The Story of the Test Series and Wall of Honour
For Trilogy members – back in the day – when all we had to do to enter a the race was rock up on the morning and pay (with paper money); back in the day - before the introduction of a ‘trisuit’ many discussions concluded with ‘Surely we can’t be expected to run out to our bikes in our swim wear!’; back in the day - when discussions in pubs were dominated by bike shoes. The fore side stating your bike would go faster, the aft side determining that transition would take longer; back in the day - before we even knew to practice transition or even being able to comprehend the benefit of a race belt, one thing remained the same – The Trilogy Members. We showed up in whatever race gear we managed to scramble on race morning, sat down in transition and god forbid – used towels to dry our feet before putting on SOCKS, waving at each other and shouting encouragement out on the bike and run course not realising the effort this took from our performance. We enjoyed the chat on the way home which invariably always had someone comment along the lines of ‘Did you see that house about 8k into the bike, wasn’t it gorgeous?’ I suppose back in the day, the innocence and joy of taking part – knowing you were a triathlete was all that mattered. Trilogy members gave every race their all. And every race was celebrated with a full scale night out – we are talking sit down meals, drinks and disco (I believe the term is nightclub now). We were triathletes and that is how we rolled.
But as a club grows – so too does progression. With no formal coaches and not even understanding the term ‘brick session’, an idea was formed. ‘Let’s put all the disciplines together but keep them shorter to help our bodies prepare for the actual races.’ This led to what became the Trilogy Test Series. When this idea was floated in 2005, beginning in 2006, no one in the club envisioned how this series would envelope the true Trilogy Spirit for years to come. The Triathlon Test series started with a 220m swim in The Heritage in Portlaoise, followed by a 13-14 km cycle and finished with a run that was less than 4k. It was short and it was sharp and my god – it hurt. There was absolutely no down time during this event. It was a super sprint. Today, this Test Triathlon has also progressed to the full sprint with different locations also enabling members to gain open water experience while in a friendly but competitive event. When race prices are creeping higher and higher, the club has managed not only to keep its membership free, it provides 5 full sprint distances a year to its members. There are 6 races but the cost to each member is that they must marshal at 1 event.
The ethos of the club that everyone was welcome held strong and the Trilogy Test Duathlon Event was deemed as an extremely important event, as not all our members could swim. As a bonus, it was also recognised as a great opportunity to practice transitions. The location for the Test Duathlon event involved a lot of research which has paid off. It is great to know, that while we are still progressing as a club, members can check out their times on the same course over a 15 year span. The numbers at this event have grown from 8 or 9 participants to over 50.
It would be another number of years (2012) before the Trilogy Aquathon event began but again this was testament to everyone in the club’s needs being met (not everyone likes to cycle) and progression by a club that strives to meet its member’s needs.
The coveted race series cups can be the focal point of many a triathletes training plan but they do more that motivate an individual. They bring the club together. These cups are representative of determination, resilience, hurt, sometimes injuries and hours and hours of training. However, the story behind the cups tell the tale of friendships formed, loyalty to a club and support within a club often united by laughter. Every race has a story and every series winner reflects just a small part of that story. These cups are the epitome of respect shown by a club to its members and by its members to that club. Trilogy has and will continue to evolve. It is a club run by members for its members. It is a privilege to have your name engraved on a cup but the real privilege is to have the fortune of being a Trilogy club member.
