What is the Iron Month challenge?
The IronMonth is an annual, whole community, inclusive challenge taking place during the month of May.
What’s involved?
Complete an Ironman style triathlon (3.8k swim, 180k cycle, 42k run) in a month / three weeks / a fortnight / a week / three days / two days / a day— however long it takes.
Who is taking part?
Supporters, friends, family, and the service users themselves of An Saol. All abilities and levels of fitness are taking part.
Why take part?
The IronMonth serves to remind us that everyone has different levels of ability in life, while raising much needed funds for brain injury survivors. Some people may be able to complete the whole challenge in one day. Others may take several days or weeks. Others may need to relay elements of the challenge. It is up to you how much of the challenge you complete at a time, recording the length of your walk/run/cycle/swim as you go. The aim of the game is to have gone the distance by midnight on 31 May.
Great! I’d love to take part. How do I fundraise?
Fundraising is being done through GoFundMe. You can join the fundraising team for this event here selecting the “Join Fundraising Team” option. Let your contacts know that you have joined the team and ask them to kindly support the cause. Social media is a great way to promote the event, seek donations and keep people updated on your progress. Share your progress and the donation link, using the hashtag #IronMonth22.
I don’t feel like I can take part, but I’d love to help in another way.
Please spread the word to your contacts and on your own social media, using the hashtag, #IronMonth22 and donate to the cause here.
I’d like to follow An Saol’s social media accounts.
Follow An Saol on Instagram: @an_saol_foundation
Follow An Saol on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnSaolFoundation
Follow An Saol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/an_saol
Virtual Visit to An Saol: https://bit.ly/AnSaol2022
An Saol on RTE and TG4: https://bit.ly/RTEandTG4
How do I keep track of my runs/cycles/swims?
Use an app like https://www.strava.com/ to keep track of your progress, as you walk/run/cycle/swim. Remember to post photos and updated to social media using #IronMonth
Are there set distances or plans for completing the challenge?
This challenge is all about flexibility and different people will have different abilities when it comes to complete the challenge. As such, it is up to you how much of the triathlon you complete at a time. That said, here are some suggestions for those completing the triathlon (swim, cycle, run/walk). Bear in mind, these plans are completely flexible and can be altered according to you needs. For example, you could run/walk three times a week (3.5k) and do two long cycles of 90k. Similarly, you could go for a 2k run/walk every day for three weeks and do one long cycle of 45k per week. To complete the triathlon, you follow either of these plans and add a 1k swim each week. The possibilities really are endless.
Triathlon
Option 1: 4 x per week
Week 1: 2 x 5k runs + 1 x 45k cycle + 1k swim
Week 2: 2 x 5k runs + 1 x 45k cycle + 1k swim
Week 3: 2 x 5k runs + 1 x 45k cycle + 1k swim
Week 4: 2 x 6.1k runs + 1 x 45k cycle + 1k swim
Option 2: 3 x per week
Week 1: 10k run + 45k cycle + 1k swim
Week 2: 10k run + 45k cycle + 1k swim
Week 3: 10k run + 45k cycle + 1k swim
Week 4: 10k run + 45k cycle + 1k swim
Option 3: 2 x per week
Week 1: 10k run + 90k cycle
Week 2: 10k run + 2k swim
Week 3: 10k run + 90k cycle
Week 4: 10k run + 2k swim
IronMonth 