A whole new kind of sports challenge is about to kick off in Cork, and if its creator is right, it could change the way people think about fitness competitions altogether. Sitting somewhere between strength training and endurance racing, this new concept promises structure, competitiveness, repeatability and accessibility in a way Ireland hasn’t really seen before.
It’s also set to build new communities of like minded people based on camaraderie. It’s called Project 8, and the man behind it is Oliver Kirwan, founder of Elite Event Management, working in partnership with the tech-driven team at Obodo.
Oliver is no stranger to big ideas. About ten years ago, he set up Elite Event Management, now based just outside Killarney, and since then the company has grown into one of Ireland’s most established sports event operators. “We organise sports events all around the country,” he explains, listing everything from the Ring of Beara Cycle to L’Étape Ireland, the Tour de France-style sportive that gives amateur riders the chance to experience routes and climbs modelled on the world’s most famous race.
Elite also runs the Quest Adventure Series, a multi-sport format combining running, cycling and kayaking in some of Ireland’s most iconic landscapes. Between them all, the company now sees around 20,000 people take part in its events every year!
That scale gives Oliver a unique vantage point. He sees trends as they emerge, watches participant behaviour shift, and notices overlaps long before they become obvious to the wider public. “We’ve done a few fitness events like Hyrox, and we noticed that a lot of people who do our cycling events are also doing fitness events,” he says. “So we did a lot of research on fitness events, who’s taking part, what’s good, what’s not so good and we came up with a concept that fills a gap.” That gap, he believes, is between pure endurance events and pure strength training. Project 8 is designed to live right in the middle.
One of the biggest drivers behind the new concept is technology. Up to now, Elite’s events have been overwhelmingly outdoor-focused, which brings its own challenges in Ireland. Weather is the obvious one, but logistics are just as demanding.
“At some of our events we might need 300 volunteers and marshals on the day,” Oliver says. “That’s really difficult to manage.” So the idea emerged to create an indoor event, driven by technology, that could be run more efficiently while still delivering a high-energy, competitive experience.
“We wanted something innovative. This is the only event in Ireland that’s fully driven by technology and counts every rep and every movement you do.”
That technology comes from Cork, through Obodo Gym and its Revelate system. Developed by Obodo owner Chris Kenefick, the system uses motion sensors, augmented reality and tablets to track performance in real time. Every station in Project 8 has a tablet with a camera that counts lunges, burpees, reps and metres automatically. “There’s no cheating,” Kirwan laughs. “The computer says no.” For participants, that means total accuracy and instant feedback. For organisers, it means results that are transparent, reliable and immediate.
The format itself is deceptively simple but cleverly designed. Competitors work in pairs, which Oliver believes is one of the biggest strengths of the concept. “It can be a lot more motivational doing something with your friend than doing it on your own,” he says. “I actually think the camaraderie will be more of an attraction than the competitiveness, although there’ll definitely be a competitive edge too.”
Teams move through four “pits”, each containing two exercises. One pit might pair ski and lunges, another row and burpees, another dumbbell snatches with shuttle runs, and another bike work with battle ropes. Each pit lasts twelve minutes, followed by a short recovery break, and the full course takes just over an hour.
Within that structure, there’s plenty of strategy. Teams must complete a set number of rounds first, and any time left over is used to rack up “max metres”, which directly boosts their score. The faster and smarter you work, the more time you earn to climb the leaderboard. “What we’re seeing in testing is that people approach this really cleverly,” Kirwan says. “If one person is strong on the rower and the other is better on lunges, they split it that way. Their combined effort ends up being stronger than two individuals trying to do everything evenly.”
Accessibility has been central to the design from day one. Project 8 offers different categories, including an open level that’s deliberately approachable for people of varying fitness backgrounds, and a pro level for those who want to push harder. Participants can move up a level over time as their fitness improves, using performance metrics rather than guesswork. “Some people say with events like Hyrox it can feel like it’s never going to end. With this, it’s broken up, structured, and you can play to your strengths.”
Another key difference is space. Unlike some large-scale fitness competitions, Project 8 doesn’t require a massive indoor arena. “That’s one of the limitations we saw,” Oliver says. “In Ireland, there just aren’t many huge indoor venues.” Because Project 8 can be housed in smaller spaces, it can be rolled out more quickly and more widely, opening the door for gyms and local communities to get involved. Live leaderboards add to the buzz, showing teams exactly where they stand as they compete.
Rather than focusing on lots of individual prizes, Project 8 leans into community. Teams can represent their gym, sports club or organisation, with all their reps and metres contributing to a collective score. The winning group takes home a large trophy and €1,000 for a charity of their choice. “A lot of clubs already have strong links with charities. This drives that community effort with everyone working towards the same goal.”
Testing has been ongoing for months, with Oliver and his team spending nights in Cork gyms refining the format. The response, he says, has been overwhelming. “We’re blown away by the reaction. The feedback is phenomenal. People really love it.” That enthusiasm has given the team confidence as they prepare for the very first official Project 8 event at Marina Market on February 27th and 28th. With music, food vendors and a festival-like atmosphere planned, Kirwan wants it to feel like more than just a competition. He wants it to feel like the start of something special.
There’s something fitting about that ambition when you look at his own backstory. Before events, before cycling routes and fitness tech, Oliver worked as a quantity surveyor in Dublin. In 2009, during the recession, both he and his wife Sheila lost their jobs within the space of a week. “At the time, we could take risks. We had no kids, no mortgage.”
Originally from Dublin, with Sheila being from Kerry, they made the move to the Kingdom. What started as involvement in sports events gradually became a business. “I created what my wife calls a proper business out of it,” he laughs. A decade on, Elite Event Management is thriving, and Oliver has no regrets. “If I hadn’t lost my job, life would definitely be more boring,” he says. “If you have that itch to start something, you should go for it. If you don’t, you’ll never know.”
Despite running large events and travelling constantly, he also lectures part-time in sports marketing and sports events at the University of Limerick. Oliver, a sports enthusiast, cycles, takes part in long rides in France, and keeps active, but balances that with family life. He and Sheila have two children, Robyn, 11, and Ollie, 13, and he coaches at their local club in Milltown Castlemaine. “Some people talk about sport in the pub, but I’m lucky I get to live it everyday as part of my job.”
That love of sport, combined with hard-earned business experience and new technology, is what underpins Project 8. It’s grassroots, built in Cork and Kerry, with no major industry backing, just expertise, experience, passion and belief. Oliver is convinced people will travel to different Project 8 events to test themselves against the same format, measure progress and connect with a like-minded community. More than anything, he wants people to feel part of something from the very beginning. “We want people to be able to say they were there at the first one ever,” he says. If the early reaction is anything to go by, Cork is about to witness the birth of a new sporting phenomenon.
Tickets costing €70 each are selling fast. To book your place see Project8club.com, and for further information, see the Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/project8club
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