Olympian Triathlon Belfast

It is with great disappointment that we have had to cancel the 2026 Mourne Triathlon.

Following the continued presence of blue-green algae, the local council has kept the lake closed to all water-based activities. Unfortunately, due to the mandatory reopening process and the uncertainty around when the lake will be declared safe again, we are unable to stage the event safely on 12 September.

We explored every possible option, including relocating the race, but it was not possible to deliver an event to the standard and safety our competitors deserve within the available timeframe.

All registered competitors have been contacted directly and will receive a full refund.

We know this is incredibly disappointing for everyone who was looking forward to racing, and we're just as disappointed. Thank you for your understanding, patience and continued support. Our committee is already exploring alternative options to ensure the future of the Mourne Triathlon.

💙 We hope to see you all back on a start line together soon.

𝗦𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗼𝗻 & 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗸𝗲 – 𝟭𝟮𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Five Olympians made the trip to the beautiful North County Dublin village of Skerries on a blazing hot 12th July to take on the Sprint Triathlon and Aquabike National Series races ☀️💪

The day began with a challenging sea swim, as strong waves made the opening stretch to the first buoy a real battle. Athletes found themselves alternating between running and swimming to make progress, while the chop continued around the headland. Despite a last-minute wetsuit zip malfunction and a few slips on the swim exit steps, all five Olympians made it safely through the toughest part of the day. 🌊

The mood quickly lifted on the bike, with a fast two-lap course on closed roads through the village and along the scenic coast towards Balbriggan. A welcome sea breeze helped take the edge off the heat, making for an enjoyable ride with stunning coastal views. 🚴‍♀️

The triathletes then rounded off their race with a flat run along South Beach, where the strong sunshine made the conditions more challenging than the profile suggested. 🏃‍♀️

OTC Athletes:

Sprint Triathlon
• Eithne Currie
• Anne Devlin
• Karen Hall

Aquabike
• Úna Cregan
• Tom Mitchell

A fantastic event with brilliant community support and another great day of racing for OTC. Well done to everyone who took on the challenge! 👏

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗵 – 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️

Just three weeks after racing IRONMAN Tours, Jonathan was back on the start line, this time taking on the legendary Challenge Roth in Germany 💙

Widely regarded as the Home of Triathlon, Roth is famous for its incredible crowds, iconic Solar Hill and electric finish inside the stadium. Jonathan crossed the line in an outstanding 9:33, proving once again his remarkable consistency over the full distance.

Here's what Jonathan had to say about his day:

"Three weeks after Ironman Tours, this race was never going to be about PB chasing but more about enjoying a really good day out.

The non-wetsuit swim through the canal was amazing, with massive crowds lining both banks and the bridge overhead. I kept it nice and relaxed and enjoyed the moment.

The bike was a lot hillier than I'd expected, and that's where the accumulated fatigue from Tours really showed. Even so, the atmosphere was incredible, with the crowds on Solar Hill creating a moment I'll never forget.

The run was such a great experience. I settled into a comfortable Sunday long run pace, felt strong on the one-loop course, enjoyed running alongside the canal, dug deep over the tough climb in the final 10km, and finished by soaking up the unforgettable run into the iconic stadium. My marathon time of 3:19 may even be a full-distance marathon PB.

Stopping the clock at 9:33 just three weeks after another full-distance race is something I'm really proud of. To receive my medal from Laura Philipp was a fitting end to an incredible day.

The volunteers, the support, the atmosphere, the people... Challenge Roth is every bit as special as everyone says it is. It truly is the Home of Triathlon."

A phenomenal achievement from Jonathan, backing up one full-distance race with another just three weeks later. Massive congratulations on another outstanding performance! 👏💙

𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗼𝗻 – 𝗪𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗼𝘄 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Six Olympians made the trip to Wicklow last Sunday to take on the Harbour(Wo)man Triathlon, enjoying pleasant racing conditions at one of Ireland's most scenic coastal events ☀️

The race began with a 1,500m sea swim, starting along the harbour wall before heading outside the harbour on a rectangular course. Sighting proved a little tricky with the large yellow buoys blending in with the sea of yellow swim hats! Athletes then faced a 350m run over stones and concrete into transition before tackling the rolling bike course towards Rathnew and back to Wicklow Town.

The day finished with a 10km run featuring a strong headwind and plenty of hills, taking competitors along the coastal path, roadside sections and scenic trails.

OTC Results:
• Zach - 2:44:17
• Helen – 2:59:01
• Joanne – 3:12:36
• Jane – 3:13:15
• David - 3:27:17
• Anne – 3:45:39

A fantastic day of racing, topped off with a brilliant finish line package including a race hoodie, medal, Erdinger 0.0% and a well-earned burger! 🍔👏

Well done to all six Olympians on another excellent weekend of racing!

Three Olympians endured a wet and windy Donegal day on Saturday 4th to complete the 147k sportif challenge. Fantastic route and fantastic scenery (when we could see it!). The event was so well supported by the Cloghan cycling club. Excellent marshalling and support throughout, great food stops and a full meal at the end! This is one I would recommend for next year and they are due a good days weather, third time lucky!

𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁 – 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️

Adam travelled to Germany last weekend to take on IRONMAN Frankfurt, where Europe was in the grip of an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring to 40°C ☀️🔥

The race began with a 3.8km non-wetsuit swim in a bath-like 29°C lake before athletes headed out onto a shortened 125km bike course. The day finished with a 21km run, with the relentless heat making every kilometre a battle.

