As Ireland’s running boom gathers pace, Cork entrepreneur and ultra runner Conor O’Keeffe is helping athletes go further, for longer through Altar Nutrition, a homegrown brand tackling one of endurance sport’s biggest challenges: effective fueling without stomach discomfort.
The Irish running scene has exploded in recent years with a huge amount of people picking up their running shoes to get out no matter if it is for a casual jog or to start their big marathon prep block.
It is a great direction to be going, but as the newcomers in the sport grow it starts to beg questions such as how much should I be running or what is the best way to go about fuelling the sessions to optimise performance?
“We definitely have our sights set on international expansion, but we couldn’t even dream about that had we not gained such amazing support from our home market”
An Irishman who has helped countless people solve this question is Conor O’Keefe, founder of Altar Nutrition, a nutrition brand that coined the term “Go further, for longer”.
The name ‘Altar’ was inspired by a powerful moment in founder Conor O’Keeffe’s training journey. Through his difficult training days, Conor realised that reaching his goals involved “”going to the altar” which symbolised the commitment to endure, no matter how hard the journey got.
In the world of ultra running this applies at times when real mental strength is needed. But in running and fitness, in general, these moments can come about at unexpected times and Conor’s mantra got him through the tough sessions.
Picking up the pace
The standout moment in his business growth story so far has been at a sampling tent at the Bohermeen Half marathon when a “a man approached us with tears in his eyes thanking us. He couldn’t find a supplement that would fuel his runs and he thought his days of running marathons were over until he found Speed Dust. He’s now running better than ever. That’s the impact we want to have.”
His background in ultra running kickstarted his journey of fuelling himself and the idea evolved when he started explaining to his clients that he was working on the endurance mix and the feedback was great.
I believe the best businesses are built by solving real problems. Altar Nutrition is a great example of this, having identified and addressed a genuine pain point in the running community, helping drive its impressive growth.
The solution that Conor was targeting was to put an end to any stomach issues or lack of fuelling as a result of fearing it ruining your race due to discomfort.
Speed Dust is a liquid carbohydrate which has been shown to be much easier on the stomach and athletes have found they can take on a lot more fuel without having to worry about issues that could previously have ruined a race after a 12 or 16 week block.
It took 14 months of collaboration with food scientists across Europe before the first bag of Speed Dust was finally produced. While Conor wasn’t certain it would work, he quickly saw its potential once he had the product in hand. It delivered exactly what runners needed in terms of fuelling and tasted great, making it a success in his eyes from that point onward.
The recent Dublin Marathon ballot highlights the scale of the running boom in Ireland, attracting a record 47,000 applications, around twice the available capacity. It is a clear sign that the running community is experiencing rapid growth, with people of all ages and abilities embracing the sport.
Conor mentioned this when asked about his dream race. “Of course the obvious answer is one of the major marathons like Boston or London, but to be honest I think fueling the Cork and Dublin marathons would give me such a buzz. They’re our home marathons. Being from Cork it would be amazing to be part of it and Dublin being the largest marathon in Ireland, it would be amazing to repay all that Ireland has given us.”
Racing ahead
I delved deeper into how Conor has found the Irish entrepreneur scene in terms of growing his company through different stages.
“We are bootstrapped, reinvesting sales back into growth and managing the cash flow of the business which is a tale as old as time for new start-ups. We are punching above our weight by utilising our social media and loyal fan base.”
Many founders I speak to emphasise the importance of the Irish customer base in supporting their growth. Irish consumers often take pride in backing homegrown businesses and are enthusiastic about seeing local companies succeed in their respective industries.
Conor’s ambitions extend beyond continued growth in Ireland, with international expansion firmly in his sights. However, he stresses that those plans would not be possible without the strong support the business has received at home.
“We definitely have our sights set on international expansion, but we couldn’t even dream about that had we not gained such amazing support from our home market. Our Irish customers have been the launch pad needed to think about growth.”
The loyalty and enthusiasm of Irish customers have provided the foundation for Altar Nutrition’s success and given the company the confidence to pursue opportunities overseas.
The journey of growth is continuing with the help of Enterprise Ireland with Altar being involved in Phase 2 and Phase 3 pf the New Frontiers Programme, helping them prepare for potential seed funding and help with product and export expansion.
“I only realised after starting the business that I have the entrepreneurial brain,” Conor added. “I have always had a good combination of creativity and drive which has come in handy. That isn’t to say I haven’t made my fair share of mistakes, but a good entrepreneur knows that is part of the process and something to learn from.”
This offers an interesting insight, as there is often a belief that entrepreneurs are born with a particular mindset. In reality, taking the leap of faith is sometimes what reveals the resilience, adaptability and determination needed to succeed in business.
The story of Altar highlights how Conor solved an issue in the running community at a time where the numbers were growing so rapidly and capitalised on the increased awareness of the importance of fuelling when it comes to improving your training.
The growth of an Irish food company looking to improve the access and performance of those in the endurance and fitness world is great to see and the energy and passion that Conor himself shows and his team around him is something that has to be truly admired.
I’m looking forward to seeing where Conor’s journey takes him next. With the recent Altar 50K and 100K events proving highly successful, there is every chance the company will continue to explore and expand in this area in the future.
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