TRIATHLON

Triathlon is fast-growing, endurance sport and Olympic event that consists of swimming, cycling, and running. With the roots of the sport originating in the San Diego running, cycling and swimming communities, UC San Diego is uniquely positioned at one of the centers of the triathlon world and has some of the best climate and terrain for training year round.

The UC San Diego Triathlon Team was founded in 1998 and has grown to more than 70 athletes. The team competes in Sprint and Olympic-distance races throughout the spring and summer against other schools in the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference (WCCTC), such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, and Cal Poly, San Luis Obsipo. The UCSD team also sends athletes to compete at the Collegiate Nationals race each year.

Historically, the UCSD Tritons have been extremely successful, both within the WCCTC and also at the national level. In 2025 the Tritons won the WCCTC Conference Championships in Arroyo Grande, and placed 9th nationally. In 2008, UCSD's women's team won the National Collegiate Team title, with Amanda Felder winning the overall women's race. In 2005, UCSD won both the individual men's and women's National Collegiate Championship with Brendan O'Brien and Amanda Felders winning their respective races.

Besides racing in collegiate events, members of the UCSD Triathlon Team have had strong showings at a wide range of triathlon events. In addition to placing well in various Sprint and Olympic-distance races, UCSD athletes have also raced in Half Ironman and Ironman events, with some members even qualifying for coveted spots to Ironman Hawaii. In 2025, three athletes competed at the Oceanside 70.3, with Siwen Cui placing fi rst in her age group and qualifying for the World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

In addition to competing at the highest levels, the UCSD Triathlon Team has sought to make the sport of triathlon more accessible to the student body at large. With that goal in mind, the team accepts all interested students regardless of athletic background. Furthermore, with the help of the Triathlon Club of San Diego, the team hosts their own sprint distance race, the Tritonman Triathlon, each year at Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. The race serves as the team's main fund raiser for the year and has attracted numerous students from UCSD and many collegiate teams from the WCCTC, as well as top local pros and amateur triathletes.

Feel free to reach out to the team email: ucsdtriathlon@gmail.com or the team instagram: @ucsdtriathlon