Despite the course being shortened due to the extreme conditions, it was still a true test of endurance, resilience and determination. Adam dug deep throughout the day to cross the finish line in an impressive 8:35:53

Sometimes it's not about chasing PBs—it's about adapting, persevering and getting the job done. There may still be some unfinished business, but that's all the motivation needed for the next start line. 💪

Congratulations, Adam, on a phenomenal effort in brutal conditions. On to the next one!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 🚴‍♂️⛰️

Five Olympians took on the famous "S" Bends of Spelga at the weekend, enjoying another fantastic sportive hosted by Shimna Wheelers 🙌

Brian R, Brian D, Sean, Maeve & Aislinn tackled the 84km route with 1,174m of climbing, setting off from Newcastle before winding through the rolling hills of County Down and up to the stunning Spelga Dam.

With breathtaking scenery, a well-organised event and a friendly welcome from Shimna Wheelers, it was another brilliant day out on the bike for the OTC crew. Well done to all! 👏🚴

Olympians were out in in big numbers on Saturday to commemorate members that have passed away in recent years. 

The venue was the tough Falls Pk park run which has a particularly strong link with Olympian Triathlon Club.  Our member John Graham, whose 5th anniversary falls on 29th June, was a driving force in establishing the park run at that venue many years ago. The event also marked the anniversaries of members who have passed away more recently : Ciara Ferry (2023) Ronnie Smart (2025) and Kevin Morgan. 

The reward for completing the park run was tea/coffee and treats in the bowling club afterwards. Special thanks to the organisers from Falls ParkRun for being such great hosts.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 🚴‍♂️☀️

A huge endurance challenge for OTC at the weekend as Michael Rodgers and Cormac Copeland took on Chase the Sun Ireland — a gruelling 340km coast-to-coast cycle from Belfast to Enniscrone on the longest day of the year 💪

With around 3,400m of climbing and over 200 cyclists on the road, this was no ordinary day in the saddle. Starting at sunrise at Belfast’s Titanic Quarter and finishing before sunset on the west coast, the route served up a massive test of endurance, resilience and pacing.

Here’s Michael’s own report from an unforgettable day on the bike 👇

This coast to coast event takes place around the longest day of the year in 4 places Italy England (north and south) and Ireland (more info at https://www.chasethesun.org/) -The Ireland route is the longest and hardest apparently! 340k and around 3400 m of climbing.

The event started from Belfasts Titanic at sunrise, around 4.40 am so up around 3am to get fed and then cycle down
Around 200 cyclist took part. The ride goes up the Antrim coast to Glenarm then moves inland diagonally across mid Ulster eventually making its way to Leitrim and finishing at Enniscrone Sligo before sunset.

A long and tough day out for sure but an incredible route with quiet roads with spectacular scenery throughout. We also thankfully were blessed with the weather apart from a bit of a south westerly headwind at times. Well organised and a very chilled atmosphere throughout-they emphasis it is not a race! Finishing it alone is a hard enough challenge!
This event is not that well advertised but I would truly recommend it to anyone who is interested in a bit of endurance cycling.

Ive been told that the Italian ride is tremendous and so ill be trying to get a few rounded up to take that one on next year!

A massive well done to Michael and Cormac on taking on one of Ireland’s toughest endurance cycling events — an incredible achievement and a brilliant representation of OTC 🙌🔥

𝗜𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁 – 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️

A huge weekend for OTC in Austria as Jack and Max took on the iconic IRONMAN Klagenfurt 🇦🇹💪

Set around the stunning Wörthersee, the race delivered calm waters, a tough bike course with over 1,800m of climbing, and a marathon run packed with support from start to finish. Both athletes put together fantastic performances on a massive day out, with Jack completing his first IRONMAN and first marathon 👏

Final times:
• Max – 12:26:28
• Jack – 12:49:57

Here’s what they had to say about their day in Klagenfurt 👇

Swim 🏊‍♂️
The calm, clear waters of Wörthersee made for a perfect start, with a reverse “N” shaped course and fast canal finish.

Jack: 1:01:52 – Delighted with the swim and surprised myself with the time, placing 37th in my age group.

Max: 1:16:14 – I aimed for 2:00/100m pace and came out almost exactly on target, feeling controlled and ready for the day ahead.

Bike 🚴‍♂️
The two-lap bike course featured 1,825m of elevation, rolling roads, two steep climbs and stunning views through the Austrian countryside.

Jack: 6:47:28 – I was on pace for my goal time early on, but foot issues forced me to back off. I kept moving and was glad to make it back to T2.

Max: 5:53:48 – This was where I felt strongest all day. The course was incredible, the climbs were full of support, and getting back in under six hours gave me a huge boost.

Run 🏃‍♂️
The flat two-lap marathon followed the lakeside and canal into Klagenfurt city centre, with brilliant crowd support throughout.

Jack: 4:40:18 – My foot eased after 2km and I was able to settle in, enjoy the atmosphere and finish strongly.

Max: 5:00:40 – I knew the run would be my toughest discipline, so I focused on enjoying the atmosphere, smiling through the tough moments and soaking it all in.

A massive congratulations to both athletes on huge performances in Klagenfurt — OTC is incredibly proud of you both 🔥🙌