Women’s Trilogy Test Tri Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Margot Buchhorn
2006
Sinéad Wearen
2007
Trish Nichols
2008
Sinéad Wearen
2009
Trish Nichols
2010
Susan Wall
2011
Sinéad Wearen
2012
Trish Nichols
2013
Aoife Mc Evoy
2014
Niamh Ryan
2015
Niamh Ryan
2016
Trish Nichols
2017
Abina Whelan
2018
Michelle Grainger
2019
Women’s Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Course recorder holder
Abina Whelan
Year and Time: 21-April-2018 40:07
Cup Holder
Year
Hilary Jenkinson
2006
Sinéad Wearen
2007
Trish Nichols
2008
Sinéad Wearen
2009
Trish Nichols
2010
Sinéad Wearen
2011
Sinéad Wearen
2012
Trish Nichols
2013
Niamh Ryan
2014
Abina Whelan
2015
Niamh Ryan
2016
Abina Whelan
2017
Abina Whelan
2018
Liz Mc Wey
2019
Women’s Trilogy Test Aquathon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Sinéad Wearen
2012
Niamh Ryan
2013
Eimear Matthews
2014
Eimear Matthews
2015
Eimear Matthews
2016
Karen Phelan
2017
Michelle Behan
2018
Trish Nichols
2019
Men’s Trilogy Test Tri Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Dale Kennedy
2006
Willie Fitzpatrick
2007
Pawel Debakowski
2008
Willie Fitzpatrick
2009
Willie Fitzpatrick
2010
Shane Delaney
2011
Dave Murphy
2012
Dave Murphy
2013
Dave Murphy
2014
David Shelly
2015
Willie Fitzpatrick
2016
Seamus Fingleton
2017
Paul O’Brien
2018
Will Kerr
2019
Men’s Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Course recorder holder Paul O’Brien
Year and Time: 26-June-2018 35.12
Cup Holder
Year
Keith Heary
2006
Willie Fitzpatrick
2007
Kevin Doyle
2008
Shane Delaney
2009
Shane Delaney
2010
Shane Delaney
2011
Dave Osborne
2012
Dave Murphy
2013
Niall Kavanagh
2014
Shane Delaney
2015
John Lambe
2016
David Shelley
2017
Paul O’Brien
2018
Paul O’Brien
2019
Men’s Trilogy Test Aquathon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Dave Murphy
2012
Dave Murphy
2013
Rory Morrisey
2014
Dave Murphy
2015
Dave Murphy
2016
Seamus Fingleton
2017
Paul O’Brien
2018
Dave Murphy
2019
Men’s Junior Trilogy Test Tri Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Ross Byrne
2008
Michael Dalton
2009
Jonathon Robinson
2010
Michael Dalton
2011
Michael Dalton
2012
Colin Fitzpatrick
2013
Colin Fitzpatrick
2014
Colin Fitzpatrick
2015
Colin Fitzpatrick
2016
Men’s Junior Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Robert Loughman
2008
Michael Dalton
2009
Jonathon Robinson
2010
Michael Dalton
2011
Michael Dalton
2012
Colin Fitzpatrick
2013
Colin Fitzpatrick
2014
John Kavanagh
2015
Colin Fitzpatrick
2016
-
2017
Fionn Mathews
2018
Fionn Mathews
2019
Men’s Junior Trilogy Test Aquathon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Fionn Mathews
2017
Fionn Mathews
2018
Fionn Mathews
2019
Women’s Junior Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Brónagh Wearen
2017
For Trilogy members – back in the day – when all we had to do to enter a the race was rock up on the morning and pay (with paper money); back in the day - before the introduction of a ‘trisuit’ many discussions concluded with ‘Surely we can’t be expected to run out to our bikes in our swim wear!’; back in the day - when discussions in pubs were dominated by bike shoes. The fore side stating your bike would go faster, the aft side determining that transition would take longer; back in the day - before we even knew to practice transition or even being able to comprehend the benefit of a race belt, one thing remained the same – The Trilogy Members. We showed up in whatever race gear we managed to scramble on race morning, sat down in transition and god forbid – used towels to dry our feet before putting on SOCKS, waving at each other and shouting encouragement out on the bike and run course not realising the effort this took from our performance. We enjoyed the chat on the way home which invariably always had someone comment along the lines of ‘Did you see that house about 8k into the bike, wasn’t it gorgeous?’ I suppose back in the day, the innocence and joy of taking part – knowing you were a triathlete was all that mattered. Trilogy members gave every race their all. And every race was celebrated with a full scale night out – we are talking sit down meals, drinks and disco (I believe the term is nightclub now). We were triathletes and that is how we rolled.
But as a club grows – so too does progression. With no formal coaches and not even understanding the term ‘brick session’, an idea was formed. ‘Let’s put all the disciplines together but keep them shorter to help our bodies prepare for the actual races.’ This led to what became the Trilogy Test Series. When this idea was floated in 2005, beginning in 2006, no one in the club envisioned how this series would envelope the true Trilogy Spirit for years to come. The Triathlon Test series started with a 220m swim in The Heritage in Portlaoise, followed by a 13-14 km cycle and finished with a run that was less than 4k. It was short and it was sharp and my god – it hurt. There was absolutely no down time during this event. It was a super sprint. Today, this Test Triathlon has also progressed to the full sprint with different locations also enabling members to gain open water experience while in a friendly but competitive event. When race prices are creeping higher and higher, the club has managed not only to keep its membership free, it provides 5 full sprint distances a year to its members. There are 6 races but the cost to each member is that they must marshal at 1 event.
