Club Committee
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Fingal Tri Club Committee 2024
General contacts
Committee email - committee@fingaltri.ie
General Information - info@fingaltri.ie
Race information - skerriestriathlon@gmail.com
Committee Members
Catherine Walsh
Chairperson
From a young age I have always loved sporting challenges, and I have a lifelong involvement with Athletics and then I took up Cycling but I was always drawn to Triathlon as I really liked the idea of the three disciplines: Swim, Bike and Run, as it looked really tough, but great fun so I wanted to give it a go.
I started competing in 2014 my first Triathlon was in Skerries and most people where finished the bike leg before I got out of the water. I have now completed distances from Sprint to half Ironman events. I got invited to represent Ireland on the Para-Tri Programme and have raced around Europe, Canada and South Africa and to date with my Guide Fran Meehan (also a Fingal Tri member) are the only Para-Triathletes to represent Ireland at the Paralympic Games.
I find that training for the 3 sports gives a really nice variety and as I am getting older it is easier on my body as you are not constantly stressing one system. Completing a triathlon is a challenge and there is a great respect for all participant’s effort, in taking on events, as much as getting a podium finish, which makes it different form other sports I have been involved in.
Figal Tri is my local club and I find everyone is encouraging and supportive of each other. I really enjoy helping at our annual race in Skerries, especially seeing all the junior events. I am currently completing my level 1 Triathlon Ireland Coaching course and help out with some of the club sessions, another aspect of being a club member which I really enjoy.
During all the Covid restrictions we quickly realised how much we all enjoyed meeting up training and racing together, at Fingal we quickly went on-line and had virtual sessions to try keep us all motivated and connected, along with the monthly challenges which helped keep us all focused during that difficult time. Now it is so good to be able to meet up with like-minded people and get the work done in a friendly and enjoyable session.
Siobhan McCarthy
Secretary
I have a background in running, having participated in competitive races from a young age. In my adult years, I continued with the running, but was regularly getting injured. After an operation on my back in 2009, I had to stop running for a while and I took up swimming lessons and found that to be really enjoyable. A few years later I took up cycling as I was joining a friend who was on a weight loss journey. So for a number of years I was running, swimming and cycling separately for fun.
In 2023, I competed in my first sprint triathlon in Athy and I was hooked. I joined Fingal Tri Club at the end of 2023 and I am thoroughly enjoying the training and racing in the Black and Green. We have super coaches who have competed at international level and are focused on improving us as athletes and can do it in a very encouraging way. There is also great camaraderie in the club – everyone supports each other. The best thing about doing your first triathlon with the club is that you won’t be on your own! From how to get your runners on in transition to what to bring on race day, there is support all the way.
Nicole Chevalier![]()
Treasurer
Guy Chilton
Senior Training Coordinator
I decided to take up triathlon in 2014. I'd started running a couple of years previously to get fit and active. Having done a few marathons I knew that my legs and in particular my knees wouldn't take the constant pounding of the pavements, so I saw triathlon as a good balance of activities on the body. I had an initial hurdle of learning to swim from scratch, throughout my life I had a fear of deep water and never really took up swimming because of that fear. However, with some determination to get over that fear I signed up for swimming lessons and learnt how to swim front crawl in my local pool. In 2015 I attempted my 1st triathlon in Skerries. I gave the race a go without having worn my wetsuit or set foot in the open water before, I wouldn't recommend it as a course of action. I didn't get very far and turned around and did the bike and run. Although I was disappointed it made me more determined. It was from there that I joined Fingal as I was impressed with the training on offer and started sea swimming down in Skerries. It took a few sessions to get semi comfortable in open water, and from there I completed my 1st actual triathlon in Belfast in 2015. Since then, I haven't looked back, I have competed in all distances up to full distance and have been lucky enough to share the Ironman journey on 3 occasions with a great group of friends. If anyone is thinking about getting into triathlon, I couldn't recommend Fingal highly enough as a club. The club is so friendly and welcoming and supportive, there is lots of fun to be had and lots of very willing people to share knowledge with people starting their triathlon journeys.
