CO DOWN man and All Ireland CrossFit champ PD Savage is proof that hard work, dedication and persistence pay off. The 30-year-old from the village of Leitrim trains at the gym five days a week: a 60-minute session in the morning, 90-minutes in the evening.
On a sixth day, the former Gaelic player, who works in his father's business as a structural engineer, fits in a run or a swim. It's a well structured, highly intensive schedule and PD (short for Patrick Daniel) likes to stick to it – but over the next few months he intends to ramp it up even more.
It's hard to see where else he could squeeze in extra training but PD, who holds the title of Fittest Man in Ireland, says he has to work at this level if he is to achieve his top goal.
This July, he will compete in the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, representing Ireland at the global showcase of athleticism. He plans to raise funds for Alzheimer's Research in the process, a charity close to his heart, as he lost his mum to the disease four years ago. She was just 61.
"My mum Bernadette was diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy Bodies when she was 56," PD says.
"We cared for her at home. I think had she been in a care home she may have died earlier, but it helped her being with us. My dad, my eldest sister and myself all looked after her. It was tough.
"Watching someone you love go through dementia is really hard. It was heartbreaking for my dad as they'd been together for such a long time. He had to readjust to life without her. She went from working and driving to being in a wheelchair in six months.
"It was extremely aggressive. I knew nothing about it beforehand and had no idea what to expect. That's why I want to raise not just funds for Alzheimer's Research but awareness as well. Hopefully that research will help find a cure, which may happen in my lifetime.
"It'll be too late for my mum but if it can help other people, then that's what I want to do."
PD was always interested in sport. From the age of 10 he played Gaelic, then started training at a local gym in his mid-teens. While at Queen's University he had access to better facilities but the socialising aspect of student life lured him away from the gym. When his exam marks began to reflect this, he decided to pull his socks up and start studying and training properly again.
He enrolled for a gym-based course, which involved 6am workouts. His social diary changed dramatically, with nights out partying replaced with training sessions instead. His interest in bodybuilding piqued, he began watching YouTube videos on CrossFit and decided to give it a go.
To begin with, PD attended classes twice weekly in Belfast and, as his physique started to change, he decided to enter his first CrossFit competition at the age of 24. Despite his relative newness to the sport and the fact he was going up against men who'd been doing CrossFit for years, he came third. That was PD hooked on competing.
"I was actually supposed to be playing a football game that weekend but I pulled out at the last minute to take part in the Titanic Games," he says.
"It was a good decision though, as I came third and caught the attention of judge Neil Laverty, from the gym 8020 in Portadown. All the top athletes competing at the Titanic Games were from 8020 and, when he approached me after the competition, I was delighted to start training with him."
PD gave up Gaelic to focus solely on CrossFit, fitting his sessions at 8020 around his job. In 2016 he competed in his first Regionals team in London, finishing eighth overall. A year later he took part in a second Regionals team before making the move to individual competing.
In 2018 PD competed in his first Individual Regional competition, finishing 10th. However, an injury resulted in elbow surgery and his competing took a back seat for nine months – although he still trained regularly.
Then, late last year, with the elbow now healed, PD competed in The CrossFit Games Open and qualified first in Ireland – winning the golden ticket to represent Ireland at the worldwide 2020 CrossFit Games in Wisconsin on July 27.
"After being injured for so long, I had one goal in mind – and that was to come back with a bang and win The Open," he says.
"I feel confident enough about the world Games although it does really depend on the programming. Some events suit me more than others. I could be running, swimming, biking, paddle boarding, who knows? It's all about being prepared for the unknown. But let's say that I'm quietly confident and all I can do is my best."
PD will head out to Atlanta for a month beforehand to train at a special bootcamp. Then members of his gym, including coach Neil, will join him in Wisconsin to cheer him on as he attempts to win the world title for Ireland.
Thoughts of his mum will never be far from his mind while he seeks to lift the CrossFit world cup trophy in her memory.
In the meantime, he's planning to step up his training while simultaneously organising fundraising events for Alzheimer's Research. First up is a charity quiz in his gym on February 28.
"Everyone at the gym has been so supportive," he says.
"In fact, the support I've received from the CrossFit community throughout Ireland has been overwhelming. This is my sport now and I hope to do it forever and a day."