The ethos of the club that everyone was welcome held strong and the Trilogy Test Duathlon Event was deemed as an extremely important event, as not all our members could swim. As a bonus, it was also recognised as a great opportunity to practice transitions. The location for the Test Duathlon event involved a lot of research which has paid off. It is great to know, that while we are still progressing as a club, members can check out their times on the same course over a 15 year span. The numbers at this event have grown from 8 or 9 participants to over 50.
It would be another number of years (2012) before the Trilogy Aquathon event began but again this was testament to everyone in the club’s needs being met (not everyone likes to cycle) and progression by a club that strives to meet its member’s needs.
The coveted race series cups can be the focal point of many a triathletes training plan but they do more that motivate an individual. They bring the club together. These cups are representative of determination, resilience, hurt, sometimes injuries and hours and hours of training. However, the story behind the cups tell the tale of friendships formed, loyalty to a club and support within a club often united by laughter. Every race has a story and every series winner reflects just a small part of that story. These cups are the epitome of respect shown by a club to its members and by its members to that club. Trilogy has and will continue to evolve. It is a club run by members for its members. It is a privilege to have your name engraved on a cup but the real privilege is to have the fortune of being a Trilogy club member.
Women’s Trilogy Test Tri Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Margot Buchhorn
2006
Sinéad Wearen
2007
Trish Nichols
2008
Sinéad Wearen
2009
Trish Nichols
2010
Susan Wall
2011
Sinéad Wearen
2012
Trish Nichols
2013
Aoife Mc Evoy
2014
Niamh Ryan
2015
Niamh Ryan
2016
Trish Nichols
2017
Abina Whelan
2018
Michelle Grainger
2019
Women’s Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Course recorder holder
Abina Whelan
Year and Time: 21-April-2018 40:07
Cup Holder
Year
Hilary Jenkinson
2006
Sinéad Wearen
2007
Trish Nichols
2008
Sinéad Wearen
2009
Trish Nichols
2010
Sinéad Wearen
2011
Sinéad Wearen
2012
Trish Nichols
2013
Niamh Ryan
2014
Abina Whelan
2015
Niamh Ryan
2016
Abina Whelan
2017
Abina Whelan
2018
Liz Mc Wey
2019
Women’s Trilogy Test Aquathon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Sinéad Wearen
2012
Niamh Ryan
2013
Eimear Matthews
2014
Eimear Matthews
2015
Eimear Matthews
2016
Karen Phelan
2017
Michelle Behan
2018
Trish Nichols
2019
Men’s Trilogy Test Tri Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Dale Kennedy
2006
Willie Fitzpatrick
2007
Pawel Debakowski
2008
Willie Fitzpatrick
2009
Willie Fitzpatrick
2010
Shane Delaney
2011
Dave Murphy
2012
Dave Murphy
2013
Dave Murphy
2014
David Shelly
2015
Willie Fitzpatrick
2016
Seamus Fingleton
2017
Paul O’Brien
2018
Will Kerr
2019
Men’s Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Course recorder holder Paul O’Brien
Year and Time: 26-June-2018 35.12
Cup Holder
Year
Keith Heary
2006
Willie Fitzpatrick
2007
Kevin Doyle
2008
Shane Delaney
2009
Shane Delaney
2010
Shane Delaney
2011
Dave Osborne
2012
Dave Murphy
2013
Niall Kavanagh
2014
Shane Delaney
2015
John Lambe
2016
David Shelley
2017
Paul O’Brien
2018
Paul O’Brien
2019
Men’s Trilogy Test Aquathon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Dave Murphy
2012
Dave Murphy
2013
Rory Morrisey
2014
Dave Murphy
2015
Dave Murphy
2016
Seamus Fingleton
2017
Paul O’Brien
2018
Dave Murphy
2019
Men’s Junior Trilogy Test Tri Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Ross Byrne
2008
Michael Dalton
2009
Jonathon Robinson
2010
Michael Dalton
2011
Michael Dalton
2012
Colin Fitzpatrick
2013
Colin Fitzpatrick
2014
Colin Fitzpatrick
2015
Colin Fitzpatrick
2016
Men’s Junior Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Robert Loughman
2008
Michael Dalton
2009
Jonathon Robinson
2010
Michael Dalton
2011
Michael Dalton
2012
Colin Fitzpatrick
2013
Colin Fitzpatrick
2014
John Kavanagh
2015
Colin Fitzpatrick
2016
-
2017
Fionn Mathews
2018
Fionn Mathews
2019
Men’s Junior Trilogy Test Aquathon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Fionn Mathews
2017
Fionn Mathews
2018
Fionn Mathews
2019
Women’s Junior Trilogy Test Duathlon Series Roll of Honour
Cup Holder
Year
Brónagh Wearen
2017