I joined Piranha Triathlon Club in April 2025 and have enjoyed every minute of being part of the club. During my first season, I completed the four triathlons required for the National Series and quickly discovered a passion for the sport.
It was during one of the many post-swim poolside conversations with Hughie that he suggested I should consider a middle-distance race. At the time, I hadn’t the faintest idea what that actually meant. I remember thinking: “What’s so special about a half distance race; sure I’ve already completed a full Olympic distance triathlon!” It was only later I realised a middle-distance event is, in essence, a Half Ironman.
I politely thanked Hughie for his confidence in me and quietly hoped the conversation would end there. But Hughie doesn’t give up. He continued to encourage me until eventually, I entered a half-distance race scheduled for October 2026.
Then came the group-chat excitement surrounding entries for Tri-Tyrone. I had no intention of adding another race to the calendar. That is until one afternoon in early January 2026 Eoin MacC casually asked, “Are you doing Tyrone?” I got swept up in the enthusiasm and before I knew it I had secured an entry.
From that point on, my training became focused on one goal. What followed were six months of early mornings, planned club sessions, training camps and a diary that revolved around swimming, cycling and running. Training became something of an obsession; work simply filled the gaps in between.
Pre-Race
If there was one piece of advice I chose not to follow, it was race-week tapering. I continued to swim, bike and run right up to race weekend. More on that later!
On the Saturday morning, after attending John C’s excellent bike maintenance masterclass (and hoping I wouldn’t need any of the newly acquired skills) I travelled to Aughnacloy and checked into a small B&B just outside Dungannon.
Knowing my roommate, Tony, had a reputation for enthusiastic snoring, I decided the sensible approach was to bank an hour and a half of sleep with an afternoon nap before he arrived!
After collecting my race pack at registration in Quinn’s Corner Restaurant, where I met Sean, Tony and I headed into Aughnacloy for a delicious three course meal at Salley’s Restaurant. On the way back, we did what any serious endurance athlete would do – we stopped to take photographs of some llamas by the roadside.
Tony generously let me go to bed first while he stayed up to watch the England Vs France game. As it turned out, I slept remarkably well. If he was snoring, I never heard a thing.
Race Morning
We were up at 5.45am, had breakfast and made our way to transition. After racking my bike and sorting my race gear I bumped into a retired colleague and friend from Portmarnock Triathlon club. We always seem to meet on the triathlon circuit! Declan had just celebrated his 70th birthday and looked as fit as ever, despite being in the pub the previous evening!
Then came the first unexpected challenge of the day.
I had fully charged my Shimano Di2 system only three days earlier, but as I switched on my Garmin, a warning appeared.
“Shimano battery critical”
Panic.
With only minutes until the swim start, I couldn’t understand how this had happened. Then I remembered Catherine Murphy’s advice:
“Whatever happens during the race, just go with it”
This proved invaluable. Rather than letting the situation consume me, I decided there and then that I would enjoy the day regardless of the outcome. If the gears failed they failed and I would deal with it when the time came.
Just before entering the water, I met Eoin MacC once more. In his trademark calm Donegal manner, he smiled and said:
“Sure, just stay in the big ring. It’s flat enough – you’ll be grand”
And with that, it was time to race.
Swim
Lough Eskragh couldn’t have been more inviting. At 21.5°C, the water was wonderfully comfortable, with no waves and no current. The large orange buoys made sighting straightforward and the self-seeded rolling start kept congestion to a minimum.
The two-lap anti-clockwise course passed quickly, and I exited the water feeling relaxed and ready for the bike.
Bike
After reapplying sunscreen, eating a few jellies and organising myself, I wheeled my bike through transition while quietly saying a prayer to Saint Anthony that the Di2 system would survive the next 90 kilometres.
To minimise the risk, I stayed in the big chainring for almost the entire ride and limited myself to only a handful of gears. I preserved gear changes, using them judiciously, in the knowledge that that each change could be my last.
Afterwards, I discovered the issue wasn’t the main Di2 battery – it was the coin battery in the right-hand shifter. While it certainly raised my heart rate before the start, thankfully everything held together and it didn’t derail my race.
The bike course consisted of an out-and-back loop, passing the Ballygawley turnaround point three times. It was well marshalled, with excellent road conditions and fantastic support throughout. On the last loop one of the Marshalls shouted :
“Best of luck Patrick, we’ll never see you again!”
Which I enjoyed. The encouragement from the Piranha team was also brilliant, especially Adele, who somehow managed to cheer me every single time I passed. Thank you, Adele!
Run
Just before entering T2, I made a quick comfort stop – being my first 70.3, I was keen to prioritise comfort over saving a few seconds!
Transition itself was straightforward: running shoes on, race belt turned to the front, and off I went.
The run course was predominantly flat, consisting of three 7 km out-and-back loops.
Unfortunately, at around 2 km my quad muscles began to tighten and threaten cramp. Looking back, it was probably caused by a combination of factors: setting off too quickly, riding the bike in high gears, not replacing electrolytes on the cycle and not tapering properly during race week. Of course, all valuable lessons for my next race.
Rather than fighting the cramps, I eased back, settled into a more sustainable pace and focused on enjoying the experience and reaching the finish line.
I crossed the line in 6 hours and 1 minute and was absolutely delighted. For me, the result meant far more than a finishing time. It was the culmination of six months of consistent training, tough sessions and early mornings. Above all, I finished with a deep sense of gratitude for having the health, ability and the privilege to take on a challenge such as this.
The post-race lunch and beer (alcohol zero of course!) was the perfect way to round off the day with Liz, Brighid and Eoin.
Overall, a lovely race with great camaraderie among competitors and amazing encouragement from the Piranha team. Tri-Tyrone was superbly organised from start to finish. From registration and race logistics to course support and the welcoming atmosphere created by the Tri-Limits team. A huge thank you to everyone involved in making it such a memorable experience.
I hope to be back on the start line in 2027.
Paddy.
