Men's Initiative 2023

Event Date: 22nd April 2023

The aim of the Men’s Initiative is to encourage males of all ages, but in particular, those over the age of 30, to become more active and increase their level of physical activity.

Recent research by the Irish Sports Council (ISC) has shown that males 30 years of age and older have a tendency to become detached from sport and physical activity. This is in direct line with the general age males tend to stop playing team sports and although individualized sports such as swimming, running and cycling have all seen a resurgence in recent years especially within the female population there is a steady drop-off within the male population over 30 years of age within sport and physical activity.

The aim of this initiative is simply to provide a gateway into something more challenging but yet attainable. This is to give those from all sporting and non-sporting backgrounds alike, a chance to push their own physical capabilities in a safe and non-competitive setting. We aim to prove that life and physical activity can begin at 30, and what better way than to try a triathlon and see what all the fuss is about in what has become Ireland’s fastest growing individual sport.

‘Men’s Try-a-Tri programme a big hit with participants’ – Sligo Champion

Men’s Initiative Try a Tri April 2023

Well done to all the Men who took part in the Men’s Try a Tri event on 22nd April 2023.

Check out these pictures courtesy of Magdalena Szemro and Vanessa Scanlon.

Also a big thanks to Sligo Sport And Recreation Partnership and Triathlon Ireland for their support!

And big respect to coaches Ross McLynn and John Hanley for giving the participants their time and energy to get everyone ready

A Participants Perspective

Courtesy of Hugh Gallagher:

‘I wanted to thank both Sligo Sport & Recreation Partnership and Sligo Triathlon club for running a fantastic men’s Try a Tri program.

At 46 and fairly unfit it was a hard decision to sign up to the fear of the unknown! . However, with the excellent coaching that we received from Ross and John in swimming, running and cycling, that suited all levels and the support of all the lads made it a fun few weeks and very rewarding.

We had some great craic along the way and made lots of new friends. I would encourage anyone to give it a go !!!

Initiative Details

Try-a-tri will consist of 250 metre pool swim/10km bike/4km run
Training will consist of a 5-6 week training programme with two sessions per week, one in the pool and one bike/run training session.
This initiative is running over March/April with the event taking place end Of April.
Bike & run training will take place in Cleaveragh Park every Wednesday evening between 6.30-8 pm
The swim training will take place in Sligo Regional Sport Complex on a Saturday evening at 7pm.
Once launched, places can only be secured by payment of the amount in full through the link below

Participant Criteria

Open to males with limited or no previous experience within triathlon. Some may have taken part as a member of a relay team or some may have experience within multi-sport events such as adventure racing but the idea behind the initiative is to target those that are completely new to the sport and of course those new to sport in general.
Fitness levels and age profile will vary massively and those with underlying health conditions should be screened by a medical professional before being allowed to commence training.
Participants must obtain any manner of safe, road-worthy bicycle as cycling skills will be lacking in many and the bike will be needed for the duration of the initiative.
With winter closing in fast weather conditions may be less than ideal so wear appropriate clothing and bring a head torch/bike lamp for safety during training.

Sign up for Registered Members

Registered on Eventbrite

Training starts 11 March

Meet: Sligo Sports Complex

Duration: 6 weeks

Times: Brick session Wednesdays 6.30 – 8pm, Swim 7pm Saturdays

Price: €35 for Event + €30 Club Training Licence

FULLY BOOKED

Benefits

Over 12 hours of quality coaching & an event for approximately €10/week
Learn to swim/bike and run in a controlled, safe, fun and non-competitive environment
Receive excellent tips on triathlon, nutrition, injury prevention and recovery from highly experienced coaches
Training for three sports is challenging but has huge health benefits as the body has to adapt and variety really is the key to longevity within sport.
Obvious stepping stone for anyone considering triathlon as a progression in sport but unsure of how to go about it
What better way to kick-start some early new-year resolutions and take the next step.

Find out more

Planning is underway for the next Men’s Initiative in 2023. To find out more, please contact Ross McLynn: sectretary@sligotriathlon.ie or rmclynn@gmail.com, message Sligo Triathlon Club on Facebook, or drop us a line using the form below.