The Ryan family from Letterkenny were up against three other super-fit families in the gruelling challenges set out in tonight’s semi- final for Ireland’s Fittest Family. With four talented families and only three slots in the final, tensions were high.
After taking on the exhausting bog-jog, Jacob’s ladder, and a demanding eliminator, the Ryans left the other families in the dust (or muck) and are now through to the final!
During the semi-final, former boxer Danny said ‘We’re so close, I don’t think we’ll slip up at the last step’.
Danny, Jordan, Keane and Alannah are coached by former Irish rugby star Alan Quinlan, who said ‘we deserve to get to the final. The Ryans train harder than the other families’.
For the bog-jog challenge, Quinlan chose Jordan to go up against a member of the three other families to take on the slippy, draining course. Speaking before the race, Jordan said that he didn’t feel under pressure.
Jordan was delighted; albeit mucky!
The race was very tight for a few minutes, with no difference between second, third, and fourth place, however in the last stretch Jordan burst out and secured second place.
In a twist, the coaches were then told that they had to nominate another family member to take on the same challenge. Keane was chosen to take on the bog-jog again.
Keane after the bog-jog!
Keane said he’s going to focus on his own race, and just give it his best. At one point the race got so mucky, the narrator said ‘I don’t even know who that is!’
The bog-jog is notoriously difficult and named one of the most difficult courses of the entire competition
At this point in the competition, the Ryans were at the top of the leaderboard.
The next obstacle was Jacob’s Ladder, a 70 foot ladder with 8 rungs that get further apart with each move up. The family to reach the top of the ladder and snatch the three flags are victorious, and gain 10 vital points.
Unfortunately the Ryans didn’t beat the time set by the other families and instead went through to the eliminator against the Bailey family.
From the start, the Ryans darted out in front, and they flew through the inverted tubes, rat tunnels, bog, balance beams and tyre squeeze before finishing it off by sprinting with two heavy poles towards the finish line.
Danny said that they’re absolutely over the moon to get through, and that he is incredibly proud of his children.
You can tune into the final next week at 6:30pm on RTÉ1 where the Ryans will be travelling to Dublin in a bid to be named Ireland’s Fittest Family and claim the prize of €15,000.
Go team Ryan!
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