All-female duo ahead of schedule in Race Around Ireland

Published: Wed 31 Aug 2016, 6:16 PM

Last updated: Wed 31 Aug 2016, 7:30 PM

Lisa Jacob, a former Irish International Hockey with player with 139 caps, and Nikki Dorey, a pilot with Aer Lingus and competitive triathlete, will be the first all-female duo to cycle the gruelling ultra-distance 2,150km non stop Race Around Ireland this week.

The pair are alternate cycling three hours on and three hours off for 132 hours, or 5.5 days straight. They started on Sunday 28th August in Trim and are expected to finish tomorrow, Thursday.

They weren't expected to reach the finish line in Navan until Saturday but because of the incredible speed they are travelling at they may now finish ahead of time, arriving in possibly Thursday afternoon. Both girls are strongly passionate about mental health, so they are also fundraising €100,000 for one of Irelands leading mental health charities Suicide or Survive.

Also very prevalent, especially with the recent referendum on gay marriage, is the closely related association between mental health and LGBT equality, especially in the youth demographic. The girls are in a long term relationship and have a personal understanding of the mental health issues associated with the LGBT community.

The event and the girls uniquely hit the themes of, ultra-distance racing, cycling, high performance athletes / professionals, mental health, charity, LGBT, and fantastic adult role models for younger people. People can find out more and donate online at www.cyclearoundireland.ie

Caroline McGuigan, founder and CEO of Suicide or Survive, is full of praise for what they are doing:

“What Nikki and Lisa are doing is truly inspirational. They have dedicated months of their lives to training, night and day, rain or shine. What they are now embarking on is a true testimony to their incredible generosity and determination to make Ireland a better place. They have inspired us enormously with their courage and I know they will inspire countless others. The funds they are raising are so important as we continue to work together to address the tremendous pain and suffering associated with mental health and suicide in Ireland. We encourage everyone to get behind these heroes.”

About Lisa Jacob

Lisa hails from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. She grew up there and went to school in Kilkenny College as a boarder. Sport was a big part of her life from early on, and while success came in many sports, hockey won out as the main sport towards the end of her school years. At 19 years old and in college in UCD studying psychology, Lisa received a call up to the Irish squad, here she became a pillar of the team for over 10 years, gaining 139 caps for her country. Sporting success continued after her hockey career, with a call up to the Irish Rugby 7’s team where she was a contracted player for a year. She now coaches hockey in Genesis Hockey club in Dublin, is living with her girlfriend Nikki, and is working as an executive coach at The Performance Hub, delivering high performance workshops, motivational talks, and one-to-one coaching.

“I have always had 2016 as a milestone year in my mind. As an elite athlete I operated in Olympic cycles, and probably felt I had the energy to be competitive until 2016. In the last year my priorities changed, and qualifying for Rio was no longer what I really wanted. I wanted more time with the important people in my life, more focus on my career, and more control of my own schedule. Why the Race Around Ireland? It scared me, which meant Iâ€¯should probably do it. I guess mostly it’s a self-exploration. How will I react when things are hard? What will I learn about myself and others that will serve me well for the rest of my life? Where will this amazing journey take me? What difference can I make to people along the way? “

About Nikki Dorey

Nikki hails from Southampton in the UK. She grew up there and went to school in Applemore College. Sport was also big part of her life from early on, where she played for Southampton Football club from ages eight to 18 and represented her county, Hampshire, for three years during this time. Her footballing career continued when she moved to Ireland where she played for Shamrock Rovers during the 2011/12 season. In 2012 she took up triathlon, representing Ireland in 2013 in the ITU World Championships in London and going on to race up to half Ironman distance. Career success during this time mirrored her sporting success, when after graduating from the University of Bath with a Degree in Sports Science, she trained as a pilot. She gained employment with FlyBe from 2008 to 2011. Her career went from strength to strength when, in 2011 she moved to Ireland to join Aer Lingus as a Senior First Officer, currently operating flights in their European network.

“I have wanted to complete a challenge in conjunction with fundraising for charity for a long time, but was adamant that I would choose a challenge that was slightly outside of the ordinary and was on that fine line between not completely unachievable, but where completion was by no means a given. I have no idea whether I will complete this or how I will respond and that scares me a little. All I do know is that it will hurt physically and it will test my mental strength massively. I fully expect to find myself in the depths of pain and despair, but I also fully expect to have some of the most amazing experiences doing this too. In a strange way, I’m looking forward to both, although I might regret saying that when August comes around!'

“As a pilot I am always prepared and that's how I intend to go into this race. Unfortunately I am very aware that aspects of the race will bring about situations that I can't prepare for or control, and it will be a significant challenge to see how my mind will be able to cope with this. The positive mental health strategies that our chosen charity, Suicide or Survive, teach will most definitely be put to good use over the 5.5 days of this event.'

Thursday's Schedule

Place Distance Time

Aughrim Wicklow 2005 0:12

Glendalough Wicklow 2035 1:24

Manor Kilbride Wicklow 2069 2:45

Straffan Kildare 2089 3:33

Summerhill Meath 2118 4:43

Trim Meath 2129 5:09

Navan Meath 2143 5:43

Website and donations: www.cyclearoundireland.ie

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL7v8AbQOhY

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclearoundireland.ie