Athlete Profile: Zoé Faure Beaulieu

Name

Zoé Faure Beaulieu

Course and Year of Study

DPhil in Computational Discovery, 2nd Year

College

St Catherine's

Sport

Triathlon and Swimming

Club

Oxford University Swimming Club & Oxford University Triathlon Club

Highest Competition Level

National

Best Achievement

Qualifying for the Ironman World Championships

Short Term Aspirations

A personal best at World Champs

Long Term Aspirations

GB Age Group & Age Group Ironman World Champs Podium

How did you get into the sport?

I have been a competitive swimmer since I was about 10 years old, competing at a national level from the age of 15. I've been on the Blues Swimming Team since starting Uni in 2018 and last year decided to have a go at triathlon since Triathlon Varsity has a MOB match and I had a few friends on the tri team. I really enjoyed it and started cycling and running a bit more. Very quickly after, I somehow decided to enter an Ironman (3.8k swim, 180k bike, 42k run). Coming from a sprint swimming background where my races are between 30s to 1min15s long I don't exactly know how or why I got into it but I wanted a challenge and I absolutely love to train so I thought why not and here we are.

What is your advice on balancing sport and academia?

Take the time to get organised and find a system that works for you. Each person is different and especially if you're new at uni it will take some time to get adjusted so just take the time to set up a routine that works for you. Prioritise sleep as much as possible and don't be afraid to ask for help. Your teammates, especially older students, will all have some tips and tricks to help balance the load and some may even be doing the same subject as you and can help you with your work. Being part of a team is one of the best parts of uni so don't be scared to reach out and use the support around you.