Stuart Curtis
Public Relations Officer
In 1996 my uncle challenged me to train for and complete a middle-distance triathlon – I had never taken part in a multisport event and quickly found how enjoyable it is. I enjoyed cycling and running for fitness, now adding swimming and a better understanding of nutrition opened a world of experiences.
My first triathlon was a 70.3 distance event held in Rosses Point, Sligo – and it was amazing. Open water swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, cycling through Sligo and Leitrim, and running through the Sligo countryside were all breathtaking, but the feeling as I crossed the finish line was unlike any other.
I am fortunate that triathlon has given me the opportunity to see many cities and parts of the world I would not have travelled to – racing abroad as part of the Irish age group team and as an individual participant in races in Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Spain, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.
As I have developed in my triathlon experience, I have found being part of a club to be essential for progress and development – initially learning from more experienced clubmates, joining coached sessions organised by the club to help improve on very specific elements of triathlon, and having a friendly face from the club at races/ events is incredibly important. Being a member of Fingal Tri Club has accelerated my development in sport, health, and understanding nutrition – and has connected me with people who love talking about bikes, runners, transitions, and where the best hot chocolate in North County Dublin is served (Miriam’s in Oldtown for anyone interested)
Mary Crosbie
Designated Liaison Person / Child Protection Officer / Junior Race Director
Mary Crosbie is our DLP (Designated Liaison Person). Her role is to act as a liaison with outside agencies and a resource person to any club member or volunteer who has child protection concern
I started doing triathlons in 2006 and became a member of the newly formed Fingal Triathlon Club in 2009 following a meeting with a few like minded individuals. I would consider myself very much an average athlete who enjoys the regular training as much as getting out for a few races over the summer months. It's a fantastic club with great people. I tend to do the national series every year but hoping to go a little longer one of these days!
Ewan Haslett
Training Coordinator
I have been cycling for years, mainly racing enduro mountain biking and a bit of road cycling to keep fit. Back in late 2024, I picked up swimming after 10 years out of the pool.
I had no initial vision of competing in triathlons; but skip ahead to early 2025, a colleague, who was training for IM70.3 Mallorca, convinced me to do a sprint triathlon in Laoise with only 10 days to prepare! I thought with my cycling and swimming skills, and being a very competitive person, I had to take on his challenge. Race day came, and with my goal of crossing the line, I finished and felt very proud. I was hooked!
Shortly after my first triathlon, I joined Fingal Triathlon Club to keep my training consistent and to meet likeminded people. My swimming, cycling, and running have all greatly improved with the help of the club. I have met some incredible people here who I have learned a lot from, and they never fail to impress me. I think everyone is capable of doing a triathlon, and there is no better place to start than with FTC.
Muireann Davis
Juniors Training Coordinator
From an early age, I have loved sport. Horse riding took up most of my preteen and teen years, however swimming was always something I loved. I became a qualified lifeguard at age 16 and a qualified swimming teacher at age 17.
At 18, I wanted to pursue a new sporting challenge, so I decided to try a triathlon. Although I was a good swimmer, I hadn’t been an active runner or cyclist. To help me on my journey, I joined the Fingal Triathlon Club. Within the first year in the club I have completed both sprint and Olympic distances of triathlon. I am unapologetically hooked!
The club has facilitated my completion of the Tri-Leader training course and Level 1 Triathlon coaching. I have now started helping the junior athletes with the aim of promoting sport among young people of all levels. Especially with an emphasis on encouraging girls my age and younger to get involved in triathlons. I believe it is not all about competing and that the social and health benefits of being part of a club and staying in sport are so important.
Since joining Fingal Triathlon Club I have met amazing people, and managed to get my mother to join the club and complete triathlons too. As the youngest in the senior club, I’ve been supported and inspired every step of the way, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next.