CTC News – Spring 2023

 Monday, 6 March, 2023

An update on what has been happening in the club, as well as what is coming up.

Upcoming events

  • Training weekend – March 24 – 26 – Spots available!
  • International Women’s Day event March 8
  • TVP parkrun -show your club colours – March 11 – More information below or via admin@corktri.com.
  • CTC ‘away club cycle’ with Kinsale Tri Club – Sunday March 12 – Register here.
  • Next block of spin sessions – March 21 & 23 – Registration will open Wednesday, March 15, 8.30pm
  • Club shop opening in March – More details coming soon.
  • First Aid Course – April 1 –  Registration will open Monday, March 20, 9am.
  • Bike skills with Aidan Hammond – April 29 – Registration opening closer to the date.
  • Bike maintenance sessions – Monday, May 9 – Registration opening closer to the date.

CTC community

Coach O’Neill turns 70
Birthday boy Steve turns 70

Coach O’Neill AKA Coach Brendan hit a milestone recently, celebrating his 70th birthday, closely followed, by clubmate Steve Evans, hot on his heels.

Swim 🏊‍♀️

  • The current block of swim sessions has concluded.
  • The new block starts March 7 and 9, running to May 30 & June 1 – with a break on April 11 & 13 for Easter.

Bike 🚴‍♀️

Intro to cycling sessions

  • Organised by Cycle coordinator Bryce Whibley 
  • Two sessions ran in Ballincollig and they were fully booked.
  • Session one was led by Bryce Whibley and Noel O’Regan and the second session was run by Bryce Whibley and James Fahey
  • The feedback has been very positive.

Joint spin with KTC – March 12

Spin – The current block of spin sessions conclude March 14 & 16.

Bike Skills  – On April 29 – Cycle Ireland Level 3 coach – Aidan Hammond will run a bike skills day at MTU for members – Stay tuned for further details.

Bike Maintenance sessions – Head Coach Trevor Mahoney is hoping to run bike maintenance sessions for members in May. Registration will open closer to the date.

Run 🏃

  • Tempo sessions at Model Farm Road have concluded. They were very well attended over the Winter and into the Spring.

Hills, hills hills!

  • Brendan O’Neill will run hill sessions for March on a quiet hill at the back of the Mardyke. Further details are available on the Cork Tri website, CTC Facebook page and Eventbrite.

Return to track in April

  • Coach O’Neill will take members back to the Sonia O’Sullivan track at UCC Mardyke in April.

*Please register on Eventbrite for sessions.*

Sessions 🏋️🏊‍♀️🚴

  • S&C / Spin / Swim sessions – have not been at full capacity of late.
  • Please share spots you can’t make
  • All are welcome to try them out – the sessions are very manageable in terms of ability – you can make it as hard or easy as you like.

Membership

  • We hit 200 members in February!
  • Anyone who has let their membership lapse, please register with Triathlon Ireland and Cork Tri to continue training with the club.
  • You must be a member to attend more than three sessions.

Social 🥳

Open Evening

  • 70/80 people made it to the Clayton Hotel for the event in January, with another 20+ watching online.
  • Paul Kelly, Maria Cronin and Mike Ward all spoke about their personal experiences in the club to give new prospective members an idea of what to expect.

Open Day

  • Sold out!
  • The Open Day event, ran at MTU, was coached by Feidhlim Dowling, Adrian Quinn and Trevor Mahoney with assistance from Catherine Redmond and Daire Reilly.
  • Prospective members took part in a tempo run session, an hour of bike skills related to group cycling and finished the day off with a set in the pool.
  • The feedback was very positive.

Training weekend – Currently recruiting!

  • There are places still available.
  • The weekend caters for all abilities, with short and long cycles organised and all sessions are optional. 
  • There is also a transition workshop run over the weekend that is very informative and beneficial to do ahead of race season.
  • For new, established and long-standing members – the training weekend is a great opportunity to meet other club members, make new friends and learn new skills.

Winter Wellness events ⛰️🌄🌊

Women’s Officer Kelly Agnew organised a number of popular events over the winter that saw our triathlete members embracing the outdoors – and the cold – beyond the customary swim, bike, run.

  • Trail run at Garryduff Woods
  • Dip and sauna at Fountainstown
  • Paps hike
  • Mangerton Hike
  • Sauna and hike at Red Strand/Castlefreke
  • Tramore Valley Park parkrun takeover

Upcoming events

  • International Womens Day event March 8
  • TVP parkrun -show your club colours – March 11 – run or volunteer at Tramore Valley Park parkrun on Sat March 11 in CTC colours to mark Triathlon Ireland’s ‘Women in Sport’ week (March 7 – 13).
  • Contact Catherine Mulcahy: admin@corktri.com for more information.
  • To volunteer at TVP parkrun, email tramorevalley@parkrun.com with your parkrun ID (Barcode number).

Gear 🛍️🛒

  • The club shop is opening soon
  • The shop will open for ten days and items should arrive ahead of the peak race season, expected before Lough Cutra (May 27-28).
  • There will be a number of subsidised items, similar to last year.
  • A Tech t-shirt order is also being negotiated, separate to Verge, so keep an eye out for news on this.
  • The club also launched a private Facebook Marketplace page for buying and selling among the club and with other athletic clubs in Cork. You can join the page here: CTC bargain buys.

First Aid Course ⛑️

  • April 1st – at the SMA Hall in Wilton
  • There is a 20 euro charge, refunded on completion of the course.
  • Registration will open Monday, March 20, 9am

Club survey 📝

  • 60 members completed the 20-question survey which will contribute to committee discussions about the future of the club. Thanks to all who engaged.
  • A committee strategy meeting is being held on March 20 in order to progress the foundations of a five-year plan for the club along with a new ethos/mission statement.

CTC & National Series 🏁

Triathlon Ireland’s National Series competition kicks off in Leinster on May 21, with a range of races across the four provinces. There are 19 races including six in Munster. CTC is working on a plan to rally the troops for this year’s season. Stay tuned for more.