Wexford athlete is pushing himself to the limit after move to Australia
ENNISCORTHY native James Farrell has gone from strength to strength as a multi-disciplinary athlete since his big move down under to Australia in 2021.
Mr Farrell made the monumental decision to move after realising he needed a drastic change in his life, and had been influenced by the positive testimonials from those around him.
“I initially decided to come to Australia in 2021 as I felt I had been at a dead end for quite some time and needed a change.
“During my early 20s, I would often be conversing with people who ventured off to Australia around 2010 and always spoke about the great times they had out there and wild adventures,” he said.
“It came at a time when I felt ‘it was now or never’; I didn’t want to leave the question behind and not take the opportunity to go while I could.
“I had booked my flights, sorted my visa, and organised to leave five weeks to the day. The decision was made,” he added.
However, despite having the familiar company of his sister living in Sydney, it was not immediate smooth-sailing for the young adventurer.
“I flew into Sydney, met up with my sister Brid, and stayed there for the first two weeks.
“This was right around the time Covid was picking up worldwide, and the talks of a lockdown were beginning. Many of the Irish began to return home because of the uncertainty, but I was not going to return as I had just managed to get here.
“I spent the first few weeks enjoying life at Bondi, but funds disappeared rapidly without work,” he said.
Luckily, thanks to his Irish connections, he made contact with the Bailey family who his friend Pa previously worked for, and secured a job as a farm hand for the upcoming seeding season.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic reducing his opportunities to socialise, Mr Farrell credits the experience for allowing himself to focus on his fitness and future goals.
“Following this, everywhere went into lockdown. Socialising was nearly forbidden, and to pass time outside of working, I began to go for the odd run.
“I remember my first run was from the farmhouse where I was staying to the end of the drive (200m) and back again. I nearly collapsed as fitness wasn’t on my side then. Each day, I made it a goal to go a little further than the last. Building it up to 13kms which was a massive success for me at the time!” he said.
Eager to explore the country that had become his new home, he used his fitness journey to become familiar with the surrounding areas.
“I began traveling on the West Coast of Australia and found that everywhere I visited, the best way to view the place was to jog around! It kept me entertained and feeling good.
“I secured work in a town called Kerattha, North Western Australia. There were great facilities with a pool gym and plenty of places to run,” he added.
Displeased with the work life drinking culture, he became inspired to fully devote himself to training for eight weeks after seeing an advertisement for an Ironman 70.3 triathlon being held in Busselton.
“Having ran 90km once before in Ireland, and having the training of his former school’s swimming lesson program, he signed up right there and then.
Nevertheless, training for the event and actually participating in it are two different things, something James learned very quickly.
“Before the race, my nerves started to build, and before I knew it, I was in the water swimming. It was beautiful, but I began to panic. My heart rate was through the roof, and I felt as though I was going nowhere. I could see the lifeguards looking down from the pear directly at me, but I kept going, knowing it would end eventually,” he remembered.
He then took on the bike portion of the race, before beginning to get a cramp in his leg during the final 21km run segment.
However, he did not have much time to focus on the pain as he was in awe of the support he received from spectators on the sideline as well as his fellow competitors.
“It’s an incredible sport because you are always learning, and it’s hard to perfect. I was running, and I got a little cramp in my leg.
“I stopped to stretch it out, and the positivity and support from other athletes running was incredible. “Come on, mate, you got this!” It was new to me because, coming off a rugby field or GAA field, the people you are competing against don’t usually cheer you on! But then I began to understand that this sport is about seeing what you can get out of yourself,” he said.
Bitten by the triathlon bug, he began to set his sights on the next challenge.
“I completed that event, and then, one year down the line, I began to wonder, “What would the full distance be like?” and set my sight on fully completing one,” he added.
Since then, he has completed the full-distance Ironman three times, the half-distance events another three times, and multiple ‘Ultra Marathons’ that included a backyard ultra that reached over 100km in distance. He is currently signed up for another full distance Ironman Triathlon in Busselton at the end of the year.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in Irish youth travelling to Australia in search of better opportunities that they cannot find in Ireland. And while Mr Farrell is enjoying his time greatly in the warmer climate, he does feel the pull of the distance from his family back home.
“I love the community of people from all over the world you get to meet while being involved in endurance events over here, as there is a huge number of expats.
“I wouldn’t say I feel homesick, but it is a long way to be away from family and friends,” he said.
“I think about it, and I often find myself weighing up the pros and cons of living in both countries. We just need to put a roof on Ireland and increase the temperature by a couple of degrees, and we’re set!” he added.
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL BUT I BEGAN TO PANIC. MY HEART RATE WAS THROUGH THE ROOF AND I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS GOING NOWHERE