A Derry man who completed 10 Ironman challenges in a row last summer and raised over £100,000 is encouraging others to get involved in their own event.
Danny Quigley took on the challenge last year to mark the 10-year anniversary of his father Colm’s passing from suicide on March 23, 2011.
Last month, a special showcase event was marked by the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum (BBHF) to launch a fund named in his honour.
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And the forum has taken it to another level by encouraging those to use the initiative for their very own ‘try a tri’ event in Derry.
Registration for the event took place earlier this week, with eager members of the public signing up for a challenge that will see them swim, cycle and run a reduced distance to that of a full triathlon.
Aisling Hutton, Mental Health Practitioner at the Health Forum, and Danny Quigley Fund co-ordinator, said that a ‘try a tri’ event will be a fitting challenge considering Danny Quigley’s mammoth accomplishment last year.
Aisling said: “Lots of people approached us after Danny completed his 10 in 10 in August inspired by his efforts, telling us they would love to ‘try a tri’ themselves.
"So our challenge will give them a small taste of what Danny experienced, but more importantly, it will boost their physical fitness and help improve their mental well-being.
"Physical events such as this complement our other services such as mental health counselling that we are facilitating through the Danny Quigley Fund”
In preparation for the ‘try a tri’ challenge, participants will train for eight weeks throughout May and June as part of a training programme devised by the North West Triathlon club’s Carmel Lynch; with race day scheduled for June 26.
The eight-week training programme for the ‘try a tri’ starts week commencing May 2 and a number of places still remain available for those interested in signing up.
Mr Quigley said he hopes the fund can help more people in the city going forward.
He said: "A year or two ago, I could never have imagined what lay ahead. Knowing that last year was the tenth anniversary of my daddy’s passing, all I wanted to do was honour him in a fitting way that could raise some money to help people and hopefully reduce the rate of suicide here.
"Suicide prevention is a topic that is obviously close to my heart, therefore I am really delighted that both the BBHF and I can launch this fund that I hope will help more and more people going forward."
The cost of signing up is £30 per person and this includes one bike training session per week, one swimming training session per week and one running training session per week, facilitated by experienced mentors that will also provide nutritional advice.
If you are interested in the challenge, you can contact Aisling at the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum on 028 7136 5330.
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