As a multi-disciplinary sport, Triathlon tests not only your endurance, speed, and versatility, but also your ability to persevere when the going gets truly tough. Swimming, cycling, and running each present distinct challenges, with athletes coming from a range of sporting backgrounds. I sat down with the Blues triathlete captains, Emma Richter and Marcus Barfield, to explore their journeys in all things triathlon and how to get involved with CUTRIC.

Triathlon can be an incredibly challenging sport to balance, especially alongside a rigorous degree. Could you tell me about your academic and triathlon background?

Marcus: I am a third year veterinary medicine student at Emmanuel, currently intercalating in pathology. Before coming to Cambridge, I hadn’t really had any experience in triathlon, but since joining I have really enjoyed the running aspect.

Emma: I am a third year student in psychological and behavioural sciences at Homerton. My sports background is in fact in sailing, and I only joined the triathlon club in my second year. I think it is quite common not to have any experience in the disciplines.

“The most important thing is that we try to provide a space for people of all abilities”

As a club with huge growth potential, how can people get involved, and are there any expectations when it comes to training?

Emma: You can try as much as you want, and, to be honest, we encourage people to do the sessions which are most fun for them. For swimming, there is a baseline of being able to swim 50 metres, but beyond that, we welcome everyone of all levels. For example, in track sessions, we all train together, and everyone can just join in as there is a large variety of abilities.

Marcus: The most important thing is that we try to provide a space for people of all abilities, as we want to welcome as many people as possible.

What are the usual distances for triathlon at University level?

Marcus: Varsity is usually the sprint distance of 750m swimming, 20km bike and 5km run, and then BUCS is the full Olympic distance at 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run.

Would either of you ever want to do an Iron Man?

Marcus: Yes, I get great satisfaction from achieving milestones in terms of distance, so at some point I would like to.

Emma: My hometown hosts an Iron Man, so yes, I would love to, but not in the near future!

Who is your sporting inspiration?

Marcus: Although I have never been a particularly sporty person, I have found it particularly interesting to follow the story of a triathlete called Oliver Conway, who is the current reigning champion of triathlon in BUCS and won the 2025 World Triathlon U23 Championship

Emma: Coming from Germany, I would have to say Mika Noodt, a successful triathlete, or potentially Alex Yee.

“Ultimately, it’s all about having fun”

Emma, you have achieved something brilliant by becoming both the club and women’s captains of Cambridge University Triathlon Club, do you have any specific triathlon goals?

Emma: For me, it might sound a bit cheesy, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to pursue competitive goals. Ultimately, it’s all about having fun, though I would love to race back in Hamburg, Germany, where I am from.

I know that, for you, Marcus, you still have another three years until you finish here at Cambridge, but Emma, you are graduating this year. Though still up in the air, what are both of your plans post-University?

Emma: I am planning to do a masters, but not in the UK. It will be most likely in Germany and I am hoping to go into biomedical, computational or clinical neuroscience research in the future.

Marcus: I can see myself doing research alongside gaining clinical experience once I graduate. I imagine I will vary between doing small and large animal practice.

How can people get involved with CUTRIC?

Marcus: Feel free to check out @cutric on Instagram if you want to keep up with all things triathlon at Cambridge. We post about fixtures, training, socials and other opportunities. As a club, we are still looking for sponsors, so if anyone is interested, do feel free to reach out!