On Saturday, 19th October, Dublin was the location for a gathering of experts in the field of women’s health within sport. The inaugural Triathlon Ireland Women’s Health & Wellbeing Conference saw more than 80 delegates get together for an ‘informative, educational and fun day of talks and workshops.’
“We are now three years into our Equally Inspiring strategy and have made great progress in bringing more women into leadership positions in triathlon,” said Triathlon Ireland President Lochlann Walsh. “Today’s event concentrates on very specific women’s health issues in sport, and the great turnout demonstrates the appetite for events like this. We’re also thrilled to be able to donate the income from ticket sales to the #Tri4Pieta campaign [supporting mental health].”
Among the speakers were coach Jonathan Gibson from The Athlete Clinic with a lecture on ‘The Female Triad: Training with Your Menstrual Cycle and Menopause’. Three workshops provided participants with an opportunity to learn some new practical skills and ask experts advice on their training, while nutritionist Fiona O’Donnell from WestCorkFit discussed how to eat correctly to fuel different types of training sessions and balance hormonal health.
A conversation between the athlete panel was a highlight of the day, with each having overcome adversity both as part of and to participate in sport. Led by MC Joanne Murphy of TriTalkingSport the panel of cyclist Eve McCrystal, Nutritionist Fiona O’Donnell, West Cork Tri Club’s Bernadette Downey and current Middle Distance National Champion Hilary Hughes chatted about balancing life and sport, overcoming adversity and achieving goals.
“The Women’s Health & Wellbeing Conference could not have happened without the fantastic speakers and workshops we had,” concluded Anna Grealish, Women’s Participation Lead for Triathlon Ireland. “Our panel of athletes were four of the most inspirational women I have heard speak and for me, this was one of the day’s highlights.
“The conference brought together women and men who wanted to learn more about health and wellbeing for sport and I hope this is something that will grow every year. Special thanks to Sport Ireland and the 20×20 campaign for their support with this conference.”
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