17/06/2026
What Switching Between the GAA & Ironman Taught Me 👇
2022 ⚽ GAA
2023 🏃 Ironman Cork
2024 ⚽ GAA
2025 🏃 Ironman Austria
Switching between the two twice in four years has to be a first… 👀
📍 2022 – 84kg
📍 2023 – 73kg
📍 2024 – 86kg
📍 2025 – 72kg
The weight swings tell their own story, but the biggest changes weren’t on the scales—they were the lessons learned along the way.
⚽ 2 DIFFERENT BEASTS
GAA is speed, power and explosiveness. Constant accelerations, decelerations and high-intensity efforts.
Ironman is patience, discipline and long hours of endurance training. Learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
🍝 FUEL IS KING
No matter the sport, you won’t perform without fuelling properly.
Ironman taught me that sometimes you need to eat more than ever before while somehow getting leaner at the same time.
A lot of trial and error, but a massive learning curve in figuring out what works best for your body.
👥 TEAM VS SOLO
I missed the changing room, the banter and the shared goals of GAA.
But Ironman gave me something different…
🌍 Freedom
The freedom to train on my own schedule, race in incredible places around the world and constantly challenge myself in new ways.
⚡ RETURNING TO GAA
Fitness wasn’t the issue.
Sharpness was.
The endurance was there, but getting back to the pace and intensity needed for GAA took longer than expected.
It reminded me that being “fit” is sport-specific & there are no shortcuts.
💭 BIGGEST LESSON?
You don’t have to be one thing forever.
Some people spend a lifetime in one sport—and that’s fine.
For me, there’s too much out there to experience and try.
Both sports demand sacrifice, commitment and consistency.
Neither is better.
They’re just different journeys.
And I’m grateful I’ve had the opportunity to experience both. 🙌
Here’s to the next challenge..☁️
