Our first guests of 2026 are familiar names in endurance sport here in Ireland; Rob Cummins and Aisling Coppinger who share with us an honest and inspiring conversation about life, love and longevity in sport.
Owners of Wheelworx, they are well known faces at triathlon and multisport events as both athletes and event support. In this episode, Rob and Aisling reflect on their individual paths into triathlon, from early beginnings as novices to competing on the world stage.
Rob shares his long journey through IRONMAN racing, including early doubts and how his training approach has evolved over time, whilst Aisling shares insight into her transition from running into triathlon and the challenge of overcoming a deep fear of open water swimming.
A key focus of this episode is their 2025 season, where they embraced a whirlwind World Championship Tour that saw them race and support each other at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice where Rob raced, Kona where Aisling raced and Marbella with both of them racing the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship where their season culminated in the Costa Del Sol. You can check out Rob’s blog on his World Championship race in Nice HERE
They offer insight into the demands of each event, from race conditions and strategy to the emotional impact of lining up in Kona. Both Aisling and Rob reflect on what these experiences mean to them beyond results, highlighting gratitude, perspective, enjoyment and the journey to the start and finish line of each race they embraced.
The conversation also explores how they balance commitment to their training with running a successful and busy business whilst maintaining a strong personal relationship. Training together, supporting each other through setbacks and simplifying routines have become central to their approach.
This is a great chat with Aisling and Rob, with reflections on what triathlon has given them and how they look ahead to future races with curiosity rather than pressure, emphasising teamwork, resilience and the importance of enjoying the journey. This renewed energy and perspective on triathlon racing, a far cry from the years of ‘Chasing Kona’ as detailed in Rob’s book published almost a decade ago.
