NC State’s Triathlon Club has been biking, swimming and running for more than 10 years. The club aims to help students train for and compete in triathlons across the country. Unlike other races, such as half-marathons or cycling races, triathlons force athletes to focus on not one but three different exercises in order to be successful. An Olympic-style triathlon consists of a swimming, cycling and running, in that order.
Most commonly, a triathlon consists of a 0.93-mile swim, a 24.9-mile bike route and a 6.2-mile run, but these distances can vary among different triathlons.
The Triathlon Club meets four times a week throughout campus to fully prepare club members for the competitions. Margaret Tobey, a senior studying industrial engineering, is the president of the club. Tobey has been running since high school and has been an active member of Triathlon Club since her freshman year. Being an avid runner and swimmer sparked her interest in becoming involved.
“I actually did my very first triathlon with the club around this time my freshman year,” Tobey said. “I knew I wanted to do it when I came here because I grew up swimming and I ran in high school and I wanted to do something competitive in college but didn’t want to commit to four more years.”
The Triathlon Club has four scheduled practices a week, but many members meet on their own throughout the week as well.
On Tuesdays, the club runs at 6 a.m., focusing on either speed or hills, then it’s back again Wednesday night with a swim. Fridays, the group does a “brick,” otherwise known as a bike and a run, which, according to Tobey, helps new members get used to switching exercises. The week is capped off Sunday with a long bike ride.
The Triathlon Club is part of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Triathlon Conference. Their first race was the weekend of Sept. 10-11, and was held in Virginia.
“When you go to conferences, you can score points for the conference as an individual and within the team,” Tobey said.
According to Tobey, the team performed extremely well two years ago, was developing last year and hopes to conquer once again this year.
A student does not need much experience in order to join the club, as the club members have been known to be very welcoming and helpful to anyone wishing to improve. Mallory Alman, a freshman studying engineering, recently joined the club after speaking to its members at this year’s RecFest.
“I know I would not be pushing myself this hard if I was training alone, because it’s hard,” Alman said. “The ‘bricks’ are really, really hard but I know they’re good for me because it’s what I need to work on.”
Alman has not completed a triathlon before, but feels as if the club is helping her train.
“I would definitely suggest joining,” Alman said. “The club is open to people that don’t have experience. I have almost no experience biking, but from all our practices, I feel like I’m getting along just fine.”
Alman is currently preparing for her first triathlon of the season, and of her life, and remains excited and motivated.
The Triathlon Club is open to all students and Tobey emphasizes the fact that anyone can be successful with the sport.
“It’s definitely a good sport, there’s all kinds of people that do it: old people, out of shape people, really fit people,” Tobey said.
Although most college students are swamped with papers and study sessions, the club remains flexible and accessible for even the busiest of students. To join the club one should email [email protected] , or simply show up to one of the practices listed online on the NC State Triathlon Club website. Simply put, the life of a triathlete follows four basic steps: swim, bike, run, repeat.
A version of this article appeared in print on Sept., 19, 2016, on page 10 with the headline: “Swim, bike, run with Triathlon Club.”
