrone and, in a fine display of her running ability she also took home the silver medal in the National 5k and 10k Road Racing Championships this year. She has also represented Ireland at a variety of multisport events in recent years. 

Considering she couldn't swim when she took part in her very first triathlon in 2013, she has come a long way and spent a lot of time in the pool to become competitive in the water, instead of hanging onto the toes in front of her she is regularly the one leading the pack and pushing the pace at the front of the race.

Coached by her partner Dan of Performance Science Ireland, Ciara has embraced sport as a way of life, consistently training and racing to the best of her ability whilst juggling her job as a teacher, her commitment and dedication to her life in sport is quite inspiring. 

In this episode Ciara shares some insight into her life as an athlete, the highs as well as the lows of  training and racing, it's rarely plain sailing in sport and some days simply getting to the finishline of a race is a victory in itself! 

Taking up triathlon at the age of sixteen, the now thirty-one-year-old has successfully raced triathlon at home and abroad and despite the rollercoaster, she has been on in life and sport she has picked herself up, dusted herself off and kept going when the going got tough.

Battling physical and mental struggles with food and her health it is a wonder she is still training and racing, however she simply loves triathlon, it is part of her DNA as is sport. Grit, stubbornness, determination and passion are key attributes required for success in sport and Ailbhe Carroll has all of this in abundance, add in her positive outlook, fun and bubbly personality and it's a great recipe for success. 

This episode provides a powerful insight into her life as an athlete and the struggles she faced with her health both in the past couple of years and also as she recovers from two bike crashes in quick succession in recent weeks which ended her 2022 season prematurely. 

He was the first athlete to win both the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in the same year in 2011, is the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal for service to sport and the community and earlier this year became an IRONMAN in Australia Hall of Fame inductee.

One of the greatest ever triathletes, his softly spoken and gentle manner give no indication of the level of tenacity, commitment and determination it took for him to reach the top of the sport and stay there for many years. From his first professional race in 1995 right through to his retirement in 2014, Craig found another gear, another level and was not afraid to dig deeper and deeper into the hurt locker to succeed in a sport that he is eternally passionate about and grateful for the career and success it has afforded him.   

Now retired from professional sport, he still races, albeit sparingly and maintains a high level of fitness.  In 2019 he won the Australian Long Course Championships aged 46, twenty years after capturing his first National Championship Title. He spends his time with his family, supporting them and many of his children's sporting endeavours as a father and a coach. He is an author, broadcaster and shortly after retirement from professional sport launched his own training, health and lifestyle brand, Sansego which keeps him busy, as well as being an ambassador for a variety events, brands, charitable causes and foundations, his passion for sport knows no bounds. 

This is a super chat with a simply incredible person, the show is longer than normal so maybe fill the kettle rather than just making one cuppa and chill out whilst you are inspired, educated and motivated by one of the all-time greats of triathlon and sport. 

An incredible achievement for the author, advocate, coach and all-round inspirational athlete who has achieved more in sport than many of us can only dream of.  In addition to her fourteen IRONMAN World Champion titles, she is a four-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, a WTC Female Athlete of the Year,  A multiple USA Triathlon Female Grandmaster of the Year, An Inductee to the USAT Hall of Fame and in 2020 was inducted into the Port Angeles High School Athletic Hall of Fame for her success in Badminton. 

Cherie truly embraces the life of an athlete, living and breathing the sport of triathlon. When she is not training for her own races she is using her passion, dedication and commitment to triathlon to help change the lives of children in inner-city San Bernardino in California. The Exceeding Expectations Foundation which Cherie founded has for 20 years been encouraging at-risk children to move their lives in a positive direction, using the sport of triathlon as the vehicle. 

Cherie is softly spoken, yet her tenacity, courage and determination is stronger than many people half her age. She is a shining star in sport and in life, her age may be slowing her down physically in sport but her appetite for life and for success shows no signs of slowing down. She may have made her final appearance on the finish line in Kona in 2022, but we can expect to see her on plenty more finish lines before she stops racing altogether. This is a truly inspiring episode of the podcast and if you ever thought you couldn't do something or that you are too old to try something new then, Cherie is the epitome of 'you can do anything you set your mind to, you just have to give it a try'. 

In August 2021, Nathan was leading the British National Triathlon Championships when he suffered life changing injuries in an accident during the cycling portion of the race.  The injuries sustained were so severe it was touch and go on the side of the road immediately after the accident and indeed it was touch and go for Nathan for the first few weeks in hospital as he embarked on an incredible journey of recovery and rehabilitation. 

Told by doctors he would never walk again the prognosis for Nathan was bleak, he spent over half a year in hospital, 14 weeks of that time in a halo brace.  At times the will to give up was stronger than the will to survive, but somehow he managed to pull himself out of the darkness. Inspired by his wife Catrin, his athletes on Team NFT and the huge outpouring of support received from at home and abroad, Nathan found the courage and strength to fight back, to fight for his life to fight to be the best version of himself for the future whatever that future might hold. 

