Michael Scully will fly the flag for Tipperary at Ironman World Championships in Hawaii

A Clonmelman who qualified for the event three years ago will finally get the opportunity to compete at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii next month.
Michael Scully is counting down the days until October 3, when he will fly out to compete at the world event, which will be held in the town of Kailua-Kona on the west coast of Hawaii Island on October 8.
“It feels like a lifetime ago since I qualified, and the championships were postponed in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid. Now that the time is drawing near, I’m really looking forward to it,” says Michael.
He qualified for the championships at an Ironman event held in Panama City Beach in Florida in 2019. That was the fourth Ironman Triathlon he had completed, following races in Hawaii in 2018 (the world championships), Tallinn in Estonia in 2018 and Zurich in 2013.
The gruelling event requires competitors to swim 3.8 kilometres in open water, the equivalent to 152 laps of Clonmel Swimming Pool, where Michael trains. Following the swim, and without any break, athletes have to cycle 180 kilometres (almost 112 miles), the distance from Clonmel to Dublin Airport.
If that isn’t enough, they then have to get off their bikes and run a marathon, a distance of 42.2 kilometres, just over 26 miles.

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Approximately 30 Ironman races are held around the world each year, including one in Ireland, at Youghal, since 2019.
At each of these races, 40 opportunities are offered to the 2,000 or so competitors to take part in the Ironman World Championships, which have been taking place in Hawaii since 1978.
The conditions in Hawaii during October add an extra layer of difficulty for the athletes. The extreme conditions include heat of 35/40 degrees, almost 100% humidity, lava fields that have to be negotiated and extreme winds. It is regarded as the ultimate in triathlon events and only the most elite athletes can realistically aim to qualify for the race, and Michael now has the distinction of having qualified for two world championships.
The race is of such magnitude that it is the only triathlon event that is broadcast on the main cable tv networks in the United States.
To build up his fitness for such a severe test of stamina, 38-year-old Michael trains regularly throughout the year. Since January he has been training specifically for this event.
“I am currently in the hardest phase of training, clocking 20-plus hours a week, on top of my job as a civil engineer with Tipperary County Council,” he says.
“Once most of the work is done it will be just a case of going out and trying to enjoy it.”
He acknowledges that the time commitment involved is huge.
“It isn’t easy trying to juggle everything,” he added, as the domestic chores for he and his wife Gillian Barry include running around after their 15-month-old daughter Heather Scully, who has recently started to walk.
“I’ll swim in Clonmel Pool or in Sandybanks four times a week, clocking between 10-20 kilometres a week.
“I do most of my cycling around the beautiful mountains that we are blessed to have here near Clonmel (mostly in the Comeraghs and Knockmealdowns) and anyone who walks around Marlfield Lake will think they are suffering from deja vu, as they will have spotted me doing many laps.”
A member of Clonmel Triathlon Club, Michael says he took up triathlon in 2009 as an alternative to the pub!
“I started out very unfit and unhealthy and have made it this far. If I can do it anyone can, and I would encourage anyone thinking of trying a triathlon, running race or cycling sportive, to give it a try.
“It’s a great excuse to get out and see our beautiful countryside and you get healthier in the process. It’s also a great excuse to get out for a coffee and a slice of cake!”
Michael will be accompanied on the journey to Hawaii by his parents Marian and Danny Scully, who are also looking forward to what will be the trip of a lifetime.