Special Olympians travel distance from Cork to Berlin with workouts after starting fitness programme

A Cork man’s unique tech fitness start-up is being used by a group of local Special Olympians who are getting impressive results – and now he hopes to extend it to other athletes around the country.

Chris Kenefick was working as a project manager in the construction sector, but always had an interest in fitness, and set up Obodo gym in Douglas, Cork, in 2012, along with his sister.

After several years in the industry, he found that many gym users became bored with the repetitive nature of fitness classes, while others were intimidated by fitter people in the gym.

He felt there had to be a better way to get fitter and set up Revelate Fitness in 2022.

Essentially, Revelate is an app that is tailored to all levels and can be introduced into any cardio class. By using the gym’s rowers, bikes and ski machines, the technology brings a different work-out programme every day and allows users to track their fitness data over time.

“We looked around at all the classes in our area and they were all more or less the same and people were either becoming bored very quickly or intimidated by the fitter people in the class.

“We wanted to offer a better system that suits everyone and keeps them for longer.

“When we were developing theRevelateIT platform, we based it on two principles. The first is that every user has a target for their own fitness level.

“The second is that they can track their progress and we have seen that when a person can see their results and the improvement in their fitness, then they’re more likely to keep going,” he said.

Revelate Fitness now has more than 1,300 monthly users, including Chris’s 75-year-old father and 73-year-old uncle who use the technology-based fitness programme twice a week.

They have found that the regular exercise has resulted in fewer aches and pains and a healthier quality of life.

Chris has also recently signed his first gym in London, and two more gyms in the city will be coming on board in the coming weeks, while two gyms in Washington DC and Texas are currently trialling the system.

This programme is being used every week by a group of around 10 Special Olympians in Cork who have become fitter, while also having a lot of fun using the technology.

By tracking their workouts, the group has travelled the distance from Cork to Berlin.

They started training in October, 2023, and are still training every week, explained Chris.

“They come in every Saturday, sometimes their parents come too and get a work-out in, making it a very inclusive class,” he said.

Inclusivity is at the core of the tech fitness – it’s for the average person, said Chris, who added that currently 20% of people using Revelate are over 50.

Chris has also recently started working with Cope Foundation clients, and his ambition is to roll it out across all Special Olympic clubs nationwide, involving community and introducing competitions.

“Revelate is a game-changer. The feedback from the Special Olympians is that they look forward to their sessions, the fun, singing along to the music, while also getting fitter in the process, and that’s what it’s all about, making fitness fun.

“I want to get all Special Olympic clubs involved, along with the community, and create a team aspect around fitness.”

John Fitzgerald’s son Paul, 37, is one of those who avail of the Saturday Revelate sessions.

John, who is chairman of Cork Special Olympics Badminton Club, said it was ‘truly amazing’ to see the athletes in action during the sessions.

He said it wasn’t just about improved fitness, but also about competing with friends, and laughing and joking along the way.

“Simply put, Revelate makes them feel better, and as a bonus they’ve all got fitter.”

John added: “They enjoy camaraderie, the social implications of doing something with your friends is great, and there’s physical evidence to show that they’re all doing better as well, so the quality of their lives are being improved.

“The difference in Paul has been huge,” he said.

“You should see the change in them when they walk in, to how they walk out – it’s magnificent.”