PERSONAL trainer, Andy Carr, discovered West Cork about five years ago when he came here to live with his wife, local woman, Bláithín O’Neill.

In moving to West Cork, Andy has found a community that completely aligns with what he values in life.

From the very start, Andy has been finding ways to contribute to the community by raising funds for charitable organisations.

First, he raised €2,000, for Lisheens House, followed by €4,500 for the Irish Cancer Society, and now he has set an even higher target on his GoFundMe page for the Tryrox he will be doing in aid of West Cork Rapid Response.

Most people are aware that a Hyrox involves eight exercise stations interspersed with 1km runs, but Andy is doing that three times.

The event, which will commence at 9am on Sunday, April 12th, will see Andy go through his paces publicly at Jonathan Davis’ Body Active fitness centre at Marsh Road, Skibbereen, where he is employed as the head personal trainer.

All are welcome to watch the endurance event, which could take six or more hours to complete.

‘It will be something of a spectator sport so people are more than welcome to come and watch,’ said Andy, who is now happily ensconced at his home with Bláithín at Lough Hyne, near Skibbereen.

Andy will be pushing his body both running and on the exercise stations, which will include a 3km Ski Erg, a 150m sled push weighing 152kg, a 150m sled pull weighing 103kg, a 240m or burpee broad jumps, a 3km Row Erg, 600 meters of a farmer’s carry featuring two by 24kg kettlebells,  300 meters of 20kg sandbag lunges, and 300 6kg wall balls.

‘The way it works is that I start with a run, then onto the Ski Erg, run again, sled push, run again, and so on,’ said Andy.

‘I expect that it will take me around six hours to do the Tryrox but that’s just a guess,’ said Andy, who is certainly putting in the work leading up to the big day.

‘There’s no escaping the fact that this will be extremely difficult. It’s hard enough to do one at an easy pace, but it depends on how you attack it,’ said Andy. ‘It’s endurance based, but I am fairly fit.’

Andy said moving to West Cork five-and-a-half years ago wasn’t a hard sell. ‘It’s an incredible place. I first joined Body Active as a client, but it’s great to see the way it has developed to employ three full-time and two part-time fitness instructors.

‘Being part of Body Active has been a big part of my integration into the community, so the challenges I have set myself are not just about pushing myself but a way to
give back.’

It was people voting on Andy’s Instagram page, andycarr_coaching, that was the deciding factor in selecting this  year’s charity.

And already it is getting tremendous local support.

‘West Cork Rapid Response is a fantastic group of volunteers who do extraordinary work in the area,’ said Andy.

‘It relies solely on charitable donations, so anything anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.’

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