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“Once I found a community of women who empowered each other through strength, I realised how cool it is to be strong and capable”
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We chat to Grant and Elena, Founders of Fianna Athletic Club and STRONG Pilates, about their passion for health and fitness, running a business together and their favourite ways to work out together.
Many couples share similar interests, but couple Grant and Elena take it to a whole new level, both involved in their two cutting-edge fitness businesses: Fianna and STRONG Pilates. As co-owners in both businesses, they each bring different skill sets and areas of expertise. Grant is in the Army Reserve with undergraduate qualifications in construction as well as health and fitness, while his Spanish partner Dr Elena de Marco holds a PhD in Nutrition Science.
Together they offer a wealth of knowledge, experience and professional expertise and have created an innovative offering at their Dublin gym, offering Hybrid training (Hyrox & Turf), Crossfit and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, as well as STRONG Pilates. STRONG Pilates is brand new to Ireland, and exclusive to Fianna, offering training on the Rowformer – think a traditional Pilates Reformer but with a rowing machine (or spinning bike) built into the machine for extra cardio.
It’s their shared love of adventure and testing their limits that brought this couple together. “We both come from sporty backgrounds: Elena’s father is an Olympic rower, and her mother’s a marathon runner, so she was introduced to sports from an early age, eventually specialising in synchronised swimming. Grant, on the other hand, grew up playing rugby and competing in sailing races and later working as an instructor – and he’s been a soldier in the Army Reserves since his teens. For us, fitness isn’t just about lifting weights or running miles; it’s about building resilience and confidence. This is what we aim to share with our community through Fianna and Strong.”
It was in fact through Fianna that they met. Elena had returned from two years in the US and was eager to get back into fitness while completing her PhD in Nutrition at UCD. “I was hired by Grant as a part-time CrossFit coach,” she recalls. “And, well, fast-forward five years – we’re now married, have a house, two beautiful dogs, and run a thriving business together. Seeing Fianna grow to what it is today, alongside launching STRONG, has been an incredible journey. It hasn’t always been easy – there have been stitches, a fractured ankle and tibia, stress-related high blood pressure, very few hours of sleep, to name a few – but it’s been worth every moment!”
Grant started Fianna as he recognised a gap in the Irish market for something beyond a typical gym, somewhere genuinely community-focused and innovative. “As Fianna grew, it expanded with STRONG Pilates, evolving into an 18,000 sq. ft. high-end facility,” Grant explains. “At that point, we needed someone to manage operations full-time, so when Elena finished her PhD, she decided to leave academia and join full-time. We envisioned a place where people could challenge themselves, celebrate their progress, and build a supportive community – a space for connecting with like-minded, sporty people outside of the usual social settings. Above all, we wanted Fianna to empower people to feel capable, strong, and resilient, ready to take on challenges beyond the gym.”
The couple splits responsibilities within the businesses, with Grant focusing on brand, and Elena on admin. “The beauty is that we don’t overlap much; we each enjoy and excel at what we do, which means minimal crossover or disagreements. Of course, we regularly lean on each other for support and double-check each other’s work. When it comes to coaching, thanks to our superb coaches, we’ve set up a system where neither of us is scheduled to coach daily, but we’re both qualified to jump in whenever needed. We can each coach CrossFit, Hyrox, Turf, and Strong – ready to step in whenever our team or members need us. It wouldn’t be the same without our amazing team!”
We envisioned a place where people could challenge themselves, celebrate their progress, and build a supportive community – a space for connecting with like-minded, sporty people outside of the usual social settings.
Having so many different fitness and wellbeing offerings under one roof is a unique selling point for the business. “We fully believed in the Athletic Club concept over the traditional ‘gym’ model to support every aspect of athleticism. The project was ambitious and, at times, daunting, but Grant has never been one to shy away from a challenge, and with Elena’s project management skills, we went for it.”
As well as the convenience of having all these options in one location, the format has really helped to build a community. “We consider ourselves extremely lucky to call our crew a community. How so? Well, we train and compete together, and going through these challenges as a group connects people on a deeper level. Our team and members frequently go out together, organise international trips to compete as a unit, and spend time at the gym long after workouts have finished. They constantly support the business and even travelled all the way to southern Spain for our wedding!”
Running a business together, Elena and Grant still make sure to carve out time for the thing that initially brought them together – exercising together. “If that isn’t the true definition of friendship – being able to work, live, hang out, and work out together, I don’t know what is! Every day, we take our dogs for a hike, which often stretches over 5-10 km in the Dublin or Wicklow mountains. Whenever we travel, we always seek out long hikes to enjoy.”
The couple are also fans of cycling, both road and mountain biking, and work out at the gym, mainly through classes but also bodybuilding sessions.
As well as finding each other, and creating a business through fitness, Elena also explains that sport and fitness has shaped her relationship with herself. “Like many women, I grew up with body-image concerns in a sports culture and overall living environment that favoured a skinny physique over a muscular one. It wasn’t until I found the CrossFit community, filled with women who empowered each other through strength – both in and outside of the gym – that I realised how cool it is to be strong, confident and capable. Not to mention how much healthier it is, both physically and mentally!”
Her PhD focused on building and retaining muscle mass in older adults, and she is a strong believer in the importance of muscle tissue as we age, “it’s an essential component of independent, healthy ageing”.
With such varied workouts, Elena and Grant love to use the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch7 to keep track, as well as gain insights into performance.
They love that the Galaxy Watch7 has a user-friendly interface. “The main screen displays a variety of information, such as time, steps, activity levels throughout the day, and sunrise/sunset times, without feeling overwhelming. I appreciate the accessibility of features like the stopwatch.”
Its design also appeals, whether working out at the gym or wearing it as they enjoy some downtime. “It offers a blend of modern technology with an old-school digital watch vibe, appealing to those who enjoy a retro look while benefiting from smart features.”
They also appreciated the flashlight of the Galaxy Watch Ultra. “It has an exceptionally bright flashlight, which is often underestimated, while one of the standout features is the ability to compare efforts across different times, such as analysing performance in a 1k run. This allows us to track progress and improvements over time.”
A feature that surprised them was the energy score feature. “We both really appreciated this, which is calculated based on daily activity, weekly sleep, average sleeping heart rate, and heart rate variability during sleep. Reviewing this score at the end of the day was quite intriguing; I could see myself incorporating it into my nightly routine as a habit to reflect on the day before bed.”
Introducing ‘On the Pulse’, in partnership with Samsung. Want to track your next run, gym session or pilates workout? Wearable tech goes to a whole new level with the Samsung Galaxy Watch7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, enabling new, intelligent health experiences through ultra-tough tech and making everyday wellness more meaningful. Visit samsung.com to learn more.
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