Louth family to compete in quarter finals of Ireland's Fittest Family

It's the first of the quarter finals on Ireland's Fittest Family (IFF) this Sunday, on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 6.30pm, with Davy Fitzgerald's Smith Family from Louth, set to take on Michael Darragh MacAuley's Byrne Family from Dublin and Andrew Trimble's McKenna family from Monaghan.

The Smiths are a family of six. Mam, Cathy, Dad, Mark, and their four children: Shaun, Adam, and twins Mark and Mya. They are all members of their local GAA football club, St. Oliver Plunketts, and are all big gym goers. The three boys will be competing with Cathy.

Forty-four-year-old Cathy is a very active and involved Mammy. She is the hub of the household and is always on the sidelines cheering on the kids. She is an avid gym-goer and Hyrox trainee. She has also completed two marathons.

At 21, Shaun is the oldest child in the family. He is a trainee plumber and a big GAA fan, playing senior for the local club. He loves Hyrox and recently competed in London. He and Cathy often train together.

Adam is 19 and is also a trainee plumber. He plays senior team with Shaun for their local team and is an avid gym goer. At 15, Mark is the youngest of the family alongside his twin sister, Mya. He is currently in secondary school. He plays for the Louth U-16s team and also enjoys the gym.

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Taking place in the wilds of Hell and Back, Kilruddery Co Wicklow, the Quarter Finals will play out over three weeks. The three families and coaches are battling it out for one of the six places up for grabs in the Semi Finals at Drogheda Port.

This year the competition returns to The Bog – but instead of a time trial, the families will be racing each other in Battle of the Bog. Two members of each family have to battle against the other families through the sticky course – before releasing the other two family members to do the same.