Ronan Greene gives the impression of having a lot of suppressed energy inside. It could be nerves over our meeting, and the profile I threaten to write about him: he gets a lot of slagging in Setanta Triathlon club. If it’s not over his ‘long, flowing locks’, it’s over losing count of laps and setting off in the wrong wave in races. When we start talking, though, I realise Ronan is one of those people who probably, as a youth, was passionate and quick to high emotion. This quality must have contributed to his sporting days in his twenties, when he played Gaelic football. Now forty-one, he’s mellowed, become wiser and more relaxed.
Gaelic football was a pastime for hard men, years ago. It’s one of the most demanding sports in the world, with the emotions and passion behind it comparable to the near national religion status of rugby in New Zealand. It’s easy to understand, therefore, that when Ronan left his football days behind at age 26, his life changed. That wasn’t the only thing that turned his world upside down. Holding a tiny baby in your arms, knowing you’re responsible for this little life, makes us see things through different eyes.
Yet the price for the blessings which bring new maturity is a greater demand on our time. The former footballer lapsed into inactivity for half a decade. When he joined Felda to get a bit of exercise, triathlon was the last thing on his mind. He saw Gerry McCabe there, whom he’d known before, and heard about Gerry and his brother Johnny’s involvement in these multi-discipline races. When Felda hosted an indoor triathlon, Ronan thought: “Why not?” and gave it a try. Five years later, he was one of more than 1800 athletes lining up in Regensburg for an Ironman triathlon. With him was his wife, Maria, and the youngest of his four girls.
It’s clear his family is now the centre of his life, and have a lot to do with why he does triathlons. “If you set an example for your kids, if you encourage them to be active, it might not stick right away, but you plant seeds for the future. It’s so important these days, with video games, television and all that stuff encouraging kids to be couch potatoes.”
Ronan tries his best to keep good balance, fitting training in between a fulltime job as maintenance engineer and his obligations to his family. “The new wealth now is time,” he says. I think he’s discovered how to spend it wisely.
