1. Full name
Conor Keville
2. Birthplace, and other places you have lived
Galway!
3. When did you join GTC and why?
I joined in December 2020 for the 2021 season to improve my open water swimming skills mostly.
When I lived in Dublin, the local beach was an hour away, so it was great to be able to get in more often!
4. Occupation
Digital marketing manager.
5. Previous sports
An uneventful stint in the U-13 Father Griffin Éire Óg Gaelic football team. I wasn’t very good.
6. Swim, bike, or run. Which do you prefer and why?
Run!
Because I’ve never regretted going for one. Part meditation, part socialising, part fitness.
7. Favourite event, or favourite place to train
Ironman Cork 140.6 in 2022.
I had signed up in 2019 for 2020 as my first full, but it was pushed back two years. The extra training time was needed in hindsight!
I’m not sure if it was the pre-race jitters or the fact it was the first big tri event in Ireland post-COVID, but there was something in the air.
The sea was flat calm, the wall of energy going up Windmill Hill was electric, and the 4-lap run with all the locals out cheering with their signs and hosepipes was epic.
I still have the coloured lap bands around my rear-view mirror in the car. I always get goosebumps thinking about the finishing chute. It will never be topped.
Finishing before the heavens opened was a bonus.
8. Sporting claim to fame
Learning to swim in my 20s!
9. Three music tracks that power your training sessions
- Oasis, Supersonic
- Oasis, Live Forever
- Darude, Sandstorm
When I ran the Connemarathon Ultra in 2023, I just listened to an Oasis mix until my headphones ran out. Brilliant day out.
Sandstorm is like a caffeinated energy gel in soundwave form. Great for a kick!
10. Your all-time sporting hero, and why?
Mark Cavendish, “The Manx Missile”.
He crashed out of the Tour de France in 2023, then returned the next year to win his 35th stage at the age of 39.
Cycling is hard. Elite cycling at that age, as a sprinter, oof. Legend!
11. Your GTC hero, and why?
Anyone who volunteers!
They can make the difference between a new PB or a DNF. A kind word on the course, a drink of water, or help with training can tip the scales.
12. A film or song that sums up your approach to life
8 Mile, by Eminem.
Just kidding.
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