Fast forward to a little over a year after his accident and Nathan is working hard, extremely hard EVERY Day to make improvements in his mobility, dexterity and  aspects of life that many of us take for granted. His tenacity, fighting spirit and determination have paid off as he is every day defying the odds and is quite literally a miracle man, his athlete mindset driving him forward bit by bit every day. 

This is a fascinating episode of the podcast and may for some be upsetting in parts, Nathan is incredible, there are few words that can do him justice in describing what he has achieved in his fight for his life, he really is a true inspiration. If you would like to support his journey to recovery and help him please check out his go fund me page on the link HERE. 

Tom was the third fastest age group athlete at IRONMAN UK last year and in 2019 he was fifth fastest overall and second in his age group at IRONMAN UK earning him a hard-earned and coveted slot for the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona. 

Taking up triathlon seven years ago or so, he raced IRONMAN UK in 2015, as a 'one and done' but he is far from done! He did take a bit of a break from racing triathlon to focus on cycling in recent years, where he has also had significant success, however, he missed the fun, camaraderie and friendship of training and racing with his friends and teammates at Tri Preston and so has returned to triathlon. With consistency in training some great training partners and steely determination Tom has enjoyed super fast times and significant improvements in performance in recent years. 

2022 was a big year for Tom, despite a late start to his triathlon season, it has been his most successful to date, breaking the tape at IRONMAN 70.3 Cork was the icing on the cake.  In this episode, we get some insight into Tom's approach to training and racing whilst working a forty-hour-a-week job as well as balancing family life with his wife Kerry and two children Evelyn and Sophie – who join us on the show for a couple of minutes. 

Together Tom and Kerry are embracing triathlon as a way of life for their family, Tom may be the athlete standing at the start line of a race but Kerry is a key part of Tom's success and together they enjoy and endure the sport of triathlon and long-distance racing as a team. 

An outpouring of love, support and gratitude was shared across the world for Mike after his announcement, much deserved for the man who in Kona, Hawaii coined the phrase, YOU are an IRONMAN, four words that have become synonymous with triathlon, endurance sport and of course with IRONMAN. 

Mike has called thousands of athletes across the finish line across a multitude of triathlon and endurance events around the world over the past 40 years but the four words that mean the most and have inspired athletes around the globe are those sacred ones he says after an athlete completes an IRONMAN of a 3.8k swim, 180k bike ride and 42.2k run - You are An IRONMAN. 

In this episode, Mike gets a lovely surprise to see and hear some familiar faces from his IRONMAN Announcer Ohana (Family) who drop in from around the world to share some memories and stories of fun times with Mike over the years.  Huge thanks to Paul Kaye, Eric Gilsenan, Pete Murray, Whit Raymond, Alain Cyr and Tony Lugo for joining the live show and making it extra special.  

Mike may be hanging up his IRONMAN microphone at the end of this season, but his legacy on the IRONMAN finish line will go on forever. 

In this episode, the athletes share some of their backgrounds in sport, from GAA and athletics to swimming, badminton and hockey.  They give us some insight into their race and experience in Cork,  from their individual highlights to the epic nature of Windmill Hill to advice for people taking on either the 70.3 or Full Distance event in the future. 

All four athletes have been successful in the sport of triathlon from race wins, to overall age group podiums, World Championship qualification and everything in between. Deidre, Ellen, Graham and Enda are all high achievers in sport who have worked hard to get that sporting success whilst holding down full-time jobs and balancing life outside of triathlon, which for many age group athletes is very difficult to achieve. 

This is a great episode of the podcast giving you a flavour of what it takes to not only race well in Cork and beyond but also how to enjoy the experience of stepping up to middle and long-distance triathlon and get the most out of yourself and your performance for a result that you can be proud of regardless of the distance.

Taking up cycling and indeed ultra-cycling in recent years, she has completed the Joe Barr 200 twice and the TJB Coastal 330 as well as taking on the Wicklow 200. She took part in the Donegal Ultra 555k as part of a 4 person team so was no stranger to hills, hard cycling and long days in the saddle for this challenge despite only taking on her first solo ultra event in 2018. 

Similar to the hills of Donegal, Patricia's training ground; her life before cycling was filled with massive ups and downs, but the biggest uphill battle for her was becoming sober and building a new life from the depths of depression and despair. 

In this episode, Patricia bravely shares some insight into her life, her resilience and courage shining through. The friendship, camaraderie and sense of purpose the whole new world of cycling has given her, it is no surprise that she loves being on her bike and part of such a supportive community, and in her own words, she says 'Cycling Saved My Life '. 

Gabriel's curiosity and fascination with exploring and adventure has seen him take on an Arctic Circle Expedition as well as an epic 3,200 km cycling adventure on the EuroVelo this year. His enthusiasm and cando attitude, along with his genuine interest in people and helping them succeed will have you signing up to your own adventure before you have time to say the words freedom and fun. 

Humble in his approach, taking adversity in his stride, he is one of the good guys and, if you are planning to take on your own adventure or step outside your comfort zone to achieve something you previously thought impossible, then this episode might just be the one to encourage you to go and find your self confidence and belief in yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to.