An Armagh native now living in Australia has committed to taking on one of the world’s toughest triathlons in memory of a close friend who tragically passed away in 2018.
Daniel Rafferty (36) originally hails from Armagh city but when he decided to move to Sydney, Australia in 2012 little did he know he would meet a Moy man, Ryan Nugent who would go on to become one of his best friends.
Tragically, Ryan passed away as the result of a road traffic collision in Australia in 2018 – aged 27 – and ever since, Daniel says he has been “carrying his memory with me in everything I do and everywhere I go”.
Now, the athlete has committed to honouring his dear friend’s memory by completing an Ironman triathlon in Emilia Romagna, Italy to raise money for the “incredible” charity that brought Ryan’s body safely home and continue to support countless bereaved families across Ireland.
Explaining how the idea for the challenge came about, Daniel told Armagh I: “I have always been interested in fitness. A few friends asked me if I would train and compete in a Sprint Triathlon with them.
“I enjoyed the variation in training with three different disciplines. I then went on to train for an Olympic Triathlon and from there I set the challenge of doing a Half Ironman.
“When I completed the Half Ironman I didn’t have a strict training plan or coach so I thought with the help of some experts I would be able to complete a full Ironman.”
Daniel enlisted the help of coach, Phil Hayes – owner of Connect to Perform – and says his training has been “intense” but structured.
Added Daniel: “He [Phil] sets out my training schedule for the week. I generally complete up to 20 hours training a week . I usually train twice a day. This could look like two hours of cycling in the morning and one-and-a-half hour run in the evening.”
But through it all, he keeps Ryan at the forefront of his mind.
“Ryan lived his life to the fullest and I want to honour him by dedicating this race to him,” said Daniel. “Every step I take will be a tribute to his vibrant spirit , a reminder of the joy he brought into my life.
“Ryan was a close friend of mine. There was never a dull moment with him. Over the years we had great craic. He was the type of lad that lived his life to the fullest. He is missed a lot by all of us.”
On September 20, Daniel will undertake a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and a 42.2km run. He says less than 0.01% of the world’s population has completed a full Ironman triathlon and his goal is simply to “finish the race”.
Friends and family will also be making the trip in support and he’s eternally grateful for the effort they are also putting in to supporting the cause.
Said Daniel: “I am especially delighted that my mom and dad, Cathy and Bernard can travel. They’re taking time off work in the bar to go and support me and I really appreciate this effort as a family business can be hard to leave at times.
“I am lucky to have a fantastic support group in general. Including people who donated to the fundraiser, I am grateful and humbled by everyone who has donated so far. Every donation counts doesn’t matter how big or small.”
Of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust – who will be receiving 100% of the donations – he said: “The work they do is incredible. In times of tragedy they are extremely supportive to Irish people abroad and their families.
“They are there from start to finish in the process of dealing with the death of loved ones abroad. I witnessed this work with the loss of Ryan.”
So far, through the use of a GoFundMe page, Daniel has already raised over £4,000.
From now to then he says the “reality of the challenge is so big” he will just be concentrating on getting “over the line” with the words of encouragement that he knows Ryan would offer, “Don’t do things in half… go all out”.
