Eat Sleep Triathlon Repeat

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Having met at the Wicklow Triathlon Club, friends Leah Elliot and Garret Keogh are, clearly, both gluttons for punishments.

How else to explain all those hours spent every week running, jumping, swimming, cycling, screaming, sweating, maybe even swearing…?

Not that either of them is complaining about all those hours running, jumping, swimming, cycling, screaming, sweating and almost definitely swearing, for, you see, these superfit Greystones teenagers are pretty much veterans of the annual Junior Beast Of The East.

An annual triathlon for kids between 8 and 15 years of age, 15-year-old Anna and 14-year-old Garret have used their five years with the Wicklow Triathlon Club Juniors well, competing in just about every muscle-aching challenge they can find in that time. 

Originally held in Wicklow town since 2013, the Junior Beast Of The East moved to sunny Greystones three years ago, and, for one day a year, it takes over The Cove, Marine Road and Kimberly Road. An open race, with national and international youth competitors entering in four different age categories, the event is sanctioned by Triathlon Ireland, the national governing body for the sport in Ireland.

And this year, as well as competing in the main event on Sunday, September 23rd, Leah and Garret are bringing their years of experience to the Splash And Dash, the fun family event that gives kids 7 and under a chance to feel the burn. Held at 1pm – immediately before the Junior Beast Of The East – the race involves kids running across the surf at The Cove, then up the exit ramp to the Transition Area, where they can sprint through the finishing arch for their medal presentation.

The entry fee for Splash And Dash is €5 (or more, if you can manage it), with all proceeds going to The LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, a charity for which Garret raised over €900 for in 2016, when he took part in the Wicklow 100 cycle.

So, is it any surprise that, for the first time ever, the adults are handing the organising of Splash And Dash 2018 over to Leah Elliot and Garret Keogh? We caught up with the dynamic duo down at The Cove this afternoon to find out more…

You can find out more about the Junior Beast Of The East and Splash And Dash here, and register here.