Pepperdine’s triathlon team may not be associated with the NCAA but the university certainly has made a spot for these fierce athletes here on campus. With all the rigorous practices and challenging competitions the triathlon team has definitely earned some recognition while completing its first year as an official club sport.
The Pepperdine triathlon team is successfully competing in the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference (WCCTC) against 24 college teams from throughout California and the West. The tri-athletes are intense competitors against these teams because of strong endurance built through rigorous workouts. A normal triathlon practice includes a 20-mile bike ride swimming 3000 yards and running three miles or more.
Practices are intense but they are nothing compared to the actual competitions. In a triathlon meet there are two types of races sprint and Olympic. The sprint consists of a 400 meter-500 meter swim a 12.4-mile bike and a 3.1-mile run. The Olympic distance is much longer consisting of a 1500 meter swim a 24.8-mile bike and a 6.2-mile run.
Triathlon team member Brittany Irvin shares her journey overcoming numerous personal injuries in her young athletic career and her experience as a fierce tri-athlete. Recently Irvin helped the triathlon team place in the top tier of the Cal Poly tournament in San Luis Obispo at one of the most challenging courses on the circuit.
Irvins was raised in Huntington Beach playing various sports throughout her childhood and teens including soccer track and basketball. With three brothers it seemed almost natural that Irvin would find her niche in sports. She attended all of her brother’s sports games which sparked her desire to play with the boys and participate in her own sports.
“She always wanted to keep up with the boys< said Mimi Irvins her mother. “Playing sports with them she learned that she could be competitive while still having fun and being friends.
“She was taught that if you are hurt to keep going and try your hardest. With boys you want to stay with them and it becomes a competitive friendship. Brittany definitely learned a lot from her brothers growing up.”
After tearing a muscle running track she took a break from the usual sports and began swimming as a means of physical therapy. This ignited her newly found passion for swimming and motivated her to join the water polo team at Marina High School in Huntington Beach. Irvin was awarded with CIF swimmer of the year and All-Sunset-League team for water polo. But unfortunately the injuries didn’t stop here.
In the last season of Irvin’s high school athletic career she broke her playing powder puff football. The injury forced her to miss the end of the season for both swim and water polo yet she was still motivated to heal and get back into the athletic world again.
After high school Irvin attended Hawaii Pacific University and began immersing herself in the Hawaiian culture and way of life. A large part of living in Hawaii consisted of frequently being active and embracing the nature and beauty of the outdoors.
“When I lived in Hawaii I would watch the locals run marathons and it inspired me to start running again. Running was a great way for me to clear my mind and escape from everything. Whenever I felt frustrated it was a helpful way to relieve the stress. “
Why would any person decide to leave the tranquil and breath-taking island of Hawaii? “Pepperdine has always been my dream school for as long as I can remember Irvin explained. Once I got an internship working under the Los Angeles fashion ambassador I knew it’d be perfect. I can work as an intern be in Malibu and go to school at a place that I love.”
A close friend introduced her to other members of the triathlon team and she decided to join them. She has always wanted to run in a marathon and this was the perfect opportunity for her to take hold of that aspiration. After passing up the marathon in Hawaii becoming a member of the triathlon team was simply a chance she couldn’t pass up.
“Since it’s my first season as a tri-athlete my biggest goal is to just give my best in all three sections of the race and push myself to my full potential and capability. Even if I physically cant I always mentally tell myself I can and that’s how I keep going.”
Irvin says that the team is extremely supportive and has formed close bonds through all the hard work. Although it is an individual sport the team has become a family throughout all the practices and competitions and has worked well together as a unit.
Irvin’s most recent accomplishment and proudest moment as a tri-athlete was finishing in the first tier of the Cal Poly meet on Sunday March 27. Her time on the grueling course was 3 hours and 14 seconds.
The mountainous terrain and rainy weather conditions were a little less than endearing for tri-athletes competing in the tournament yet they held their ground and fought through the pain. The rigorous course consisted of three parts: swimming cycling and running. Irvin recalls her transition from the swimming portion to the cycling and describes the difficulty in moving from one course to the next in the pouring rain.
“During the first transition from the lake to cycling my foot slipped and I fell off of my bike drenched in water and still being timed. It was so cold in the water that my body just felt numb. The road was slippery with the mud and my bike just slid up from under me. I noticed I had a huge gash on my knee. I took a deep breath recollected myself and got back on my bike.”
After falling on the transition Irvin had to bike up large hills for another six miles. One particular hill in the course was the most challenging and many tri-athletes actually had to step off their bike and walk it up the hill. Even with a bleeding knee and harsh weather conditions Brittany expressed that giving up was never an option.
“I am a very competitive person and I won’t ever give up even if I’m hurt. Growing up I was a perfectionist and I was hard on myself but it pushed me harder to persevere. I wasn’t going to quit. I saw so many people getting off their bike but I wasn’t going to be one of those people.
“I knew I would’ve been incredibly disappointed in myself if I couldn’t accomplish it. I get a sense of pride and accomplishment when I overcome a difficult obstacle.”
Irvins has shown perseverance endurance and commitment to her sport proving herself on and off the course as someone who exemplifies what it takes to be a great tri-athlete. Through all the injuries Brittany has acquired more knowledge of how to take care of her body and gained more mental strength. She certainly will continue her college years here at Pepperdine on the triathlon team and keep pushing for success at all the WCCTC competitions.