The inaugural King of Greystones Triathlon Challenge took place in August 2002 and was set up by a team of friends who lived in the Wicklow area to encourage people to take part in a novel fundraising event. Since then, the event itself and the popularity of triathlons have evolved enormously.

Throughout the years the organising committee’s goals were always to hold a fun and safe event and also to raise money for various charities.

KOG Organising Committee

The initial team was made up of four friends who between them loved taking part in triathlons and organising events. Over the year’s different people have volunteered their time and efforts to join the committee. The committee are all volunteers who live locally and enjoy organising the event which has become very popular over the past few years always attracting a large crowd of supporters and spectators.

Now, the main organising committee members are listed below.

John Glynn – Organising Committee Chair

John Glynn is Gavin’s father and the founder and Director of The Gavin Glynn Foundation.

Along with working full-time in the IT security sector, John runs the foundation on a daily basis and connects with all the children and their families who need help travelling overseas for cancer treatment.

A local Greystones man now living in Kilcoole, John made the The King of Greystones his first triathlon, in 2017, along with the help of former winner Alex Gray of P Squared performance, forming a team of ten first-time triathletes called the KOG10. www.tggf.ie

Aidan O’Toole – Digital Tech Director

A former local business owner, having run his own digital media and branding business for over 10 years, has been integral to The Gavin Glynn Foundation’s shaping of The King of Greystones Triathlon to where it is today. Aidan has worked to make the triathlon a recognised charity event nationwide. He is the driving force behind all of the technical aspects of the event, ensuring everything runs smoothly all year round.

Over the past few years, he has also been responsible for all pre-event promotional media and videography, managing our social media channels, running and maintaining our website, and creating all graphics and print media for the event.

Adam Kelly – KOG Race Director

Adam Kelly is the owner of Pura Vida Project in Greystones. Having served his time in Australia, he has been training and inspiring people in the Greater Wicklow and South Dublin area for over 15 years.

This Pura Vida Project epitomizes what Adam is all about and how he inspires his client community.

Ger Kennedy – KOG Swim Safety Director

In the past ten years, Ger Kennedy has completed an array of ice swims around the globe, from ice miles to under-ice swims. The 55 year-old has long been nicknamed Dr. Ice.

The first man (second person), to complete the Ice Sevens Challenge, which involves completing an ice mile in seven countries around the world: Ireland, America, Chile, Morocco, New South Wales, Norway, and Siberia. Dr. Ice also has 13 International Ice Swimming Association certified Ice Miles, including three ice zero miles, a mile at altitude, and a 2KM swim at 0.5C.

Ger is also heavily involved with The Gavin Glynn Foundation and has championed a number of massive swim events for TGGF.

Damian McKeever – Event Founder

Brother of the locally famous firefighting hero Fat Cam, Damien is one of the original four founders of this event and has organised the event for the past 12 years raising almost €500,000 for local charities- What a legend! He is in semi-retirement now and between running his shoe shops and fast food chain “McKeevers”; he specialises in male modelling (mainly foot modelling), Salsa Dancing and washing machine repairs. But seriously, Damian runs the very successful Amphibian King technical running shoe stores in Bray and Ballymount. Since 2020 and lockdown, he now likes to be addressed as “The Wicklow Viking”.

Damian participates every year in KOG and wanted us to note that Michael Bolger has never beaten him in the King of Greystones event, or not in any section of it for that matter!