1. Full name
Cara Gleeson
2. Birthplace, and other places you have lived
Galway, and briefly Dublin.
3. When did you join GTC and why?
2012.
My sister Aoife convinced me to sign up for a triathlon in Spiddal. I naively thought that being able to swim a whopping 750m in a pool was more than enough preparation. 🙂
Race day arrived, and the first clue that I may have underestimated the challenge was the safety boat overturning while we were waiting to start! 😬😬😬
Needless to say, I didn’t make it through the swim, but the organisers let me carry on and do the rest of the race. And that was it. I was hooked!
I was also very determined to come back and actually finish the next one. 😂
Fourteen years and hundreds of races later, I’m still at it, and still trying to get the hang of the swimming part!
4. Occupation
Design Assurance Director for a small medical device company.
5. Previous sports
Cycled everywhere for years, mainly because I didn’t drive until my mid-thirties.
A bit of tag rugby for a few years, and took up running in my late thirties.
6. Swim, bike, or run. Which do you prefer and why?
Ironically, the sport I like best is probably the one I’m least good at.
It took me a long time to not be anxious in deep water, but now I find a unique kind of peace swimming in open water. I’m also very lucky to have a great bunch of friends to swim with regularly.
7. Favourite event, or favourite place to train
Hell of the West.
I’ve done it ten times. Tough race, but always a great day out!
8. Sporting claim to fame
My first Ironman in Barcelona in 2017.
I trained hard, sort of followed a plan, and somehow ended up doing way better than I ever expected! 😂
I’ll never forget the feeling of running that final 100m to the finish line, completely exhausted but absolutely buzzing with a huge 
sense of elation and pride.
9. Three music tracks that power your training sessions
- Sia — Unstoppable
- Imagine Dragons / Sia — Born to Fight
- The Script — Hall of Fame
10. Your all-time sporting hero, and why?
Ciara Mageean.
An inspirational woman who just never gives up.
11. Your GTC hero, and why?
I’ve met so many incredible people through GTC that this was a really difficult question! But I think it has to be Fiona Lyons.
We’ve trained and raced together for years, and you’ll never meet a more positive person. Nothing is ever impossible in Fiona’s world, and she’s always the first to motivate, encourage and believe in you.
She’s been “retiring” for years, but there’s still no sign of those golf clubs making an appearance, or that TT bike getting sold! 🙂
