Carrs aim to become Ireland’s Fittest Family as RTÉ series returns this weekend

With a shake-up to the format, new star coaches, challenges and locations, the new series of Ireland’s Fittest Family could be the most competitive yet.

Appearing in episode one are the Carrs from Mullingar. The family of six have a keen interest and history in individual and team sports – GAA, running, triathlons, golf and tennis.

Tommy (age 62) is a strength and conditioning coach and former Gaelic footballer who played for and managed the Dublin intercounty team. Gareth (27) is also a former intercounty footballer and Simon (25) is a former professional tennis player. Elizabeth (30) is a high-performance triathlete and ranks number one in Ireland, and is a captain in the Irish Defence Forces.

They are coached by three-time winner Anna Geary and they will face former Dublin GAA star Michael Darragh MacAuley’s Walsh family from Cork and the Byrnes from Dublin.

Meet the family

Gareth, 27, brother: GAA, athletics, golf, ex-intercounty player. Corporate finance analyst.

Simon, 25, brother GAA, athletics, tennis. Ex-professional tennis player. Sports management.

Elizabeth, 30, sister: athletics, number one female triathlete in Ireland. Soldier based in the Curragh.

Tom, 62, father: GAA, athletics, golf. Former Dublin player. Company CEO of Pallet Express.

Returning to screens from Sunday, November 2, on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 6.30pm, the eight-part show, presented by Laura Fox, includes show veterans Davy Fitzgerald, Anna Geary and Donncha O’Callaghan, and newcomers with serious sporting pedigree.

Champion swimmer Ellen Keane has joined this year, as has winner of eight All-Ireland medals Michael Darragh MacAuley, and Irish rugby legend, Andrew Trimble.

Viewers will see the families put through their paces and pushed to the edge physically and mentally in new challenges set by members of the Irish Defence Forces at Gormanston Army camp.

Heats will unfold over three weeks. Each week, one original coach will go head-to head with a new coach – Anna vs Michael Darragh, Davy vs Ellen, and Donncha vs Andrew.

Kicking off week one are Anna and Michael Darragh, each with two families. Anna’s McClements family from Down and Carr family from Mullingar take on Michael Darragh’s Walshes from Cork and Byrnees from Dublin.

In Box to the Top, the families start off in the ice-cold sea and embark on a head-to-head race along an army training ground, carrying kit bags and sandbags. They then face the Truck Pull – attempting to pull a 7.5 tonne army vehicle along a decommissioned runway.

The four families are battling it out for one of three places in the next round of Ireland’s Fittest Family.

At the end of episode one, when the scores of the first two events are combined, the two highest-scoring go through to the next round, and the two families at the bottom have to face off in the Army Eliminator.

Watch Ireland’s Fittest Family from Sunday, 2 November, 6.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.